Dpf replacement

[Bren]

Anybody had one replaced yet? I say this tongue in cheek because they cost more than what many of us would pay for a car.

 

Our vectra is the first car we have owned (and last) with a dpf - it is 12 years old. Surely the point must come where even a regen willnot bring it back - my op com showed 85% saturation which is well within limits. I had also considered a terra clean.

 

I am not willing to move the car on without at least exploring the options, however I am not willing to throw £££ at a 12 year old car.

 

What I will say is this - I will never have another diesel. They simply are not worth the hassle.

[sierraman]

I'd just get a garage to cut it out and get it reprogrammed. Make sure it's cut out from a position where the MOT man won't see it.

 

Either that or sell it someone quick before it lands you in the shit.

[J4mes]

I'd be exploring removal and mapping off if I ever have a car with one. Mot is just a visual check..

[twosmoke300]

Is it soot saturation? Is the dpf differential pressure sensor reading high ( i.e. A blockage )

Believe it or not the saturation level is actaully worked out by how many miles it's done and the manner it's been driven , not by measureing the soot levels in the dpf . If you have a stuck open egr valve for example the dpf will clog much more quickly than the software expects .

This usually shows up with a high differential pressure reading and forces limp home mode eventually .

A forced regen may clear this but unless the root cause of the excessive soot build up is fixed it will happen more often .

 

When the dpf regenerates it turns the soot into ash which also clogs the dpf and this is the reason that the dpf should be considered a service item and replaced every 100 k or so .

 

Hope this helps

[Bren]

The problem is with the denso engine management - the regen cannot be deleted from the cars map.

[SiC]

Visual check at the moment. They're assessing and researching ways of detecting it.

 

Also, to be fair, that V6 CTDi always has been a liability in many ways. The reason the dpf is causing trouble is often because the engines themselves are putting out too much soot due to a fault.

 

Better off having DPFs cleaned professionally. It can be done as lorry DPFs have it done.

[twosmoke300]

The problem with dpf systems is that so many people ( garages included) don't have a clue how the system works so haven't got a hope of diagnosing problems with them

[SiC]

That's the same with a lot of engine emissions stuff. Like catalytic converters being replaced on an MOT emissions fail without finding the root cause. Or engine sensors being changed without investigating if it is actually the sensor or a fault causing the sensor to read values out of band.

[twosmoke300]

I actually did a two day bosch oscilloscope training course this week . Very interesting and certainly makes you realise the gaps in your knowledge!

[sierraman]

Have you got fully comp? Back it in into a wall or something.

[artdjones]

There are companies that will clean dpfs.It costs around €200 in Ireland with a one year guarantee.

[Hendry]

Anybody had one replaced yet? I say this tongue in cheek because they cost more than what many of us would pay for a car.

 

Our vectra is the first car we have owned (and last) with a dpf - it is 12 years old. Surely the point must come where even a regen willnot bring it back - my op com showed 85% saturation which is well within limits. I had also considered a terra clean.

 

I am not willing to move the car on without at least exploring the options, however I am not willing to throw £££ at a 12 year old car.

 

What I will say is this - I will never have another diesel. They simply are not worth the hassle.

 

