Extend vehicle life
Restore engine performance
Increase fuel efficiency

A Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) is an integral filter in a diesel vehicle’s exhaust system that captures and traps potentially hazardous soot particles and build up. All modern diesel vehicles from 2006 onwards come with a DPF, this is designed to ensure harmful chemical substances are not being released into the atmosphere.

Over time, the DPF begins to build up with soot. There are a number of contributing factors as to why DPF’s clog up. These include:

• • Quality of Fuel – using Bio Fuels can contribute to extra soot build-up as Bio Fuel may not burn as clean as regular diesel fuel.
  • Quality of Engine Oil – using incorrect oil specified for your engine can significantly add to the amount of soot build-up in your DPF
  • Temperature– Filter regeneration requires the temperature of a DPF filter to be around 600c. These temperatures will only be reached at high speed, long trips. Therefore, low speed driving will not reach high enough temperatures, causing the filter to block faster
  • Style of Driving – Short journeys and low speed driving cause a faster build up of soot as the conditions required for the regeneration process are less likely to occur.
  • Year Model/High Kilometre Vehicles– as a vehicle with DPF systems age and begins to wear out, filter regeneration becomes harder to complete
  • After each regeneration cycle a small percentage of ash is left behind in the DPF. Over time & regeneration cycles this residual amount increases to slowly fill the DPF causing more frequent regenerations and eventually leading to driveability issues. Only this cleaning process removes this residual ash left in your DPF

The frequency between each DPF clean will vary based on whether your vehicle coincides with the variety of factors as outlined in question 2. Furthermore, the frequency of your DPF clean will vary by manufacturer and level of vehicle usage.

Getting your DPF regularly cleaned will guarantee many more kilometres and years of service on your vehicle and filter, restore engine performance and increase fuel efficiency. Getting your DPF back to its original condition is based upon a number of contributing factors, including the vehicles previous service history and overall care of the vehicle by its owner etc.

DPF cleaning additives are chemical solutions that claim they will adequately clean a DPF without the need to remove and clean the DPF professionally. Additives do not remove the residual build up of ash in the DPF. DPF cleaning additives are only a temporary fix and a band-aid solution. The only true way of cleaning a DPF, especially for city drivers, is to get it professionally removed, cleaned and serviced.

EGR is a nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions reduction process used in petrol/diesel engines. EGR works by recirculating a portion of the engines exhaust gases back to the engine’s cylinders. The EGR reduces the NOx by lowering the oxygen concentration in the combustion chamber as well as through heat absorption.

Symptoms of a bad or failing EGR include engine performance issues like decreased power and acceleration, rough idle, and the Check Engine light on the dash.

Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) catalyst converts harmful and hazardous gases (NOx emissions) into harmless nitrogen gas and water vapour. The SCR catalyst system is a reliable technology that enables enhanced fuel economy, requiring very little maintenance.

Diesel Oxidation Catalyst (DOC) is a device designed to oxidize carbon monoxide in the DPF. DOC increases passive regeneration – an ongoing chemical process to oxidize carbon during a vehicle’s regular operation, also known as ‘self-cleaning’.

A Catalytic Converter (CAT) is a device in the exhaust system that converts and breaks down toxic gases and substances from an internal combustion engine to less toxic pollutants by catalysing a redox reaction.

• • Your vehicle’s fuel efficiency drops suddenly
  • Your vehicle loses power and doesn’t accelerate
  • Your vehicle fails an emissions test
  • Strong exhaust odours
  • Your engine light comes on