That’s the message from national automotive parts reconditioning parts specialist DPF Clean Team, which has just expanded its team to treat a wider range of DPF-related faults.
DPF Clean Team’s Managing Director, Cameron Bryce, said: “We receive many calls a day from people whose DPF warning light has come on and many automatically think that it’s because of a blocked filter, but it can be triggered by a number of things.
“We do our best to solve most DPF issues and welcome all enquiries, but there are many faults that we will refer to a garage to rectify, and many that can be solved by the vehicle owner themselves.”
While blocked DPFs are the most common cause of an illuminated warning light, the DPF light can also be triggered as a result of a faulty temperature or pressure sensor, which is a job that must be resolved by a garage or automotive technician.
A failed exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valve, problems with exhaust and injection systems and faulty glow plugs can all, in turn, affect the DPF and cause the DPF warning light to illuminate.
The company has recently taken on a specialist repairer to fix broken ceramic on damaged DPFs, a problem often caused by mechanical failure, or by a driver knocking a DPF on a difficult journey.
The ceramic monolith, or filter element of a DPF, cannot be cleaned when broken and must maintain its integrity in order for the diesel exhaust to pass only through the fine-filtering walls of the ceramic material.
The move is a direct response to a rise in the number of enquiries about DPF failures that are not a result of a blocked filter.
Cameron Bryce added: “A professional clean is not only considerably cheaper and faster than a replacement, but it can solve the majority of DPF-related issues.
“However, there are a handful of failures that it can’t resolve, which is why we are continually adding to our team and resources, and working closely with garages and fleet operators to educate them on DPF maintenance and best practice, to ensure that we can become a complete solutions provider for all DPF failures.”
For more information about DPFs and to find out about the full range of services DPF Clean Team offer, select ‘More Details’ below.