Octavia RS FL diesel (obviously). Car is 2010 so almost 10 months out of warranty (Irish car so only 2 years warranty). Last week, the DPF light went on for a short while but soon after went off. It came on again this morning on my way to work. I thought I long drive (some 40 km on motorway early in the morning with hardly any cars) would clear the sooth. This did not happen so I called dealership on my home to ask should I bring it in or what. Was told to bring it for a spin until the light goes off. I brought it for a lengthy spin (some 70 km) but nothing happened. I was doing between 120-130 km for at least 30 min. On my way back, I left a slight jerk and the car slowed down. The warning sign (the spring like led) started blinking and message engine failure... The car obviously reduced output. Will bring it in tomorrow but one thing bugs me. The DPF gets clogged in start stop scenarios. I live in the country and most of my trips are on the motorway with hardly any town/city driving. Is it safe to drive it some 50 km tomorrow to bring it to dealer to check error. What is the best and worse case scenario that could be wrong?

Surely Skoda does not build cars to start breaking down in under 3 years!

EDIT

AA experience

We're seeing some evidence of DPF systems failing to regenerate even on cars used mainly on motorways.

On cars with a very high sixth gear the engine revs may be too low to generate sufficient exhaust temperature for regeneration. Occasional harder driving in lower gears should be sufficient to burn off the soot in such cases.

With this type of DPF regeneration will be initiated by the ECU every 300 miles or so depending on vehicle use and will take 5 to 10 minutes to complete. You shouldn't notice anything other than perhaps a puff of white smoke from the exhaust when the process is completed.

There's no evidence in AA breakdown data that the problem's going away – newer car models seem just as likely to sufffer DPF problems if not driven 'correctly' as those built when DPF's were introduced.

http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/fuels-and-environment/diesel-particulate-filters.html

Edited 8 October, 201213 yr by dubincalling

To be honest I would go to Shark Performance and get them to remove it and remap the car . That's if you can actually get in contact with them...

I bet the Exhaust gas pressure sensor has failed, which means the car has no idea how full the DPF is, that would be the first warning you got. Now as the car has been driven some distance with a duff sensor the car has not done a regen like it should have and clogged the DPF.

The G450 sensor is a common failure on cars around 2008-2009 and the part underwent a revision and change of manufacturer later as a result. Not sure of the regulations in southern ireland with regard to MOT testing and diesels, but here its quiet legal to have the DPF removed and mapped out, removing all issues in the future.

The DPF is an item that will require replacement eventually and is considered a consumable part, even if the car run properly without fault it will need to be changed eventually. The DPF converts soot to ash and this cannot be burnt off and builds up in the DPF, this is why you must use low ash 507.01 oil in all DPF equipped cars regardless of service regime.

As Mannyo says, its probably the pressure sensor.

Exactly the same happened to be last xmas. Car would not regen, the exhaust pressure sensor had gone. All sorted atthe time, after a new sensor and orced regen from Skoda

Edited 8 October, 201213 yr by mattcut

As Mannyo says, its probably the pressure sensor.

Exactly the same happened to be last xmas. Car would not regen, the exhaust pressure sensor had gone. All sorted atthe time, after a new sensor and orced regen from Skoda

Thanks guys.

It's reassuring to know that my driving did not cause the problem. I'll try to bring it in first thing in morning. I suppose 35 miles to dealer will not 'kill' the car. Dealer (Autostation Sandyford) has treated me well in the past. This summer air con(compressor) died and even though out of warranty, they repaired it free of charge.

One more question if I may? Does the repair of what you have just described take a long time?

Happened with me two or three times with my 56 plate diesel vRS, the last time it happened with the final straw. Hoping my new CR engine wont have the same issues

Skoda Assistance did mine and it took just 5 minutes to swop the sensor.

It is located at the top of engine and has easy access.

The forced regen by Skoda will take much more time.

When the DPF light is illuminated you are supposed to take the car out and keep the revs high for a prolonged period of time. This increases the heat in the exhaust and allows the DPF to perform what is called a 'regeneration'. This regen burns off the soot particles caught by the DPF.

I do all motorway mileage and I do see the DPF light from time-to-time.

