EGR Valve & Manifold Plugged Up
 

We have a 2003 TDI 1.9 Jetta Stationwagen. The car would sporatically not start at about 40k miles. The engine noise was getting louder before it quit starting. It was under warranty and VW cleaned out the EGR valve and intake manifold. Ran great for about a year and another 15,000 miles. Guess what, same problem, EGR valve sticking and manifold plugged again. Since we were past 50,000 miles, it is no longer under the manufacturers warranty and our 100,000 extended warranty will not cover it. About a $600 repair every year/15,000 miles seems a little expensive. Our local VW shop cleaned the EGR valve as a courtesy but not the manifold. I would be interested in any solutions others have found to this problem.