Clogged up diesel particulate filters

PERHAPS you’ve taken advantage of the fuel-efficiency and low CO2 emissions of a diesel car. I’ve been running an Audi A4 2.0 TDI and have recently just switched to the bigger Audi A6 2.0 TDIe.

The fuel economy is really brilliant. And I particularly love the easy-driving low-down response of the A6. But some drivers aren’t always having a stress-free relationship with their diesel cars.

Take Tim, a friend of mine who runs a small business called Turning Circle Solutions. I helped Tim, as I have before, with his choice of car. With two Audi A3s under his belt, Tim wanted a change and I helped him draw up a short list.

I then put Tim in touch with our local BVRLA-approved car leasing broker Concept Vehicle Leasing – the director, Paul Bulloch, contributes occasional articles to www.businessmotoring.co.uk. And eventually Tim settled on a rather plush Jaguar X-Type estate diesel.

So far so good. Until Tim’s Jaguar went into limp home mode one day. It’s the classic issue of the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) clogging up.

DPFs are useful because they remove most of that horrendous black tailpipe soot produced by diesel engines. However, as the soot collects, it also needs to burn off at a high temperature. This has to be done on the motorway where a consistently high speed generates the necessary heat for burn off to take place.

But, unless you mix your town driving with motorway work, then you could experience exactly the same issue as Tim. And a replacement DPF can cost up to