I'm looking at buying a late model FL Octy VRS and I'm drawn to the CR version due to the percieved lower running costs (better mpg, lower tax, lower insurance group). The problem is that I do less than 8k a year mileage, mostly round town but with a 10 mile dual carriageway run to work, the last 5 miles at motorway speeds.

Having done quite a lot of research on here (thanks everyone), I obviously have conerns about the DPF - do CR versions suffer less with this? Is there any way I can get round it (ie take it for a 10 mile blast up the motorway once a week), or just accept it'll happen or look at DPF delete as an option.

I know I people will say I should be looking at a petrol but there doesn't seem to be that big a difference in purchase price for a used car and as I tend to hang on to my cars for about 5 years or so the purchase price is offset by depreciation.

I had a CR VRS for 18 months and didn't have a single issue with dpf, you wouldn't know it was there. I doubt however with the driving you describe will get much more than 5 mpg better in the CR over a TSI due to the warm-up time being town driving. I've had both and do a very similar kind of driving. Drive both and see what tickles your fancy really!

I did some research a little while back. BMW seem to consider DPFs to be consumable (at about 100-120k). Apparently there is a hidden menu you can access on 5 series (525d and 530d) with a countdown to when the DPF will need replaced. It's variable and depends on how the car is driven.

I've never read of anything similar for any other manufacturer so I assume (with all the dangers that entail) that DPFs are for the life of the car unless there is a problem.

A bit like sealed for life autoboxes. There is unlikely to be an issue for the first or even second owner of the car. But down the line.....

What you describe doesn't sound like a derv would be the best for you. The high cost for fuel, plus the higher servicing costs and the arguable less reliable modern diesel engine makes a petrol look more suitable.

Edited 23 April, 201214 yr by Aspman

No problems with the CR for me and don't forget how much better that the diesel is to drive.

A DPF will always fail (Well reach the end of it's useful life and need replacing).

If you're doing so few miles and mainly around town/shorter journeys, I'd seriously consider a smaller TSI petrol unit.

Edited 23 April, 201214 yr by cheezemonkhai

A DPF will always fail (Well reach the end of it's useful life and need replacing).

If you're doing so few miles and mainly around town/shorter journeys, I'd seriously consider a smaller TSI petrol unit.

or have the DPF removed and engine mapped to suit.

Petrol is your best bet with such low annual mileage.

Also cheaper/ easier for DIY servicing.

Petrol is your best bet with such low annual mileage.

Also cheaper/ easier for DIY servicing.

This comes up time and time again on this forum....

How is it cheaper and easier to service the petrol over the diesel?

He also hasn't specified his annual mileage.

You shouldn't have any DPF issues at all on the CR

The op says his annual mileage is 8k. I agree with jrw r.e the petrol to diesel service cost,they should be around the same to service,the petrol & diesel octys are both good cars,drive both & see which you like.

The op says his annual mileage is 8k.

I think i should have gone to specsavers :S

I think i should have gone to specsavers :S

Must be all the smoke in your eyes from your smelly diesel! (im kidding!)

Thanks for the replies, I didn't really want to open the 'diesel v petrol' argumens again, I know the PD cars suffer with DPF issues but I haven't seen anything regarding the CR engines so was wondering if it was likely to happen or if I could do something to help prevent it.

I have driven a diesel but I guess I'll have to take a petrol car for a test drive, that may change my options all together.

I run a 2011 diesel vrs. It is a fantastic car that I use it for longer runs only. I prefer to use my 1.2 VW Fox for local driving.

If I were a low mileage driver then I'd probably go for a petrol option because:

• Lower initial purchase price.
  
• Lower fuel price (at the moment)
  
• No real or potential DPF issues
  
• Much quicker warm up (the diesel takes for ages to warm up in winter)
  
• Petrol car economy is not that much worse than diesel given the nature of town driving and winter warm up period.
  

Good luck with whatever you buy.

my CR is now 13 months old and just his 6500 miles no issues at all and I only drive about town.

I do agree the service cost thing is something I don't understand the basis for.

