DPF - how much? Really?

TaDa

Active Member
Jun 25, 2010
99
0
Barnstaple or thereabouts
My dashboard is lit up like a Christmas tree again
ECO, DPF and flashing glow plugs lights - all nice'n'yellow.

Now with 'limp mode' :-(

She doesn't need a regen - she's had a forced regen at a dealership and a thousand miles of high speed European motorway driving - not to mention a few hours of UK motorway driving - and 40 minutes doing a 'regen run' myself.

I'll probably _have_ to take it in for a dealership check but before they kill me with shock can someone tell me the likely bill of having to replace a DPF - I've heard horror stories of >£1k (come on - thats 10%+ of the cost of the car - someone's having a 'larf'?)

I hear its possible to de-DPF too - can I legally do this on a '08 plate?

Cheers - I'm off for 20 minutes of fast driving in 3rd gear!
 

steve_1017

Active Member
Apr 22, 2008
60
0
I actually phoned Seat and asked for a price on a DPF as i'm having a disco dash at the moment as well, the price for just supplying one was £850 + VAT iirc
On the plus side the parts guy i spoke to said he'd never actually sold one and its more likely to be a duff sensor somewhere
 

suj

Wheel Connoisseur
Jan 1, 2009
5,808
1
Birmingham
DPF removal ;)

Mate from uni got his DPF removed and remapped on his Octavia VRS, made a massive difference (just the DPF removal) :)
 

TaDa

Active Member
Jun 25, 2010
99
0
Barnstaple or thereabouts
I've heard the DPF scares too - £800 + VAT + fitting - nasty - but I guess this gizmo is how they made the ecomotive tax exempt!

But where to begin - I fear the DPF is actually clogged - the car is not running smoothly (lacking power up hills) I could kid myself that the exhaust is being throttled - but it could also be the ECU telling the car to behave that way because of the sensors.

If I had a full diagram of the system I might feel better equipped to sort it out myself but I'm wary of my local dealership after they failed to spot the inside brake pads 90% worn despite being told of an impending 1000+ mile trip and asked specifically to check the brakes twice!

Hey - ho - this DPF nonsense seems to be all over the internet but no common solutions have yet been posted. The wonders of being an unknowing early adopter!

So, should I de-DPF her and is it legal to do it to do it to an '08 plate (and will it affect my tax exemption?)

Questions - thats all I have these days :-(

Thanks for reading everyone!
 
Nov 6, 2008
2,177
0
Kettering
i do believe that they are introducing new MOT laws on emissions on cars of a certain age, i know that my mate Leon FR TDi is effected and he's taken the DPF off that, i'll see if i can dig up th info
 

steve_1017

Active Member
Apr 22, 2008
60
0
I believe its for new cars sold after jan 08, mines a sept 07 so de-dpf is definately something i'll be looking into, either that or sell the car!
 

steve_1017

Active Member
Apr 22, 2008
60
0
Just a thought, but could the wrong oil being used cause these sorts of problems? I have dpf, glow plug and emissions lights flashing on my car but they only started after its major service when i had all filters, belts and plugs done.
 

sollerboy

Guest
Just a quick q, how many miles has the car got on it? Mine eco is a 08 (july) with 30k and am scared of the DPF going on it.
 

steve_1017

Active Member
Apr 22, 2008
60
0
Mine has about 52k on it but that is pretty much all motorway miles, doesnt really get used for round town driving, i use my mk2 for that
 

Viking

Insurance co's are crap.
May 19, 2007
2,317
4
Near Richmond, North Yorks
Just a thought, but could the wrong oil being used cause these sorts of problems? I have dpf, glow plug and emissions lights flashing on my car but they only started after its major service when i had all filters, belts and plugs done.

Yes the oil is a possible cause. You need to use a low ash oil to VW504/507 5w 30 weight. If the service guy put 20 50 multigrade in then it produces more soot. Although I'm a little concerned that you had the plugs changed....
 

TaDa

Active Member
Jun 25, 2010
99
0
Barnstaple or thereabouts
Mine's got around 55k miles on it - mostly made up from 20-30 minute journeys and a monthly 150 mile burn on the motorway (and the occasional road trip to France :)
No light ever (not even the DPF light) until a month ago - and bam!

But, it was after the service that it all went wrong!!!

Could there be a link between a service and these DPF failures?

After that last service we got a mostly used 5L bottle of Quantum Longlife III 5W-30 (VW50400/507 00 Approved)
 
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steve_1017

Active Member
Apr 22, 2008
60
0
I'm going to change the oil this week then, smoke it about for another week then change the oil again to make sure all the sh!t oil is out of it then have the lights turned off and see what happens!!
 

hooligan56

Guest
64 k on the clock and now have all three lights on, smoke billowing out the back to the point where the car behind disappears and all this following an oil change........
 

hooligan56

Guest
have tried changing the oil since but it looks like the damage has been done and the turbo oil scavenge system is clogged which in turn has forced oil into the exhaust and also the intercooler. Grrrrrr! Now in the throes of taking the turbo and associated pipework apart and it is like brain surgery with dirt! Anyone else done this?
 
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steve_1017

Active Member
Apr 22, 2008
60
0
I changed the oil on mine 2 weeks ago, light still comes on but only first thing in the morning and then goes out again? Still have permanently flashing glow plug light and permanently on engine management. Does make a blind bit of difference to how it drives so i'm not too worried. I'll get the fault codes at some point and see whats up.
 

hooligan56

Guest
I changed the oil on mine 2 weeks ago, light still comes on but only first thing in the morning and then goes out again? Still have permanently flashing glow plug light and permanently on engine management. Does make a blind bit of difference to how it drives so i'm not too worried. I'll get the fault codes at some point and see whats up.

I had the smoke for a couple of weeks soon after the original oil change and then had the same set up as you. Shortly after that the smoke stopped completely so I thought it had burnt off. The DPF light cleared every day after a drive round the M25 to work and came back again each morning. This lasted for about 8 months and then the smoke came back with a vengeance about 8 days ago:cry:
 
Aug 1, 2011
500
0
Why not go to the dealers? Or at least a specialist?

You can try and find the cause of the problem by guessing, and spend more money in the long run..
 

hooligan56

Guest
quite simple really - totally skint - what I am doing so far is only costing me time:( - actually got the turbo off this morning and the exhaust outlet is wet with oil so it looks like the internal seals have failed - now trawling the net looking for an exchange turbo
 
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