Diesel particulate filters - A Reminder

[Conniff]

Tests for diesel cars and lorries are to be tightened up to ensure vehicles have a critical exhaust filter if one had originally been

fitted as standard, Roads Minister Robert Goodwill has announced.

 

Garages and testing stations will be required check for a diesel particulate filter (DPF) in the inspection of the exhaust system as

part of the MOT test (or annual test for heavy vehicles) from February 2014.

 

The vehicle will automatically fail the MOT test if the filter had been fitted as standard but is found to be no longer present.

 

The filter works by trapping solid particulate matter from exhaust gases. This type of filter has been in use for more than 20 years

and helps meet European emission standards, improving air quality and health standards.

 

Some firms offer services to remove the filter, claiming it will improve the economy. But it is an offence to drive a vehicle that has

been modified this way, as it will no longer meet the emissions standards the car achieved when it was approved for sale in the UK.

 

Public enquiries

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[heliosuk]

Good post Conniff. Engine will need re-mapping as well and will invalidate any manufacturer warranty. They are a pain in the proverbial but a legal requirement.

[heliosuk]

Just to bring people up to speed.

 

 

EU6 emissions standards came into force for 17MY vehicles. What this meant was that the emissions systems in general needed to be dosed with a substance called Urea or more commonly known as Ad Blue. The down side is that the useage rates depending on the type of driving can be quite high and all manufacturers are suffering from a high degree of break downs due to drivers not understanding how the system works.

 

 

Basically, in laymans terms, a warning light will tell you that you need to regenerate the DPF and this should not be ignored. You need to go for a 20 to 40 minute drive at a constant high speed to get it to burn off the soot. If this warning is ignored the car will shortly go into limp home mode and require a forced regeneration at a dealer which will possibly not be covered under the warranty as the driver has not complied with the operating instructions in the operators manual! You should not ignore the warnings you are being given, the car is not faulty, it's doing what it's designed to do.

 

 

Cars/manufacturers who are suffering from this at the moment are not part of the dieselgate scandal so the benefit is that you are actually driving an environmentally friendly car.

[ploddertom]

I had similar to the above earlier this year when ours kept flashing up the warning every couple of weeks or so. Being a new vehicle it was returned to the dealer on each occasion, after the third time I lost a little patience and informed the garage we had lost all faith in the car and would be looking for a new one. This time they involved the manufacturer and I was told it was because the sensor was fitted to to bottom of the Ad Blue tank with no protection. Living in a rural area it was keep getting sprayed with mud & water and therefore failing, seemingly had to have a modification. Don't know how true this was but it has been OK since, no doubt with winter coming up we shall see.

[Hammy1962]

Whatever happened to Conniff........................?

[heliosuk]

Was wondering the same Hammy. Think he might have been banned by the fairy tale brigade.

[scaniaman]

How do EU6 engines work in tradesmens vans and vehicles used primarily in urban areas?????

[Surfer01]

Just to bring people up to speed.

 

 

EU6 emissions standards came into force for 17MY vehicles. What this meant was that the emissions systems in general needed to be dosed with a substance called Urea or more commonly known as Ad Blue. The down side is that the useage rates depending on the type of driving can be quite high and all manufacturers are suffering from a high degree of break downs due to drivers not understanding how the system works.

 

 

Basically, in laymans terms, a warning light will tell you that you need to regenerate the DPF and this should not be ignored. You need to go for a 20 to 40 minute drive at a constant high speed to get it to burn off the soot. If this warning is ignored the car will shortly go into limp home mode and require a forced regeneration at a dealer which will possibly not be covered under the warranty as the driver has not complied with the operating instructions in the operators manual! You should not ignore the warnings you are being given, the car is not faulty, it's doing what it's designed to do.

 

 

Cars/manufacturers who are suffering from this at the moment are not part of the dieselgate scandal so the benefit is that you are actually driving an environmentally friendly car.

 

Doesn't the 20-30 run to burn off the DPF defeat the objective of having it in the first place?

[sgtbush]

It doesn't burn off the DPF.

It burns the soot contained within.

All in all they are a bit of a con tho as it just displaces where the particulates are dumped. Dumped on a fast road away from houses rather than urban streets

[scaniaman]

#8 & 9. Yes gentlemen, although the experts on here won't agree with me, this anti pollution malarkey is a multi million, possibly billion pound con. The motorist is footing the bill.

As said in relation to DPF (a totally unnecessary component) it dumps emissions elsewhere.

My cars were fitted with the "Eloys" system, and after the intervention of my MP, the maker published fuel consumption figures which showed a 4% increase in fuel consumption.

In the real world this increase was actually nearer 10% more fuel. So, in order to save a wee bit of soot we had to burn more imported fuel. Counter productive me thinks.

[Hammy1962]

Like a lot of posts on here this is a topic worthy of a long and comprehensive answer explaining all of the mis-conceptions surrounding DPF's and their often mis-understood operation, benefits and side-effects, some of which are mentioned above.

