Diesel Particulate Filter - Wish List

[HeliFella]

Personally if I were only doing local driving I would probably opted for a petrol fuelled car.

Best of luck though and hope it hasn't put you off the brand too much.

[catch22]

Originally Posted by HeliFella

Personally if I were only doing local driving I would probably opted for a petrol fuelled car.

Well yes, but lets be fair if you are not aware of the implications of owning a car with a DPF, when doing mostly short urban journeys. You don't realise it's not the car for you. And would rightfully expect the sales person on knowing your driving routine, would have made you aware of the facts.

Volvomum did make their requirements known to the sales person that sold the car to them.

To be honest I bought the Volvo after the wife's head on collision, because she insisted. Simple as that, because she was one emotionally strung out lady, and those kinda lady's are hell to live with, trust me.

She and I saw it as a brand renowned for its safety. And taking into consideration its build quality coupled with the known longativity of diesel engines. And fantastic fuel consumption compared to petrol models. And last time I owed a diesel it have 6 monthly services, so given that it is now 12 month services, it all stacked up to a good deal as far as I was concerned.

I loved the Volvo and all its kit, nor in the nine months I owned it did the DPF give me any problems. But once I found out about the implications of having a DPF, and doing mostly short urban journeys. And with the Wife hankering for the ease of driving a Focus again. I decided to sell it, before its 6th year DPF replacement service became due. And now in a petrol Focus 1.6 returning 28mpg.....bugger, I was getting 42 mpg in the Volvo....but the wifes happy

[Turbostream]

What if you bought your car not knowing it had a DPF?

Then you find out it has one, then you find out at the end of its lease the last volvo dealer didn't change it at the required mileage.

Mine was an ex lease car and on the next service my garage told me it needed changing as it hadn't been changed. Most of my mileage is local with the occasional long blast on the motorway.

There must be a lot of owners out there with a similar looming large bill at the next service.

[toolbah]

My inlaws have had the said same problem with 2 new Citroens they have had!! The problem has increased in new cars because of the stricket emmision laws now in place.

[HeliFella]

Regardless of DPF or not I would choose a petrol over a diesel if I were only doing short journeys - the economy of the latter wouldn't really be benificial in such a case.

A bit of a clue when you see virtually all the small town cars being petrol.

[catch22]

Originally Posted by HeliFella

Regardless of DPF or not I would choose a petrol over a diesel if I were only doing short journeys - the economy of the latter wouldn't really be benificial in such a case.

I do spreadsheets for all sorts of things, running the car, utility consumption and costings. So doing the maths on our last twelve months motoring. We clocked 5.5k of which 2k was on two holiday trips to Dorset and Devon [Now that was when the S40 came into its own, munching motorway miles]

Anyway, the 5.5k in the S40 2.0D 54 plate costs £687 in fuel. In the Focus 1.6 petrol 55 plate, it costs £878. [ diesel £1.10, petrol £1.09] So a saving of £191 in fuel over the Focus. But subtract a £73 saving to insure the Focus. And costing out the six year cycle of maintenance of the DPF. Two three yearly Eloys top ups. And every sixth year DPF replacement [£600 estimated in total] so £100 per annum over six years.

So £191- £173= £18 per annum saving running the S40. Bare in mind it costs £200 less to put a full set of the same brand tyres on the Focus. And I know the servicing and parts renewal will be cheaper on the Focus.

I have to keep bring up the cost savings of running the Focus because I'm really missing the S40

Of course if we were doing 15K+ a year, no way would I have let the wife get her bum back in a Focus again. But at 5.5k I lost the cost savings argument.

[davebslater(uk)]

i work for europes largest truck/bus DPF supplier.

if its just a filter it is quite possible to clean them , by putting them in an oven at 600'c for a few hours to burn all the soot off .

if the vehicle has a cat in before the DPF then , the situation is helped , but thats not always the case. soot builds up even if the filter has regenerated - it then needs cleaning or replacement .

you can only clean a filter a certain number of times - after that it needs replacement .

to help regeneration - some models use a catalayst added into the fuel to lower the temperature of regeneration , you could also try fitting a pre heater in the exhaust .

the other option is bi fuel .

Another is contacting me and seeing if we can help with the situation .

[tt82]

Originally Posted by catch22

I do spreadsheets for all sorts of things, running the car, utility consumption and costings. So doing the maths on our last twelve months motoring. We clocked 5.5k of which 2k was on two holiday trips to Dorset and Devon [Now that was when the S40 came into its own, munching motorway miles]

Anyway, the 5.5k in the S40 2.0D 54 plate costs £687 in fuel. In the Focus 1.6 petrol 55 plate, it costs £878. [ diesel £1.10, petrol £1.09] So a saving of £191 in fuel over the Focus. But subtract a £73 saving to insure the Focus. And costing out the six year cycle of maintenance of the DPF. Two three yearly Eloys top ups. And every sixth year DPF replacement [£600 estimated in total] so £100 per annum over six years.

So £191- £173= £18 per annum saving running the S40. Bare in mind it costs £200 less to put a full set of the same brand tyres on the Focus. And I know the servicing and parts renewal will be cheaper on the Focus.

I have to keep bring up the cost savings of running the Focus because I'm really missing the S40

Of course if we were doing 15K+ a year, no way would I have let the wife get her bum back in a Focus again. But at 5.5k I lost the cost savings argument.

yes but look at the cost of a 2.0d S40 against a similar sized petrol engine, new theres over £1,500 difference and even second hand a diesel will be dearer.

[fenton_jd]

STOP BLAMING VOLVO FOR DPF ISSUES

Go to any forum... VW, FIAT, Audi, Vauxhall, Ford. DPF Issues are all over the place.

Government criteria and climate change.. "reducing cO2 emissions". These are reasons for the problems.

The engines would be flawless without DPF's, EGR's etc.

DO NOT BUY a modern diesel engine if you do less than 20,000 miles per year. These engines are NOT SUITED for pootling around town for 2 minute journeys.

All of the above listed manufacturers offer 1.4 turbo charged petrol engines with 150bhp + and useful torque figures - All capable of high 30mpg/low 40mpg.

[catch22]

Originally Posted by fenton_jd

STOP BLAMING VOLVO FOR DPF ISSUES

Go to any forum... VW, FIAT, Audi, Vauxhall, Ford. DPF Issues are all over the place.

I don't see how you interpret the discussions surrounding the issues with DPF's as being a direct attack on Volvo ? Where do you get that from?
I couldn't be @rsed to use capitals [wink]

We see thread after thread throughout the motoring forums, highlighting the fact many people were clueless [including myself] prior to buying and at the point of buying about the possible pitfalls with DPF's dependent on your driving needs.

Its as if the motor industry have agreed to keep DPF's a big secret as far as the uninitiated driving public are concerned. They are serving up to the likes of "Volvomum" [see her thread] a plate of cold "fate accompli" DPF issues soup. When it was obvious a diesel was not compatible with her driving requirements. You want a big safe car, you want it with a bit of umph, you want 50 + MPG, you want a 2.0 diesel madam. All these people opening threads about £1000+ DPF replacement costs, totally dumbfounded that they had one in the first place.