I'm reading posts about regen on the S3 diesels.

Why is regen different now compared to my S2 which regens on the fly in the background?

As far as I know, there is very little difference between the Mk2 and Mk3 DPF regeneration.

 

For everyone's benefit:

 

There are two kinds of regeneration: Passive and Active. The former works during normal driving when the conditions are suitable, this is usually at higher driving speeds and/or engine load where the EGTs are high enough to initiate regeneration. If all else fails, the car goes into active regeneration. This creates the conditions necessary for incinerating the soot build-up by altering the EGR, boost and fuel injection profiles to get the EGTs into the 550-650C range. 

 

My Mk3 CR190 has done a few active regenerations when sitting in traffic, it is pretty much identical to how my previous 2 CR170s used to regenerate. 

The only difference being there is no dash warning light for regen on the S2.

There's no warning light for an active regen. The only time there is a warning is if a regen fails, or the DPF's soot saturation gets too high. In that case it needs to be taken for a 'proper' drive, or have a manual regen carried out via VCDS or a dealer. 

There's no warning light for an active regen. The only time there is a warning is if a regen fails, or the DPF's soot saturation gets too high. In that case it needs to be taken for a 'proper' drive, or have a manual regen carried out via VCDS or a dealer. 

Yep I watched a YouTube post of a VCDS manual regen. Thanks for all the info dstev2000