Hi, Apologies if this has already been asked and answered.

Should I be concerned that the DPF light is coming on more regularly on my 1.6 Fabia Monte Carlo Tech (2013)?

Should I buy a heater resistor pack on e bay rather than the OEM part from the dealer? Also can it be fitted safely by an amateur as I understand the airbag has to be moved allowing the resistor pack to be fitted from the top of the dash

Thanks

Normac1

On your dpf light question...

I've had my 1.6TDi from new.  In 50,000 miles and 5yrs my dpf light has NEVER come on.  It does a few sub 5 mile trips but generally journeys are 10 miles plus with regular 25-100 mile motorway runs.  The dpf regenerates every 300 miles or so.

How frequently does it come on?  Unless you are doing mostly short journeys in heavy traffic around town you should never see the light.  If it is coming on "more frequently" then either your driving habits have changed or you have an issue.

Hi , Thanks for your reply. I know why the light is coming on but I would like to know if it's something I should be concerned about. i.e. will it lead to a clogged dpf in the short medium or long term?

Just be sure to give the car a good blast when the light comes on as it will stop the regen if you stop driving and also stop if you do "Just enough" to clean it... It will then naturally foul up quicker as it will be like emptying a vacuum cleaner bag until half the dust is out, then re-fitting it.  Slow stop-start journeys will see it clog more. Longer, faster journeys should produce the goods without you even realising! Might be worth adding Catalan Diesel a few times a year, particularly prior to the ol' MOT.

Reading your post that went in as I was writing, eventually, it will become worn out and need replacing but good runs and cleaning may help it last longer. Hopefully, by the time it does die, you will have sold the car on or the replacement parts will have come down in price. They are already heading south but were well in to the £1200 area a while ago.

 

Before you try the resistor, is yours the correct type of a/c? Climatic has the resistor, Climatronic ones are integral to the blower motor and are a dash out job! Does yours have four settings? 

Edited 30 May, 20188 yr by mrgf

hi, thanks for the info. The moving it on bit is what I was thinking - sounds like the best plan- pity really as its a good car- will probably change it for a1.2 petrol.

cheers

just noticed the resistor reply- standard a/c ,four speed fan only operates on the open circuit- fifty quid at the dealer plus fitting! Its fiddling with the air bag up top that stops me doing it myself.

mine has gps and media connections where access to the resistor is normally done, hence I believe I need to go in " over the top"

If you have the glove box with the door on, changing the resistor yourself is straightforward if your ok with car maintenance really.

Just disconnect the battery before you start to remove anything.

Remove the glovebox screws and pull glovebox away and you will see the Phillips airbag mounting screws, remove these, then using a long and broad flat bladed screwdriver lever the air bag up against the tabs and chassis that you just removed the Phillip’s screws from and not by prying from above or you could damage the dash plastics. You can raise the airbag and turn 90 degrees and leave on the dashboard without disconnecting the cables if you are careful. You can the reach down and locate the resistor tab and cable on the right. It turns anti-clockwise if I remember correctly. Remember the orientation as you remove it as it is angled slightly and goes in one way only. Clock will need to be reset when all back together and battery reconnected.

I did the heater resistor job last month.  I was going to get it done under warranty but had to wait for 2 weeks to get it in!  So I bought one off ebay with a 5yr warranty (what ever that is worth) for £10 and fitted it in 15mins using these instructions, they were bang on correct.  Make sure you put a towel down on your dashboard, I think I wrote something in the comments on what I found slightly different.  

 

 

 

Might be a good idea also, to touch a metal part of the car first, to ground yourself out. Remove any static electricity that may fire off the airbag.  The sort of thing you do when working on electronics such as computers, etc.

Hi Wonky, Globalste and mrgf, thanks for your replies. The video is brilliant and shows exactly what I need to do. (Assuming  I don't sell it due to the DPF issue!)

Cheers.

Did the resistor myself a few weeks back. The airbag out was putting me off too, but it's not a hard job, a bit fiddley. Airbag didn't explode. As well as uncoupling the battery, I also turned the air bag off with the key switch on the end of the dash, in at the passenger door. Resistor comes out kind of like a light bulb. 

Globalsty. I see you have a Monte Carlo same as mine. can you confirm the part number is 6QO959263A. I ve sourced one on amazon at 7 quid from an outfit called Saite Garage. Cheers

i cant remember the part number Im afraid, I will have to check Ebay, but they're all the same, its just a variable resistor.

ps DPF light problems becoming more frequent is often a symptom of the EGR on its way out.  Has your car had the emissions fix?

yes mmmmnnn.    EGR "guaranteed" for two years since the "fix"

I got a resistor today btw-all the way from Guangzhou! Cheers