How's Everyone's Diesels? DPF etc.

cilurnum

Active Member
Aug 6, 2013
50
0
Newcastle
I'm about to place my Leon FR 184 order this week (either that or the 1.8 petrol) and I just wondered what everyone's impressions are of the new VAG diesels, especially those of you who've had Seat and VAG diesels before.

I think we're all well aware of the DPF problems that have occurred with more recent diesels over the years (sounds like a nightmare) but from what I've heard the recent engines are a big improvement - quicker to heat up from cold etc.

How's like with your new Leon diesel?
 

wiganlad81

Active Member
Mar 27, 2013
114
0
Mines fine - just ticked over to 4k on the 1.6 tdi. Not even noticed the presence of the Dpf.
 

mcmillanja

LeonTwellls84
Aug 7, 2013
12
0
Have a DPF on my 2.0tdi FR Ibiza. Works well soot light has never come on and does its own regen every 500 miles or so with the engine idling at 1000rpm and raditor fan staying on for around 10mins at full whack after parking up. Seems to worry the neighbour but got used to it.

MPG is ammazing get between 56-65 on my 40min journey into work which is a combo of dual carriageway and countrh lanes.

Looking to upgrade to the 184 Leon at the beginning of September.
 

CyberGene

Active Member
Apr 26, 2008
306
1
Sofia, Bulgaria
does its own regen every 500 miles or so with the engine idling at 1000rpm and raditor fan staying on for around 10mins at full whack after parking up.

How do you know the car is performing a regeneration? Is there any message informing you to leave it idling until regeneration is finished?
 

mcmillanja

LeonTwellls84
Aug 7, 2013
12
0
No messages. The car normally idles at around 700rpm. Even if a regen has started and its now running at 1000rpm you just switch off as normal and the engine fans start and blow the hot air through the DPF. If this has not been a long enough journey to get the DPF super hot with the heat from the engine, then the program simply restart itself on your next journe until it thinks its done.

No need to let the engine run until the idle re drops to normal 750rpm. I have read somewhere though it best to let the engine revs or rpm climb to at least 2000rpm during regen when changing gear. The gear up and down indicator hepls you with this when a rege is happening as you will notice it like you to change down early to keep the revs up and vice versa when changing up.
 

JK1

Full Member
May 15, 2002
531
2
Bedford
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Have to say the DPF is my only worry with my order. I do a fair share of short journeys and I'm already considering how I'll have to adjust things to avoid having issues. I got a new job in the last couple of weeks that is 2miles from home and I'm planning to bike there purely because I'm concerned the 10 short journeys a week will cause the DPF to get blocked. If I need to pop down the road to Tescos should I go in the opposite direction through town then take the bypass back just to extend the journey!

On top of that my mum recently bought an ex-demo Exeo 170 TDI, she'd been doing 30mile round trip to work and after a couple of weeks she got an emissions light. Took it back to Seat and the DPF was blocked, probably because of the short journeys it had done as a demo car but even after weeks of racing around A roads it hadn't been enough to clear it out!?

It's like the opposite of an electric cars range anxiety!
 

dw911

Active Member
Mar 30, 2013
1,036
6
Never had a problem on my mk2 and never even heard the fan run or it do a regen, I'm not even sure it ever did, but i did do a lot of motorway driving.
It did take a while to warm up which was annoying in the winter waiting for the heaters to work

On my mark 3 its nice that it heats up so fast, so will be nice in the winter
As for regens my mk3 seems to do it very often and the fan often runs after I switch the car off
Was concerned at first, but as someone on here said, its likely seat have made it so it does it more little and often so a blocked dpf never occurs

I have also once a week started to drive it quite hard keeping the revs up when I'm on a fast road and that has reduced the frequency of the regens
 

cilurnum

Active Member
Aug 6, 2013
50
0
Newcastle
On top of that my mum recently bought an ex-demo Exeo 170 TDI, she'd been doing 30mile round trip to work and after a couple of weeks she got an emissions light. Took it back to Seat and the DPF was blocked, probably because of the short journeys it had done as a demo car but even after weeks of racing around A roads it hadn't been enough to clear it out!?
The engines in the new Seats are brand new though and they're not even in the new Golf as yet, or if they are they've just arrived.