 

However, as there is only one other individual who would understand the post (you know who you are!) sadly, it's not worth it.

 

H

[Gick]

plus me too please.

[heliosuk]

How do EU6 engines work in tradesmens vans and vehicles used primarily in urban areas?????

 

 

Well that's a good point Scania and there is actually an answer to this based on solid data analysis which won't go down too well.

 

 

Tradesmens vans as you put it are usually driven by drivers who might generally need some guidance on safe driving practices as it seems a lot of HGV drivers need now as well. Because of their driving style they can usually get the temperatures necessary for a DPF regeneration. However Mrs or Ms Domestic engineer to be politically correct will suffer driving the whinging brats 200 yards down the road to school. It's all a case of the drive cycle. Potter around town then it will be a problem, drive hard and fast it's unlikely to happen.

 

 

The point of my original comments is that in future when a buyer thinks that things have gone wrong they migh not have and to expect a significant rise in complaints in the future where the so called authoritative members of the site team seem to have a default resonse of SOGA or the CRA is your friend when in reality it won't be.

 

 

Even from brand new out of the showroom cars, the warning lights about DPF re gens can come up within 250 miles depending on the use the car gets.

 

 

The key to most of my posts on this subject is that buyers need to follow the guidelines and if they don't then there is a high likelihood of a DPF block now which will lead to a break down.

 

 

Then the buyer won't believe they have done anything wrong and will post on here which will be followed up with don't worry SOGA or CRA is your friend which in reality is a load of codswallop.

[scaniaman]

Heliosuk, you know I have the greatest respect for you given your wide experience.

 

However, if I understand your post correctly,

you are putting the cart before the horse in that we drivers have to change to suit modern engine design.!!!!!!!!

 

 

Should it not be the other way round given the motorist is paying for the vehicle,

therefore the makers should provide what the punter requires.

 

I really don't want to hear any nonsense about makers adhering to Govt. emission regulations

as I firmly believe the car makers are powerful enough to tell the Woolly Hat Brigade where to shove their mis conceived ideas of pollution.

 

Many of these ideas are OK for the wealthy but no use for the person on limited income.--

--the much needed used car buyer.

 

 

An example of this is the carry on wherebye a car engine stops whilst in traffic / lights.

It then starts again as required, but constant use of this method will lead to far shorter starter and battery life---

--both fairly expensive items to replace.

 

There is of course a much wider political issue attached to this matter.

[heliosuk]

Hi Scalia, no you've got it wrong. It,s not a case of engine design but of engine design having to meet environmental targets as set down by government elected by the people. ''Tis a bit like brexit in reality. You can engineer a product to comply with legislation but there comes a point when customer driving habits have to change in order to make it work. This is where it all falls down. What I find quite laughable about all of this emissions stuff is that when catalysts were introduced the amount of emissions they were supposed to reduce was drawfed by the amount of emissions generated by producing them! Hardly what one would call Value Design or Value Engineering.

And now we are told that all internal combustion engines in cars are to be banned by 2040.

Frankly, this is going back 100 years plus. Electrification technology is even more finite in terms of reserves as is relying on battery power whereas funding should be being directed towards hydrogen power as this is abundant and natural.

[scaniaman]

Sorry my old China but I can't agree with the "Political" points in your post.

However, I do agree with the rest and would say that there are far too many electrics now especially on diesels.

Over the years, manufacturers have made huge improvements to the mechanical parts of a car but electrics seem far behind in the reliability stakes. Simple---don't fit them until they are perfected and replacement parts can be made more cost effectively. Yes, Hydrogen may well be the route to take but in the meantime I think my family are going into the horse breeding industry. This mode of transport was very popular 100yrs ago.

[king12345]

Hi guys, I'm looking for a diesel car but want to avoid the dpf.

Is there a website that can tell me what models are fitted with it?

Maybe by reg number?

[colin11]

I have a 3 year old Vauxhall Astra 2.0CDTI that had now just gone over 30,000 miles and has a DPF

 

In the last year i have done less that 3000 miles, My journey to work is only 1.5 miles and i have never had the DPF warning come on

 

Maybe once a month i go somewhere that involves going on a motorway and that seems to be enough to keep the DPF in check

 

I knew when buying it that i shouldn't have really have bought a diesel because of the small miles that i would be doing, So i was prepared to take it on a good run once a week to clear the DPF but that hasn't been needed

 

Maybe the Vauxhall set up is better than some of the others but it is a great car and i don't regret buying it

 

165bhp and £30 a year road tax, Great fuel economy, Whats not to love

[scaniaman]

Don't know if this helps King but I tow a 17ft Elddis Cyclone 4/5 berth with a 92bhp Citroen Xsara Picasso.

Think van is rated at around 1175 kg.

I used to have the 110bhp version but got rid as I didn't like the idea of DMF, Eloys etc.

This smaller engine pulls the van quite well but it doesn't like long hills and lacks umph when overtaking artics on such hills.

There again, I'm never happy unless I'm in top gear at speeds of at least 50mph.