My 2010 octavia 1.6 this has been diagnosed as the egr cooler having failed. I've been quoted £650to have it replaced. Is this an easy fix or do I need to go with the garage quote please

I would say that is a reasonable quote if using genuine/premium parts.

 

Genuine/Premium brand coolers are between £200-300 pound, there are a couple of gaskets and bolts worth changing, along with the coolant.. so put £30-40 on for that

Some of them, depending on the design are an absolute pain to fit and can be around 3-4hours worth of work, exhaust/dpf has to be removed etc.

You will also need to be able to clear the codes etc if you plan on doing it yourself.