This week Suzanne Keane looks at DPFs (Diesel Particulate Filter)
DPFs (Diesel Particulate Filter) are designed to reduce the soot emitted from diesel cars by about 80% – and because of EU exhaust emissions standards are fitted to all new diesels.
In theory they are great, help the environment and lead to cleaner air….. however in practice they can be a disaster….
There are different types of Diesel Particulate filter – some are single use and will need to be replaced when full, others are designed to burn off the soot accumilated which is known as “regeneration”.
Like any filter they collect particles and therefore can get blocked. For the most part if you drive long distances, at higher speeds, you won’t even realise you have a DPF.
Unfortunately if you mostly do short trips around town it will become a regular issue.
When you do see the DPF warning light it’s important to act as soon as possible. If you ignore the initial warning for too long it will cause other engine lights to come on and may make it impossible to regenerate your DPF – leading to an expensive replacement unit!
So how do you regenerate a DPF?
I was driving a borrowed Jaguar XF last week when the dreaded “DPF Full – see handbook” warning came on. After talking to the owner I discovered that it was only used for short trips in and out of town.
After downloading the handbook from Jaguars website (very useful) I took the car for a drive on the open road. I was expecting to have to keep it steadily between 80-120 kmph for at least 20 minutes but luckily after less than 10 minutes in a line of traffic at about 80 kmph the warning light vanished.
If you do have a car with a DPF, a long journey every now and then should keep you out of trouble – if not there are companies who will remove your DPF and remap your ECU (but this is not great for the environment).
However if you’re looking for a new car and you mainly do city/town driving it might be a better idea to avoid diesels completely!
Suzanne Keane
29th July 2013
