Can you give a DPF a good clean?

2 October 2013  

As we know, DPFs are designed to meet emission legislation and when they become blocked with soot, regeneration should occur automatically if the vehicle is driven for longer periods in order to reach the right temperature for this to take place. Washing or removing the DPF are methods used by workshops on vehicles which are only used as local run-arounds but Delphi states that not all DPFs can be washed efficiently and that removing it can affect emissions, which could affect an MOT result. A problem DPF should be removed and inspected to see if the substrate is cracked, the firm says aerosols could cause more blockages if it is already full of ash. OE filters are made with Silicone Carbide, other manufacturers may use Cordierite which can melt after multiple regenerations. Delphi DPFs are produced to OE equivalent standards using Silicone Carbide and are supplied with fitting kit