Simply driving faster for longer isn't always the best way to clear the DPF. My PD170 vRS is barely doing 2,000rpm at 70mph. This isn't always enough to generate the heat required. By dropping it into fourth and sitting at 3,000rpm very quickly clears the light, then all is well for another few months.

The DPF on the CR170 has a built-in catalyst that generates more heat quicker and for longer which helps avoid some of the issues seen on the older PD170's.

For whatever reason your DPF has not been able to regen properly. As mentioned this is very likely down to a faulty sensor. The problem is your DPF has now reached a high level of soot content and the car has put itself into safe or 'limp-home' mode in an effort to force you into the dealer.

The only way now to clear the DPF is for the dealer to plug the car into their diagnostics machine and perform what is called a 'forced regen'. This can only be done if the DPF isn't too full. If it has reached a certain percentage of saturation then it will require a new DPF, which is around £1,200 GBP fitted.

If this is the case and Skoda UK aren't prepared to offer a gesture of goodwill towards the cost of replacement then the DPF can be removed and the ECU reprogrammed (or mapped) to ignore the sensors for around £400. It is likely however that your vRS will smoke without the DPF in place.

Hopefully a new sensor (£70 fitted) and a forced regen (included in the diagnostics required fit and program the new sensor) will fix it.

Edited 8 October, 201213 yr by silver1011

If the sensor was a common problem, and led to a revised part and different manufacturer, surely Skoda should possibly be willing to contribute towards a new DPF if it does indeed require one?

There are lots of common / well known issues that Skoda deny knowledge of.

Before the injector issue on the PD170 reached VOSA Skoda were telling everyone that they'd not had any other complaints, despite there being several of us on here all in talks at the time with Skoda UK.

It took VOSA to force Skoda's hand before they'd admit to there being an issue.

The best way to get a goodwill gesture towards the cost is to have owned a number of Skoda's, have a fill main dealer service history and grovel over the phone.

Hi dublincalling,

I got a scan done on my old vrs 2 weeks ago before I sold it for peace of mind, It gave a very low reading according to the mechanic that tested it.

I wonder what is your normal driving style? I ensure my car would be between 2 and 2.5k revs whenever possible, even if this means 2nd gear through town as I do almost 90% stop start journeys.

If it does happen to be your dpf gone and skoda will not cover it, take the car to Joe Power, he will remove the dpf altogether so as you will never again have this issue and he would remap it at the same time giving a much nicer car to drive.

You will jump from approx 170 bhp to 220 and from around 260 torque to 340.

All of this is around €550 which is probably half the cost of a new dpf.

If the sensor was a common problem, and led to a revised part and different manufacturer, surely Skoda should possibly be willing to contribute towards a new DPF if it does indeed require one?

That's what I was thinking.

Will update you tomorrow.

if the sensor has failed it does not mean the soot levels in the exhaust are high, it just means that the car thinks they are. After the sensor is replaced, it must go through an adaption cycle so that the car can re-learn the correct value. The whole thing including the adaption cycle should take no more than 45mins to complete. The sensor is located on the top of the engine, so can be changed in less than 5mins.

I bet the Exhaust gas pressure sensor has failed, which means the car has no idea how full the DPF is, that would be the first warning you got.

This^^

Get the sensor checked, replacement is cheap and easy unless you own a 4.2tdi Q7. Apparently the engine and box needs dropped to change it on those.

Brought the car in to dealer this morning. Got a call back in the late afternoon to say it was not the exhaust gas pressure sensor that was at fault. Apparently, the lead mechanic spent time at it. He connected a laptop and tried to regenerate but it did not work so he'll have to try other things tomorrow. Asked if I would be charged and if yes how much but she was not able to say.

if the sensor has failed it does not mean the soot levels in the exhaust are high, it just means that the car thinks they are.

It depends how long the sensor has been playing up. Mine wasn't working properly well before the EML illuminated which later caused me DPF issues.

In the event of signal failure from the exhaust gas pressure sensor, the particulate filter regeneration cycle will be based on the distance travelled or the number of hours in operation. This cycle for particulate filter regeneration, however, is not effective over a long period of time.