My car is on 150,000 miles, still gets good MPG, still pulls well, drives well, and its got the original DPF, i have no idea what the car was like before because it was given to me by my father after it had DPF issues meaning its taxi plate had expired and couldnt be replated, anyway it had the coil light flashing, DPF light on, EML on, was flashing up "diesel particulate filter fault" "engine fault garage" messages on the dash, and in limp mode, the car went to a highly regarded diesel specialist who said definitely not the DPF, they did all sorts to it, DPF pressure sensors and so in, £550 of work, and they tried to force it to regen, it was stuck on 47% full and would start going down, itd get to around 40% and then stop and go back up again. I was almost going down the cut the innards out of the DPF, remap the car and mess with the ECU to tell it it didnt have a DPF, in a last throw of the dice before that I found a brilliant independent VAG specialist master tech who had 25years experience working in all the local main VW and Audi dealerships, he had it for a week, said he had tried a few bits but no joy so was probably going to need a new DPF, i agreed because I just wanted the car fixed, and by that point id read DPFs were an item with supposedly limited life, around 80-100K miles and mine was on 140K by that point, so figured if that was true id done well. Anyway my mechanic tried 1 last thing, he chucked in 2 lots of DPF cleaner (no idea what it was but it was 44quid each and required 2) and then tried forcing a regen, it wouldnt wear it, so he reflashed the ECU because thats the only way the car would reset and not be hellbent on thinking it was 47% full of soot in the DPF when it wasnt, so with that done, the car would now allow a forced regen. My mechanic did say it was quite old for a DPF and that usually by that mileage theyre about done, I trust him on this because rather than talk me into a new DPF he managed to sort that one, so there was no benefit to him of fooling me into thinking a new one would be needed at that mileage when he wasnt trying to sell me one.

 

Anyway I only have one issue, im led to believe DPFs are supposed to regen by themselves every 300 miles or so, mine regens about every 50 miles, even if its previously completed a regen cycle that journey it will do another one, I dont know if that because i do loads of short stop start journeys which means it clogs with soot quicker and needs to regen more frequently but as far as Im concerned thats a good thing, the more it regens the less chance of it clogging again. I always make sure it never has any failed or aborted regens as these are bad too, but then again it seems to regen more frequently ever since the VW emissions "fix" it had done, although i havent had any of the other problems ever VW TDi owner whos had the fix done has suffered, so maybe i escaped lightly. 

 

Sorry for the massive post, but thought id give you an indepth experience from someone whos had issues with DPFs. 

 

The only thing I dislike is the acrid burning smell when it regens, particularly on a hot day when ive got the window open, it is not pleasant, it actually makes me think if the whole point of DPFs is to make the air we breathe cleaner, why when the DPF does its regen does the smell and the air that is produced get stuck in the back of your throat and make you cough and choke? 

 

Good thing is youre encouraged to drive the car hard, thrash in mercilessly, kick its cunt in, which suits me as thats how i drive anyway, and its quite fun, for a 2.0 140bhp TDI repmobile saloon car its quite nippy, it goes well and is surprisingly quite good to drive. I was always told hammering a car constantly put a load of stress and wear on an engine and caused premature issues and problems, its refreshing to be told the opposite by mechanics and AA patrolmen etc. now. VWs are crap, they are really bad for DPF issues, suffer loads of mechanical issues, but oddly even on 150k with no mechanical faults it drives like its got a quarter of that mileage on it, a Vauxhall on 150k even with no mechanical issues, fresh suspension and steering components still drives and feels like its done that amount of miles. 

[twosmoke300]

^^^ that last comment - what a load of bollocks !

[Liggle]

There are plenty of options to get it cleaned. 

A more thorough clean would be to have it removed and sent off for heat treatment rather than just chemicals flushed through. Someone like these - https://www.dpfcleanteam.co.uk they also sell reconditioned/treated OEM DPF's considerably cheaper than a new one. 

I looked in to it for my 325d, was around £350 for a treatment or £1100 for a new pattern DPF! 

[sierraman]

^^^ that last comment - what a load of bollocks !

A mate had a Mondeo Diesel, all sorts was up with it, DMF going, injectors etc. Forgot to put the lid on some Gloss in the boot. Had to stop quickly... write off at £800 more than he'd have got selling it in the state it was in.

 

By the way I'm not advising you do this.

[Bren]

Even in limp mode it will exceed the legal limit - but acceleration is glacial. My worry is that eventually it will stop completely.

[AMC Rebel]

The dpf was about the only thing that didn't need replacing on my Jaag - on 140k when I part exed it and still fine.

