Intercooler - A3 2.0 tdi 8P (2007)

[TripppA3]

Hi all

After having spent over £400 on (another) new crank sensor and a set of glow plugs finally I got my Audi back on the road.

20 miles later though and the engine light comes back on. Back to the garage and it looked like egr valve but then took that off and reckoned it was OK... so likely issue was with the intercooler which they advised was a big job and expensive part. For now, the engine light is off though.

Overall the car is in excellent condition. Bodywork almost perfect, interior lovely and 130k on the clock. I've been told I could get an intercooler from a breaker, and take it to a standard garage to fit at lower labour rates.... but am I throwing more money at something which might not work? 

Thinking of giving up and buying a bus pass lol. Any advice welcome 🙏 

Thanks, Jon

Edited April 17, 2022 by TripppA3

[Steve Q]

I suspect an intercooler would be cheaper than an egr. As such I'd fit a used one to see if that cures the problem. I'm sure you'll get all the niggles sorted. And when you do you'll have a reliable 8p 👍

[cliffcoggin]

Jon.

Forgive me for saying so, but you and your garage are doing exactly what I advised against in your previous topic, namely replacing parts at random which is costing you a fortune and failing to solve the problem. For goodness sake take the car to a garage that knows what it is doing, preferably an independant Audi specialist.

[TripppA3]

8 hours ago, cliffcoggin said:

Jon.

Forgive me for saying so, but you and your garage are doing exactly what I advised against in your previous topic, namely replacing parts at random which is costing you a fortune and failing to solve the problem. For goodness sake take the car to a garage that knows what it is doing, preferably an independant Audi specialist.

Hi - following your previous advice it is an independent Audi specialist where the car has been. They have replaced the crank sensor and glow plugs which resolved the main issue, this is a new / different issue which presents itself very differently.

[Magnet]

Hello Jon,

I think it’s unfortunately a case of wishing your wallet well. It’s sounds highly likely that Cliff and I are from the same school of logical mechanical thought:- always change one component and test. Never change two at one time, since you will never know ( without subsequent dismantling), which of the original components was the culprit. 
Kind regards,

Gareth. 

[TripppA3]

11 minutes ago, Magnet said:

Hello Jon,

I think it’s unfortunately a case of wishing your wallet well. It’s sounds highly likely that Cliff and I are from the same school of logical mechanical thought:- always change one component and test. Never change two at one time, since you will never know ( without subsequent dismantling), which of the original components was the culprit. 
Kind regards,

Gareth. 

Hi Gareth

My original garage replaced the crank sensor, and then cam sensor, and then gave up.

The audi specialist i went to replaced both the crank sensor (my original garage had fit a useless cheap one apparently) and the glow plugs.

This has solved the issue with glow plug and esp warning lights, the car now starts fine and idles well, and performance is restored.

The car is now apparently fine, except for the engine light which came on. I took it back to the audi specialist with it being so soon after their repairs. They confirmed it wasn't the same issue and that all their equipment was pointing at the egr valve being on its way out / clogged up. This didn't surprise me as I do a lot of short journeys and the car had been in garages for a month with lots of short test journeys. However, they realised on removing the part that it was actually in full working order and not worth replacing, so they put it back on.

Since then, still no light. But their advice was that the fault readings they're getting point to a problem with the intercooler.

My question to the forum is whether it's worth trying a 2nd hand unit, or not? Is it worth persevering? Is this a sign the car is now becoming unreliable?

I'm not a mechanic and usually trust my local garage. The specialist I used next has excellent reviews. I feel like they did the right thing, and this fault is new. 

But I'm not sure. I know cars can be a pain, and wish I knew more, but just wasn't sure what to do next.

Cheers

Jon

[cliffcoggin]

Jon.

Thanks for clarifying the matter and for adding the additional explanation. Details make all the difference.

To summarise the latest fault: the engine warning light came on, garage removed and refitted the EGR, light went off. Is that correct? If so it suggests to me that something about the EGR or its wiring and connectors was faulty. That would be a much more probable and common problem that a faulty intercooler. (I am dismissing the idea of a faulty engine control module because it would cause other unrelated warnings.)

Unfortunately a probability is not the same as a certainty, nevertheless I would not be spending money on an intercooler while there is doubt about the EGR. In your position, and assuming the engine is performing properly and without any warning lights, I would continue to use it normally to see what happens. Encourage the EGR to regenerate if you get the opportunity with a continuous fast run for 20 minutes.

One last question. Is the battery in good condition? Meaning did you have any problems starting the car last winter, or any unusual warning lights on the dash, or any other electrical problems of any sort. It is known that faulty batteries can create all sorts of running problems and false warning lights.