DPF vent

[Inego]

No, I don't have one - I've venting about the b***dy things!!!!!

Octavia Scout (so 103PD TDi), picked it up 6 weeks ago. Weekend before last, DPF light comes on, so took it in to be looked at last Weds (fabled "1500k service" was almost due, so....). Picked it up, no forced regen. done on the diesel, just told "take it for a run, 15mins above 80kmh will get rid of the light".

Anyway, finally got a chance to do this on Sat - but the thing went into limp mode on the way to the motorway! Manual says to take it to your dealer for a reset......so I dropped it off yesterday. Was on the train after leaving work a little early to pick it up when I got a call saying it wasn't ready and they were waiting to hear back from Skoda. Just rang them now, and it's not likely to be ready today either - they've got to "check the codes and then clear the light" or some such ****e.

In 20 years I've never had a car in for service overnight, let alone 3 days (plus last week) when it's 6 weeks old. Given its so new I should be asking for a courtesy car.

They're probably going to get the benefit of the doubt this time, but any slight recurrence and I'm going to be badmouthing Skoda from the rooftops - sorry guys (and I do like the car!)

Kent

[K1W1]

Given its so new I should be asking for a courtesy car.

There is no way I would have been leaving the dealership without one.

[Inego]

You're right, I should have insisted. After I typed that I rang back and insisted....but now waiting for their callback....

Not bad mouthing the dealer or the brand at this stage, as I really like the car, but not happy....

[K1W1]

I understand. I spent the last 12 years driving Land Rovers (and loan cars and LR supplied rental cars).
I still love Land Rovers.

[woofy]

For the cost of these things, if they are gonna treat them as premium then they should be doing other premium things like a car waiting for you without you even mentioning it. I've never had to ask, there is always one there.

[brad]

When the fuel pressure regulator crapped itself early in the ownership experience, Wakelings at Campbelltown bent over backwards to get me a vehicle. They were most apologetic that they couldn't give me a Skoda & offered a Holden Epica as a replacement. In retrospect I should have asked for an SS Comode but I was happy to take anything safe & roadworthy off the lot.

[gregozedobe]

Octavia Scout (so 103PD TDi), picked it up 6 weeks ago. Weekend before last, DPF light comes on, so took it in to be looked at last Weds (fabled "1500k service" was almost due, so....). Picked it up, no forced regen. done on the diesel, just told "take it for a run, 15mins above 80kmh will get rid of the light".

Anyway, finally got a chance to do this on Sat - but the thing went into limp mode on the way to the motorway! Manual says to take it to your dealer for a reset......so I dropped it off yesterday. Was on the train after leaving work a little early to pick it up when I got a call saying it wasn't ready and they were waiting to hear back from Skoda. Just rang them now, and it's not likely to be ready today either - they've got to "check the codes and then clear the light" or some such ****e.

Sounds like your scout might need more just clearing error codes to me.

I think when the DPF light comes up it needs a good run NOW, not in two weeks time when you finally get around to it.

What sort of driving does your Scout mostly do ?

VW TDI engines fitted with a DPF are not suited for lots of short trips, and/or heavy stop start traffic etc, as this clogs up the DPF very quickly.

If you don't regularly do a good run on a highway or freeway (20 mins+ at over 2,000 rpm is needed to allow a "normal" self-regeneration) the DPF will get even more clogged to the point where a "forced" regeneration will have to be done by the dealer, and if this doesn't clear the DPF then a new DPF is required (at mega-dollar cost).

Some salespeople don't discuss this "characteristic" very well, which sometimes ends up with people buying a car with an engine (ie TDI with DPF) that is totally unsuited to the type of driving they do. And of course some people don't listen to what they are being told by the salesperson and also don't read the owner's manual. I'm not saying any of this actually applies to you, but it has happened in the past and I'm certain it will happen again in the future.

If most driving is done in short trips and/or heavy stop start traffic either a non-DPF TDI engine or a petrol VAG engine is be a much better choice.



I agree that if your new car is off the road with warranty problems then the dealer should supply a loan vehicle (and it also gives them quite a bit more incentive to get your car fixed sooner rather than later).

[brad]

I wonder why VW DPFs are so fragile.

We had a Holden Captiva Diesel for 20,000km. The wife used it, so lots of short trips, stop/start Sydney suburbs type traffic.

Not once did I notice any type of regen occuring; not once did the particulate filter light come on.

[Inego]

I think when the DPF light comes up it needs a good run NOW, not in two weeks time when you finally get around to it.