 

I agree with Hendry on a couple of his points - I used all the performance of the Jag (when it was working) and did mainly long trips so that probably helped, and the smell - on the Jag it was an acrid smell like burning rubber.

[Hendry]

^^^ that last comment - what a load of bollocks !

 

Enlighten me, what specifically have I said thats a load of bollocks?

[DodgeRover]

Trashing an engine is never ever good for emisions, longevity or economy, you just have to drive it that was to stop the emisions control gear buggering up.

Should definitely not regen every 50 miles either unless your daily drive consists of cold start then 1 mile, stop until cold then repeat.

[sierraman]

Enlighten me, what specifically have I said thats a load of bollocks?

I thought he meant me asking if he'd be glad to claim off the insurance.

 

Back to the subject, yes it will get worse. I'd be tempted to sell it on while it still runs, stick it on Gumtree at £800 or something and get shut whilst it's a semblance of running. If you stick with it the likely situation is it will be £100 from the scrapyard.

[twosmoke300]

That every high mileage vauxhall is a worn out bag of shit and the mondeo was like new with 150k - yeh right

[smellmycheese]

Remove dpf and slice open lengthways. Remove guts.

weld back up

Reinstall.

Remap

Problem solved FOREVER

[Bren]

Ours has just over 130k on the clock and to be fair is in very good condition. Even the air con and electric tailgate still work!

[sierraman]

That every high mileage vauxhall is a worn out bag of shit and the mondeo was like new with 150k - yeh right

Anything could be worn out at at 50k or by the same token in fairly good nick at 150k. Depends how it's been looked after. Diesels now have the habit of giving out expensive trouble at any mileage though.

 

The problem the Vectra is giving you will involve some considerable expense, I'd have a look and see what else it might have in store for you, stuff like a leaky shocker etc so if you chose to mend it you'll not feel like money down the drain.

[Bren]

It had shocker tyres and calliper for MOT.

[Hendry]

That every high mileage vauxhall is a worn out bag of shit and the mondeo was like new with 150k - yeh right

 

Not Mondeo, Jetta. Im calling it as I see it, ive had, as has my dad, and several relatives, high mileage Vauxhalls, theyve been properly maintained but just felt baggy, shagged, really tired by that mileage even when mechanically A1, whereas my car is scruffy as, but drives like its got much less miles, drive a Vauxhall on 150k miles and a VW on 150k miles, both mechanically spot on, dont pay attention to scuffs, scratches and grubby interior, just how it feels to drive, but with the mileage readout blanked and youd guess the Vauxhall was that high in miles due to just feeling tired, the VW youd guess had done 1/3rd or 1/4 the miles.

 

But actually now you mention Mondeo, my dads current got an October 2013 Mondeo mk4 with 75k on it, it still drives like a 20k miles car, on the other hand, he had a February 2005 Vectra C from 7 months old in September 2005 with 12k miles on it, by March 2007 itd done 75k miles and despite being religiously maintained, regularly serviced and with no mechanical issues whatsoever, you were in no doubt that the Vectra showed and wore its miles. I like Vauxhalls, so im not Vauxhall bashing here, but they drive like theyve done the miles they have whilst in my experience Fords dont, and as shit as they are, modern VWs dont either, its one of the few good things I can say about them. 

 

Another thing, I worked for a credit hire firm who had a lot of Vauxhalls on our fleet, and pretty much every other modern car you could think of from a Kia Picanto, Hyundai i10 to a Bentley Continental GTC, BMW M4, Porsche 911 Turbo, Merc CL63 AMG, Ferraris, etc. and everything in between, every single one of our cars were very well maintained, Conti tyres on everything, serviced bang on time every time, thrown in to the dealer for warranty work at the slightest hint of a fault, any damage whatsoever repaired straight away (so we had proof in order to bill the customer who damaged the car) any interior, trim, fabric damage was sent to the main dealer and replaced with new stuff, these cars were in mint condition, but Vauxhalls just didnt wear well, Insignias and Corsas on 10,000 miles but felt like theyd done 40,000 miles, im entitled to my opinion and that is that Vauxhalls dont wear well whatsoever, not modern ones anyway. Heck I even had a brand new 15 Corsa which was back at the dealer on almost a weekly basis for warranty work because the interior, the trim, the exterior, the paintwork, the build was crap quality and did not wear well at all, by the time itd done a couple of thousand miles it felt like itd done 20k, and i was mega OCD with that car trying to keep it perfect, but nope, they just cant take mileage well at all. 

