DPF Experiences

Your experience of the Diesel Particulate Filter?

  • Never seen DPF lights, no problems

    Votes: 137 58.3%
  • Seen DPF lights, DPF cleared with no problems

    Votes: 56 23.8%
  • Seen DPF lights, had problems clear DPF

    Votes: 26 11.1%
  • Seen DPF lights, new DPF required covered by warranty

    Votes: 6 2.6%
  • Seen DPF lights, new DPF required NOT covered by warranty

    Votes: 15 6.4%

  • Total voters
    235

JoeF

Active Member
May 13, 2007
269
0
Bolton
when do you usually see the light come on if u only do local miles? and how long do you get before you cant drive it after the light coming on? or how can u get around the possibility of it appearing? good clearing through the rev range or smething?

i.e if you drove say 3 weeks locally and then once a month did a motorway trip of 300 miles would you very rarely see the light ?

Or is it a lottery.
 

Tom H

Guest
2,000 miles and all three light lit and limp home mode, AA towed it to Seat where it had to be regenerated... they did it for Free without any comments about my driving style or warranty or anything, and also replaced the stereo as it had a scuff on it from new :)

I should add that the car was 4 weeks old.. and Seat claimed it was because it had only ever done short journeys :lol:

Its now on 10,000 and hasn't happened again since...
 
Last edited by a moderator:

SeanCorky

BMW E92 335i M Sport
Sep 4, 2008
809
3
Liverpool
I've done 2400 miles, last week my DPF light came on. Done the usual to clear it but with no avail, then the coil light started flashing with Engine Fault Workshop! on the MFD, car went into limp home mode!

I rang Seat Assist, within an hour the AA were out, done all the diagnostics with his laptop, tried to clear the codes but with no luck. Told me to take it out for a run to clear the DPF with him following me, after 10 miles or so still the same. Pulled off the next exit on the motorway to try and clear the codes again, no luck, so he tried a battery reset, no luck! He was clueless and told me to take it to the dealer!

Rang Liverpool Seat the next morning, Tom told me to get it recovered there for them to look at it. Within about 2 hours they had checked the problem, which turned out 2 sensors in the DPF had gone, and ordered new parts!

Car is running fine now i have it back!
 

stuartsjg

Active Member
Oct 22, 2008
244
0
Aberdeen
avoid straining the engine at low revs and keep it in lower gears around town (using 4th only on the level) and that's working really well.
Bobster
< good adivce

Its always a bad idea in any car (petrol or diesel) to have it struggling in a low gear. You oculd get away 30mph with 5th on a level but as soon as the engine needs to deliver more torque it has to burn a very rich mixture making lots of soot.

What ever gear you are in you should have rev flexibility so that if you lift the accelerator, you dont need to immediatly change down to stop the engine running at or below idle, and if you want acceleration, its there. If you need to floor a car in this sort of power league to get it to speed up then your not in the right gear.

You want to be in control of the engine & car, not the otherway around.

Found this articles on the subject of selecting the right gear, this Times article seams to have parts of it lifted from the IAM guide books on efficient driving.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/driving/car_clinic/article4345670.ece

Stuart
 

silverfox

Full Member
Feb 19, 2004
195
0
far far away
Visit site
:cry: I've done 20k problem-free miles and then recently, I started getting the emissions light coming on from time to time but it would just clear itself. Then I had my first experience with DPF light last week so I did what it says in the manual and kept the revs and speed up. DPF light went off. Great!
....................................but I had another DPF light tonight. So I did the same again, kept revs and speed up. Only this time I got the flashing glow plug and limp mode and "Engine Fault. Workshop" message on MFD

Surely this can't be driving-style related after 20k miles of driving the same roads in the same manner with no problems? My biggest problem now is that I live on an island with no Seat dealer and it's a 3hour ferry journey and 60 mile drive to nearest dealers!!

Where do i go from here? Answers on a postcard.......
 

Tam

Santa in disguise :)
Feb 10, 2005
1,777
0
Near Reevo :)
I guess, you like others have found that the DPF regen only works when all the sensors are working.


I would say one of the exhaust gas temperature sensors has failed, resulting in DPF unable to regenerate as it cannot read the correct temperature in the exhaust.

