Cracked EGR Pipe

[if6was9]

My 2016 Beach has done ~55k miles with full VW service history and has just failed its MOT due to a cracked EGR pipe.
The pipe had already been replaced under warranty in March 2020 at ~40k mile by the same dealer carrying out the MOT.

The dealer initially wanted to charge around £600 to replace the pipe, but when I pointed out that they had already replaced it, they agreed to goodwill, so I paid 50% of the parts, to which I agreed.

Once the new pipe had been fitted, I received a further call from the dealer to say that they'd established that there was actually a fault with the EGR unit, and it would be replaced free of charge.

I took the van today to have the EGR replaced, and after 2 hours, I received a call to say that actually, the EGR didn't need replacing, and the van was ready to collect.

Questions are if anybody would be so kind:
• Is there any way to determine when the redesigned pipe (PN: 04L131521BH) was made available by VW?
• Should I be concerned that the van has had two pipe replacements?
• Is there any way to determine whether the EGR unit is in good shape so I can establish whether the dealer is fobbing me off or not?

Any advice/experience would be appreciated.

 

[B J G]

Expensive pipe fitting by VW quoted as available for £125 on a DIY basis.

Faulty pipes usually split and cause exhaust fume smell.

Looks like this if not sure

Genuine Volkswagen T6 Rear EGR Pipe 04L131521BH for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Genuine Volkswagen T6 Rear EGR Pipe 04L131521BH at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[CALI FATE]

Hi - i can report a cracked EGR pipe too - thought id pop up a pic as its something thats quite easy to spot - on a 150 Beach - the pipe is at the front of the engine linking the exhaust to the EGR. If it is cracked there will be black soot near the damaged pipe. I have been getting exhaust smells in the cabin and traced the fault via T6 forums / online research to the EGR pipe. Four bolts looks a straightforward fix

 

[Perfectos]

Here is a previous thread showing the old and new EGR pipe and the “flushing process“ carried out to clean the EGR system

mine was replaced by the AA at the roadside.(August 2020)

VW supplied the AA with the new pipes and equipment to carry out the upgrade of the EGR pipe and flush the EGR, due to the amount of issue VW were experiencing with EGR pipe / engine management light / fault codes (old design EGR).
I.E VW gave the equipment and updated EGR pipe to the AA so they didn’t have to recover vehicles to a VW dealer at additional cost to VW (which probably indicates how common the problem is )

have a look at this thread it shows the old gummed up EGR pipe which has two holes in the end of the pipe which block up and the new design (slotted) which resolves the issue. ( it was raining when the work was carried out hence the water droplets in the photos)
post #4 onwards

EGR - Insufficient Flow - £1700

Hi Folks looking for some advise, I have a 2014 180 biturbo Cali (47,000 mile) and the engine warning light illuminated. Engine code CFC Took to the my local commercial VW garage in Edinburgh (where I bought it) and was told the diagnosis was "Insufficient Flow" in the EGR. Have been quoted...

vwcaliforniaclub.com

edit: the process of changing the pipe and flushing the EGR took approx 1 hour start to finish (150ps engine)

Edit: my dealer told me one customer has had the EGR flushed six times to date (from new)
I don’t know if the dealer has fitted the new (redesigned) pipe or not

 

[PIERPO]

Here is a previous thread showing the old and new EGR pipe and the “flushing process“ carried out to clean the EGR system

mine was replaced by the AA at the roadside.(August 2020)

VW supplied the AA with the new pipes and equipment to carry out the upgrade of the EGR pipe and flush the EGR, due to the amount of issue VW were experiencing with EGR pipe / engine management light / fault codes (old design EGR).
I.E VW gave the equipment and updated EGR pipe to the AA so they didn’t have to recover vehicles to a VW dealer at additional cost to VW (which probably indicates how common the problem is )

have a look at this thread it shows the old gummed up EGR pipe which has two holes in the end of the pipe which block up and the new design (slotted) which resolves the issue. ( it was raining when the work was carried out hence the water droplets in the photos)
post #4 onwards

EGR - Insufficient Flow - £1700

Hi Folks looking for some advise, I have a 2014 180 biturbo Cali (47,000 mile) and the engine warning light illuminated. Engine code CFC Took to the my local commercial VW garage in Edinburgh (where I bought it) and was told the diagnosis was "Insufficient Flow" in the EGR. Have been quoted...

vwcaliforniaclub.com

edit: the process of changing the pipe and flushing the EGR took approx 1 hour start to finish (150ps engine)

Edit: my dealer told me one customer has had the EGR flushed six times to date (from new)
I don’t know if the dealer has fitted the new (redesigned) pipe or not

Van went into Liverpool vw for mot and service they found Egr pipe split and changed it free of charge as under warranty on looking at paperwork apparently it would of cost me £809:48 had it not been under warranty

 

[Perfectos]

Van went into Liverpool vw for mot and service they found Egr pipe split and changed it free of charge as under warranty on looking at paperwork apparently it would of cost me £809:48 had it not been under warranty

Surely that is a new EGR valve and pipe for that cost ?