They'll cost the same to service, maybe less on the derv as you don't have to replace sparks/Coils/HT.

I just think if you're town driving, you might as well avoid a DPF, as they fill up then get burnt clean.

They have a designed life, so eventually it'll need replacing.

Mine had 3 little glitches but that was at 1000 miles its only done 6000 now thats in 16 month but none what so ever since and its all urban

A friend of mine has had some rotten luck with these filters, replaced once under warranty on his 60 plate vw van and 4 times on his lexus is220. His dad also had one go 1 week after the warranty ran out on his transit connect and Ford refused to pay out with it costing over £900

Don`t forget to test drive a 1.8 TSi... the petrol car that thinks its a diesel!

No timing belt to change either so another weight off your mind :-)

Mine is a CR and I have had an issue, but it was not the DPF but the sensor that tells the ECU how clogged it it. The ones fitted to earlier models (and also the PD's) was made in the USA and was prone to failure due to water ingress. The newer ones are made in Malaysia and are not - the country of origin printed on the side is the easiest way to tell.

Additionally I do notice that it's there as it's obvious when it's doing an active regen. Car is slightly lumpy, hesitant, and the idle speed is a good 200rpm higher. Oh and the heat coming from the tailpipes is enough to singe your leg hairs if you happen to try to access the boot during it. And it messes with the parking sensors which beep like mad if I reverse when on regen. Finally MPG takes a sizeable knock when a regen takes place on my journey.

So no, it's not completely transparent but the the RAC man (the silver van guy that specialises in VAG who replaced my DPF sensor when it went) said that the CR was designed around having a DPF fitted whereas the PD was more of a retrofit, hence problems galore. I also imagine the CR produces less soot than the PD anyway due to more control being available on the injection count and duration, thus will not clog it as fast but that's just a theory. My old Fabia was a right old smoke monster, in fact most PD's minus a DPF that I've seen are quite sooty things so a filter fitted to those things is going to have its work cut out.

Someone I know has an A3 170 PD that's just had his DPF removed (by Ben @ Shark) as it failed and his car is now sooty although the map he had applied does minimise this and it's not too bad considering.

Don`t forget to test drive a 1.8 TSi... the petrol car that thinks its a diesel!

No timing belt to change either so another weight off your mind :-)

Except he wants a VRS.

Also don't need to worry about the cambelt on the CR until 120k miles.

If I were a low mileage driver then I'd probably go for a petrol option because:

• Much quicker warm up (the diesel takes for ages to warm up in winter)
  

You're not kidding. My 2.0 CR diesel Scout takes for ever to get warm in the winter. On a typical 20-minute commute to work, much of it in traffic, the temperature gauge just hits normal as the car reaches its destination. Thank goodness for heated seats! Compare that to my new VW Polo 1.2TSi purchased 2 weeks ago. That thing is blowing warm by the end of the drive - well, almost ;-). Lovely engine by the way, just perfect for mostly city driving, when combined with the 7-speed DSG.

The warming up in winter isn't a problem, I've driven a mk1 Fabia VRS for the last 5 years and they're not that quick at warming up either.

I have owned several Leon FRs with both the PD and CR engines fitted with DPF. No real problems with either engine driving on short journeys or around town. On the very rare occasions when the DFP caption came on a 'quick' spin up the autobahn was all that was required to freshen things up.

You are right to be concerned about the life of the DPF. My current Volvo V50 has PSA / Ford 2.0D with DPF - when I originally purchased the car from new, the dealer was very keen to inform me that the DPF engine was Euro IV compliant and therefore UK tax was £15 (ish) per year less than the Euro III engine. They were less willing to tell me that the a catalyst (similar to ad blue) had to be recharged every 3 years / 37500 miles at a cost of £90 and the DPF had to be replaced every 6 years / 75000 miles at a cost of £890 excluding labour for fitting!!! I have searched around on the net and an OEM DPF is now available for circa £300. As DFPs become more common on new cars I would expect that aftermarket prices drop significantly, similar to that of catalytic convertors on petrol models.

Anyway I can't wait for the Octy to arrive...