Particulate Filters

[Otter Spotter]

Is it me?

Recently the particulate filter on my Nissan Pathfinder clogged up for the first time, probably because I have not used it for a few weeks instead using my PVC. The result was a bill for +£140 and the advice that I will need to give the car a blast for 10 miles on a motorway every so often to keep the filter clear.
The point is the filter is supposed to help protect the planet, but as I have found out many cars are having the same problem and the advice is the same, so how many more unnecessary miles and wasted journeys are being made to keep these filters clear and in doing so burning more fossil fuel and creating the resulting emissions.
what a waste ! I believe VWs are worse than most and we know the lies and trouble they have caused.
How many Funsters have had similar issues ?

 

[Captain Pants]

Is it me?

Recently the particulate filter on my Nissan Pathfinder clogged up for the first time, probably because I have not used it for a few weeks instead using my PVC. The result was a bill for +£140 and the advice that I will need to give the car a blast for 10 miles on a motorway every so often to keep the filter clear.
The point is the filter is supposed to help protect the planet, but as I have found out many cars are having the same problem and the advice is the same, so how many more unnecessary miles and wasted journeys are being made to keep these filters clear and in doing so burning more fossil fuel and creating the resulting emissions.
what a waste ! I believe VWs are worse than most and we know the lies and trouble they have caused.
How many Funsters have had similar issues ?

Yes, had to drive across France a few years ago in limp mode after driving through deep puddle - DPF didn’t like it! No amount of ‘italian tuning’ seems to clear it after the fault sensor has activated.

 

[Phill D]

was the remedy by the garage to run a forced regeneration of the particulate filter?


i had to have a forced regen on one of our vehicles 2 years ago as a sensor failure which did not show until the PDF had started to block.
I was told that forced regens reduce the life of the PDF and as little as 2 forced regens can cause it to break up.

 

[EuroTrotters]

Yes, had to drive across France a few years ago in limp mode after driving through deep puddle - DPF didn’t like it! No amount of ‘italian tuning’ seems to clear it after the fault sensor has activated.

Carry a Creader

 

[Captain Pants]

was the remedy by the garage to run a forced regeneration of the particulate filter?


i had to have a forced regen on one of our vehicles 2 years ago as a sensor failure which did not show until the PDF had started to block.
I was told that forced regens reduce the life of the PDF and as little as 2 forced regens can cause it to break up.

Not sure, cost about £150 to sort it, but VW dealers charge that for opening the bonnet!

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[Captain Pants]

Carry a Creader

Yeh, but where do you stop - socket set, trolley jack, exhaust gas analyser, four post lift?

 

[Otter Spotter]

was the remedy by the garage to run a forced regeneration of the particulate filter?


i had to have a forced regen on one of our vehicles 2 years ago as a sensor failure which did not show until the PDF had started to block.
I was told that forced regens reduce the life of the PDF and as little as 2 forced regens can cause it to break up.

not sure I think that’s what he did.

 

[7735]

Is it me?

Recently the particulate filter on my Nissan Pathfinder clogged up for the first time, probably because I have not used it for a few weeks instead using my PVC. The result was a bill for +£140 and the advice that I will need to give the car a blast for 10 miles on a motorway every so often to keep the filter clear.
The point is the filter is supposed to help protect the planet, but as I have found out many cars are having the same problem and the advice is the same, so how many more unnecessary miles and wasted journeys are being made to keep these filters clear and in doing so burning more fossil fuel and creating the resulting emissions.
what a waste ! I believe VWs are worse than most and we know the lies and trouble they have caused.
How many Funsters have had similar issues ?

Not using it for a few weeks shouldn’t be an issue, the answer is not to use your diesel vehicle for little short journeys of a mile. Better to walk. Our merc motorhome was 12 years old and no problem with the DPF and it wasn’t used over the winter months.

Spongy

 

[Captain Pants]

Not using it for a few weeks shouldn’t be an issue, the answer is not to use your diesel vehicle for little short journeys of a mile. Better to walk. Our merc motorhome was 12 years old and no problem with the DPF and it wasn’t used over the winter months.

Spongy

Yes, good advice I think. Applies to any vehicle, if you start the engine (diesel or petrol) get it up to temperature before switching off.

 

[EuroTrotters]

Yeh, but where do you stop - socket set, trolley jack, exhaust gas analyser, four post lift?

The thing is.,

And I will post a report soon.

Carrying one got me out of the Mire recently.

Being able to reset limp home mode and SRS error. All down to a low voltage issue.

Had this have happened half way across Spain en-route to a ferry. Would have been a major hassle. Breakdown truck, Mercedes Dealers closed for Bank Holiday, ferry missed, no accommodation........

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[jongood]

Is it me?

