When a Diesel Particulate Filter regenerates, the soot is burned off during the cycle and is turned to ash, this then falls into the free space at the bottom of the filter where it slowly accumulates over its designed life cycle. Unfortunately a DPF is not a hoover bag and being a sealed unit cannot be easily emptied of this ash, and so eventually the ash builds up to a level where no further re-generations can be carried out, and the DPF Unit itself needs to be replaced.
A DPF has an average life cycle of between 120,000 and 150,000 miles before it is completely filled with Ash and requires replacement which is why care must be exercised when being a high mileage diesel car, however the actual mileage where DPF replacement is required could be significantly below or above that figure depending on how the vehicle has been driven, for example a car which has been subject to short journeys or city traffic may require DPF regeneration every 180 miles, compared to a car which has been used for motorway driving, and so only required regeneration every 500 miles or even more.
Suffice to say the DPF of the car which has been subject to more frequent regenerations, will be filled with ash and require attention at a much lower mileage than the Diesel Particulate Filter on the Motorway Car.
Replacing a DPF is an expensive exercise, often costing over £1000 from a main dealer and may mean that the cost is a significant percentage of the vehicle value at that point. Even low mileage cars may suffer blocked DPF’s at low mileages, especially if the driver continually ignores the DPF Warning light, and doesn’t take the car on a long drive in order for the Diesel Particulate Filter to regenerate normally.
Fortunately there exists a large number of Professional DPF Cleaning Services throughout the UK. You can find both Mobile DPF Cleaning Services as well as Garage Based DPF Cleaning services in all areas, who will take your existing blocked Diesel Particulate unit, and then clean out the accumulated ash content, returning it to normal, and adding many more 10,000’s of miles to its life.
These DPF Cleaning Services, will remove your Diesel particulate filter from the car, and then clean it out using special cleaning fluid and machines, to ensure all of the ash, and existing soot is removed, they can then refit the DPF, reset any ECU based warning codes and return your car back on the road. Alternatively, you can often opt to remove the DPF system yourself and then send it by mail to be cleaned, after which it will be returned to you. This is useful, for if you live in an area which doesn’t currently have a DPF Cleaning Franchise locally.
In most cases a DPF Cleaning Service will require your car for perhaps a day, so it is important to find a Diesel Particulate Cleaning Company who are in your area, however there are also many mobile DPF cleaning options who will clean your particulate filter at your home or place of work.
Whatever DPF Cleaning Service you use, will save you a huge amount of money over replacing your Diesel Particulate Filter with a brand new one, and typical cleaning costs can range from as little as £50 to £400, depending on the type of service used, and the condition of your existing DPF Filter. However, this is still far cheaper than the cost of replacing it with a new Diesel Particulate Filter.
Here I have listed some DPF Cleaning Companies, and mobile DPF Cleaning services who can clean your blocked particulate filter, hopefully you will find one near to you.