Should I clean or replace the EGR valve?

My garage has told me that the emissions light on my dashboard is due to a fault in the EGR system. However, the car is running fine with no loss of power. The emissions light is not consistently on, only occasionally in the last week. Should I get the valve cleaned first as my garage are quoting me €500 for a new part plus labour costs?

Thank you.

Margaret Longhurst (Roscrea)

Mar 2019 Filed under: diesel

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Expert answer

Hi Margaret,

That's a tough call. I would agree that it sounds as if the valve is only beginning to stick, but it's quite a bit of work on most cars to take it out and then clean it and replace it. You're taking the risk by cleaning it that you will end up paying the same labour cost twice when it comes to replace the valve at a later date.

Ask the garage to quote you for removal and cleaning and then make your decision based on that.

Shane O' Donoghue - Complete Car Advisor
@Shane_O_D