DPF regen cycles-how often, how to know & what to expect?
Discussion
Prompted by another thread where a posters mate thought his car was on fire 
I actually thought about it & if my wife noticed a load of smoke she'd turn the thing off & panic.
So, obviously in the need to educate her & with me never having ran a DPF equipped car what can she expect?
Car is a BMW X1 2.0 TD automatic
Is it something it does once a year, once every long run, how long does it take, if she turns the engine off too early will the gods of petrol exact their revenge with a huge DPF replacement bill etc etc.
I actually thought about it & if my wife noticed a load of smoke she'd turn the thing off & panic.So, obviously in the need to educate her & with me never having ran a DPF equipped car what can she expect?
Car is a BMW X1 2.0 TD automatic
Is it something it does once a year, once every long run, how long does it take, if she turns the engine off too early will the gods of petrol exact their revenge with a huge DPF replacement bill etc etc.
He isn't a mate. 
I don't think that you should see smoke coming from the engine though. However, knowing what he is like, he would think that a heat haze is fire.
As has been mentioned on the other thread, it could have been oil or something on the exhaust burning off in the higher temperature.
I don't think that you should see smoke coming from the engine though. However, knowing what he is like, he would think that a heat haze is fire.
As has been mentioned on the other thread, it could have been oil or something on the exhaust burning off in the higher temperature.
If you do a lot of short journeys it'll happen more often, I don't think you'll notice much different if/when it does it as it'll kind of just do it.
There seems to be a lot of noises about this whole DPF thing. My wife has a 2007 diesel Chevrolet and she does nothing other than short trips, never had an issue. The only thing I notice every so often is the car runs a bit hot for a while, it smells of burning and the cooling fan comes on. I guess this is a regeneration. No flashing lights, no panic, it just happens.
The word on the street is that if you use a decent diesel fuel and conform to the OEM spec for engine oil you'll be doing the right thing.
I wouldn't worry about it.
If the car starts a DPF regeneration, extend your journey if need be until it has finished the job (takes around 5-10 mins of driving, in my Alfa at least), and give it some beans to help it out.
In my car, I see the follwing signs when it's regenning:
- MPG drops
- Engine temp needle rises
- Lumpy'ish running, and blippy throttle response on idle
- Boomier exhaust note
- Turbo needle drops instantly when foot taken off the gas (as opposed to gently falling - this is the easiest of the signs to spot, and also when the regen is over the needle movement returns to normal).
- Exhaust tip will be very hot, and you may notice an acrid burning smell when you get out the car.
My car regens once, sometimes twice, per tankful of diesel, depending on use.
In my car, I see the follwing signs when it's regenning:
- MPG drops
- Engine temp needle rises
- Lumpy'ish running, and blippy throttle response on idle
- Boomier exhaust note
- Turbo needle drops instantly when foot taken off the gas (as opposed to gently falling - this is the easiest of the signs to spot, and also when the regen is over the needle movement returns to normal).
- Exhaust tip will be very hot, and you may notice an acrid burning smell when you get out the car.
My car regens once, sometimes twice, per tankful of diesel, depending on use.
phil1979 said:
My car regens once, sometimes twice, per tankful of diesel, depending on use.
I'm on my second SLK diseasel since 2012 (never had anything with any of this DPF trickery before) and I've never ever noticed a DPF regen taking place. I thought that they took place on a much longer timescale than that (ie. every so many months). Every tankful sounds odd.
Dog Star said:
phil1979 said:
My car regens once, sometimes twice, per tankful of diesel, depending on use.
I'm on my second SLK diseasel since 2012 (never had anything with any of this DPF trickery before) and I've never ever noticed a DPF regen taking place. I thought that they took place on a much longer timescale than that (ie. every so many months). Every tankful sounds odd.
DPF regeneration will be initiated by the ECU every 300 miles or so depending on vehicle use and will take 5 to 10 minutes to complete. You shouldn't notice anything other than perhaps a puff of white smoke from the exhaust when the process is completed.
I have driven over 12,000 miles in a 2012 Octavia vRS 2.0TDi and only once noticed a regen taking place. I stopped the car and the engine fan continued to run for a couple of minutes. Never noticed any sign of a regen when actually driving although they have obviously been happening.
phil1979 said:
If the car starts a DPF regeneration, extend your journey if need be until it has finished the job (takes around 5-10 mins of driving, in my Alfa at least), and give it some beans to help it out.
In my car, I see the follwing signs when it's regenning:
- MPG drops
- Engine temp needle rises
- Lumpy'ish running, and blippy throttle response on idle
- Boomier exhaust note
- Turbo needle drops instantly when foot taken off the gas (as opposed to gently falling - this is the easiest of the signs to spot, and also when the regen is over the needle movement returns to normal).
- Exhaust tip will be very hot, and you may notice an acrid burning smell when you get out the car.
My car regens once, sometimes twice, per tankful of diesel, depending on use.
I'll agree with most of that. My Caravelle regens about every 500 miles, can only really notice when coming to a complete stop, where you notice it running slightly lumpy.In my car, I see the follwing signs when it's regenning:
- MPG drops
- Engine temp needle rises
- Lumpy'ish running, and blippy throttle response on idle
- Boomier exhaust note
- Turbo needle drops instantly when foot taken off the gas (as opposed to gently falling - this is the easiest of the signs to spot, and also when the regen is over the needle movement returns to normal).