 

[Perfectos]

What paperwork did the VW dealer supply For the warranty work ?

 

[PIERPO]

What paperwork did the VW dealer supply For the warranty work ?

 

[vbk1975]

View attachment 99700

View attachment 99699

We have just had the rear EGR pipe fail on our 2017 Ocean, it has been replaced by the VW dealer with the latest part.

It was covered under extended warranty, the paperwork suggested this would have been £342.28 (not sure if this include VAT) had we had to pay for it. The parts 4 bolts, 2 gaskets and the pipe are ~£180-200 (I don’t know if the quote included new bolts but I think they have been changed as part of the swap to the later part)

We have a 4Motion DSG and there is an extra cooler next to the pipe which make access interesting, so the price might be cheaper for a non DSG if it takes less time.

 

[B J G]

EGR pipe went with a load POP on return run from France, thankfully only 10 miles from home.

Indications of something not right were first Stop Start when in Border Force queue heard the Moo sound a couple of times then it didn't restart-had to key restart and put Stop/start off incase of a repeat. Felt like Turbo lag a few times but as mainly on cruise nothing much else odd.
Pulling away from a roundabout heard a load pop like a backfire and lost power. Lost about 80% of power and as in traffic (5pm) kept going. Glow plug light came on with no other indications. As only about 10 miles from home kept going.
Switched off and MFD said Fault with Stop/start.
Had a look under bonnet and saw EGR pipe completely detached at right hand end, not split just out of flange as per photo.

Booked in with VW next week.

 

[B J G]

EGR pipe went with a load POP on return run from France, thankfully only 10 miles from home.

Indications of something not right were first Stop Start when in Border Force queue heard the Moo sound a couple of times then it didn't restart-had to key restart and put Stop/start off incase of a repeat. Felt like Turbo lag a few times but as mainly on cruise nothing much else odd.
Pulling away from a roundabout heard a load pop like a backfire and lost power. Lost about 80% of power and as in traffic (5pm) kept going. Glow plug light came on with no other indications. As only about 10 miles from home kept going.
Switched off and MFD said Fault with Stop/start.
Had a look under bonnet and saw EGR pipe completely detached at right hand end, not split just out of flange as per photo.

Booked in with VW next week.

View attachment 108910

Update,
Local VW service did say that as I had the 2 year warranty and VW Assist I could give them a call which I did

Explained the issue and that EGR pipe was needed and no panic.
Went through all the Q&A and told that AA would be out soon.
AA phoned to say coming and asked about the fault. As a warranty part needed they couldn't do it but said that he'd come and check.
Came but said that they (AA) weren't permitted to fit warranty parts but could if a non warranty chargeable part!!
He managed to stuff the pipe back in and couldn't pull it out again,
He arranged for VW Assist to come out Friday and confirmed to them that a pipe was needed.

I had a look on Carista and only an Air Mix fault shown. The Stop/Start display fault indication has disappeared overnight.

 

[B J G]

VW Assist arrived and asked "what's the problem?"
I explained about giving full info about needing an EGR pipe and AA coming out to verify and arranging for VW Assist to bring a pipe and replace it.
Answer was "I was told that there was no history on the problem"

Faulty pipe removed which wasn't easy as access to one bolt required the throttle housing being removed.
New pipe fetched, about 1.5 hours trip.
Pipe fitted which took some time as the great difficulty was experienced plugging the electrics back into the throttle housing (was difficult to unplug)
About a 4 hour job including fetching the pipe. Probably about 2 hours labour at the workshop.

pipe cost £50 possibly plus VAT.

I'd guess over £300 for VW workshop to do it. on a non warranty basis.

 

[B J G]

EGR pipe went with a load POP on return run from France, thankfully only 10 miles from home.