VW TDI engines fitted with a DPF are not suited for lots of short trips, and/or heavy stop start traffic etc, as this clogs up the DPF very quickly.

Some salespeople don't discuss this "characteristic" very well,

Sorry for the edits to your post there Greg - picking up on the salient points (to me) though.

1. agree with the "run now" comment, in hindsight - but dealer didn't mention this or, alternatively, could have done a forced regen when it was taken in last week

2. mostly short trips and, rather than not discussing the characteristics of the DPF very well, they weren't discussed at all by the sales people. My wife, in partcular, is v. annoyed that we've bought "the wrong car". But the Scout is only TDi here in Oz

As for the loan car, I was told all there cars were booked out, and no demos spare either. Assuming the car is ready today, I'll be voicing my considerable displeasure at a number of things. if it isn't, I'll be expressing my even greater displeasure!

Kent

PS. As a car, I still prefer the Scout to the Subaru it replaced. But the experience is the worst in 20 years.....

PPS. I probably should include some smilies there somewhere so I come across as less of a grumpy old man

[K1W1]

I'm struggling with the concept of this happening in 6 weeks. I could understand if the car was 12 months old and had never been more than 20km away from home. I'm thinking that there are three possibe causes;

1. VAG diesel engines are utter crap and shouldn't be sold in Australian metro environments.

2. There is a faulty part somewhere that is simply a faulty part and the problem will not re occur once that part is replaced.

3. You picked up some rubbish fuel.

To me 2 and 3 seem far more likely causes than simply driving style (which is what 1 really is) in such a short time frame especially when you consider that rush hour Sydney driving is still nowhere near as bad as some European cities and even a short trip on Sydney is a holiday excursion for some Europeans. If 1 was a problem in Sydney how many problems must some European drivers have?

[Inego]

Kiwi - I can't see driving style being the issue, although my wife has done most of the driving. She has a tendency to remain in lower gears than necessary, but that should be a good thing, based on several people's responses.

I agree that 2 or 3 seem more likely, given the timeframe. And remembering that the DPF light came on about 2 weeks after we'd done a good motorway run. The fact that the dealer needed advice from Skoda (which seems to have taken almost a day) suggests that there is a bit more to this than just driving style....

[gregozedobe]

It may have a faulty exhaust gas pressure sensor (there are two; one before the DPF and one after - that is how the ECU determines a regeneration is needed). These sensors seem to fail rather frequently on VAG TDIs for some reason.

Or it may simply be the short trips in traffic - from what I've read it is perfectly possible to clog up a DPF in only one week of the "wrong" type of driving

It isn't so much the driving style of a particular driver, but the fact that the engine is constantly accelerating and decelerating at low revs and road speeds; and also not running fully warmed up for much of the time. Both of these create a lot of soot, which the DPF dutifully traps (as it is designed to do).

The problem is that the engine is never being run at the right conditions to then burn off all this accumulated soot ( a self or auto regeneration). As I said earlier, the engine needs to run at 2,000 revs or more for about 20 minutes to do a full regeneration. This can be done in 3rd or 4th gear to avoid speeding fines, but if it isn't done when needed the DPF will get too full, creating more serious problems.

[Inego]

Greg - again, thanks.

Although I'm now driving a Nissan Tiida, I'd never own one

4th day without the car. The delay appears to be tooing and froing between the dealer and Skoda re. the codes the car is showing. No guarantee from anyone when anything will be ready, but I'm interested in the explanatino when it arrives. Maybe I'm a guinea pig?

Kent

[gregozedobe]

I hope it all gets sorted out properly, and sooner rather than later. I've had both a Tiida and a Micra as loaner cars when my van was being fixed under warranty, and I was very happy to get my van back ! It's a bit sad when a large commercial van with a little 2.5l diesel engine is nicer to drive than a car (and it was a lot faster, too !!).

It migh be worth asking for a copy of the paperwork documenting the parts replaced and the work done, that way you have more info if you have any problems in the future.

[Inego]

Finally got the car back yesterday, and it all seems to have been DPF related. According to their readings, the DPF was 54% Weds last week, but absolutely 100% when I took it back, having gone into limp mode on the Sat. Still not sure why they didn't force a regen on the Weds when the warning was on at 54%?

Two lessons learnt (and which should be told both potential and new purchasers of TDIs with DPF):

1. lots of short trips clog the system - build in a regular longer trip. Or DPF fitted TDIs are wrong for city living.

2. if your DPF warning light comes on, you must do that longer trip ASAP, waiting a day or two is too long....

Now, finding the time to build the longer trips in........

Kent