The soot filter (DPF)

Most diesel cars and commercial vehicles today are equipped with a particulate filter (DPF). The purpose of this is to reduce the exhaust fumes by letting and collecting the soot particles. This is of course good for the environment, but it certainly also has disadvantages for the engine.

The soot particles are temporarily stored in the soot filter (DPF). A regeneration process is started via the pressure sensor in the DPF as soon as the filter is saturated. During this process, the soot particles are burned off at a high temperature. To achieve this, a significant amount of diesel must be injected into the diesel particulate filter (DPF). Regeneration is therefore the destruction of stored soot particles at extremely high temperatures. A disadvantage of this is that it has a negative effect on fuel consumption. In general, regeneration is automatic.

The diesel particulate filter is only used in diesel vehicles. In contrast to petrol engines, diesel engines do not reach operating temperature after a few KM (minutes). With a normal driving style, it takes a good 30 minutes.

  • If the engine is almost not at operating temperature, combustion is not optimal and the emission of soot particles increases. This will saturate the soot filter faster and faster.
  • Because the engine does not reach operating temperature, the soot filter reaches too low a temperature to start the regeneration process. The result is that the particulate filter becomes clogged. This will reduce engine power, the computer will give an error and your car will have to be taken to the dealer for repairs. The dealer can empty the particulate filter with a forced regeneration. Repeated or delayed interventions can damage the particle filter. This shortens the service life of the diesel particulate filter.
  • The fuel consumption increases drastically because the regeneration process costs a lot of fuel.

Conclusion:

Maintenance costs increase and the service life of the particle filter is greatly reduced. At times the fuel consumption will be quite high.

What can ChipTuningPower do ?

The DPF is ultimately a filter and like any filter, it has a finite lifespan that can be shortened by external factors. Therefore, in practice, there are some problems with the DPF. The cost of completely replacing a particle filter (with the same or a reduced number of cells - analogous to the Sportkat) can be up to several thousand Swiss francs. We offer the solution for programming the particle filter. You must ensure that the particulate filter is drained or a replacement tube is installed. You can have this done in your garage or at your dealership. If this is not possible, we can do this for you. We program the particle filter and the regeneration process from the software.

Advantages:

  • No more maintenance costs on the diesel particle filter part.
  • More torque at low engine speeds because there is no back pressure from the diesel particulate filter.
  • Reduced fuel consumption that can reach up to 7%!