Golfe with DPF filter advice

[scouse2668]

Just bought a Golfe 1.9 TDI with DOF filter a little advice please.
Do they cause problems if you do not ajust your driving style i.e to many short trips. How aware should you be if you have a PDF filter about giving the car a good run now and then and what's now and then? or is a mixture of short and long runs ok?.
I have been reading a bit on the internet that it can cost a £1000 to have the filter replaced.
What about cheapo fuel, supermarket stuff give it a miss? Any comments would be welcome or experiances.
Thank you.

[spider-man]

i'm not too sure about the VW DPF systems but we have a peugeot 307 HDi (2002) which as i understand was one of the first cars to try this, and have had no end of problems with it...that's even with long trips every now and then. if it's not the filter itself then it's the sensor, if it's not that then it's the additive tank...and so on!

I was at the dealers the other day (VW) and was reading a leaflet on cars with DPFs - it recommended that longer trips should be made fairly regularly and if the car starts to warn you then you should do one asap. I can only presume that VW have a better system now.

With regards to cheaper fuels, it's said that over long periods of use they can affect the performance, but i've been told that injecting additives to the fuel (Redex/STP etc) now and then can help this.

[Ravens]

A lot of Jag 2.7 diesels have had problems, but dealers can programme the DPF to discharge. A warning should come up on the dash display and at this point you should take the car for a fast drive. If this does not work it is down to the dealer. It is quite clear that some cars have no problems at all, whilst others have lots.

[spider-man]

agree with the last sentence above - there seems to be no clear pattern, some who drive long distances regularly have reported the same issues as others. Be aware that it will cost you if the dealer needs to do a forced regeneration. FYI - doesn't neccessarily need to be a fast drive, generally speaking a run of approximately 15 minutes at 2500-3000rpm in 4th gear will do the job.

Also didn't mention before, but on the peugeot systems it's recommended a 'service' is done every 48000miles. By service, this can mean a new DPF (costly at around 300quid) or sometimes just a top-up of the additive (circa £20/litre, 5l tank on a 307 for example).

Hope this helps!

[scouse2668]

Well since the peugeot 307 HDi (2002) I can only hope technology has moved on.
I just seams a case of suck it and see, as I live close to the M62 it easy to take it for a quick drive when the traffic is light and give it a blast. I have always been careful about short runs all the time even on my previous cars as its a quick way to wreck them especially if you skimp a bit on oil changes/filters that I do not do.
Thanks all

[sgtbanjo]

AFAIK the golf does not use the additive system to regenerate the DPF.

[scouse2668]

Can you explaine that please what is the additive system and what does that mean?

[oilman]

Make sure you have the right spec oil, if you don't, the filter will clog. These ones will be ok

http://www.opieoils.co.uk/c-754-vw-50700-oil.aspx

Cheers

Tim

[sgtbanjo]

Some cars with a DPF have another tank of some kind of additive fluid which rids the DPF of the soot build up. AFAIK the Golf uses heat to burn off the soot some how and does not have the additive.

[starfighter]

VW use engine heat to burn off the soot collected in the DPF. Shorter runs and cold starts generate more soot than longer trips due to the richer burn cycles involved in the cold running cycle of the ECU and there is nothing you can do about this. As with a cat, the DPF needs to fully heat up to be able to burn off the soot build up and this will happen without you noticing if the car is being driven as designed.

The cars need regular runs when the engine gets fully up to temperature, that is the whole engine being hot not just the temperature indicator reaching 90degC as you pull in to work! There is an early clue that you are getting close to this point when the gear shift adviser starts to indicate lower gears such as change down to 2 when steady at 30mph when 3 is normal. This is trying to keep the car running rich and so building up heat quicker. The warning light on the dash is the clue that you need to do something a little more drastic and make a point of getting the whole system nice and hot, hence a longer run. It's not like a Dagenham decoke where you need the flog the nuts off it, just get it hot and 20 miles at 50+ mph in top is enough.

Worst case, the car needs to go and visit the dealer and be cleaned out properly in the workshop. I'm not sure hot they do this but I have been told that you only get a couple of shots at it this way and then you need a replacement DPF.

I'm not sure where this stands from a tax / construction and use point of view but the DPF is an option and so could be retrofitted off the car. The emisions values normally show a DPF to be slightly worse on emissions as the DPF acts as a restrictor in the exhaust and this influences the way the ECU manages fuel injection timing etc. The car should not fail any form of testing due to a DPF being removed as these are not an MOT requirement (unlike cats).

It's all interesting technology. I have a Bluemotion with a DPF which is fine for the type of use that car gets but I walked away from a 2.0 Estate because it had a DPF fitted and this was to be used for more short local runs as a taxi service for the kids. I did not want the hassle of having to manage a DPF.

Jeff