Thanks for the response. Now I have the confidence to rip that sucka off.

EGR was clogged with gunk... yak. I cleaned the intake as much as I could, but I'm sure that for a full cleanup I'd have to remove the intake from the engine and clean it thoroughly. I wonder if any of that gunk is affecting my fuel economy.

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1999 Mercedes-Benz S600, 103K miles - garage queen
1988 Mercedes-Benz 560SEL, 89K miles - daily driver
2007 Hyundai Sonata Limited, 31K - daily driver