Bad luck or Bad advice ???

[Xjagdog]

Hi Folks, I just joined this forum as it has some great info !!!!
I have had an E270 CDi estate 54 plate for a couple of weeks now, all was fine till Thursday when there was a bang ( sounded like a petrol engine backfire ), I rang a merc indy about ten miles away and he said sounds like a hose popped but I would not do any damage driving it so took it to him.
The N/S intercooler hose had blown off so he shoved it back on but said a lug had broken off so needed a replacement and if i took it back on friday he would fit it, Limped the car home then on the way back on Friday the engine light came on, he said that should go out once the pipe was sorted but when i went to collect the car he said the EGR valve was bust so the bill is going to be £300 + instead of the £60 for the pipe ( unless there turns out to be even more wrong after the valve is fitted ).
Anyway my question is should i have driven the car in that condition or have I caused all this by driving it ?
I have found mention on this Forum of a chap in Dunston who seems to have a great reputation and he is only about a mile away from me, so I will be going to him next time ( assuming the car recovers form this in the first place ).

 

[Vlad]

Sounds like the Indy you used did all that could be expected of him.

 

[corned]

I'm wondering if the EGR fault could have caused the pipe to blow off the intercooler. They are all parts of the induction system.

I don't know, but it may all be part of the same incident.

But I agree with Vlad - I don't see how driving the car in that state would have made anything worse. It won't have driven very well, and the air mass readings will have been all out of kilter - causing the engine management light to come on - but I doubt any mechanical damage could have been done.

 

[Xjagdog]

Many thanks for the replies.
I was just a bit worried that I had choked everything up with soot as there was a lot of smoke when struggling up the hills.
Guess I will just have to hope it was the EGR that caused it and not me.

 

[corned]

Clouds of soot is a trademark EGR fault symptom!

 

[Vlad]

If the intercooler pipe was off you would have loads of black smoke coming out the back

 

[Dieselman]

You could perform the EGR delete mod and save the cost of an EGR valve.

http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/engine/68098-diesel-egr-delete-mod.html

 

[Xjagdog]

Thanks for the info.
The mech has a new valve to fit and is in the middle of changing it, the old one is stuck tight so has tried warming the engine to free it but no luck so has used oxy acetylene to try and free it ( my god !!! i thought these things are made of aluminium ) so still waiting to hear the result.