DPF problems occur for many reasons, the DPF isn’t the problem it’s the victim.
Is your DPF blocked? my first question is how do you know for sure?
Fault codes are only an indicator that something is not as it should be, they are not a conclusive diagnosis.
We take the fault codes and form a test plan to establish what has caused the codes to be logged, often 1 issue will cause several codes to be logged, for example you may have a boost pressure code and an air mass sensor code which can be caused by an air leak and if the problem isn’t addressed it can lead to DPF codes as well but all started from 1 single problem, if you DPF does become blocked and a clean is carried out without fixing the original issue the DPF will block again, so for this reason there isn’t a one size solution to address problems.
Most Companies offering cheap DPF cleaning are sales people not trained specialists, cleaning the DPF doesn’t solve the problem only the symptom,
A warning light can come on for many reasons it doesn’t always mean that the filter is blocked, we are often asked how much it is to clean a DPF based on no hard facts, and often just based on a fault code which could have been created for many different reasons, without proper diagnosis the likelihood of a failed fix is very high.
Many Garages will offer DPF removal or DPF delete to eradicate the problem this is an illegal modification and not a fix, your vehicle will no longer meet it’s type approval and potentially void your insurance and also void any warranty and fail an emissions test.
- 99.9% DPF cleaning success
- DPF Diagnostics Specialist
- DPF Deep Clean (Ash & Soot Clean)
- Mobile DPF Unblock (Soot Clean)
- Service Regeneration
- Mobile service
Frequently Asked Questions:
Question. I’ve seen a DPF Deep clean advertised for £85 can you match the price?
Answer. There are many services and products on the market and many are misleadingly sold as a Deep Clean these are usually fluids which are introduced into the DPF to dissolve soot to reduce the back pressure in the hope the car will regenerate again afterwards these offer no permanent solution, or address why the DPF has become blocked in the first place and will not remove any ash from the filter, pour in the tank cleaners also offer no real cleaning but instead raise the exhaust gas temperature to try and achieve a regeneration which often doesn’t work and doesn’t address the cause of the problem, our Deep Clean removes soot and ash, we offer 2 types of cleaning which offer either to remove soot or a Deep clean which involves a lot more work than simply introducing a chemical into the filter, we offer a different and more involved service thats addresses the root cause as well as cleaning a blocked DPF.
Question. I have had a Diagnostics and was told its the DPF how much is a Clean?
A clean is more often not the correct fix as many dpf’s that come to us as been diagnosed as blocked are not actually blocked, as most garages don’t know how to correctly diagnose them, also when they are blocked its due to another problem so we can’t do a fixed price solution, we need to assess the problem ourselves first, if we just clean your DPF without assessing the real problem it will likely not work.
Question. Why can I buy a Non-Genuine DPF so cheap?
The answer is quite simple Genuine filters are far better quality and can actually last the lifetime of the car with our help.
A genuine DPF filter has precious metals inside including Platinum which is used for Passive Regeneration which reduces ash build up and prolongs the life of the filter, Genuine ones often have a higher residual scrap value than a cheap will cost to buy.
We have attempted to fix DPF problems on cheap copies in the past and not been able to get them to function to specification, so will present a constant problem until a Genuine one is fitted.
Question. How much does it cost for DPF cleaning?
Answer. The answer depends on the outcome of our assessment, we do 2 types of cleaning one will remove soot, the other will remove ash soot and oil, we only give an estimated range of costs beforehand as we don’t know what is required before our assessment, in many cases a clean isn’t actually required in which case the problem is often resolved for as little as £50
Question. My DPF light has come on can you fix this?
Answer. Yes we can, but before we look at your vehicle we ask if you have been doing short journeys and have you tried driving a longer journey preferably on a dual carriageway for about 30 mins keeping the engines revs above 2000 rpm or around 2500 rpm, if the light doesn’t go out then it would be a good idea to get us to check it as soon as possible, we can often find and fix a problem before the filter gets blocked.
Question. My DPF is blocked and I have been told I need a new DPF can you fix it ?
