The Problem with Diesel Particulate Filter’s (DPF)

The Diesel Particulate Filter, referred to as the DPF, is a particle filter specially designed for modern diesel engines. This is similar to a Catalytic Converter found on many petrol engines which lowers emissions.

The DPF is designed to reduce pollution by filtering out solid soot particles. As the exhaust gases flow through a honeycomb like brick 80%-90% of the soot particles are extracted. The problem is the matter removed from the gases does not break down efficiently. To help improve this, a cycle is performed by your engine control module to higher exhaust gas temperatures to burn off the build up of excess residue, this is known as ‘Regeneration’.

The theory is that when driving your vehicle at low speeds (i.e around town), the DPF will collect all particules. Once the vehicle is driven at a certain speed for a prolonged period of time (i.e motorway driving) then the vehicle ECU will begin the regeneration process and burn off all diesel particules from the DPF.

Unfortunately if your DPF does not regularly regenerate correctly it will become blocked and will eventually cause vehicle performance problems. As the DPF accumulates particulate matter and comes to the point of a 70%-90% blockage you will experience a lack of power and fault lights on your dashboard such as the engine management light, glow plug or DPF light. We advise not to drive the vehicle at this point to prevent any further damage.

Some particular vehicle models suffer with DPF issues due to manufacturer design or known vehicle issues that can impair DPF performance and eventually the DPF will breakdown causing an expensive replacement and worse still the resulting back pressure can cause even more damage to the engine components.

DPF’s can also mask other vehicle issues such as worn turbo seals or a leak in the turbo intake system. These issues can generate excess smoke due to mixture imbalance and the first component to be damaged by this is the DPF filter.

If the fault is not correctly diagnosed and the DPF is simply replaced, a few weeks or months later you could encounter exactly the same problem again.

The Solution

Here at AutoSphereUK we can completely remove your vehicle’s DPF both physically and electronically.

The process begins with a diagnostic check to confirm the DPF is at fault and needs removing. If confirmed we will then remove the DPF filter component from the exhaust system, then remove all DPF regeneration processes from your engine control unit(ECU).

Finally we will suspend all error codes relating to DPF monitoring so your vehicle will not display and warning lights once the DPF is removed.

Will my vehicle still pass the MOT?

The answer is YES. Although a DPF is required to be installed for an MOT, it is not possible to see that we have removed the DPF from the exhaust system. The only way to check if a DPF has been removed is to dismantle the exhaust system, which the MOT station will not check.

Fuel Economy

Simply by removing the DPF from the exhaust system, you vehicle will be much more efficient on fuel. This is because:-

a) There is less pressure in the exhaust system and therefore less power required to reach certain speeds

b) Your vehicle will not longer regenerate, which adds more fuel to the vehicle engine during the post injection cycle to burn off the diesel particules in the DPF filter

Free ECU Remapping

Also included in the service, we will remap your vehicle to provide any of the below options, depending on your choice.

1. Performance Increase

2. Fuel Economy Improvement

3. Hybrid (Performance & Economy)

If you have any questions regarding this service then please contact us to enquire.