Indications of something not right were first Stop Start when in Border Force queue heard the Moo sound a couple of times then it didn't restart-had to key restart and put Stop/start off incase of a repeat. Felt like Turbo lag a few times but as mainly on cruise nothing much else odd.
Pulling away from a roundabout heard a load pop like a backfire and lost power. Lost about 80% of power and as in traffic (5pm) kept going. Glow plug light came on with no other indications. As only about 10 miles from home kept going.
Switched off and MFD said Fault with Stop/start.
Had a look under bonnet and saw EGR pipe completely detached at right hand end, not split just out of flange as per photo.

Booked in with VW next week.

View attachment 108910

New pipe appears to have a modification to prevent this happening again. Copper looking ring between pipe and flange

 

[CaliOceanMike]

MOT fail due to cracked EGR pipe on 2018 Ocean after 40k miles. Well over £300 for VW to replace. Hoping the new pipe lasts much longer

 

[Perfectos]

MOT fail due to cracked EGR pipe on 2018 Ocean after 40k miles. Well over £300 for VW to replace. Hoping the new pipe lasts much longer

Front or rear pipe?

thd front is relatively easy to get at and the updated design / part can be bought.

 

[CaliOceanMike]

Front or rear pipe?

thd front is relatively easy to get at and the updated design / part can be bought.

It was the rear EGR pipe that needed replacing

 

[Holly Bus]

EGR pipe went with a load POP on return run from France, thankfully only 10 miles from home.

Indications of something not right were first Stop Start when in Border Force queue heard the Moo sound a couple of times then it didn't restart-had to key restart and put Stop/start off incase of a repeat. Felt like Turbo lag a few times but as mainly on cruise nothing much else odd.
Pulling away from a roundabout heard a load pop like a backfire and lost power. Lost about 80% of power and as in traffic (5pm) kept going. Glow plug light came on with no other indications. As only about 10 miles from home kept going.
Switched off and MFD said Fault with Stop/start.
Had a look under bonnet and saw EGR pipe completely detached at right hand end, not split just out of flange as per photo.

Booked in with VW next week.

View attachment 108910

just had exact issue but in Germany on last day back heading the calais.. Went into limp mode with glow light flashing. Found vw dealership 5km away. job done in 90mins. cost 175euro. Can i reclaim from VW here in England?

 

[B J G]

If warranty current I understand that you need to keep invoice and claim from VWUK immediately on return to avoid leaving too late to claim.

 

[Perfectos]

Sitting in a Dealers waiting for a Rear EGR pipe to be diagnosed as split.

Advance Booking via dealers centralised booking.
call handler asked what the issue was & if I had a warranty, which i confirmed “All in”

when arrived at dealers I am told it may take two days to diagnose!

I said I’ll be here in your show room for two days then, it’s a very simple diagnoses that will take 10minutes max

“How do you know it’s a cracker EGR pipe”

I explain: Exhaust smell coming from the wheel arch when vehicle stationary & engine bay when bonnet lifted.
A Slight smell in the cab on a very occasional basis.
I can feel, with my hand , exhaust gasses coming from the rear EGR pipe when I put my hand into the void by the pipe.
Gas flow from the cracked pipe Increases when the vehicle is revved.

I am Advised investigation fee £150 ! (No previous mention of a fee )
after which they will diagnose the problem & tell me how much additional cost the repair would be !

I advise : My Van is on an All in Plan to which the service advisor says OK thanks for letting me know ! (Is it not on my booking / vehicle record ? )

I am expecting no charge at all - will update this accordingly

Been here about 45 minutes as I write, I enquire if they have diagnosed the issue yet “yeah we know what the problem is, just waiting VW to email to confirm warranty repair”

 

[B J G]

Sitting in a Dealers waiting for a Rear EGR pipe to be diagnosed as split.

Advance Booking via dealers centralised booking.
call handler asked what the issue was & if I had a warranty, which i confirmed “All in”

when arrived at dealers I am told it may take two days to diagnose!

I said I’ll be here in your show room for two days then, it’s a very simple diagnoses that will take 10minutes max

“How do you know it’s a cracker EGR pipe”

I explain: Exhaust smell coming from the wheel arch when vehicle stationary & engine bay when bonnet lifted.
A Slight smell in the cab on a very occasional basis.
I can feel, with my hand , exhaust gasses coming from the rear EGR pipe when I put my hand into the void by the pipe.
Gas flow from the cracked pipe Increases when the vehicle is revved.

