Diesel Particulate Filter Cleaning (DPF Cleaning)

As you are reading this page you are probably one of the many people that contact us every day with a blocked Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF)

IMPORTANT NOTE - How to clean the DPF yourself.

Before you read any further it is important that you understand that the DPF warning light appearing is a completely normal thing to happen, the DPF warning is just advising you that the DPF needs to regenerate itself and that you need to follow the instructions in the owners manual for the dpf to clean itself.

If you cant find the instructions then follow these simple instructions which will work on most vehicles

1. Make sure that the Engine Management Light is NOT on.

2. Ensure that the vehicle has at least 1/4 of a tank of fuel

3. Turn on as many electrical items as you can,  Air conditioning, Lights, Heated rear window, radio etc.

4. Find a long stretch of road where you can drive for up to 15 miles without stopping - Dual carriageway or motorway etc.

5. Drive the car until normal temperature has been reached

6. Once warm, Drive the car in any gear that allows you to maintain 2,000 RPM suitable for the speed you are driving, in automatics you will need to select sport mode if possible and select the gear manually

7. Drive the car with the engine speed of 2,000 RPM until either the dpf light goes off or until you have covered at least 30 miles.

Following the above procedure should allow the car to self clean (or regenerate) the DPF on its own.

If following the above procedure fails or the engine management or ABS light (or any other warning lights) are on you will need to take the car to someone with the skills and equipment to diagnose the cause of the problem and repair the faults.

Once any faults have been resolved you should find that in the vast majority of cases that following the procedure in the owners manual or the one above should resolve the problem.

Remember the DPF light will only come on if the DPF is becoming blocked, this is absolutely normal, thats why its there, and if you follow the procedures outlined that should be the end of the problem.

The DPF should last the life of the car without replacement and replacing the DPF without resolving any underlying causes of any problems that are either preventing the DPF cleaning itself or causing excessive soot to be produced will only result in the DPF becoming clogged in a relatively short period.

The good news is that if after following the instructions above, you still have a problem with your DPF, we can solve the problem for you.

We can identify the cause of your DPF becoming blocked, this is a chargeable service.

We can fix the problem, you will be advised of the cost before we proceed with any repairs that may be necessary.

We can then Clean your DPF if necessary, often this is not required.

Reset any error codes using the same procedures that the main dealers use

Perform an emergency regeneration and ensure that the complete DPF system is operating correctly so the problem wont happen again.

You are probably wanting to know how much it costs....

To clean the DPF on most vehicles costs £265.00, this includes resetting the soot level calculation in the ecu if necessary, any repairs needed before we can clean the DPF will be advised once the initial diagnosis is performed.

The cause of the failure of the DPF to not function correctly and self-clean will be advised and the cost of repair will be made clear to you before proceeding with the repair or cleaning of the dpf, so you will normally have a cost of one hours labour before deciding to proceed further. Diagnosing problems that have caused the DPF to become blocked is a chargeable service at £70.00 per hour, we can normally diagnose most problems within an hour, any problems advised MUST be rectified BEFORE we will clean the dpf. This will prevent the dpf blocking again.

The process that we use to clean your DPF is a closely guarded company secret that uses a multi-stage process to effectively clean the DPF Core using a specialist process that has been developed by us, this process achieves similar results to the normal regeneration process that cleans the DPF under normal operating conditions, however once the soot level in the DPF reaches a certain level the ECU will not allow the DPF to regenerate due to the risk of fire. The cleaning method that we practice allows even the most badly sooted DPF's to be cleaned and the vehicle returned to its normal working condition.

We recently had a 2009 model year Audi TT in our workshop where the soot level in the DPF was so high that the vehicle remained in limp mode, the soot level was actually higher than the maximum level that can be seen by the engine ecu, we cleaned the EGR valve, which was the cause of the excess sooting, then cleaned the DPF, cleared the stored values and took the car for a short run, (about 5 miles) the soot level was reduced to zero and the car performance was restored to its normal level. This particular vehicle had been to a number of dealers who reported that replacement at a cost of £1,700.00 was the only option available.

We can also offer advice and specialist products that can reduce the build up of soot in the first place, just ask when you bring your vehicle in for further information.

We can usually offer DPF Cleaning as a same-day service which normally takes about 2-3 hours, any further remedial work that is required will obviously take longer and is subject to parts availability but can be discussed at the time.

You are probably aware that many Diesel Particulate Filters (DPF's) cost close to £1000 or even substantially more, so our specialist DPF Cleaning service is sought by car owners from all over the country, often travelling great distances to take advantage of the specialist cleaning service that we offer. This is not really a while you wait service so many customers go for a stroll in the surrounding countryside or sight seeing in the historic City of St Albans while their car problems are solved.

We are happy to arrange a convenient appointment for you, often on the same day, to help you resolve the problem with your vehicle in a cost efficient, fast and easy to use service.

As diagnostic and auto electrical specialists we are also able to offer advice and assistance on any other problems you are having with your vehicle when you visit.

Call us on 01727 838288 to arrange an appointment to have your DPF problem diagnosed or identified, rectified and cleaned.