papaindigo wrote:
As noted it can leak or I suppose it could get clogged (not by soot as only coolant flows thru it) but if there are issues with coolant clogging then other things like the heater core, oil cooler, and radiator would be clogged. If clogged it can easily be cleaned.
Not to split hairs, but it DOES have exhaust/soot passing thought it if/when the EGR solenoid actuates and assuming the egr valve itself isn't stuck(see pic). Although it is enormous compared to other chambers, it (theoretically) could be clogged. I doubt the dealer tech would have disassembled it to the point where you can actually tell if it's blocked, though, as that would basically require EGR removal... My vote is an EGR malfunction code and the dealer spit-balling a solution and throwing the customer's money at the problem.
Dan
I stand corrected dgeist. After taking a closer look at the parts diagram and the linked picture I see what you mean. Bottom line though we are both thinking the same thing which is that the code is an EGR one and the tech wants to solve it by replacing the EGR (as noted it can be cleaned and returned to service but techs no longer "fix" things they just replace parts). If so a GDE tune is likely the solution for substantially less $s plus side benefits.