DPF - does it clean itself in the city?

[orangezorki]

Hello all,

I've got on order a Passat 170 TDI with DPF. Now, I'm a bit concerned about the DPF, as I've been told different things about its cleaning abilities. I know that it cleans itself on long runs, but I live in London, with it's very slow average speeds. One dealer told me that even if it gets clogged up, all it does is show a light on the dash, make a few noises, and it's clean again. However, I've seen someone on a forum say that they needed to take it to a dealer when it got clogged up. Should I worry?

Thanks for any answers.

David.

[sathound]

I have a Passat 170 TDI 6sp Man Estate with DPF. From memory, I think the manual simply mentions that if the car is driven on lots of short journeys then the particulates may not be burnt off and the car should be driven periodically at 2000-2500rpm for 15minutes or more in order to optimise the burning off of particulates.

[Quatrelle]

Mine often spends time at 2000-2500 rpm because the nature of the roads where I live doesn't give me much chance to get into 5th or 6th. Not sure if that does the trick, but I rev it to 4,500 at least once or twice a trip. Not sure either if there's a warning light for it - worth a look in the book, I'm thinking. I don't see what a dealer could do that you can't, short of taking it off and putting a blowlamp on it!

[claranet]

Hello all,

I've got on order a Passat 170 TDI with DPF. Now, I'm a bit concerned about the DPF, as I've been told different things about its cleaning abilities. I know that it cleans itself on long runs, but I live in London, with it's very slow average speeds. One dealer told me that even if it gets clogged up, all it does is show a light on the dash, make a few noises, and it's clean again. However, I've seen someone on a forum say that they needed to take it to a dealer when it got clogged up. Should I worry?

Thanks for any answers.

David.

DPF Filters are situated just after the exhaust manifold, they work in a similar way to a catalytic converter. If you do a lot of town driving then the DPF rarely gets hot enough to be effective. To be fair to VW it does mention, in the sales brochure that if a a lot of town or slow speed driving then one should consider this before ordering. It is curious that my Sport 170 Estate has a DPF fitted as standard, whereas it is optional on the other Diesels. If I did a lot of town driving I would not order a car with it fitted. The more I think about it the more daft it is because more particulates are present in town driving than anywhere else.
My advice is to discuss this with the dealer or who you ordered your car from.
Regards
claranet

[orangezorki]

Thanks Claranet for the reply. The car I have on order is a 170, so I too have no choice either. Having said that, a quick blast along the M4 should solve that, and I can't say it won't be fun. Either that, or I could just put it in manual and drive everywhere in 2nd for a day!

On a similar topic, do Diesels get really loud when revved like petrols? I'm fed up of having to flog my 1.6L auto Corolla just to make it move. Sometimes I like it really, but there is only so much of looking like a pillock in a slow car that you can take!

David.

[gazza007]

On a similar topic, do Diesels get really loud when revved like petrols? I'm fed up of having to flog my 1.6L auto Corolla just to make it move. Sometimes I like it really, but there is only so much of looking like a pillock in a slow car that you can take!

David.

The Passat Diesel is very quiet & the car is well insulated. It very rare that I go above 2500 rpm as all the max torque is around this area. This is my 2nd Diesel & I can never imagine going back to Petrol as the driving style is relaxed.

[Quatrelle]

Thanks Claranet for the reply. The car I have on order is a 170, so I too have no choice either. Having said that, a quick blast along the M4 should solve that, and I can't say it won't be fun. Either that, or I could just put it in manual and drive everywhere in 2nd for a day!
David.

I think you might find driving it everywhere in 2nd would be a safer bet from the point of view of your licence. A quick blast in a 170 (or a 140) is a bit risky - it'll be doing 70mph with only about 2000 rpm on the clock. As Gazza says, they're very quiet and you'll be well over the limit before you know it. They do make a noise when accelerating, but I don't find it at all unpleasant.