DPF Filters Removed - MOT troubles ahead!
 

Looks like anyone having their DPF filter removed may have an issue with the authorities going forwards -
http://garagewire.co.uk/news/mot-cha...investigation/

A friend of mine has a BMW 335d M-Sport Touring and has had terrible troubles with his DPF over years, despite doing decent mileage.
He's even had it taken out and "baked" to clear it. But it would inevitably clog up again.

In the end, touch wood, the solution was to go for several long drives with a technician as a passenger and his diagnostic tools plugged in.
The techy would reset the DPF warnings regularly (frequently) until it was hot enough and could be persuaded to regenerate.
At first it only did it partly, but repeatedly resetting they managed over a couple of hours to get the whole thing cleared out and the levels reading suitably low.

My friend has now bought himself a cheap diagnostic tool which enables him to monitor the DPF levels and trigger a regeneration. He does this well below the level that the BMW system would try to force one, which is usually too late.

It means he has to monitor the levels pretty much daily and occasionally has to go for a "blast" down the motorway to clear it. Not really a hardship in a car that can do 0-60 in well under 5 seconds. :tuttut:

He was going to sell it in frustration, but now it's "under control" will probably keep it.

The answer to these issues is to buy a car that doesn't run on tractor fuel, leave that for tractors.
That don't help really does it, though eventually I can see the market being flooded with those dirty fuelled cars and the petrols becoming worth a premium? That or diesel cars all having to have an LEZ type exhaulst system fitted?

The DPF issue was a big factor in us buying a petrol car last summer.

Bought a Freelander last year for SWMBO but as it was a 2009 model it didnt have a DPF - which was a factor in buying it. She would be likely do short journeys and that would bring problems.

Smoke limit for Euro 6 and some Euro 5 vehicles will be dropping to 0.7 from the current 1.5 but where a lower value is quoted under the bonnet that's lower than those limits, it'll be tested to that. The value is in a square box on a VIN style plate (or on the same plate as the VIN)

Thats why I like my Euro 4 diesel Volvo S60 commuter car, no need to worry about DPF and its just sailed through the diesel smoke test despite plumes of the stuff at high RPM. 14 years old, 172K miles and for some reason I prefer driving it to the D3.

....If you think it's bad in cars, try commercial vehicles.
We run a 2012 MAN TGX tractor unit for deliveries - vehicle is Euro5 specification with AdBlue and a DPF.

Replacement DPF and silencer (comes as one non-serviceable component)
£13k+fitting!!!! :eek3:

Glad its on a full R&M lease!

Ouch, but is is a tractor so should be running filth fuel anyway.

Not much consolation for you but ships too are affected by emmisions now with Marpol tier 3 all new builds will have to comply and old ships need to clean up their acts (depending where they operate) buy fitting scrubbers, urea tanks or scavenge air moisturising systems. Fitting these to a non compliant ship can be mega bucks.

Its along way from the days when "blowing soot" was a morning watch ritual! As the Engineers would say "Once its left the funnel its the property of the Seaman Department".

Never thought about that, wow it must be a nightmare for the industry and private owners practically all ships run on diesel, even most sailing yachts have a diesel engine.

Its even more complicated than that. The larger ships switch fuels between heavy fuel oil (for use on ocean passage) and lighter, low sulphur marine diesel when in designated areas (esp around USA). Many are now turning to LNG. The inclusion of shipping in the emissions legislation is a real headache for the industry.

I never knew that! In my ignorance I thought all marine engines use some form of diesel.
Just went and read up about Heavy Fuel Oil, very interesting.
I was very interested in 1st and 2nd world war battleships when I was younger, and remember reading that their steam turbine engines use fuel oil but I never read about what type of oil it was, it was probably Heavy Fuel Oil.

Pity help all the poor sods who bought a 'converted' diesel engined car in the last few years. They'll need to spend a fortune having the DPF put back in place and the ECU reprogrammed

I look back at this thread with relief - some of the advice would have been bad in the long run (let alone costing more at the time)!

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/showthread.php?t=4917

The car ran well for the next 50k miles until I sold it, but then I think the new owner remove and mapped out the DPF on a quest for fuel economy and simplicity.

Change tends to be slow, so I suspect by the time this comes in it may not be economical to "repair" many of these cars - which is possibly an intended side effect!?

Mine was removed years ago, EU4+DPF and gave 1/20th of the smoke limit in the MOT at the Audi dealer and they did do it properly as I saw it on the dashcam.
Not sure if the later EU5 injectors I fitted help.
I don't think checking for DPF is needed, just a tighter limit on smoke.

EU4 doesn't require a DPF to meet the type approval requirements that applied to them when new - manufacturers were fitting them to test the technology, or in anticipation of tighter limits in some cities.

Smoke is only a proxy for particulate - it's an easy thing to test for and is part of the regulated roadworthiness directive requirements used at type approval to set a smoke limit and put a value on the VIN plate, but if you test for particulate itself (which can be done but the kit isn't there yet) the difference without a DPF is many magnitudes higher.