- Exhaust tip will be very hot, and you may notice an acrid burning smell when you get out the car.
My car regens once, sometimes twice, per tankful of diesel, depending on use.
Re the turbo needle, I found a vid to show what it does in my car when it's on regen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16s6CZMcBkA
Normally, the needle falls slowly, like the rev needle, when the foot is off the gas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16s6CZMcBkA
Normally, the needle falls slowly, like the rev needle, when the foot is off the gas.
phil1979 said:
If the car starts a DPF regeneration, extend your journey if need be until it has finished the job (takes around 5-10 mins of driving, in my Alfa at least), and give it some beans to help it out.
In my car, I see the follwing signs when it's regenning:
- MPG drops
- Engine temp needle rises
- Lumpy'ish running, and blippy throttle response on idle
- Boomier exhaust note
- Turbo needle drops instantly when foot taken off the gas (as opposed to gently falling - this is the easiest of the signs to spot, and also when the regen is over the needle movement returns to normal).
- Exhaust tip will be very hot, and you may notice an acrid burning smell when you get out the car.
My car regens once, sometimes twice, per tankful of diesel, depending on use.
It does it once/twice A TANK?? Sounds very excessive to me. Once every thousand miles or so should be about right. In my car, I see the follwing signs when it's regenning:
- MPG drops
- Engine temp needle rises
- Lumpy'ish running, and blippy throttle response on idle
- Boomier exhaust note
- Turbo needle drops instantly when foot taken off the gas (as opposed to gently falling - this is the easiest of the signs to spot, and also when the regen is over the needle movement returns to normal).
- Exhaust tip will be very hot, and you may notice an acrid burning smell when you get out the car.
My car regens once, sometimes twice, per tankful of diesel, depending on use.
phil1979 said:
I'll bet you didn't notice it happening on your Merc. From the AA website:
DPF regeneration will be initiated by the ECU every 300 miles or so depending on vehicle use and will take 5 to 10 minutes to complete. You shouldn't notice anything other than perhaps a puff of white smoke from the exhaust when the process is completed.
Well you learn something new every day! I had no idea they were so frequent.DPF regeneration will be initiated by the ECU every 300 miles or so depending on vehicle use and will take 5 to 10 minutes to complete. You shouldn't notice anything other than perhaps a puff of white smoke from the exhaust when the process is completed.
Condi said:
It does it once/twice A TANK?? Sounds very excessive to me. Once every thousand miles or so should be about right.
See my post above. Mine must do it every 400-500 miles, and upon checking the web, AA quotes an average of around 300-450 miles in most cases for DPF-fitted cars.Full info here: http://www.aa-academy.com/Training/Learning%20Zone...
Edited by phil1979 on Monday 23 June 10:34
Edited by phil1979 on Monday 23 June 10:35
I thought that cars only regenerated when there was a build up of soot due to lots of short distance low rev journeys and it is quite possible that a car will never ever run a regen cycle if used 'properly' . Am I wrong? I've had a few cars with DPFs and never experienced a regen as far as I know.
10000 miles in my 530d only noticed what can be described as a 'clutch burning' smell a couple of times, no change in performance. No lights, no drama.
I do mostly long runs.
Wife has noticed it more often in her 118d, but still no problem. 80% of her driving is to and from work & school.
I do mostly long runs.
Wife has noticed it more often in her 118d, but still no problem. 80% of her driving is to and from work & school.
I was doing a lot of short trips in my VW T5 2.5 and I started to get the engine management light on.
It was the exhaust pressure sensor.
I was told this was the first sign that the DPF and associated parts were getting clogged.
I was told to take it for a prolonged blast for 15-20 mins at around 2500 revs,this would force a re gen.
So I took it on a dual carriage way by me at 6am on a sunday morning and did 20 miles at a constant 2500 revs on an empty road.
The only thing I noticed on this 40 mile journey, I used just under half a tank of fuel,it guzzled the diesel.
Did not smoke,go lumpy,or hot.
I try not to do to many short trips, and pathetically,to save the part,that is supposed to save the planet, I do un nessasary long journeys to make sure my DPF behaves.
It was the exhaust pressure sensor.
I was told this was the first sign that the DPF and associated parts were getting clogged.
I was told to take it for a prolonged blast for 15-20 mins at around 2500 revs,this would force a re gen.
So I took it on a dual carriage way by me at 6am on a sunday morning and did 20 miles at a constant 2500 revs on an empty road.
The only thing I noticed on this 40 mile journey, I used just under half a tank of fuel,it guzzled the diesel.
Did not smoke,go lumpy,or hot.
I try not to do to many short trips, and pathetically,to save the part,that is supposed to save the planet, I do un nessasary long journeys to make sure my DPF behaves.
On this note - I drive a diesel Vectra (I know...) with 120k on the clock. I use it almost exclusively for long-ish treks on the motorway network.
Although I'm assuming the DPF never clogs up sufficiently to need a re-gen (not that I've ever noticed one!), am I to expect the DPF to suddenly die on me at some point?
Or should these things - providing I drive a diesel like a diesel - soldier on for the life of the car?
Although I'm assuming the DPF never clogs up sufficiently to need a re-gen (not that I've ever noticed one!), am I to expect the DPF to suddenly die on me at some point?
Or should these things - providing I drive a diesel like a diesel - soldier on for the life of the car?
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