diesel particulate filter problems

[JosGt]

only had the car two weeks or so, and this light in the dash came on with a warning in the high line. checked the vw manual and it says to get rid of the light take the car for a 15min drive holding between 1800 & 2500 revs in 4th or 5th gear, did that and the light went out, Brilliant!!!!

did a long drive (90miles) then a few trips round town (all day round town) the following day and the bloody light has come back on, anyone know what options ive got????

Have been told that taking it to the dealer will result in them rev'ing the tits off it for 10mins clearing the fault code and charging me for the trouble, is that my only option, or is there an alternative??? its running really ''lumpy'' and ''boggy'' since the light issues. 

its an 08 Gt Tdi 170 with 62k on the clock.

hope someone has some thoughts for me, many thanks

jos

[stealthwolf]

Probably a sensor issue.

[apollo13]

I'm no expert but I think its a common problem with the 170's.

Made worse by lots of short journeys clogging the DPF up (hence it clearing after going on a long run or revving it!)

I think you can do a DPF delete?? I'm sure someone with more mechanical knowledge will be along shortly.

(I'll stick with the electronic stuff  )

[JosGt]

thanks Apollo13,

i hope the mechanics are logging on soon !!!!

jos

[vRStu]

170 PD TDi were very prone to it.  I know Audi offer a leaflet to anyone thinking of buying one to warn you of the issues, the text of which is below.

Diesel Particulate Filter

If you are choosing a diesel vehicle it may be fitted with a diesel particulate filter (see below).

Diesel particulate filters (DPF) are becoming more common-place on diesel engines, particularly the 2.0L TDI pumpe-düse (PD) and common rail diesel (CRD). This is in order to reduce particulate matter in exhaust emissions as required by European legislation.

A DPF traps most of the soot (particulate matter) that is produced during diesel combustion and holds it until a certain soot level is reached. A process called ‘regeneration’ is used in order to clear the soot trapped in the DPF.

‘Regeneration’ occurs when the exhaust temperatures are around 500°C. There are two types of ‘regeneration’, passive and active:

Passive regeneration occurs on long motorway journeys, where the exhaust system gets very hot and burns off the soot unaided.

Active regeneration occurs when the soot level reaches a certain point in the DPF. The soot level is constantly monitored by the Engine Control Unit, which triggers ‘active regeneration’ when necessary, raising the exhaust temperature and burning off the soot.

Problems occur when the conditions for ‘regeneration’ are not met. This could be due to frequent short trips or stop/start driving when the ‘regeneration’ process does not run for long enough to be effective. There is a high risk of this in urban/inner-city/Channel Island areas. Additionally, vehicles that spend a lot of time idling (eg taxis), accumulate soot faster, hence the need for regeneration is higher.

When the DPF light illuminates, customers should refer to the Owners’ Handbook, which states: ‘The DPF symbol lights up to indicate that the diesel particulate filter has become obstructed with soot due to frequent short trips. When the warning lamp comes on, you should drive at a speed of at least 37mph and an engine speed between 1,800 and 2,500rpm for about 10 minutes. As a result of the increase in temperature the soot in the filter will be burned off. If the DPF symbol does not go out, please contact a qualified workshop and have the fault rectified.’

Assessing your needs

Vehicles fitted with a DPF may require drivers to adopt a slightly different driving profile in order for the DPF system to clean itself effectively. In order to assess your current driving profile, ask yourself these questions:

What is your typical driven mileage per day/week?
Do you drive frequent short journeys (typically less than two or three miles)?
Do you frequently experience a lot of stop/start driving i.e. heavy traffic?
Do you live, work or commute in an area where they could drive faster than 37mph for a period of 5-10 minutes? This does not necessarily need to be continuous (eg slowing for roundabouts/traffic lights)
If the answers to the above questions reveal that you:

a. Typically do very little mileage
b. Only travel a short distance in any one trip
c. Regularly travel in heavy traffic
d. Have no opportunity to drive above 37mph for a period of 5-10    minutes, in order for DPF regeneration to occur

Then the changes to the your driving profile necessary to effectively run a DPF vehicle could be too great for you to consider acceptable. You may want to consider a non-DPF vehicle (alternative diesel or petrol), which would be better suited to your normal usage.

These advertise removal - http://www.removemydpf.co.uk/vw-dpf-removal/ shocking website but it seems they are also called MoreBHP.  http://www.more-bhp.com/contactdetails.html

[tonto83]

This was the main reason I went for the 140 over the 170 as I do a lot of city driving during the week.  Lots of guys over this side of the pond have had the dpf removed and mapped out.  Excellent power gains achieved aswell.  If you can remove your dpf and pass your MOT i'd be taking that bloody thing out as quick as i could.  I've been told a few guys on briskoda have had the dpf removed so maybe you could get some answers over there either.

[QD MBE]

Ahh the old DPF issue.

I bought a MK2 Leon 170 TDi, a few years ago.

It was by far the worst car I have ever had.  I tested a 140, and wanted a bit more grunt, so a 170 it was.

I was not told about the DPF, no mention of it from the salesman, I believe as VRSTU alludes to, they have to tell you about the DPF and its suitability to your projected use of the car.

The DPF is not suited to school run usage, it needs to generate the high temps that only frequent long runs will give.

The car had all extras, including the unwanted DPF.  I had major problems with the DPF (tractor sounds, warning lights etc), and I was using it properly, it gave very poor economy (41-42 max if driven like a granny), and eventually I cut my losses and went for an ED30.

Seat didn't want to know, wouldn't even investigate, the car when I sold it had 5k miles on the clock.  so it was still virtually brand new.

[PDT]

We no longer bother offering customers a diagnostic or regeneration session on these as the chances are that the DPF will clog again.

We now supply a DPF replacement pipe and DPF software to completely eliminate the DPF sectors in the map, along with a stg2 map these will make 320ft/lb, 215hp and an extra 6-10mpg.

We now supply this as a complete kit along with an ECU programming unit to DIY for mail order.

[JosGt]

thanks guys for all the posts (particularly vRStu, and the quote from audi!) very helpful.

i had no idea about DPF issues i had a gt 140 and thought that an extra 30bhp would be nice, job done!

i'll have to sort this out one way or another, or the car will have to go!!

thanks lads for the help!!!

jos

[humkar]

HI JosGT,

I was in the same boat as yourself. I got a 170 GT 56 Plate and every week it was on. I had enough and had it removed and remapped. And it was well worth the additional BHP and Torque. WOW is all I can say and in the higher gears it shows the difference between the 170 and 140 BHP cars.

The guys I used were Custom Code. Speak to Sebastian. They do a milltek pipe and the remap and software to disable to DPF errors.

Hope this helps. :)