D4 VEA 'check engine' light / EGR fault thread

[D4dilemma]

Sounds like you are dealing with Danny the service manager. See other posts but my 5 yr old V60D4 needed all new inlet valves plus blocked manifold and EGR cooler total cost £4K paid by Volvo. It took some emails and i went in to take my own photos of the gunge deposits. Danny remembers it well.
The whole D4 EGR joke goes on it seems. I suggest you insist they pay - its bad enough having a car with a well known inherent defect ready to recur at any time.

[D4dilemma]

Originally Posted by Ian W XC60

I read it differently, Chris.
My interpretation is that the "final" fix was the same abject failure as the 2 previous fixes and a 2nd "final" fix is now in the pipeline, AFAIK all work to rectify a SAFETY recall should be done FOC at Volvo's expense.
Time will tell which is right.

Not surprised Zebster is annoyed at being charged for previous EGR work, as it all looks linked in to a major Volvo c0ck-up with the pre-adblu D4 engines. Not on their own in that respect but a little honesty and openness from Volvo wouldn't go amiss!

The Honest John answer followed my request that he contact Volvo. He emailed back to say he can take it further if people contact him directly but he can't act on anonymous forum posts alone. He is very good and answers emails himself at any time of day! I suggest owners email him at letters@honestjohn.co.uk

The suggested fix sounds exactly like the first one but at least confirms the fire risk issue is the same as the EGR which is the link they are trying to hide. His previous reply to me said only cars manufactured up to end of 2018 are affected. That includes Ad Blue vversions. They said customers buying nearly new had been appropriately advised - I would love to know what advice would have caused anybody to spend £20K plus on a car with a recall notice and no known cure.

[Dash300]

Originally Posted by D4dilemma

The Honest John answer followed my request that he contact Volvo. He emailed back to say he can take it further if people contact him directly but he can't act on anonymous forum posts alone. He is very good and answers emails himself at any time of day! I suggest owners email him at letters@honestjohn.co.uk

The suggested fix sounds exactly like the first one but at least confirms the fire risk issue is the same as the EGR which is the link they are trying to hide. His previous reply to me said only cars manufactured up to end of 2018 are affected. That includes Ad Blue vversions. They said customers buying nearly new had been appropriately advised - I would love to know what advice would have caused anybody to spend £20K plus on a car with a recall notice and no known cure.

That's worth knowing. I have had no problems beyond the initial cooler pipework fix at about 12k miles. However the problems I read on the forum relating to the VEA leave me feeling that I am living in a constant state of 'borrowed time'. It's the reason I continue to pay for main dealer servicing. I accept forums are often a repository of disaster stories but even so.....

[V60D4]

Well, EGR cooler replaced today at no cost to me. Dash looks odd without the check engine light on. Lets see how long it lasts for...

[zetaa4]

Today did the EGR cooler cleanup like in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zz6qefBV08

All good so far and warning light did turn off by itself. For cleaning acetone wasnt really doing the job, but I did use Grill cleaner that worked very well.

[Lojzek]

Originally Posted by zetaa4

Today did the EGR cooler cleanup like in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zz6qefBV08

All good so far and warning light did turn off by itself. For cleaning acetone wasnt really doing the job, but I did use Grill cleaner that worked very well.

Some clean it with an ultrasonic cleaner. I hear it cleans up very nicely.
Volvo dealer in finland refused to replace it as a goodwill? How old is your car?
Obviously, as these cars get older, Volvo will no longer want to replace egr cooler for free.

[zetaa4]

Originally Posted by Lojzek

Some clean it with an ultrasonic cleaner. I hear it cleans up very nicely.
Volvo dealer in finland refused to replace it as a goodwill? How old is your car?
Obviously, as these cars get older, Volvo will no longer want to replace egr cooler for free.

Car is 2014 with 160tkm. 2 years ago they replaced egr with 50% goodwill. Now I didnt even bother to go for them again.

