I spent today cleaning. The amount of buildup was pretty bad. The EGR is done, I cleaned it with hand tools and alot of carb cleaner. I ran several cans of degreaser, carb cleaner, brake cleaner through the manifold. I scraped and scraped with various tools. A ton of gunk came out, but it still obviously needs more cleaning. 345 posts · Joined 2014. #3 · Feb 25, 2015. The only benefits of a functioning egr is reduced emissions and a quicker engine warm up from cold. There are many downsides, the worse one is the manifold gets completely clogged up with soot. The comment on the Alfa workshop is referring to when the EGR valve is stuck open. EGR Fault- Advice needed! I've got a 2010 2.0 TDI A3 with approximately 33,000 on the clock. The other day I had the glow plug dash light start flashing while driving, the engine management light, and the car went into limp mode. A diagnostic check said it was an EGR fault, so I bought a can of Wynns EGR cleaner and used that at the weekend Look up 1.9 PD EGR valve/manifold cleaning on You Tube and marvel at the soot build up in some engines. I had a new EGR valve fitted to my old Audi 80 Tdi, but the old one was completely blocked up and soot was set hard like coal. I'm not sure how much a garage would charge to do it as it is a messy job and wouldn't be on their favourites list! EGR Valve - Part No. 55215032 - 71.50 ex VAT Gaskets x 3* - Part No. 93178885 - 0.89 ex VAT Total £85.30 Screwfix: A2 Socket Cap Screws M8x25 - £8.80 for a bag of 50 Total £94.10 * You need three gaskets, one goes between the EGR valve and the 90degree corrugated pipe that is attached to it. Regular maintenance, such as routine oil and filter changes and completing an engine cleaning service, can prevent carbon build-up on VAG 1.6 TDI engines. High-quality fuel should be used. Additionally, the EGR system needs to be inspected because a dirty or clogged EGR system can lead to carbon build-up in the combustion chamber and intake. basically it's a simple job. the EGR valve is the round aluminum thing on top-left of the engine, right under cover, facing you as you open the hood. you'll see the air intake hose coming from the pass. side headlight going into the intake; well, the EGR is the valve that the hose leads to. all you have to do is undo the 3 hex bolts holding it spah. 298 posts · Joined 2010. #2 · Oct 31, 2013. If you're seeing lots of oil through the pcv then it will work its way into the egr. Also, mixing with the hot egr gasses it will create buildup. You can add a catch can (provent 200 is very popular) that will remove pretty much all of the oil from your crank breather. DNGjRO7.