As you no doubt know, we bought a new car a while ago. Well, not a new car as in brand new but a much newer second hand car. We have had the Aurion for about 5 years and there was nothing wrong with it except that it was getting on a bit (Toyotas run forever so that’s not really the reason). The reasons stem more from the fact that, with there just being the two of us, we simply don’t need a big car any more. And, there’s no doubt, the Aurion was a big car. And therein lies the main reason for the change. In my 50+ years of driving I have driven dozens of different cars and I have always got used to their quirks and foibles pretty easily.
But I never ever got used to the fact that the Aurion was so big and so hard to maneuver. The high waistline coupled with the short turret made seeing your extremities impossible. I figured I’d get used to it but I didn’t.
So, the search began for a smaller car, a hatchback (another disadvantage of the Aurion) and, if possible, a sunroof (I have always missed the factory sunroof that I loved so much on the 3 Calibras that I owned). About a month ago, driving past the local commercial vehicle specialist car yard in the middle of town I noted a white VW Golf on the point. Now, I must admit that my thoughts had already been turning towards the Golf as my daughter had just traded her Audi A3 on a new one. The Audi had been a fabulous little car and stunningly reliable so it was no surprise when Natalie fell in love with a slate grey Mk 7. Of course, being a rev-head (I have NO idea where she acquired THAT characteristic) she plumped for the manual version with the 1.6 turbo/SC engine.
Anyway, I noted the car and made a point to go back and have a look at it later. Inspection was very satisfactory. 2.0 L TDI, factory sunroof and leather seats. Just over 100000 kms (nothing to a modern car) and factory mag wheels with low profile tyres. Not a GTi but looking like one. We did a test drive and worked out a very favourable deal and we became the proud owners of a great little car.
I still have no idea what all the buttons and dials do but the car is laden with features that make driving a pleasure. Built-in GPS, factory reversing camera, top-notch sound system, Bluetooth connectivity, etc, etc, etc.
Performance? Well, the old Aurion had a 3.5L V6 and it went like slag off a shiny shovel when you gassed it up. I was a little concerned that I might be sacrificing performance for features by buying a smaller car. The test drive certainly put that worry to rest; the thing HAULS.
BUT, and you just knew there had to be a “but” didn’t you? Within the first 3 weeks of ownership, the dashboard info screen told me that the coolant level was low. I topped it up and kept an eye on it and it didn’t take long before the warning came up again. Now loss of coolant when you can’t SEE any leaks and there are no patches of it on your driveway is a BIG worry. In the worst case scenario it can indicate a blown head gasket though I wasn’t convinced since the oil was still the right colour and the performance and fuel economy was still correct.
So, back to the dealer who sent it next door to the mechanic who has been doing OUR servicing for the last 5 years. He confirmed that everything appeared fine but that there were some diagnostics that he was not equipped to perform. John, (the dealer) then shuffled it on to HIS mechanic who is an expert in European cars.
In the mean time I had been examining a voluminous service record and I noted that the coolant loss had been reported by the previous owner at the car’s last service earlier this year. He suggested that he suspected a leak in the EGR,, the Exhaust Gas Recirculation system and that the customer should monitor the coolant level and check it out. Well, it seemed we had a handle on what the problem could be.
The EGR, that’s the ugly-looking thing above has the following function and I’ll quote from the source I read up about it.
“EGR stands for ‘exhaust gas recirculation’ system, which pumps exhaust gas back into the inlet side of the engine, at times, in measured doses, to improve fuel economy and reduce toxic emissions.
Short version: The EGR system is water cooled – it’s capturing hot, highly energetic exhaust gas from between the exhaust port and the turbocharger, and sending it back to the inlet side, and the heat is a gross disadvantage to engine operation.
Therefore, water from the engine’s cooling system is pumped through the EGR inlet (06) to capture some of this heat before it gets to the EGR valve (05). That heat is rejected to passing air in the vehicle’s radiator, with a great deal of other waste heat from the engine.
If the EGR cooling system (06) develops a leak, water can escape into the EGR system and pass through the engine, accounting for gradual coolant loss.
If that happens, the whole EGR body – which is typically one big stainless steel component – needs to be changed out.”
So, after waiting nearly a fortnight for the part to arrive from VW (welcome to the COVID-induced parts-delivery world), the EGR has been replaced and all appears to be well. When I went to pick the car up, the mechanic turned the device upside down and drops of water ran out of the body, so he is confident that it was defective and that we have solved the problem.
Time will tell but I am quietly confident. Oh, and the best part of the story? Because the car is under a 3 month’s warranty, the repair cost me nothing, AND John at the car yard loaned me a car to use while mine was being repaired. I don’t think you can get much better than that.
I love my little Golf.
Martino says
Phil, you wrote “EGR stands for ‘exhaust gas recirculation’ system, which pumps exhaust gas back into the inlet side of the engine, at times, in measured doses, to improve fuel economy and reduce toxic emissions.”
Yes, I can see how it would reduce emissions by putting some of the exhaust gas back through the engine rather than straight to atmosphere, but improve economy ?
Phil Hall says
The comment about what it does was quote from a website that I found that explained what it was an what it does. I have long since given up trying to understand what modern engines do; I’m happy to just put the fuel in and hope it goes. Having said that, I guess that anything that improves efficiency will also improve fuel consumption, does that make sense?