Ash Deposit on a DPF Temperature Sensor
Answer. Yes we can, there is 3 main types of obstruction that a filter can fall victim to
1. Soot (particulate matter which is comprised of mostly Hydrocarbons that are normally burnt off during a regeneration)
2. Ash (Minerals & Metals seen in vehicles with higher miles this accumulates in a DPF after each regeneration) and reduces the ability to store soot between regenerations, this can’t be cleaned chemically, in this case the filter is removed and sent away to be cleaned at our head office in a specialist machine that won’t harm the filter then is refitted to the vehicle and reprogrammed.
3. Oil this will contaminate the filter and quickly reduce its ability to store soot and reduces the exhaust airflow quickly bringing on a DPF fault this can also be a sign of wear in the turbocharger.
Question. What is a Diesel Particulate filter?
A diesel particulate filter (DPF or FAP) is fitted to a diesel vehicle which filters particulate matter from exhaust gases. It traps solid particles while letting gases escape. Filters like this have been used for over 20 years, They reduce particulate emissions to help meet European emission standards and improve air quality
Question. What is Particulate Matter?
Particulate Matter is a mixture of solid and liquid particles, including carbon, organic chemicals, ammonium nitrates, sulphate, sodium chloride, dust, water and a several metals
Question. What is a DPF Regeneration
A DPF fills with particulate matter and needs to be cleared, This is achieved with regeneration, which is a process of oxidising the soot at high temperatures also leaves behind a small amount of ash.
DPF Removal (Delete)
Removal isn’t a legal solution and can result in fines up £1,000 for a car and £2,500 for a van, MOT cancelled and the vehicle can only be retested in a DVSA testing station with the DPF reinstated.
In 2014 it became illegal to use a car on the road that has had its DPF removed.
diesel-particulate-filters-guidance << Please read (external link to .gov.uk)
We diagnose the cause and clean the filter (if required) while still on the vehicle, then perform a test regeneration saving you money in a costly replacement.
A DPF on a higher mileage vehicle is likely to have a buildup of ash which reduces the capacity to accumulate soot, resulting in more frequent regenerations eventually leading to regeneration failure we can also remove ash this does require removal and sending to our head office, it’s impossible to dissolve or burn away ash without damaging the DPF.
Cost of our service varies according to the work required,
the typical price varies £50 – £300 (this isn’t just a price for cleaning because cleaning alone is only likely to remedy the situation for a short while, the cause also needs to be found and addressed, most faults that cause regeneration failure don’t show up on diagnostics equipment so require different methods of investigation)
Regeneration Failure
If Regeneration fails it will lead to a build-up of soot which will affect performance and can lead to expensive repair costs, many have opted for removal but this has both legal and has social implications as particle matter emitted from diesel engines is estimated to cause cancer and kill approximately 80,000 people per year.
DPF Problems things you should know
A DPF is often seen as the problem which is why so many garages fail to resolve DPF issues
A blocked DPF isn’t usually the problem it is the victim, there are many things that can cause the filter to block so cleaning is often not the solution but just part of the fixing process.
We use 2 completely different systems to clean a filter depending on the type of accumulation inside.
Soot accumulation is the most common we have to deal with, this happens due to failed regenerations we can clear this with our mobile cleaning service.
Ash accumulation which is a normal slow accumulation inside a DPF, ash slowly reduces the DPF’s capacity to accumulate soot in between regenerations, the rate at which the ash builds up varies between cars, which is why manufactures give an expected life span of 80-100,000 miles, this can be cleaned in a specialist DPF cleaning equipment but does involve removing the DPF from the car but will give the DPF a new lease of life saving on expensive replacement, ash builds at different rates depending on how the vehicle is used, for instance on long journeys it will passively regenerate which produces less ash, with short journeys it will actively regenerate which increases ash build up, using the proper specified oil in servicing is also important as vehicles with a DPF require a low saps oil.
The Law And Mot Test
From February 2014 the inspection of the exhaust system carried out during the MoT test includes a check for the presence of a DPF, in 2018 the MOT is changing the smoke test limits are being reduced this will lead to many more failures and expensive rectification.