I've made contact with a mechanic who is going to look at my car next week. After everyone's advice, I will probably get the akf valve with connecting tubes and the charcoal cannister changed- as I read this is suggested. I think I might also get a new petrol cap to cover every possiblity. Also mentioned to him that I would also appreciate it if he also changed the spark plugs. I thought that perhaps this was something I could do myself but I'm afraid, I'll just take the hit and let a professional do the job. Hopefully after this has been sorted my car will run as it should.

Although, looking at the the Akf valve and the connecting tubes, it looks like just three tubes to connect. Maybe if I take enough photos beforehand I could just swap like for like. Then take the back wheel off and change the charcoal cannister after taking off the trim, the bolt and two clips. Ahh, I can't make up my mind, there's a part of me that wants it done as soon as possible rather than wait until next Thursday for the mechanic to look at it. I reckon if I were to change both these parts, that would probably solbe my problem.

Ah, I can see now that both the black plastic part AND the grey or now white part get changed as a single set of bits.

I tend to get suspicious when a car manufacturer changes the body colour of a part, it is not normally just down to a change of available material, the change tends to reflect a significant change in that part, ie it required modifying, and to be easily identified when or if the later part has been fitted.

Replacing the spark plugs on these engines, is, in my mind not a job for a beginner in this "car work" stuff, even a local VW Group Indie in South London managed to mess up the charge pipe assembly when taking the air filter assembly off my younger daughter's 2019 SEAT Arona - and either did not notice what they had done or just didn't want to report that that car now needed a new charge pipe!

I only bumped into that mess when I removed the air filter to replace the spark plugs, but time did not allow for me to source a new part before they headed back down South. What had happened was that while the charge pipe is a single assembly, it gets fabricated from two parts and a sealing part, the 2 parts ad been pulled/ripped apart so there was now a gap in the charge pipe, not a good plan if you want to keep crap out of the turbo inlet! Taking the coils off requires using a specific tool or being very careful and new spark plugs need a ring of proper non conducting paste applying to the ends of the coils possibly to avoid the coil "contacts" from grabbing/gripping the ceramic on the spark plugs - which would need to extra work getting that off the plug after it had separated from the main part of the coil. All that is easy stuff when you have all the tools and paste - and an idea what you are up against. The strong constant tension clips on these air cleaner pipes are best removed using the correct sort of tool.

Edited 15 August, 202515 Aug by rum4mo
Clarified who's Arona I was referring to!

Just a though, are you in the AA and have included being helped from home as well as when out on the road?

If so, after you buy and receive this new assembly of bits, log this emissions issue with the AA and say that you'd rather not drive the car in its present state, there is a good possibility that they would come out and fit that part FOC. This might depend on your local area as to how they handle this situation.

Many years ago, I messed up or got into a mess after replacing the fuel filter on my 2000 VW Passat 4Motion - and ended up with a "non starter" - they did attend and sought help from another patrol who "knew V6s" - and he quickly solved my problem which was oil getting washed out from the piston rings by the injected petrol as I tried to get the fuel through, to the select few, a well known situation especially with Jaguars and Audi V engines!

10 hours ago, Sco22y said:

there's a part of me that wants it done as soon as possible

Have you bought that part that you've shown on deutsche-parts.co.uk?

Which part number did it match, the original -AN or the superseding -BA?

The end fittings all look fairly straightforward to me, from what I can see, so probably a pretty easy fitment.

I went our to the car this morning with the intention of trying to take as much of the Akf assembly off. I managed two of the clips but I struggled with three others (in photos)-two hoses and one electrical clip (photo with arrow pointing to clip). So just leaving it to the mechanic. I can't order the part yet as the mechanic that is visiting my home, does not fit any part supplied by clients-so he will have to order. I was also under the driver's rear wheel and seen what I appear to be the charcoal cannister. This seems pretty straightforward to change over as well but I might as well get the mechanic to do this if he's doing the other things as well. I've not been able to source a charcoal cannister but going by what others have paid online, it should be about £90. When I add that, the Akf assembly and about £40-£60 for spark plugs-parts should come to a total of £250-£270. With labour, surely £400 all I would cover it. Maybe an extra £20 if I also add a new fuel cap.

My mind goes into problem- solving overdrive when work needs done to my car. Hats off to all the mechanics and car enthusiasts out there-as its hard to switch off from it. 😁

I would take off the charcoal cartridge and weigh it before I start changing other parts which may not be needed - as I said in the earlier post my nearest main dealer had 3 in stock which shows it must be a common issue, the mechanic at the main dealer told me this is the first thing they do when this fault code is showing

Our canister weighed 1200grammes -(new one was 900grammes) changing it solved the problem as the fuel contamination reduces the flow which is picked up by the EVAP sensor and then throws up the fault code That was 6 months ago - no problems since