A diesel car comes with its disadvantages, and one significant drawback is the particulate filter or DPF. If you’ve bought an Volkswagen T5 and are facing issues with the particulate filter, read this article word for word to avoid future costly problems.
Let’s start the article with a brief presentation of the diesel exhaust filtering system. What is the DPF?
The particulate filter is an exhaust gas filtering device located on the post-combustion side. It is designed to capture particles emitted by the engine as small as 0.01 μm. The DPF can be located before or after the catalytic converter and can even be situated between two catalytic converters.
Positioning the particulate filter before the catalytic converter helps achieve the necessary temperature for its regeneration. Its efficiency ranges from 95% to 100%, significantly reducing emissions of unburned particles and ash from combustion gases. These particles are directly harmful to humans as they are easily inhaled, remain suspended, and can adhere to lung walls, posing carcinogenic risks.
When did the DPF first appear?
For Diesel engines, the first vehicles equipped with DPFs appeared starting with Euro 4 emissions standards, and from Euro 5 emissions standards (2009 in the European Union), it became mandatory for all compression ignition engines.
Having a DPF sounds good – in a way, it saves the world from pollution, right? In no way, and you’ll soon understand why it’s just a way to mask emissions, not eliminate them.
Before addressing that, let’s answer another common question. What is the lifespan of a particulate filter (DPF) on an Volkswagen T5?
From experience, we can tell you that after 10 years, any particulate filter is nearing the end of its life. At this point, it either needs replacement or cleaning. Replacement is costly, costing several thousand lei. Cleaning costs around 100 euros, plus labor for installation and removal. There are many workshops in Romania that promise to physically and digitally disable the filter.
We do not recommend doing this because it’s illegal. Your car will no longer pass the technical inspection (ITP), and if stopped by the RAR (Romanian Auto Registry) in traffic, your license plates will be confiscated. Once you go to the RAR for reinspection, you will need to reinstall the DPF on your car, and you’ll end up in the same position, but you would have paid several thousand lei in fines in the meantime.
Can you clean the DPF on an Volkswagen T5 at home?
Certainly, there are solutions we sell, like Protec, which cost less than 10 euros and work wonders. Pour the solution into your car’s fuel tank and let it work.
How do you know how loaded the particulate filter is on an Volkswagen T5?
We’ve mentioned it in many articles. Our recommendation, which we believe is a healthy one, is to choose a mechanic, service center, or workshop that works extensively or exclusively with the brand of the car you own. Like in any profession, there are people who specialize in specific operations, brands, etc. Like in medicine, I want to go to an orthopedist when my leg hurts, not a general practitioner. You own an Volkswagen T5; take it to a service center that generally repairs only that brand.
They will put your car on a diagnostic tester, and they will see real-time parameters, including the particulate filter’s loading level, when it last regenerated, how long it took, how much fuel it used while doing so, etc.
You can use Protec’s solution after putting your car on the tester. See the results before and after.
How is forced DPF regeneration done on an Volkswagen T5?
Forced regeneration should only be done by a specialist. The car must meet certain mandatory conditions, and it must be done outdoors, not indoors because it emits so much smoke that it becomes unbearable inside the garage, and there’s also a risk of fire. Forced regeneration is done through a diagnostic tester and is quite dangerous. We do not recommend doing this unless it is the last possible solution.
How is on-the-road regeneration of the particulate filter (DPF) done on an Volkswagen T5?
Like forced regeneration, on-the-road regeneration must meet certain conditions. The logic behind on-the-road regeneration is that it occurs in non-urban environments to reduce pollution in cities. In essence, the filter collects deposits every day in the city and eliminates them on its first longer drive outside the city. Thus, pollution ends up outside the city.
To perform on-the-road regeneration on an Volkswagen T5, you must drive the car at high RPM (we recommend on a highway) between 3,000 and 3,500 RPM for 20-30 minutes. This raises the temperature in the filter to over 800 degrees Celsius and effectively breaks down and eliminates deposits into the atmosphere.
If your car frequently enters regeneration cycles (every 10 km), it means the filter is constantly loaded, and the problem is not with the filter itself. You should check what’s causing it to clog constantly; it could be an exhaust issue or incorrect engine mixture. We will discuss this case in another article.
