DPF - Is it worth it?

I've been looking at some 2nd hand f2s as a replacement family car.
I like what I see (a lot) but I fancy one of the newer 190bhp ones and I see they come with a DPF.

I also run a Seat Ibiza ecomotive and fixing the DPF that went wrong on that was fiendishly expensive - £400 just to clean the filter - it turns out that the DPF was a poor after thought and was wedged in behind the engine in such a way that to remove it and replace it was 4 hours work!!!
Why did it fail? Well, we do a lot of miles in our cars - many of them high rev long distance ones - the DPF light never came on on the dash - that was until one of the sensors failed. When the sensor failed, the dpf seems to stop doing its own regens - we were advised to ignore the sensor failure (never again) and ended up choking it up :-(

So, once bitten - twice shy - is the DPF F2 version worth it?

My questions are:

1. Is the DPF relatively accesible
2. If the DPF needs to be replaced are they pricey (>£1k for the Ibiza 10-20% of the value of the car!!)
3. Can the DPF be removed and the engine remapped (if so how much)
4. Would its removal be legal - given its what gives the car the £35+ tax discount?

Sorry if these have come up before but I searched the forum and they seemed new questions on this site.

Cheers!

Dpf-removals

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that link is connected to 'energy tuning' ..
which is affiiated to rover rons' site of 'synergy' fame

1)The DPF sits just below the front prop shaft. Its a 5 minute job to unbolt the exhaust.

2)All DPF are expensive to replace, ring Land Rover parts and ask them for a replacement price. Think back to all the doomsayers about Cats on cars , now no one gives it a second thought really unless they drive a white Nova.

3)You can remove the DPF and remap the car , but why would you want to?

3)No the vehicle would fail the MOT if the Engine is rated for EU5 emissions. If its an early FL2 with the DPF as an option then i would have thought it had been removable.



I wouldnt ignore a diesel particulate filter differential pressure sensor fault on a DPF car, as you said above. It will cause the vehicle to ignore Regen cycles and you end up with a full DPF. When the DPF gets to a certain %soot , it will lock out regen and you would need it replacing.

Thanks Vissie - that covers it - it was the accessibility that was the killer for the ibiza - doesn't sound too bad on the FL2.

And, no, never ignore a DPF sensor warning

Cheers

So what sort of life time do these DPF's have, if you have to replace them? And whats the maintenance process when past their best?

Ah! Well that's a good question too.
Seat were always very wishywashy on that - to them it was obviously a "filter" problem and though the car was only a few months out of warranty they just ignored us.
DPFs do not last forever and they are expensive - up to about £2k to replace!!

The longest lifetime I've ever heard quoted is 10 years - so expect less

Sorry - its another of those unanswerable questions based upon how well you look after it and how lucky you are!

That said, are there any guarantees on the landrover ones?

Well , to the best of my knowlege JLR dont offer any guarantee above and beyond the 3years manufacturers warrenty +1year goodwill (terms and excuses may apply).

I think the DPFs are designed to last for Life of Vehicle, which is a sketchy term at best. Components are designed to last 7-10 years generally.




The issue i see with DPF is just the same as with a cat, if your engine is running perfectly and is maintained well , it will last alot longer. If you develop an engine fault, lets say your turbo seals wear and your getting small amounts of oil into the exhaust system causing light smoking. Then this will fill your DPF pretty fast , if your doing town mileage and so arent enabling a regen, it can cause problems.


I guess we have to wait and see

When looking at this doc I see on the Standard Feature page (2) they all have a DPF. Well the current new ones do.

http://www.landrover.com/content/gb/en/pdf/2514658/2897302/705104_L359_12MY_APRIL_12_GWS.pdf

Yeah all EU5 Land Rover's have DPF.

Its because even 4x4's have to emit sunshine out of their exhausts....

Ere's some advice on DPF's: diesel particulate filter (dpf) | AA

Does a Freelander 2 have the "active regeneration" ability to help sort the DPF? If so, how does yer know when it's running it's process so you don't stop part way through?

Bit of an overview.


Passive regeneration requires no special engine management intervention and occurs during normal engine operation. The passive regeneration involves a slow conversion of the particulate matter deposited in the DPF into carbon dioxide. This process is active when the DPF temperature reaches 250°C and is a continuous process when the vehicle is being driven at higher engine loads and speeds.

Active regeneration generally occurs every 250 miles although this is dependant on how the vehicle is driven. For example, if the vehicle is driven at low loads in urban traffic regularly, active regeneration will occur more often. This is due to the rapid build-up of particulates in the DPF than if the vehicle is driven at high speeds when passive regeneration will have occurred.

The active regeneration process takes up to 20 minutes to complete. The first phase increases the DPF temperature to 500°C. The second phase further increases the DPF temperature to 600°C, which is the optimum temperature for particle combustion. This temperature is then maintained for 15-20 minutes to ensure complete incineration of the particles within the DPF. The incineration process converts the carbon particles to carbon dioxide and water.

Blah blah blah blah blaaaaaaah !

Found this interesting info in the Freelander 2 manwell:

DIESEL PARTICULATE FILTER (DPF)
Diesel vehicles equipped with a particle filter have more efficient emission control. The particles in the exhaust gases are collected in the filter during normal driving. When a DPF message is displayed, the filter requires a regeneration cycle to clean itself. This requires the engine to have reached normal operating temperature. Regeneration takes place automatically at an interval of approximately 300-900 km (190-560 miles) depending on driving conditions. Regeneration normally takes 10-20 minutes and is automatically requested by the engine control module if the vehicle is driven steadily at vehicle speeds between 60 km/h to 112 km/h (40 mph to 70 mph). It is possible that the regeneration process will occur at lower vehicle speeds, but the events may take a little longer at a 50 km/h (30 mph) average speed.

DRIVING SHORT DISTANCES OR IN COLD WEATHER
If the vehicle is frequently driven short distances or in cold weather conditions then the engine may not reach normal operating temperature. This means that regeneration of the diesel particle filter does not take place and the filter is not efficiently cleaned. When the filter reaches a condition when a filter regeneration is appropriate and the current drive style is not appropriate, a warning triangle on the instrument panel illuminates, and the message DPF Full. See manual is displayed on the instrument panel. This is not indicating a fault condition with the vehicle and no dealership support should be required. Start regeneration of the filter by driving the vehicle, preferably on a main road or motorway. The vehicle should then be driven for approximately 20 minutes or more. When regeneration is complete the warning text is cleared automatically.

Note: A small increase in fuel consumption may be noticed temporarily during regeneration.