Diesel Particulate Filter

[MidnightDog]

Hey guys,

Pretty new here. I'm currently trying to figure out whether there might be any alternative to replacing the DPF in my 2008 Golf GT TDI 170 and would like some advice.

Warning lamps came up on the dash a couple of days ago at 88 000ish and the engine lost almost all its power, particularly above 1st gear and in higher ranges. I wasn't driving it at the time. Specifically, the DPF lamp, the spiral "engine fault" lamp and the other square one with bits coming off it that I can't remember the name of right now. I called into a VW-specialised (but not dealership) mechanic here in Canberra and he told me to try the regeneration trick. I ran it at 1750rpm steady for 20km in 5th gear, then tried the same revs in 6th on the way back.

The mechanic had said that if this didn't work (it didn't) it'd need to go in to the dealership due to their superior diagnostics and, if the DPF was the problem, have it replaced for ~$500 + labour. Problem is, the only two Canberra dealerships seem to be fully booked for f***ing weeks.

I've read a lot of hatred for the DPF. Now that my warranty has expired, at some stage in the future I wouldn't mind some minor tuning (maybe just a remap), and I hear the DPF can cause problems with that.

So, my questions:

- If I keep driving it in its current state while I wait for the dealership to service it, do I risk doing more damage? It has roughly the acceleration of a metro bus, but it still takes me from A to B. Where I live, being carless is a serious problem.
- Are there any alternatives to replacing the DPF that won't cause more issues in the future? I've read a bit about "DPF deletion" but haven't found anything conclusive.
- Is this a common occurrence with this car? It's been a good car but has had its share of problems, to be honest (intermittent power loss a while back, complete injector failure, headlight problems, this).
- Any misc advice?

Thank you!

MD

[Tuning Dynamics]

What youa re experiencing is sadly pretty common.
You will have a high DPF blockage percentage. Your only options is a forced regeneration either by the dealer or by a shop with VAGCOM.
Vagcom is able to force a regen. From experience the issue will come back and it seems once they get to this blockage point the regen will last from a couple of days to a few months.
Currently the car is dumping fuel and in limp mode to protect it from further issues. Not the best to keep driving too much im afraid.
By law youa re unable to remove the DPF as its part of the emmissions system.
They are likely to be a few grand to replace.
A decent ecu tune will actually run cleaner and allow the dpf a happier life but you need to get the regen numbers into the green so its out of limp mode. The longer you drive it the more clogged it will get so be aware of that.
Feel free to PM me for more info and we are in Canberra next week which may be of help to you.

[h100vw]

The DPF is a fair but more than $500. That might cover the labour for fitting a new one.

You need to have it diagnosed properly first and make sure it's not a sensor lying to the ECU. It would be unusual in my experience for an out of town car to have a blocked DPF at 88000ks. I have seen one dead at 105000k and a country car with 150000ks that was well less than 50% full.

There's VW independents in Canberra, give them a go before the dealer.

Gavin

[gecko2k]

Give Transporter a call. I believe he is based in Canberra....

[h100vw]

Give Transporter a call. I believe he is based in Canberra....

Miro is in Adelaide. There's a couple of others there though.

Gavin

[Umai Naa!!]

Is it not simply just the DPF pressure differential sensor? If that's gone, you can't do a regeneration on it. The part's not that dear, either.

Last I checked, DPFs for passenger cars were around $2,500. Warranty wont cover them unless they've failed as a result of a related faulty component.

FWIW, I've replaced one at 2,000klms as the customer only used the car on two 5 minute trips every couple of days.

Have you tried Canberra VW Centre?

[MidnightDog]

Damn. This got depressing pretty quick. Thank you for all your responses, guys. Very helpful.

Umai, I did take it into the VW Centre in Belconnen - he's the one that said I needed to take it to the dealership. I guess he was wrong about the cost of a new DPF. He was also booked out for 6 weeks. Similar time for the VW Centre in Tuggeranong. Lennock VW (dealership) is booked for a month. There's one more option that I'll explore. Failing that, I'm not sure what I can do but wait :/

I'll try not to drive it at all if it's going to do more damage. I guess I'll have to hope it's the ECU, as you guys mentioned.

ATPG - I'll send you a PM.

[h100vw]

I'll go out on a limb and promise it's not the ECU. VW Centre should have been able to force a regen. VCDS is as capable as the dealer tool in this instance, unless they didn't have time.

If the DPF is full you can't make it worse. Without a proper diagnosis though there's a risk of doing it harm if it isn't.


EDIT: http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au/foru...elp-27504.html

Have a look here and see if there's someone in Canberra that can help you out. If there's no one there, send me a PM and I might have another avenue I can try, this will involve you having a windows laptop though.

Gavin

Damn. This got depressing pretty quick. Thank you for all your responses, guys. Very helpful.

Umai, I did take it into the VW Centre in Belconnen - he's the one that said I needed to take it to the dealership. I guess he was wrong about the cost of a new DPF. He was also booked out for 6 weeks. Similar time for the VW Centre in Tuggeranong. Lennock VW (dealership) is booked for a month. There's one more option that I'll explore. Failing that, I'm not sure what I can do but wait :/

I'll try not to drive it at all if it's going to do more damage. I guess I'll have to hope it's the ECU, as you guys mentioned.

ATPG - I'll send you a PM.

[MidnightDog]

Gavin,

I'm having a chat with ATPG at the moment about possibly seeing those guys in Canberra next week, so if that works out it should be a good solution. If I need to I might have a look through that thread too. At worst, I'd even consider running the car up to Sydney if I thought it was going to save me a few weeks of being totally carless.

I don't have a Windows laptop, I'm a Mac fanboy But I could probably get it going via BootCamp if necessary. If I can't get anything sorted I'll send you a PM

Thanks mate,

MD

[h100vw]

Mac huh! ;0) some way from taking over the world.! Let me know if you need any help. Gavin