Consultation on AdBlue issue repair price

[transportør]

Hello fellow T6 drivers! I bought mine in July, 2018 model with 161 000 km and a VW service history. Unfortunately after under 2000 km I got an AdBlue error while driving (spanner symbol, "no engine start in 1000 km"). I had filled the AdBlue tank several hundred kilometres before, not recently. While returning to a workshop that the dealer recommended the error went away after fueling the car, but I went there to log the error codes anyway and luckily I did, because after leaving the workshop the same error appeared again. They said it was a sensor problem in the exhaust system (I saw two codes on the computer, the other one being NOx something and the other one read reducing agent in it) and logged it for the future. So tomorrow I'll be in touch with them again.

My question is: is it possible to evaluate any kind of price range for the repairs this could mean? I understand the question is rather vague but I'm asking because tomorrow I may be in a situation where I have to decide if I'm taking my car back to the place where they read the codes for the repairs or if I try to find another workshop. And this decision will obviously be based on the estimate they give me of the repair price beforehand. I've been reading about several AdBlue issues from this forum and I understand the error can be caused by many different things but never hurts to ask.

 

[DXX]

If possible post the fault codes on the Forum.
It maybe as simple as a software upgrade.
Not all sensor problems are caused by a defective sensor, some are wiring issues.
There are many similar cases on the Forum, do a Search with ‘adblue’.

 

[transportør]

If possible post the fault codes on the Forum.
It maybe as simple as a software upgrade.
Not all sensor problems are caused by a defective sensor, some are wiring issues.
There are many similar cases on the Forum, do a Search with ‘adblue’.

I will post the fault codes if/when I get them later on, thank you. I've been searching and reading about different AdBlue problems but my main question here was is it possible to evaluate any kind of (reasonable) price range for the repairs based on my desciption?

 

[roadtripper]

Realistically on the information given, no.

Get yourself something that can read the codes and there are folks around who can offer guidance as to what to check next.

 

[jimc91]

so I’m currently in France, had the warning twice now, both times it has reset itself which is lucky as I’m 500 miles from a ferry. The only error codes I had were below. I’ve read nearly all the posts on here about this issue, some have had new sensors or tanks but it doesn’t appear to solve the issue, others have tried to get software updates from VW with mixed results. My current software is 6163. I will be into VW Croydon on my return to see what they say but the problem seems to be there’s no one fix and can be an expensive business changing bits of the adblue/ emissions systems hoping it solves the problem. I don’t think this heat helps either, I wonder if the adblue is evaporating a bit changing the concentration. Be interested in your outcome

 

[Lynnietom]

I had the 'recurring EML' saga recently. 2 garages plugged in the diagnostic tool, took a sharp intake of breath and advised getting a computer update and if that didn't sort the problem it might need a new Adblue pump or failing that a ??? bulb ....etc.
Massive shout out for Wright Automotive Syston - plugged in, bonnet up, foot on accelerator and bingo! EGR pipe had a crack in it! Diagnosed within 10 minutes. Nobody else bothered to look under the bonnet that's why it wasn't picked up before.

 

[JOG]

I had the 'recurring EML' saga recently. 2 garages plugged in the diagnostic tool, took a sharp intake of breath and advised getting a computer update and if that didn't sort the problem it might need a new Adblue pump or failing that a ??? bulb ....etc.
Massive shout out for Wright Automotive Syston - plugged in, bonnet up, foot on accelerator and bingo! EGR pipe had a crack in it! Diagnosed within 10 minutes. Nobody else bothered to look under the bonnet that's why it wasn't picked up before.

Gotta love a bit of “old skool” diagnostics - look and listen to what the problem might be!!!

 

[Lynnietom]

Gotta love a bit of “old skool” diagnostics - look and listen to what the problem might be!!!

I know! You'd think it was rocket science

 

[Lynnietom]

Mine was solved by the mechanic looking under the bonnet and finding a crack in the EGR pipe

 

[doningtonphil]

Mine was solved by the mechanic looking under the bonnet and finding a crack in the EGR pipe

How do you identify a crack in the EGR pipe? Can you hear it, smell it, see it?

 

[Lynnietom]

Mechanic had his foot on the accelerator and revved the engine whilst staring at the engine. Apparently fumes puffed out.

 

[DXX]

How do you identify a crack in the EGR pipe? Can you hear it, smell it, see it?

If you can smell exhaust gases under the bonnet or in the van there’s a problem.
The cracked EGR pipes on certain engines is well documented in the Forum, have a Search with ‘EGR pipe’

 

[doningtonphil]

The videos I have seen have often shown the crack on the underside (not visible) so just wondered how best to spot.
I didn't think I could smell fumes in the cab, but I walked past an idling diesel car today and it smelled particularly bad and I realised that hints of what I could smell matched the van cab smell.

I am not 100% sure I have identified the egr valve/pipes. Are they pipes the only shiny ones that have the ribbing/corrugated?

 

[DXX]

The videos I have seen have often shown the crack on the underside (not visible) so just wondered how best to spot.
I didn't think I could smell fumes in the cab, but I walked past an idling diesel car today and it smelled particularly bad and I realised that hints of what I could smell matched the van cab smell.

I am not 100% sure I have identified the egr valve/pipes. Are they pipes the only shiny ones that have the ribbing/corrugated?

Yes, there are two of them

 

[transportør]

If possible post the fault codes on the Forum.
It maybe as simple as a software upgrade.
Not all sensor problems are caused by a defective sensor, some are wiring issues.
There are many similar cases on the Forum, do a Search with ‘adblue’.

Update on this:

The fault codes that the workshop got were P204F and P20EE. When I contacted the workshop they told me they'd need to replace the NOx sensor, reserved a time for it and told it would take two hours. I brought the car and waited nearby. They changed the sensor quickly but the whole thing took them over five hours because they couldn't manage to reset the AdBlue drive restriction before they heated up the exhaust system up to 300 Celcius.

Once I left the workshop everything has been working well (although at some point I got an inspection alert due to 23 days but I've understood it can't be related to this). What puzzled me was that after the workshop the AdBlue range was 10000 km and for approximately the first 750 km it didn't change until finally it changed to 9500 km. Before the workshop the last working AdBlue range value was 8500 km so I'm still a bit puzzled by this but maybe they added some AdBlue during the repair without telling me.