Diesel cars with DPF are NOT good town cars

My normal daily commute is 15 miles each way, of which 10 miles is dual carriageway.

So why is it that for the third time in 12 months I have had to spend 20 minutes driving back & forward past my school on the dual carriageway because the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) warning light came on? According to the dealer it is 'working as designed'.......

Foolishly I bought a diesel engined car for economy, only to find the latest ones with DPF don't like short trips or an economical driving style because the exhaust temperature doesn't get hot enough to regenerate the DPF when it gets clogged up with particles of soot..... the solution is to drive like an idiot until the light goes out.... if you don't & it goes into limp home mode you face a visit to the dealer who will regenerate the filter for you & charge £200+

No more diesels for me :(

fairly well known fact i thought. Over short journeys you may as well have a small petrol engine anyway. DPF's are a pain unless you do longer journeys and imo should only be fitted to bigger cars say focus and up as these are more likely to be used on longer journeys whereas fiesta size cars are more likely to be used tound town (says a fiesta owner who does 100 miles a day but i suspect that im atypical of fiesta owners)

I knew there was a general issue with DPF for urban motoring when I bought the car, but made the mistake of thinking with a 15 mile drive each way to work of which 10 was dual carriageway (at 60-70mph) I would be ok.... apparently not. I even took advice to use Shell diesel rather than supermarket as it is supposed to be cleaner....

When DPF first came out there were issues with it clogging, as you rightly say if it doesn't get hot enough to regenerate, the light on the dash comes on.

To get round this, lots of manufacturers fitted what is effectively a glow plug to the exhaust system to heat the DPF to help the regeneration process along. When I was working at a Citroen dealer we had no end of issues like your describing.

What car have you got?

Ross

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Originally Posted by Gonk

What car have you got?

Ross

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09 Nissan Xtrail 2.0 dCi, 173bhp.... its basically a Renault engine as are most Nissan diesels I believe.

I have a BMW 123d and I never knew/was told about the DPF or the fact its bad to do short trips.

Am I going to kill my poor car :confused:

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Originally Posted by broc

My normal daily commute is 15 miles each way, of which 10 miles is dual carriageway.

So why is it that for the third time in 12 months I have had to spend 20 minutes driving back & forward past my school on the dual carriageway because the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) warning light came on? According to the dealer it is 'working as designed'.......

Foolishly I bought a diesel engined car for economy, only to find the latest ones with DPF don't like short trips or an economical driving style because the exhaust temperature doesn't get hot enough to regenerate the DPF when it gets clogged up with particles of soot..... the solution is to drive like an idiot until the light goes out.... if you don't & it goes into limp home mode you face a visit to the dealer who will regenerate the filter for you & charge £200+

No more diesels for me :(

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Not a problem for me, but then again, I've no idea if my Auris SR180 is fitted with a DPF? :confused:
My commute is the same as yours. My '05 Avensis didn't have any issues either.

Personally, I wouldn't say a daily commute of 30 miles is a 'short' journey. It takes me a good half hour each way. A short journey is nipping into town and back, IMHO.

I recently too bought a diesel car for economy but i dont seem to get it, im averaging about 40mpg where as my friend at the same time bought a 2 litre petrol bmw who is getting 50mpg on causal drives???

back to petrol for me as well, specially with it going to end up about £1.40 a litre again!

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Originally Posted by stevenwba

I recently too bought a diesel car for economy but i dont seem to get it, im averaging about 40mpg where as my friend at the same time bought a 2 litre petrol bmw who is getting 50mpg on causal drives???

back to petrol for me as well, specially with it going to end up about £1.40 a litre again!

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My diesel is giving me 30mpg to and from work, same journey in my petrol was 15mpg... im happy lol!

Eek, my folks are looking at getting a Citroen HDi on motobility. There pressent motability car has done less then 20k in 3 years. I think I'll have to do some digging.

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Originally Posted by theeldergeek

Personally, I wouldn't say a daily commute of 30 miles is a 'short' journey. It takes me a good half hour each way. A short journey is nipping into town and back, IMHO.

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I fully agree with you & that's why I was persuaded to buy the X-Trail diesel :(

I think the problem may be my 'gentle' driving style..... doing boring things like sticking to speed limits, optimising gear changes, anticipating traffic conditions ahead, driving for economy & to save the environment..... I never imagined it would be bad for my car!

ps yes I know I drive a 4x4, but it spends a lot of it's time in 2-wheel drive & is as economical as the 2.0 Seat tdi Altea I previously drove :)

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Originally Posted by K.C.Leblanc

Eek, my folks are looking at getting a Citroen HDi on motobility. There pressent motability car has done less then 20k in 3 years. I think I'll have to do some digging.

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It is certainly worth checking & doing your own research; some manufacturers employ some sort of fuel additive system that helps keep the DPF clear, it gets topped up at service time.

It's also a very bad idea to park a diesel car fitted with a DPF on grass in the middle of summer. We parked up at a local Wind Farm open day last year and I ended up setting fire to most of Lincolnshire :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by broc

It is certainly worth checking & doing your own research; some manufacturers employ some sort of fuel additive system that helps keep the DPF clear, it gets topped up at service time.

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I will, generaly my feeling are that deisels don't make sense unless you're doing a high millage (although they do make more sence in heavy 4x4s due to their extra torque). However since the car is provided through motobility my folks only have to pay for the fuel so diesel makes sense.

EDIT: Although my general thoughts on the car industry and the way legislation is influencing it is that you're better off with an older car.

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Originally Posted by stevenwba

I recently too bought a diesel car for economy but i dont seem to get it, im averaging about 40mpg where as my friend at the same time bought a 2 litre petrol bmw who is getting 50mpg on causal drives???

back to petrol for me as well, specially with it going to end up about £1.40 a litre again!

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I only get 36mpg in mine, but that's 'cos I tend to accelerate quite hard when I see Fiesta ST's sitting at the lights :D

I'm happy with 36mpg on mine, it's roughly what I'm supposed to get, and it is a 2.2ltr after all.

I recently had to hire a Vauxhall Insignia 1.8 petrol. I got around 28mpg and it was like pulling away through thick treacle. Even when I drove it 'conservatively', the mpg didn't get above 30. Horrid car.

Personally, I prefer diesels over petrol, just something about them that I like the feel of. I can't imagine me in a 1.1 Fiesta or similar, I would hate it. I still think pound for pound, I get better economy from my car with the added bonus of it being a 'performance' car to drive, kick ass stereo, good looks and decent spec.

Mid life crisis anyone? :o