[Gogs752]

So I recently (four weeks ago) purchased a 2015 V60 2.0 D4 with 55000 miles on the clock from a private dealer. It was in very good condition with a full Volvo service history. After just over a week of driving it the dreaded engine check warning light came on. I knew from doing some research before i bought the car that the EGR valve/cooler was more than likely going to be the issue.

I took it to a local garage and they confirmed (for free) that the error code was associated with the EGR. They called up my local Volvo dealer in Stirling and asked how much it would be for the parts to rectify the issue but Volvo said it would need to be brought in for them to do the work due to the modified cooler pipework and engine remap.

After I took the car into Volvo they gave me a call to say it would be £115 for the initial diagnostic check (even though I already knew what it was). About 30 minutes later they called back to say they would need another two hours labour (£230) to determine the extent of the issue, once the faulty parts were identified then they would let me know what needed to be replaced and that Volvo normally gave 10% - 20% goodwill on this issue.

When this was suggested I kindly explained that this was a very common design fault and that Volvo would definitely have issued standard technical notes, replacement hardware and engine modification fixes to rectify the issue. I explained that a four year old car, with low mileage and full Volvo service history should not need a major engine modification.

So the dealer went back to Volvo UK and they agreed to 100% goodwill on the labour and intercooler but wanted me to pay 50% of the value of the EGR valve. Again, I pointed out that it was ridiculous that Volvo refunded 100% of one part and not the other even though the same fault was the source. They went back to Volvo again who waived then entire cost of all parts and labour.

Volvo dealers are very willing to take lots of money from you even if it is a known, widespread issue with a standard fix.

Once that was sorted out they replaced the EGR valve, cooler, the cooler pipework was modified and replaced with heated pipework to reduce condensation. Finally they remapped the engine so that carbon levels through the valve were as low as not to cause any more issues. The dealer representative told me that no cars that have had this fix have had the problem re-occur although i'm not sure I believe this.

The entire time it took to conduct the remedial work was close to two hours and they were pushing to charge me three hours labour just to determine which parts needed replaced! Unbelievable!

Hopefully this will help you if you have the same issue, even though my car is out of warranty in both age and mileage this is absolutely something Volvo should be fixing at no cost to their customers due to the nature of the defect.

[Steve54hb]

XC60 Oct 14, D4 VEA, 60k.
I've owned the car for 2 years (40k), ex fleet, no Volvo history prior but fully serviced. Now had 2 annuals at Volvo Shrewsbury.
Engine Emissions warning light came on last Sunday, booked in this morning for check, result.
Code ECM-P04D900.....
Pressure tested intake system, no leaks found. Checked EGR valve, moves freely.
Code cleared........will return.
Will require EGR cooler.

No mention of known EGR issues, luckily I looked in the forum!
My issue is not with the cost quoted for replacement of the cooler but that there was no discussion about what they would do (recommend) to avoid the new cooler failing. Using the info gained from reading the forum I will start discussions with them, t.b.c.

[Zebster]

Originally Posted by Steve54hb

XC60 Oct 14, D4 VEA, 60k.
I've owned the car for 2 years (40k), ex fleet, no Volvo history prior but fully serviced. Now had 2 annuals at Volvo Shrewsbury.
Engine Emissions warning light came on last Sunday, booked in this morning for check, result.
Code ECM-P04D900.....
Pressure tested intake system, no leaks found. Checked EGR valve, moves freely.
Code cleared........will return.
Will require EGR cooler.

No mention of known EGR issues, luckily I looked in the forum!
My issue is not with the cost quoted for replacement of the cooler but that there was no discussion about what they would do (recommend) to avoid the new cooler failing. Using the info gained from reading the forum I will start discussions with them, t.b.c.

Shrewsbury Volvo replaced my EGR valve and cooler in the spring, when the valve stuck open and the car became undriveable. They negotiated with Volvo UK (without me prompting) to arrange 100% goodwill on the cooler and 50% on the valve, so it still cost me £337. My car had already had a new cooler some time in the past, which was the upgraded fix with the modification to the top rad hose and other pipework (so that didn't last long!).