I am Advised investigation fee £150 ! (No previous mention of a fee )
after which they will diagnose the problem & tell me how much additional cost the repair would be !

I advise : My Van is on an All in Plan to which the service advisor says OK thanks for letting me know ! (Is it not on my booking / vehicle record ? )

I am expecting no charge at all - will update this accordingly

Been here about 45 minutes as I write, I enquire if they have diagnosed the issue yet “yeah we know what the problem is, just waiting VW to email to confirm warranty repair”

I got the same 'that will be £135 fee from local Dealer to diagnose for the front pipe that had detached. Fortunately on extended warranty and got VW Assist out who did the job for free although took a few days with a saga of ignoring my explaining what was needed to fix the issue.

 

[vbk1975]

Sitting in a Dealers waiting for a Rear EGR pipe to be diagnosed as split.

Advance Booking via dealers centralised booking.
call handler asked what the issue was & if I had a warranty, which i confirmed “All in”

when arrived at dealers I am told it may take two days to diagnose!

I said I’ll be here in your show room for two days then, it’s a very simple diagnoses that will take 10minutes max

“How do you know it’s a cracker EGR pipe”

I explain: Exhaust smell coming from the wheel arch when vehicle stationary & engine bay when bonnet lifted.
A Slight smell in the cab on a very occasional basis.
I can feel, with my hand , exhaust gasses coming from the rear EGR pipe when I put my hand into the void by the pipe.
Gas flow from the cracked pipe Increases when the vehicle is revved.

I am Advised investigation fee £150 ! (No previous mention of a fee )
after which they will diagnose the problem & tell me how much additional cost the repair would be !

I advise : My Van is on an All in Plan to which the service advisor says OK thanks for letting me know ! (Is it not on my booking / vehicle record ? )

I am expecting no charge at all - will update this accordingly

Been here about 45 minutes as I write, I enquire if they have diagnosed the issue yet “yeah we know what the problem is, just waiting VW to email to confirm warranty repair”

Just for info, our rear cracked EGR pipe was changed and the cost covered by All-in-One.

 

[Perfectos]

Thank you @vbk1975

So as I continue to sit in the dealers, my phone pings,

as it does, the service advisor calls over to me from the desk and tells me they have sent me a “Free health check” via email. (I have not checked at this stage )

Apparently I need two new tyres , i am told verbally, by the advisor, “the front two tyres are worn and need replacing” !
I ask what thread depth they are ?
(Im not concerned as I know this, I measured the tread depth few weeks ago 4.5 - 5mm )
I decline the replacement of my tyres.

I enquire about the warranty EGR pipe, I am told that the dealer is awaiting confirmation from VW regarding the replacement of the failed EGR pipe under “All in warranty “ it takes longer than a factory warranty claim !
When was the email sent ?
About 10 minutes ago ! (What happened to the email I was told was sent an hour ago at 10am )

I asked : Do VW not give the dealer Carp Blanche to replace broken EGR pipes , particularly as VW know there is an issue and have redesigned both front and rear pipes ?

“It takes longer to agree All in warranty claims, had it been a factory warranty claim , then we would just replace it “ !

I ask if they have the parts in stock to carry out the repair ?

After a visit to the work shop the service advisor confirmed they have the parts.

I then open the “free health check” message and click the link :

I’ll leave it to the reader to determine if the cost of add Blue is reasonable?
And if my front tyres are indeed 2.5 - 3mm as I have been told

(why does the Report state 4mm both rear and doesn’t mention the fronts what so ever ! )

At least it confirms how much the dealer is going to charge me if this is not accepted as warranty EGR pipe replacement

£305 + £150 diagnoses =£455 !

Time in dealers approx 2hrs to date.




Edit here is the dealer photo of the failed EGR pipe - tell tale carbon deposit from the exhaust gasses escaping via the split.

 

[RoB5urf]

£87 for Adblue? O-M-G!! I seem to remember there was a period of free top-ups after VW applied an update that increased Adblue consumption. Think I'm still owed a few but won't be going back to a dealer if I can avoid it.

We had a split FRONT EGR pipe last year. Cost £350 to fix.

 

[Perfectos]

Repair Now Authorised by VW under “All in “

 

[vbk1975]

Repair Now Authorised by VW under “All in “

Listers by any chance ? All sounds very familiar- basically the dealers can do work without authority but they risk the claim being declined by VW finance (All in provider), so basically they won’t budge without pre-approval, even if they have had the same repair approved previously for another customer.