New DPF needed in 201 Focus Diesel

thehorse

I have a 201 focus diesel bought new in Jan 2020. It’s only been serviced at the main Ford dealer. The car has 93k on it and is well driven on motorways. I have always driven diesel.

I have had engine management lights coming on since last Dec and since then, have been back to the dealer and had a number of sensors replaced in dpf/exhaust.

The problem keeps coming back so have to get a new dpf fitted and thankfully, It’s covered under warranty.

no reason as to why the dpf is damaged but it’s a strange one…..I have a deal done to buy a new car in Jan (not a Ford).

I’ve spoken with many different garages and they are all saying that a lot of diesel cars are having to have their dpf replaced.

is it something in the fuel or is there something else at play here …..thoughts and opinions welcome

thanks

cpoh1

DPFs will always need to be cleaned / replaced at some stage regardless of style of driving due to the build up of ash which cannot be removed as part of the regeneration process. 93k is low enough mileage for this though.

thehorse

Agreed , 93k is very low. The main dealer reckoned that it’s something which is being added to the diesel as more and more are needing to be replaced. It’s not just Ford but WV & ŠKODA are saying the same.

zg3409

Without a proper diagnosis and investigation it's hard to know.

What I do know is if you go around with a warning light on for many many months what can happen is the dpf can get overfull with soot. To remove the soot it needs to be removed and heated and specialist cleaning as the car will refuse to empty a very very full dpf.

Dpf can keep getting clogged over and over again if car is smoky due to many engine reasons. Replacing the dpf won't fix this.

If dpf is full of ash this typically cannot be heated and cleaned out. Getting excessive ash may just mean that dpf was getting full quicker than normal due to smoky engine and now it's sooner than normal reached its ash capacity.

I would be worried your problems may come back in a few hundred km. Typically using diagnostics I would only like to see a dpf automatic clean every 400km, sooner than that means something's up.

thehorse

The car is running perfectly and was all along. No smoke or anything.

All the sensors have been replaced in the dpf/exhaust which has not fixed the issue. Main Ford dealer said the only way to fix it is to replace the dpf which has now been done. It appears to be a known issue from what the dealer said.

My dpf was not full of any soot , particles or anything as the car is well driven.

I have a deal done for a new car anyway but after speaking with many different garages , this issue that I had has started to become a real issue as lots of different dealers are coming across the same issue. I know of a local VW dealer and they are constantly fixing dpf issues in Passats and Golfs.

Glad I’m moving away from diesel.

Shoog

DPF issues can result in diesel been flushed into the sump and diluting your oil. Rising oil levels is the tell tale sign and your engine will wear prematurely if this happens. The whole DPF situation is a tragedy. I have one which regenerating every fourth trip and it isn't worth the money to replace it

thehorse

No oil level issues or anything related with my car.

I’ve decided to move away from diesel at this stage. I’ve heard of far too many people with dpf issues in the past few years. I’ve driven diesel since 2004 but I think it’s time for me to change.

if I had to pay for the repair works , it would have been €2500 approx. Crazy stuff……

Summitatem

The dealers are just throwing parts at it...let them off. Warranty job and you're getting rid of it but they seem clueless gnomes.

zg3409

If engine is smoky you won't see smoke. The smoke is collected in the dpf. As suggested by others the dealers probably cannot diagnose the issue and now dpf is fully blocked.