Aftermarket DPF cleaner additives

[powerman]

Hi Everyone, 

Have a RAV4 diesel and was wondering if any one has used dpf cleaner additives sold in car accessory shops. Does it work or is it a waste of time and money? Not experienced any problems with my RAV4 , now 8 years old , but if I do we’re this additives any good.

[Hornet3D]

I think the jury is still out on the question of DPF cleaner additives, there is some evidence that they may have an effect but that is about it.  General advice seems to be if you are having issues there is nothing to lose by trying the additives otherwise save your cash.

[Cyker]

I've never been convinced of their effectiveness, reason being that these additives go in the fuel tank and are then burned, so how are they going to get to the DPF??

The only thing I can think of is if they make the burn much hotter, as heat is what you want to send to the DPF to trigger the soot burn-off.

However, that is really bad for the turbo - Diesel exhaust is normally a lot cooler than petrol exhaust, which is why they can use much more advanced turbos (e.e. Variable turbos), and those increased exhaust temps could damage the turbo if it's sustained...

 

[TonyHSD]

The quality additives actually works and help many times however they need to be used exactly as recommended and also the car has to be taken on a longer drive. They indeed rise the temperature higher and burn out the soot but this to happen you need to drive at least 30-40 min continuously at 60+ mph and do few quicker acceleration to increase pressure in exhaust system + the higher temperature and you may get some positive results. No need to be crazy high speed or dangerous driving. No risk for turbo or other parts as these get air flow cooling from the higher speeds. Wynns are good brand and works fine. Highly recommended 👍

[catnash]

I use archoil.  Only had petrol till now so put the diesel one in when I got my diesel.  A work colleague on the other hand puts premium Shell in on pay day.

[Catlover]

39 minutes ago, catnash said:

I use archoil.  Only had petrol till now so put the diesel one in when I got my diesel.  A work colleague on the other hand puts premium Shell in on pay day.

How do you find the Archoil?  I use a petrol Archoil product in both our hybrids

[ernieb]

I haven't used additional fuel additives since my early days of driving when it was a shot of REDEX with every gallon?

I've just recently decided to use Premium petrol in the PHEV as I don't use that much and it sits in the tank longer than on previous cars. Rightly or wrongly I figured this would be a good move and it is currently E5 rather than E10, subjectively I feel the ICE sounds less harsh?

[Stopeter44]

2 hours ago, ernieb said:

Rightly or wrongly I figured this would be a good move and it is currently E5 rather than E10, subjectively I feel the ICE sounds less harsh?

Can you get E5 (95 octane) in the UK ? I can get it here, but not at my local stations. I reckoned that if E5 has 4% more "driving power" (for want of a better term), then if the price difference is less than 4% then I should pay marginally less for the distance I cover. From your perspective of a PHEV, it makes sense to reduce the ethanol sitting in the tank, how often between fill ups under normal conditions ? 

[philip42h]

15 minutes ago, Stopeter44 said:

Can you get E5 (95 octane) in the UK ? I can get it here, but not at my local stations. I reckoned that if E5 has 4% more "driving power" (for want of a better term), then if the price difference is less than 4% then I should pay marginally less for the distance I cover. From your perspective of a PHEV, it makes sense to reduce the ethanol sitting in the tank, how often between fill ups under normal conditions ? 

Generally speaking, 'no'. We have E10 (95 RON) unleaded as the standard fuel and, in many places (not all), E5 (98 RON) premium unleaded with all the beneficial additives and premium price that implies.

So, the improved range of premium unleaded (E5) is very unlikely to be justified by the increased price. However, if cost is not an issue, any petrol engine is likely to run more smoothly on premium fuel - at least subjectively.

[catnash]

10 hours ago, Catlover said:

How do you find the Archoil?  I use a petrol Archoil product in both our hybrids

With all the research I've read over the years.  It's why I use them.  Some think they're snake oil but I feel it's worth doing. There's a refinery down this way and the additives are added afterwards.  

[ernieb]

1 hour ago, Stopeter44 said:

........ From your perspective of a PHEV, it makes sense to reduce the ethanol sitting in the tank, how often between fill ups under normal conditions ? 

It was the primary driver for me wanting to change in the first place as right now I do not do any long trips that take me out of the EV charge range. In a few weeks that will be different but my usage will still be a cycle of log trip followed by a bunch of EV range trips.  I was happy enough to pay the difference but let's wait and see what the next few weeks bring in terms of prices at the pump?

[nlee]

2 hours ago, Stopeter44 said:

From your perspective of a PHEV, it makes sense to reduce the ethanol sitting in the tank, how often between fill ups under normal conditions ? 

Last time I filled up the tank was 8th Jan and I have about half a tank left. If my journey profile remains similar it will be about 3.5/4 months for me.

[Lawnmowerman]

All current cars are designed to use E10 (has been defacto for a number of years on the continent) but, the PHEV versions with potentially longer spells in the fuel tank does change the dynamics.

I sell Ethanol free fuel (for garden machinery etc.) but at £4/litre it would be ruinous for the mileages incurred. Perfect for garden machinery where fuel can be lying around for months. The fuel I sell has a shelf life of up to 5 years (not hygroscopic among other things).