 

In my experience, 2009-on Renault Meganes, Peugeot 308s, mk3 Renault Clios, Peugeot 207s, Peugeot 208s, Fiat Grande Puntos, Chevrolet Sparks, all fall into that category too, so its not just Vauxhalls. 

[stripped fred]

Not Mondeo, Jetta. Im calling it as I see it, ive had, as has my dad, and several relatives, high mileage Vauxhalls, theyve been properly maintained but just felt baggy, shagged, really tired by that mileage even when mechanically A1, whereas my car is scruffy as, but drives like its got much less miles, drive a Vauxhall on 150k miles and a VW on 150k miles, both mechanically spot on, dont pay attention to scuffs, scratches and grubby interior, just how it feels to drive, but with the mileage readout blanked and youd guess the Vauxhall was that high in miles due to just feeling tired, the VW youd guess had done 1/3rd or 1/4 the miles.

 

But actually now you mention Mondeo, my dads current got an October 2013 Mondeo mk4 with 75k on it, it still drives like a 20k miles car, on the other hand, he had a February 2005 Vectra C from 7 months old in September 2005 with 12k miles on it, by March 2007 itd done 75k miles and despite being religiously maintained, regularly serviced and with no mechanical issues whatsoever, you were in no doubt that the Vectra showed and wore its miles. I like Vauxhalls, so im not Vauxhall bashing here, but they drive like theyve done the miles they have whilst in my experience Fords dont, and as shit as they are, modern VWs dont either, its one of the few good things I can say about them.

 

Another thing, I worked for a credit hire firm who had a lot of Vauxhalls on our fleet, and pretty much every other modern car you could think of from a Kia Picanto, Hyundai i10 to a Bentley Continental GTC, BMW M4, Porsche 911 Turbo, Merc CL63 AMG, Ferraris, etc. and everything in between, every single one of our cars were very well maintained, Conti tyres on everything, serviced bang on time every time, thrown in to the dealer for warranty work at the slightest hint of a fault, any damage whatsoever repaired straight away (so we had proof in order to bill the customer who damaged the car) any interior, trim, fabric damage was sent to the main dealer and replaced with new stuff, these cars were in mint condition, but Vauxhalls just didnt wear well, Insignias and Corsas on 10,000 miles but felt like theyd done 40,000 miles, im entitled to my opinion and that is that Vauxhalls dont wear well whatsoever, not modern ones anyway. Heck I even had a brand new 15 Corsa which was back at the dealer on almost a weekly basis for warranty work because the interior, the trim, the exterior, the paintwork, the build was crap quality and did not wear well at all, by the time itd done a couple of thousand miles it felt like itd done 20k, and i was mega OCD with that car trying to keep it perfect, but nope, they just cant take mileage well at all.

 

In my experience, 2009-on Renault Meganes, Peugeot 308s, mk3 Renault Clios, Peugeot 207s, Peugeot 208s, Fiat Grande Puntos, Chevrolet Sparks, all fall into that category too, so its not just Vauxhalls.

Could you summarise that for me because it's a bit long! Is it that you don't think vauxhall's are as good quality and they give more trouble at high miles? If so not sure I agree. All much of a muchness in my opinion. Don't a lot of makes share components nowadays?

[twosmoke300]

Vag group ✊️????✊️????✊️????????????????

 

Sums that up ????

[twosmoke300]

Gaa emoticons no worky

[sierraman]

All voxhalls r shit.