Having majors issues with my diesel car . Only a few years old but since changing jobs and now only working a couple of miles from home the DPF filter keeps building up and putting my car into limp mode. Took it 3 times in 6 months for regneration but fault materialises again . Yes I know I need to get a petrol but in the meantime if I got a garage to remove the DPF filter Will this invalidate my insurance . I know some places won’t pass the MOT but I can sort that it’s the insurance I’m Not sure about
Removing the dpf essentially means the car is not roadworthy as it "shouldn't" pass an mot so I doubt you would get insured if you told them you had removed it. Usual thing is to remove the insides and leave the empty can on the car. Get the dpf mapped out. The map usually comes with a power increase so should also be declared but the majority of folks don't.
Until last September I had a BMW X3 which was giving me real problems with the DPF in the last couple of years of ownership. The obvious answer was "you're not driving it enough. A diesel has to be driven at least one high speed run a week. If it's only being used for short journeys you can't stop the muck building up". I spent bucketloads of money on this car over a nine year period and the DPF fixing was the most expensive of the repairs. I loved that car and miss it still, but I would never have another. I went without for a few months before finally getting back on the road with a Yaris Hybrid. Quite a downgrade in luxury but a fabulous car to drive and SO economical.
Technically yes, as you’ve modified the vehicle without informing them. The modification will be seen as a performance upgrade. But, as others have said it ‘should’ fail an MOT too. So technically, the insurance is voided, if they ever had reason to inspect the vehicle and note this. It’s very unlikely they would note it, but non-the-less it’s still a undeclared modification.
You cant legally remove it - well you can but then you cant legally drive it https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-n...motorists-removing-diesel-particulate-filters Despite what the Autexpress article says its likely the car will fail its MOT without in any case as the emissions tests are quite stringent - unless the car is quite old. You really need to either go for a long drive every now and again or change your car Ive driven Diesels for the last 15 years or so and never had a problem though I've always done long runs fairly regularly
After been involved in insurance for 20+ years ......... the question set for a quote or the proposal form is "is the vehicle modified?". This could be anything from cosmetic to performance enhancing. The reasoning behind the question is that if a car is repairable due to a claim (accident/theft/vandalism etc) then as per the cover-policy they have to repair the car to the original state. If a car has modifications, whatever they are, then the insurer needs to know as any repairs could lead to increased parts/Labour costs. I've seen claims 'kicked out' for things such as oversized alloys, New paint jobs, interior alterations. Bit petty in some respects but understandable when you know the reasons behind the outcome. Advise is just be honest. Tell them. Get the outcome/advise and sort it. It maybe that its fine. It maybe that your policy becomes unacceptable........ then you've in the future got to answer the "have you ever had insurance cancelled, refused or declined?" ........ That's a whole other minefield. Pm if you need a chat.
Drive it as hard and as fast as you can in third,depended on how bad it is it might take 20-30 mins, it will ‘pop’ and you’re good to go again. Ideally as others said, take the car for a regular thrash(once a month should be plenty) to avoid.
Frequent short journey are bad for diesel cars as the soot can build up in the dpf. As said above you need to reach ‘regeneration’ where the exhaust temperature reaches a level where it can burn the soot off. Go on motorway for half hour get revs above 2000 drive in a lower gear for 10 minutes then 10 minutes back in normal then 10 minutes in lower should get the exhaust up to temperature and give it chance to regenerate. Sometimes the filter can become too blocked and will need a professional clean.
This is one of the reasons I ditched my diesel and switched to EV last September. WFH meant I had spent 6 months travelling mainly only 1.5 miles to my mothers and I was convinced I was doing it serious harm and was lining myself up for a big bill if I didn't get rid. Don't even consider messing with the DPF unless you want to give the insurance company the option to refuse a claim. Thrash it up the motorway in 3rd. Regularly. Or sell it.
Guidance Modifying your vehicle’s emissions: the legal, safety and health implications Published 2 February 2018
