Just spotted this.....

What is a DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter)?

European manufacturer standards have made particulate filters as commonplace in diesel vehicle exhausts as catalytic converters are in petrol ones. They were introduced to reduce diesel particulate (soot) emissions by around 80% and they work just like a 'trap', catching bits of soot in the exhaust. Think of the bag in the vacuum cleaner; just like with any filter they have to be emptied regularly to maintain performance. For a DPF this process is known as 'regeneration' where the collected soot is burnt off at a high temperature to leave a tiny ash residue.

Regeneration

Regeneration can take place automatically on motorway-type runs when the exhaust temperature is high for long periods of time. Most cars don't get this sort of regular use and so manufacturers designed 'active' regeneration where the ECU (engine management computer) takes control of the process. If your journeys are normally short and around town the warning light will illuminate which usually indicates that the DPF is partially blocked. If the light is ignored soot will continue to build up and other dashboard lights will illuminate too. At this point the car will have to go to a garage equipped with the diagnostic tools to perform this 'regeneration'. Continuing to ignore the warning lights could lead to a new DPF being required which could cost you in the region of £1,000.

DPF Removal

AB Service Centre can now offer a DPF removal service. This usually requires us to have your vehicle for a few days, remove the exhaust and the particulate filter, re-programme your ECU and install DPF removal software. This option removes the need for constant regeneration costs or the possibility of having to replace your DPF altogether.

How is the DPF Removal done?

To remove the DPF we need to read the original software from your vehicle's ECU. We use an interface to our dedicated laptop system and can remove all DPF structures in the software. We can then programme the software to the ECU, remove the DPF from the vehicle and the temperature and pressure sensor removed from the exhaust (or we can leave it in if you want the vehicle to look like a stock arrangement/original). Once this process has been undertaken the vehicle will no longer attempt regenerations and no black smoke will appear, no DPF check light or engine management light will illuminate and you will have noticeably better MPG!

There's another place in Barry as well, and I might pop down and have a chat.

Unfortunately, our car is 2.5 weeks into ownership, so I'll have to wait for the warranty to expire before thinking more seriously about DPF removal.

There may some software problems with removing all traces of the regeneration files, which is why I want to have a chat with them, and it would be nice to have a straight through system for the little bit of extra power/ fuel saving.

2012 MOT changes require that if a car is fitted with DPF from new then it must be present during the test.

2012 MOT changes require that if a car is fitted with DPF from new then it must be present during the test.

True, but I'm thinking that the process involves removing the filter and welding the case back together. Sensors will still be there etc, etc.

Just an idle thought at the moment, as I say, the car is too new to even contemplate anything "naughty".

2012 MOT changes require that if a car is fitted with DPF from new then it must be present during the test.

Have a look at the bit in brackets second line from the end.

Have a look at the bit in brackets second line from the end.

Well spotted - I'm obviously in need of a visit to Specsavers

But they can hardly hide the 'visible smoke' that removing the DPF will inevitably result in.

If an MoT tester sees smoke from a supposedly DPF equipped car, they will take a look further than just glancing at the welded up case.

Anyway, what is the point of removing the DPF. If your driving pattern does not enable the system to function correctly then you should be looking at buying a petrol car instead.

There is no MOT requirement for a DPF, as long as the smoke test is within the limit of 1.50/m for turbo diesels registered from 01/07/08 then it won't have a problem with the smoke test. DPF, filter and particulate aren't even mentioned in the 2012 testers manual.

The only time a MOT tester will be checking for the presence of emissions equipment will be for a cat on a spark ignition engine and depending on your interpretation of the manual, the check should only be made if it fails the Basic Emissions Test and then becomes subject to a full cat test.

There is no MOT requirement for a DPF, as long as the smoke test is within the limit of 1.50/m for turbo diesels registered from 01/07/08 then it won't have a problem with the smoke test. DPF, filter and particulate aren't even mentioned in the 2012 testers manual.

The only time a MOT tester will be checking for the presence of emissions equipment will be for a cat on a spark ignition engine and depending on your interpretation of the manual, the check should only be made if it fails the Basic Emissions Test and then becomes subject to a full cat test.

Thanks, something to consider when the warranty runs out.

This whole DPF thing will become more prevalent as the cars fitted with them get older and the repair/replacement of them becomes an uneconomic necessity.

As I understand it the DPF merely filters out the soot emissions, at start up in particular- no pun intended

During a MOT the tester will only test for emissions which are controlled by the CAT-- the issue is will the tester have a duty in future to examine the vehicle and if he DPF is not present, be obliged to fail the car?

As things stand if the emissions are passed he/she will not examine the car further--in fact if all the on-line advice is correct, how on earth can they determine in a practical sense, whether the device, although apparently attached to the car is in fact not doing anything?