Recently the particulate filter on my Nissan Pathfinder clogged up for the first time, probably because I have not used it for a few weeks instead using my PVC. The result was a bill for +£140 and the advice that I will need to give the car a blast for 10 miles on a motorway every so often to keep the filter clear.
The point is the filter is supposed to help protect the planet, but as I have found out many cars are having the same problem and the advice is the same, so how many more unnecessary miles and wasted journeys are being made to keep these filters clear and in doing so burning more fossil fuel and creating the resulting emissions.
what a waste ! I believe VWs are worse than most and we know the lies and trouble they have caused.
How many Funsters have had similar issues ?

I agree its a complete nonsense caused by idiotic thinking, the same thinking that makes us inject highly corrosive cow p*ss into our exhausts. There is no way it makes sense.

 

[Landy Andy]

It’s bad that all these emission devices fail for the people who drive to cautiously, and use less fuel. People who drive them hard and use more fuel don’t appear to have these problems.

 

[ivorantony]

The DPF has a finite life anyway, it will fill with soot until the differential sensors one in front and one behind
The DPF detect a big pressure drop difference between the two,
Then the ECU will command a regeneration but only if upto temperatures and above a certain RPM,

This will pump more fuel into the engine ( Great for emission ) to bring the temp up in the DPF to burn the soot, unfortunately the now ash will still block the DPF over time with the added bonus that many uncompleted Regeneration due to temperatures or not enough RPM or distance can cause the additional fuel to slowly fill the sump with diesel,
This has caused many diesels to run away uncontrollably to destruction,
If you only do short journeys dip the oil regularly and smell the oil for diesel fuel, if your oil level
Appears to be rising it’s imperative to get it checked out and drain if necessary,

 

[Chris]

It used to happen all the time on my VW Golf. They warned me it would when I collected it.

The remedy was to give it high revs in 4th gear on the motorway.

As the OP said , numerous wasted miles over the 3 years I owned it.

A lot of my journeys were shortish but I wasn’t warned that this would exacerbate the problem.

 

[Phill D]

Not using it for a few weeks shouldn’t be an issue, the answer is not to use your diesel vehicle for little short journeys of a mile. Better to walk. Our merc motorhome was 12 years old and no problem with the DPF and it wasn’t used over the winter months.

Spongy

your correct short runs on a diesel are killers and parked up should be no issue.
not wishing to be pedantic but DPFs were not fitted until around 2011 / 2012 Euro 5 and above, so i dont think it had one, you may be thinking EGR valve.

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[dipsie]

Phil D,
You are wrong on DPF not being fitted before 2011/12.

I have a 2010 Volvo V50 1.6 drive that during my tenure has had two new DPF’s. The first one at 90K with new sensors and an element, cost £ 1160 and now another at 110K, no sensors this time, clogged and would not respond to a clean. So this time we have fitted genuine Volvo OE unit as we think the pattern one first fitted from Europarts is built to get a sales vehicle through an MOT and as long as it last long enough to get the vehicle through it’s warrantee period then that’s good enough.
My Volvo is only used as my local runabout, diesel, 54.6 mpg ( computer ) £ 20 a year road tax, maybe the type of running, local 30 / 40 the odd 50 mph is the problem, why should I have to drive 20 odd miles to get to a motorway to give it a good blast.
I also have a late BMW 320i M Sport, petrol, not a diesel ! £ 160 road tax, supposedly cleaner than a diesel, I only use this as a “ treat “ Sunday’s or nice days, mad I know !
This is the idiotic taxation situation as the new 6d spec super clean motor home fiasco.

BernieT

 

[deleted-member02]

VAG have been fitting DPF since at least 2007, I'm pretty sure Audi 'TDV' models had particulate filters a couple of years before that??

 

[Phill D]

Then i apologies to you all and I take it back ,,,,, shows my partial ignorance. the legislation was from Euro 5..

 

[Neil Bedwin]

All interesting but DPFs are not there to help emissions of co2 etc. They are to stop the particulates (dPf!) that are known to be cancer causing......

 

[Otter Spotter]

All interesting but DPFs are not there to help emissions of co2 etc. They are to stop the particulates (dPf!) that are known to be cancer causing......

Hi Neil,
Are not particulates emitted out of the exhaust pipe ??

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[PeteH]

Here:- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diesel_particulate_filter

My Last diesel car, Chevy Orlando, it was recommended to periodically run the vehicle above 2200rpm for at least 20 to 30 min once warm. Because we had the "Auto" box, this was acheived by putting it into "manual" mode and holding it in 5th (6 speed). which I did during a longish journey. never had any issue.

 

[68c]

I think the Citroen C5 had one from 2001, used Eolys fluid which is probably like Ad Blue.