Although replacement of the sensor i think you can do yourself .. Getting the car out of limp and onto forced regeneration mode i think can only be done at the dealer. :(


Sensor should be under warranty .... I've had 3 fail so far in a 50,000 mile period...

p.s. i've driven over 500 miles in limp mode (mostly on motorways so max revs in 5th/6th (i.e 84mph max!)) and the dealer was still able to regerate it, so 60 miles should be ok to drive..
 

silverfox

Full Member
Feb 19, 2004
195
0
far far away
Visit site
I guess, you like others have found that the DPF regen only works when all the sensors are working.


I would say one of the exhaust gas temperature sensors has failed, resulting in DPF unable to regenerate as it cannot read the correct temperature in the exhaust.

Although replacement of the sensor i think you can do yourself .. Getting the car out of limp and onto forced regeneration mode i think can only be done at the dealer. :(


Sensor should be under warranty .... I've had 3 fail so far in a 50,000 mile period...

p.s. i've driven over 500 miles in limp mode (mostly on motorways so max revs in 5th/6th (i.e 84mph max!)) and the dealer was still able to regerate it, so 60 miles should be ok to drive..


Thanks a lot Tam, that's reassuring.......guess I better go pack an overnight bag! :)
 

SeanCorky

BMW E92 335i M Sport
Sep 4, 2008
809
3
Liverpool
DPF light been on, havent been able to clear it, now i have flashing coil and engine fault.

Another trip to the dealers tomorrow then, looks like its another sensor
 

delboyuk2005uk

Active Member
Jan 25, 2009
377
0
St Helens
Drove home for about 20 seconds before then the car went dead. It will not start now at all just keep turning.

The message on the dashboard sometimes appears saying "engine fault workshop needed" what does this mean?

Also a orange rope flashes on the dashboard. Which I have looked up to be a engine fault.

In the book it says glow plug system engine fault.

1) Can anybody help will these be covered by the warranty?

2) Is this an easy job to fix?

3) Should I be worried?


Please please let me know!
 

Yorki

Guest
DPF the curse of a good car.

Had a DPF replaced when the car was 6 weeks old ,done under warranty but the dealer said it was a sensor fault the knackered the DPF.

I do 22miles each way on the M62 to work and back then the usual local run about . I get the DPF light regulary and perform the regeneration with no problems. Currently getting the light to often so its booked into the dealers for checking. fortunately mines still under warranty but I don't know what i'll do once its out proberly get the DPF removed.
 

Tom H

Guest
27,000 miles now and except for the DPF fault at 500 miles i have never seen the light again :D
 

Tom H

Guest
It certainly is down to the type of journey, mines been fine for 31k now but taking 2 hours to do 14 miles in central london traffic last week resulted in a DPF light.. 50 miles up the M1 and it was clear again :clap:

Maybe customers should be told they cant withstand pottering around ?
 

paulfs

Active Member
Nov 10, 2009
281
0
New Forest, HANTS
True - garage where I bought mine, did make a point of explaining the DPF, even got a little booklet.
As long as you do plus 40mph for 10 - 15mins it should regenerate the filter & clear the dpf warning lamp.
 

gooseuk

Guest
Had my fr tdi 56 playe since august last year. Never seen the light appear but things happen that could be the dpf. Example car when parked up the rev increase by 200.

The exhaust note sounds more tractorish than b4. Once i heard about this dpf i simpley at the time has a small blast down a duel carridge way and came back and it was sorted.

My normally commute is 35 miles per day up and down a motorway to work. So i dont get the dpf that much but them annoying things do happen.
 

BuZZarD73

Guest
Had a small nightmare with DPF fault causing the car to go into limp mode.
The fault was with the pressure sensor and NOT the DPF itself as seems to be the problem in many cases.
The new ceramic sensors, apparently, are much more reliable.

In hindsight, I'd possibly have gone for a fully kitted out 2.0 TDi Sport and got the optional extras available and then a remap to that of a 170 FR.

I drive 25 miles a day and the journey can be quite stop/start.
The car has done 28k miles.
 

Compo1

Active Member
Jul 19, 2010
271
64
Not had mine that long and it its only showing 22000 so iwas shocked to see on the dealers workshop report (the checks they do before they sell you a second hand motor ) noted a pressure sensor had been replaced. At the time a asked what is was and was told it was the DPF sensor.

Doesn't bode well for my new car does it. Ah well it will be binned if it causes any hassle :funk:
 
Progressive Parts, performance parts and tuning specialists