DPF advice needed please

[DebbieWinchester]

Hi all - the DPF warning (refer to owners manual) came up on my 2014 Rav4 (2.0 AWD manual) two weeks ago. Took it for a long run and it did a regen (hubby thinks!) and cleared warning. Five days later warning came back up. Took it for another run but it didn't clear. Took it to Hendy (remains of used car warranty - literally 48hrs worth) - they could only get it to half way - starts regen but stops and says DPF 512% full!!! Now booked in with Toyota next week but I'm terrified this is going to be expensive now as Hendy trying to wriggle out of warranty cover and Toyota extended warranty doesn't start until 1 March 😭😭 anyone else had a problem like this?

[Avalon]

Devil is in the detail, if the DPF is excluded in the warranty terms, then they may not have to honour it. For example I was able to claim for the RAV I have now for alloy wheel corrosion (5 new wheels after 2.5 years due to paint issue), but my other RAV was on Toyota approved used warranty which excluded it.

Realistically the regulations now require that if a DPF was fitted as standard or after a certain date, then it is required to be present and functional to pass an MOT and be road legal, so removal isn’t an option. That leaves stripping and cleaning, cleaning in situ or replacement. Realistically the only one a franchise dealer will present to you is going to be replacement because they’re not interested in other options. The issue however is usually because people are using a car in a manner that it’s not designed for, a diesel is generally not a good choice for short runs, a DPF equipped diesel is a really bad choice for short runs.

[gjnorthall]

Warranty claims on DPF’s are difficult. If blockage was due to driving regime then this would not be covered. An unrelated failure which resulted in blockage may well be covered but it’s not straightforward. DPF’s have a finite life - you don’t mention the mileage of the car.

I’m not clear as to what the first dealer has attempted to do. They may just have attempted a manual regeneration. There is a need for a systematic approach and the first thing would be to check out the pressure differential measurement to ascertain that the output (which relates to the degree of blockage) is correct. The control software for regeneration would also be checked. Thereafter it’s possible to carry out a controlled forced regeneration. Ultimately it may not be possible to clean the DPF and the unit would need replacement - however there is a comprehensive diagnostic routine that needs to be completed before reaching this conclusion. In some cases it might not be possible to return a DPF to an as-new condition.

Hopefully your Toyota dealer will be able to regenerate the unit and it would then be important to understand the root cause of the failure so that action could be taken to minimise the chance of a recurrence. In some situations a DPF equipped car simply isn’t a good choice. 

[Catlover]

So, Debbie, how many miles has the car done in total, and what sort of driving do you normally do ie what sort of distance an average journey.

[duncerduncs]

12 hours ago, gjnorthall said:

In some situations a DPF equipped car simply isn’t a good choice. 

With stiffer EU limits in force, all models will come with DPF or SCR systems from now on, indeed the new VW Golf GTD comes with a twin SCV catalyst system (I dread to think how much that would cost to repair!!).

The only good news for those with a petrol particulate filter is that it's less likely to block due to the way petrol goes 'bang'.