PSA: EGR cooler, P045e, P045f

Got flashing coil lights. Read the codes using the bluetooth ODB reader ($10-someting on Amazon) - P045e, P045f.

Our engines have 2 ERG valves. One is in front, attached to the intake manifold. That one is called EGR 1, aka "high pressure valve" and is fairly inexpensive ($180-ish @ indy parts dealers) and ez to remove. Mine was replaced under wty in 1st year of ownership. I'd call it "direct" impingement valve, as it takes dirty exhaust and mixes that into the intake manifold - adding controlled amt of exhaust into pressurised air supply, past turbo.

Replacing requires draining coolant, removing the intercooler and then you remove the TB and EGR valve as assembly. Not clear if intercooler could just be unbolted, decoupled from TB and suspended, w/o requiring coolant flush.

The EGR 2 is one below the turbo. They call it "erg cooler", as it is an entire assy with EGR valve built into it. This one takes cleaner exhaust, past the DPF, cools it using the engine coolant, and feeds it into low-pressure air supply before the turbo. Clearly, taking dirty exhaust and feeding that to turbo (on air-side of it) would kill it in no time flat.

More expensive and much larger labor effort to replace. Need to drain coolant, remove DPF (which requires removal of Cat, dropping of subframe).

The valve actuator electric motor has position sensor, so it knows when the valve is open/closed. Failure to open/close is what is caught by ECM and reported by flashing coil symbol. Not clear if EGR valve failure can put your car into limp mode. Mine happened about 4 times in as many days and I didn't go into limp mode. The 4th time it happened, I started getting chimes.

The EGR is actuated under low engine load, with the goal of reducing NOx. In my case, all 4 times, I was going downhill, with my foot off the accelerator.

So there you have it.

Luckily, I did buy VW Platinum extended wty. Which I wished I didnt, till this happened. This failure is covered by wty.

Dealer mech has the tools to test the valve in the shop.

What did you pay for the warranty, and how much would the EGR2 replacement have cost?

I should have the car and paperwork soon, hope it will show how much they charged the insurance for, part & labor. I am hoping it will make the extended wty pay for itself with that one repair

Necroing an old thread to expand and correct a few points in the OP: we recently replaced the EGR cooler on a CKRA engine.

We did _not_ lower the subframe. If one wants to remove the DPF, I think that would be required.

Mentally reviewing the job, replacing the EGR cooler required these steps:

1) remove exhaust assembly from 2nd catalytic converter (561-254-400-A) to the large band clamp. We took the electrical junction box off with the cooler rather than unscrew the O2 sensor.
2) pull the passenger side axle. Maybe not necessary, but easy to do and will make later steps easier.
3) disconnect the 1st catalytic converter (DPF): remove clamp at the turbo, mounting bolt near the exhaust manifold, nuts from two mounting studs at bottom of engine block. Disconnect small pipe to EGR cooler. Other connections (electrical, small hoses) at your discretion to make it convenient to move this assembly up/back. Moving the DPF creates space to get to the EGR mounting screws. We disconnected as if we were going to remove the DPF from the car, but that turned out to be unnecessary to replace the EGR cooler.
4) remove the turbo oil cooler drain pipe (large stainless pipe). One huge banjo at the bottom, two T30 bolts in a flange up high. You may want to replace the gasket at the flange and the o-rings (3) in the drain pipe assembly.
5) unbolt the turbo oil feed line (small stainless pipe) at the small banjo bolt, next to the oil cooler drain.
6) unclamp the coolant pipe from the block at the passenger side of the EGR cooler.
7) from the EGR cooler, disconnect electrical fitting, cooler to turbo air pipe (pushes into a grommet at the top), two coolant hoses. We clamped off the hose on the driver's side so we didn't have to drain the coolant.
8) unbolt the EGR cooler from the block (4 T30 mounting screws). You should be able to move the driver's end of the EGR cooler back and rotate the cooler to get it out from behind the oil feed and coolant pipes.