Ongoing DPF issues - is genuine VW part the answer?

[TripleBee]

Sorry by ‘EGR stuff’ I meant the known EGR problems on Californias. I thought that was a specific engine on a later vehicle, not the R5 one the OP is having problems with.

As long as they have EGR, there are problems with it.
In older engines, you have the valve and cooler in separate parts in different places.
If the valve stays always open, the DPF will clogg too.
Only in the Euro5 engines and newer, you have the combined cooler/valve that works a lot more than the older valves, meaning faster wear, and more fragile.
So yes, the OP can have EGR problems, but different than the newer engines.

 

[2into1]

The first T5 engines (A series engine codes) didn't have a dpf. From approx 2006, the engines were upgraded to the B series (IE the BNZ) and fitted with dpfs. I think they all had egr valves. When mine failed, I was advised to have it mapped out and had a few trouble free years after that before sale .