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With increasing regulations on car emissions as governments look to meet the various green targets, there have been a number of changes made to the way pollution from cars is dealt with. The EGR valve is one of these additions, helping keep emissions low and reducing pollution.
Having the EGR valve replaced on your car should cost between $147 to $548, which will cover the cost of parts an labor. You can pick up the valve itself for anywhere between $70 and $490, depending on the type of car you own and what part you buy.
EGR Valve Cost Comparison
Below are some example costs for EGR valve replacement at some of the most popular auto repair chains in the country. These costs are likely to vary from place to place, so use them as a rough guide only.
Your Mechanic
| Work | Warranty | Price |
| Parts & labor | 12 months | $144 – $450 |
Midas
| Work | Warranty | Price |
| Parts & labor | 12 months | $165 – $440 |
Mr. Tire
| Work | Warranty | Price |
| Parts & labor | 12 months | $154 – $573 |
Pep Boys
| Work | Warranty | Price |
| Parts & labor | 6 Months | $161 – $538 |
Walmart
| Work | Warranty | Price |
| Parts | Limited | $72 – $399 |
Amazon
| Work | Warranty | Price |
| Parts | Limited | $78 – $405 |
What Is the EGR Valve?
Without your EGR valve, the gas from your exhaust would be much more plentiful. The EGR (or Exhaust Gas Recirculation) valve plays an important role in keeping emissions to a minimum and ensuring that your vehicle does not pollute the atmosphere.
For those wanting to stay green and reduce their impact on the environment, it is important to keep up with the EGR valve and understand what signs to watch for to determine when it is time to replace it.
In this article, we’ll look at what you can expect to pay when you replace the EGR valve, why you need that valve in the first place and how you can save a bit of money on it.
Benefits of EGR Valves
The EGR valve takes a lot of the gas that would be escaping out the exhaust on your vehicle and it recirculates it. The valve actually pushes that gas right back into the intake manifold so that your engine can burn the gas some more. Without that valve there, you would be spending a lot more on gas, so making sure it is in good shape is important if you want to keep your gas costs low.
Your vehicle is required to meet certain emission and pollution standards. In order to adhere to these standards and to reduce the impact on the environment, the EGR valve needs to be taken care of. Once it starts to wear down or not work properly, it should be replaced.
Bad EGR Valve Symptoms
You need to look for the symptoms of a spent EGR valve. The most obvious one is excess emissions. If your vehicle is pumping out tons of exhaust gas and your gas mileage isn’t what it used to be, then you need to consider that your EGR valve may need replacement.
You don’t have to wait until there is a problem to take care of it though. Prevention will work so much better and usually cost you a lot less. You should opt for a carbon cleaning service every 50,000 miles or so. This EGR valve cleaning is good for your valves and ensures that everything is working properly and isn’t experiencing any obstruction.
If your EGR valve is not working properly anymore, you don’t need to treat it like an emergency. It can wait a few weeks before you address the problem, but just know that you are putting out a lot of harmful emission with your vehicle until the problem is fixed.
Another preventative measure you should be taking is to have regular oil changes performed. Your oil needs to be changed every three months or every 3,000 miles. Doing so offers quite a few benefits, one of which is a much cleaner EGR valve.
What Is Done During EGR Valve Cleaning?
- Your mechanic will start by examining the EGR valve. It is possible that something else is the culprit and the EGR valve is fine even though emissions are much worse than they were before. After all, a lot of your car’s components go into regulating emissions.
- For instance, the vacuum hoses that are connected to the EGR valve may be cracked and leak. If that happens, then the valves aren’t going to function properly. It’s entirely possible you have all the problems associated with a bad EGR valve but that something else is to blame.
- Any vehicle with an EGR valve is likely to have a computerized system. The mechanic is going to start there, scanning the system in the car to detect problem.
- Then the mechanic will inspect any hoses that are connected to the valve. If there is a problem with one of them, it should be obvious.
- The mechanic will then check the EGR transducer and make sure that nothing is blocking the EGR port. If none of these peripheral problems are in play, the mechanic will then take the malfunctioning ER valve out.
- There is likely to be some carbon deposit on the valve’s pintle, and the mechanic will have to clean that out if the valve is to function properly. He will also work through any other error codes that were found and make sure the valve is working like it should.
- If there is a serious problem with the valve that maintenance and cleaning doesn’t take care of, then the valve will be replaced.
How to Save Money on EGR Valve Replacement
If you are having trouble with vehicle emissions, then keep in mind that your EGR valve may not be the component at fault. There are a number of other factors that could be causing similar problems, and you should be checking them before you hire someone replace the EGR valve.
You can do some of what the mechanic would do to your vehicle to change the valve, particularly checking for cracked hoses or leaks. If you have the right tools and some experience, you may even want to clean out the valve for yourself.
You can definitely save money if you do the work yourself, but you need to know what you are doing. It may help to find online instructions you can follow in video or text form. You don’t want to inadvertently damage your vehicle while you are working.
If you aren’t comfortable doing the repairs yourself, you can always compare quotes from a variety of mechanics in the area. Before you settle on one, be sure they are reliable as improper replacement of the EGR valve can cause serious problems for your vehicle.
Example EGR Valve Prices
Below are some sample EGR valve replacement costs for popular models of car. This should give you a rough idea of what you can expect to pay for your size and brand of car. While prices will vary depending on where you take the car, but these costs should give you an idea of how much an EGR valve replacement costs.+
| Model | Labor | Parts | Total |
| Cadillac Escalade | $27 – $35 | $178 – $238 | $205 – $273 |
| Chevrolet Silverado | $39 – $50 | $188 – $306 | $227 – $356 |
| Ford Focus | $87 – $110 | $74 – $152 | $161 – $262 |
| Nissan Versa | $24 – $30 | $174 – $429 | $198 – $459 |
| Toyota Corolla | $71 – $90 | $123 – $483 | $194 – $573 |
| Nissan Altima | $94 – $121 | $228 – $427 | $322 – $548 |
| Honda CR-V | $39 – $50 | $122 – $362 | $161 – $412 |
| Honda Civic | $24 – $30 | $123 – $174 | $147 – $204 |
| Honda Accord | $39 – $50 | $120 – $152 | $159 – $202 |
| Ford Fusion | $87 – $110 | $74 – $188 | $161 – $298 |