I'm doing about 10,000 miles a year but that is likely to increase over the next few years and I'm likely to keep my Leon for well beyond the next three years so I'm planning ahead. I don't change my cars often. However, with these engines it's not the mileage you do but that you're driving it fast enough every week to allow the regen to occur gracefully.
 

cilurnum

Active Member
Aug 6, 2013
50
0
Newcastle
On my mark 3 its nice that it heats up so fast, so will be nice in the winter. As for regens my mk3 seems to do it very often and the fan often runs after I switch the car off. Was concerned at first, but as someone on here said, its likely seat have made it so it does it more little and often so a blocked dpf never occurs.
I've heard the new Golfs do that. I don't think it's regen but the fans simply blowing through the system to clear it out.

I have also once a week started to drive it quite hard keeping the revs up when I'm on a fast road and that has reduced the frequency of the regens
I certainly intend to have some fun out of this car at least on one day a week so I shouldn't have any trouble getting the DPF working. :p
 

cilurnum

Active Member
Aug 6, 2013
50
0
Newcastle
I got a new job in the last couple of weeks that is 2miles from home and I'm planning to bike there...
If you're couple of miles from home I'd definitely bike. You'll save mileage and fuel, you'll have a much better resale price and you'll be a whole lot fitter. Just depends on how safe it is to bike.

I would just go for an enthusiastic drive once a week to keep the thing rolling.
 

dw911

Active Member
Mar 30, 2013
1,036
6
I've heard the new Golfs do that. I don't think it's regen but the fans simply blowing through the system to clear it out.


I certainly intend to have some fun out of this car at least on one day a week so I shouldn't have any trouble getting the DPF working. :p


I wondered that when it first happened after 60 miles on the clock
But there are no fans that clear the system out
It is the engine radiator fan that runs
It must be cooling the engine as the regen works by adding more fuel and raising the revs to creat more heat which turns the soot in the dpf into ash
And once I realized what it was that was running I noticed the revs sit at 1000 on tick over at the same time
So the fan must run to dissipate the heat when stationery
Due to the regen raising the exhaust &engin temperatures
As I said I never had any of this on my 2012 mk2 Leon
Although strangely I seem to drive the mk3 more sedatly for some reason
 
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cilurnum

Active Member
Aug 6, 2013
50
0
Newcastle
Yer, interesting. Must be the cooling fan. There must be more automatic regen going on. I would have thought this would have adversely affected economy. I expect they've done this to offset the DPF problems they've obviously been getting inundated with.

Has anyone noticed a decrease in fuel economy or are people generally happy?
 

dw911

Active Member
Mar 30, 2013
1,036
6
Yer, interesting. Must be the cooling fan. There must be more automatic regen going on. I would have thought this would have adversely affected economy. I expect they've done this to offset the DPF problems they've obviously been getting inundated with.

Has anyone noticed a decrease in fuel economy or are people generally happy?

I imagine it would use more fuel, but still cheaper than replacing the dpf

Ill through out technology to keep the ecomentalists happy and the government eco targets
Emm lets fit something to a car that force's it to use more fuel, what a bright idea

My CR 2.0 mk2 leaves the cooling fans on sometimes for a good 10 mins too, which i presume is when it's doing a regen.

That's intresting,mine never ever ran once on my mk2, but I did drive it quite hard, obviously not ragging it, butwithout worring about fuel economy and enjoying it

Ive been nannying my mk3 a lot and the fan runs on often
 
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cilurnum

Active Member
Aug 6, 2013
50
0
Newcastle
The 1.4 petrol is the only petrol I rate really. The 1.8 is really nice to drive but I think depreciation on that once the costs of petrol and tax bite over the next few years will be really brutal.

Yes it's a relatively efficient engine, but once you factor in using the performance and keeping warm during the winter you're looking at fuel usage that the official MPG figures don't tell you.
 

slo007

Active Member
Jun 15, 2013
65
0
Aberdeen, Scotland
Have to say the DPF is my only worry with my order. I do a fair share of short journeys and I'm already considering how I'll have to adjust things to avoid having issues. I got a new job in the last couple of weeks that is 2miles from home and I'm planning to bike there purely because I'm concerned the 10 short journeys a week will cause the DPF to get blocked. If I need to pop down the road to Tescos should I go in the opposite direction through town then take the bypass back just to extend the journey!

An acquaintance drives an A3 to work, 2 miles each way, and the DPF is clogged all the time. Hers is about 3 years old. Lots of issues with the dealer, replacement costs, etc. That's why I opted against a Diesel since I'll never accrue the benefits of the mpg.
 

cilurnum

Active Member
Aug 6, 2013
50
0
Newcastle
If I was two miles away from work I'd forgo diesel and petrol and buy a bike. You'd be hard pushed to get any benefit out of the petrol.