The tester can only fail a car on the items on the computer that have a fail button next to them, he can't make stuff up and fail it. Ultimately the tester will do as VOSA instructs, given that they have halved the smoke limits for diesels first used after 01/07/08, it seems unlikely to me that they will make DPFs part of the test.

It's extremely easy to determine if a DPF is fitted or not, just look at the tailpipe, if it's sooty - no DPF. I've seen 80,000 mile Jaguar XF diesels and there hasn't been a trace of soot in the tailpipe.

Smoke limit 1.50/m a non DPF car can do that.

This whole DPF thing will become more prevalent as the cars fitted with them get older and the repair/replacement of them becomes an uneconomic necessity.

As I understand it the DPF merely filters out the soot emissions, at start up in particular- no pun intended

During a MOT the tester will only test for emissions which are controlled by the CAT-- the issue is will the tester have a duty in future to examine the vehicle and if he DPF is not present, be obliged to fail the car?

As things stand if the emissions are passed he/she will not examine the car further--in fact if all the on-line advice is correct, how on earth can they determine in a practical sense, whether the device, although apparently attached to the car is in fact not doing anything?

At the moment the new rules only mention "if the catalytic convertor is missing it will fail" there is no mention of DPF

My information is that on the latest CR diesel engines the gains are not significant - and do you really want to be chucking out excessive amounts of noxious oxides and black smoke?

I've yet to see any independently documented results for DPF removal on VAG CR diesel engines.

Not sure how your insurers might react to DPF removal?

I'm curious, as I'm running a remapped CR 170. PM me for details if you wish?

Just coming up to a year's ownership of my Yeti, 12,500 miles driven - a mix of local, mid- and long distances (including two trips to the south of France and back). Never had any trouble with the DPF, never been aware of it regenerating.

Just coming up to a year's ownership of my Yeti, 12,500 miles driven - a mix of local, mid- and long distances (including two trips to the south of France and back). Never had any trouble with the DPF, never been aware of it regenerating.

Same with mine, I only started the thread thinking about those who were having a lot of regens due to only short trips etc, and maybe having to fork out at the stealers for a forced regen.

Mine is now at 34k and I've never had a problem. Couple of times I've noticed the fans have stayed on after I've locked it up on getting home, but nothing else.

I can't believe that anybody is seriously considering removing the DPF. Do you want to breathe filthy sooty fumes? Do you think you have the right to force others to breathe the ones your car emits? The DPF exists to make the environment better for all of us.

I can't believe that anybody is seriously considering removing the DPF. Do you want to breathe filthy sooty fumes? Do you think you have the right to force others to breathe the ones your car emits? The DPF exists to make the environment better for all of us.

So did Chris Huhne......

Did he have his DPF removed then?

I can't believe that anybody is seriously considering removing the DPF. Do you want to breathe filthy sooty fumes? Do you think you have the right to force others to breathe the ones your car emits? The DPF exists to make the environment better for all of us.

+1(00)

I can't believe that anybody is seriously considering removing the DPF. Do you want to breathe filthy sooty fumes? Do you think you have the right to force others to breathe the ones your car emits? The DPF exists to make the environment better for all of us.

I don't imagine an MGB roadster with a V8 3.5 engine conversion does wonders for the enviroment either. lol

I don't imagine an MGB roadster with a V8 3.5 engine conversion does wonders for the enviroment either. lol

Fair enough ... but I consider it my 'recycling' car ... all the environmental costs of its build are 40 years or so old ('sunk costs' to the economists out there) and I do only drive it about 2k miles a year.

I can't believe that anybody is seriously considering removing the DPF. Do you want to breathe filthy sooty fumes? Do you think you have the right to force others to breathe the ones your car emits? The DPF exists to make the environment better for all of us.

As well as a nice little earner for the stealers!!!

But let's not turn this thread into an "ECO" war. We could say why are there firms out allowed to do this quite legally,they obviously don't care much about the environment, but will they be stopped? I very much doubt it.

My nephew bought a Saab with a DPF filter. I know he had issues that were going to cost him around £1000 to fix it.He had a mechanic drill a 30mm hole through the filter and all is good now. I dont know what if anything was done with sensors as i wasnt taking much notice and only reading this topic reminded me. I will ask him more details and if they are relavent i will post them on the forum at a future date unless someone knows what this kind of fix will do to the emission control etc.

As well as a nice little earner for the stealers!!!

But let's not turn this thread into an "ECO" war. We could say why are there firms out allowed to do this quite legally,they obviously don't care much about the environment, but will they be stopped? I very much doubt it.

They won't be the ones shedding the tears at MoT time either.

Despite what others may say about the current MoT regs and their interpretation, I wouldn't take the risk of removing this sort of thing............