Basically a faulty sensor can prevent the DPF from regenerating which invariably results in too much soot in the DPF.

The DPF light then illuminates, but due to the EML it won't regen even if you follow the instructions in the manual.

The DPF gets full and then the glowplug light comes on too together with limp home mode.

If the dealer can't perform a forced regen then it's a new DPF.

Edited 9 October, 201213 yr by silver1011

The whole DPF fiasco is a disgrace only matched by its twin - the DMF fiasco.

The entire industry is fully aware they are unreliable and not fit for purpose but sticks resolutely to this - problem? what problem, never had any issues with them before line. Or they will sometimes acknowledge a very small number of problems but then comes up with an ageist story blaming it all on some doddery old man driving everywhere at 20 mph.

I am so glad to have one of the last of the non DPF Octavias and to have got an SMF conversion done under warranty. Plan to make it last a good while but really not sure what I will do next as I am unconvinced that the industry is even making an effort to solve these problems.

Edited 9 October, 201213 yr by Octy0GG

Gutted to read this thread dublincalling not confidence inspiring at all for anyone really makes me consider selling the car next year and finding another late Mk1 Fabia VRS instead again. We have had the same problem with CDTI Astra/Corsas in work during warranty under 2 years old and they have refused to cover any costs and billed €2000 each time the cars that have had to have DPF replaced. It makes me angry that Skoda or any manufacturer can say in manual etc to drive at higher RPM that's my diesel they are burning as a result and it was for me and I am sure until that new leaflet recently not pointed out to anyone buying a new car!

Hope it all gets sorted tomorrow for you and no silly bills.

Gutted to read this thread dublincalling not confidence inspiring at all for anyone really makes me consider selling the car next year and finding another late Mk1 Fabia VRS instead again. We have had the same problem with CDTI Astra/Corsas in work during warranty under 2 years old and they have refused to cover any costs and billed €2000 each time the cars that have had to have DPF replaced. It makes me angry that Skoda or any manufacturer can say in manual etc to drive at higher RPM that's my diesel they are burning as a result and it was for me and I am sure until that new leaflet recently not pointed out to anyone buying a new car!

Hope it all gets sorted tomorrow for you and no silly bills.

The 2k bill is optional. You can get a DPF removed and mapped out for a fraction of that.

Brought the car in to dealer this morning. Got a call back in the late afternoon to say it was not the exhaust gas pressure sensor that was at fault. Apparently, the lead mechanic spent time at it. He connected a laptop and tried to regenerate but it did not work so he'll have to try other things tomorrow. Asked if I would be charged and if yes how much but she was not able to say.

If its going to cost money, and they dont know whats wrong already after doing a scan.... go see Joe Power get it removed will be money better spent in the long run

Sell it and get yourself a TSI. Ours does an average of 37mpg in varied conditions and with two different drivers. Smooth, quiet, fast and cheaper to buy than the CR/PD. Simples!

the only way is removal and remap.

stops the problem coming back foe ever,gives much greater performance and possibly better economy.

the only way is removal and remap.

stops the problem coming back foe ever,gives much greater performance and possibly better economy.

Got a call back from dealer today. The regeneration process worked (that's what I was told) after 6-7 hours work. The mechanic hooked a laptop to tha car and brought it for a length ride during which he was able to control the errors. Now, the car is back to normal and they still want to fit the exhaust gas pressure sensor (just to be on the safe side) even though it did not come up as faulty. Been charged for 4 hours of work which is 415 Euro. However, mechanic not 100% sure why error came up in the first place so was advised if error comes up again, not to drive the car but straight away bring it to dealer. Waiting for the sensor to be fitted tomorrow. Been told that it was an upgraded version of the sensor...

Not sure TBH if it was due to sensor in the first place but the mechanic got lost looking for a problem where it did not exist and and a lot of time was spent during this process so now trying to justify themselves etc...

Edited 10 October, 201213 yr by dubincalling

My sensor was apparantly playing up long before it brought on the EML (Engine Management Light).

The old faulty sensors have 'MADE IN US' written on them. The later improved sensor has 'Made in Malaysia' instead.