Dealer taking diagnostic codes at face value

[PaddyRay]

S-Max 2012   2.2 Ltr Titanium

The is the model of my son's car which recently developed a problem. The car has been main dealer services and repaired since new. However the extended warranty has just elapsed and of course something has gone wrong.

The Ford main dealer carried out a diagnostic test (for which the charged £50) to find a fault code indicating EGR valve was faulty. The repairs costs came to something like £800 which my son paid.

When he went to collect the car the dealer reported a further fault they had found after fitting the EGR valve and road testing the car. Apparently there was a split in the turbo hose.

Now my question is:

Could a split turbo hose give a faulty EGR code reading?

Has the diagnostic technician taken the fault code as gospel ordered a EGR because "that is what the diagnostic machine says" put no further thought into the matter and not carried out any further investigations.

If the above is the case then my son has paid for a EGR valve when it may have been just a £11 hose.

Of course we have no way to dispute their diagnoses unless one of you wise people can give an answer.

For Customer service are as useless as a ice-cream in hell, and have always proven to be. They just pass the buck back to the dealer who have nothing to say.

All this waffle and the question is: Fault code can a split hose indicate faulty EGR?

 

[Stuart35]

How was the car driving before the repair?

[Fastlife91]

£800 to replace an EGR ?!  I imagine it is the EGR that is integral with the manifold but still that is OTT. I could have repaired that myself in a day and I'm not exactly a mechanic. I guess they ordered a brand new EGR but even a used one would have been just fine, could have got a used but in great condition EGR + manifold for £110, then got a friend to fit if for £150, maybe £100 and that way you know it has definitely been replaced, and would be much less expensive !

 

To answer your question, Yes a split in a turbo pipe often does and very likely did trip the engine light which mistakenly pointed the fault to be a faulty EGR when in fact it seems very possible it was just a damaged turbo pipe that costs around £50 for a new turbo pipe, around £200 if you buy the turbo pipe from Ford !

[BOF]

7 hours ago, PaddyRay said:

Could a split turbo hose give a faulty EGR code reading?

I'd definitely say yes on that. A split turbo hose could reduce the back pressure in the exhaust and the back pressure in the exhaust partly controls the EGR quantity.

Agree with Fastlife91 on the costs: you are getting annoyed about £800 for a £11 hose, when it could have been £800 for a £50 (guessing) EGR valve, and that would have been OK? There is a bigger problem here. OTOH, the £50 for the diagnostic check isn't that bad, considering my local want £80 to connect anything up, whether they do anything with the information, or not.

Something else: If you were to take legal action (you haven't mentioned this but...) say through the small claims court who would be responsible? I think that it is the Dealer but if the root cause was that Ford provided inadequate diagnostics... I think that this is the Dealer's problem, rather than yours,  but you'd want to check with someone who knows before proceeding.