For diesel cars, they have a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) in the exhaust system in order to meet the emission requirements implemented by the “Euro 5” standards. The filter regularly burns off soot build-up in order to keep everything running smoothly. Over time and with regular use, the filter will become clogged and stop working effectively, ultimately needing to be cleaned.
How does the DPF work?
The DPF system sends data to your car’s ECU in order to calculate how much the post-injection fuel needs to be increased for the regeneration phases.
What are the regeneration phases?
The regeneration phases are how your vehicle’s DPF system burns off the soot build-up while you drive. Typically, the soot can be burnt off without engine management intervention when it is consistently running at 2,500rpms and the exhaust gas is at 350°C.
Passive regeneration
Passive regeneration refers to the process of burning off the soot build-up via driving for an extended period of time at a consistently high speed. This typically means that motorway driving or driving on A roads are best suited to achieve this.
Active regeneration
If you’re unable to perform passive regeneration, you can instead perform an ECU remap to raise the temperature the exhaust gas needs to be in order to start burning off the soot build-up. This can be a great option if you live in a built-up urban area where you’re unlikely to do long-distance, high-speed driving.
Forced regeneration
In the event that your vehicle’s DPF system is oversaturated by soot build-up, then you won’t be able to clear it via passive or active regeneration. Forced regeneration is the process of intentionally making the DPF system heat up in order to burn off the extra soot.
This can be a quick solution to clearing the DPF, however it won’t be effective long-term due to the DPF already being oversaturated.
How can you clean a DPF?
When it comes to cleaning your car’s DPF, you can perform this yourself using a DPF cleaning liquid. However, if you’re not able to identify the severity of the blockage, you can book your vehicle with a mechanic instead.
At Specialist Vehicles in Plymouth, we can provide a DPF cleaning service if any of the mentioned regeneration processes have failed to clear the build-up. We’ll open your vehicle’s engine and use chemicals to loosen the carbon and scrape it away.
How often should the DPF be cleaned?
Depending on your vehicle’s manufacturer, it’s often recommended that you have the DPF cleaned between every 10,000 and 50,000 miles.
For more information about our DPF cleaning service and other servicing, you can contact us and we’ll be more than happy to help.