Diesel concerns: Diesel Particle Filter and new laws

[sgrg]

Hi All,

A day away from picking up my X5 40D; however, I am bit concerned as I have just come to know about DPF issues.

How often does the DPF issue surface? The car i have chosen is a Jan 2011 40D with 42k miles on the clock. So if this issue hasn't surfaced before on this particular car it may do anytime soon. Furthermore, Boris seems to be stirring up things regarding Diesel vehicles' future. This will be my first ever diesel car, so I am bit unfamiliar with the nuances of diesel cars. Is it worth spending £30k on an almost 4 year old car, despite the uncertain future of diesel cars?

This might be a loaded question, forgive my ignorance regarding diesel cars. I just want to make sure I am making the right decision. Thanks in advance for all your feedbacks.

Thanks

[535dboy]

Diesels are meant for commercial vehicles not cars

They are good for CO2 but crap for all other pollutants and it was a cock up to tax everything based on CO2 because it massively shifted the buying mix in to diesel cars wrongly

This will be why manufacturers are now spending more time on petrol cars and make them much more efficient and a good petrol isn't far away from a diesel now in the economy stakes

Values of diesel cars will soon go down as they become more and more unpopular as the tax regime shifts.

Just buy an X5M and be done with it

[X5Sport]

And now for the sensible answers....

The DPF will be perfectly OK as long as the car has been used correctly.  Short journeys will cause it to clog eventually but as long as the car is used regularly on journeys where it exceeds 40mph for at least 20 minutes after it's warmed up then it will be fine.  A journey of this type will allow the regeneration cycle to run and that means the exhaust will get very hot and burn off the soot.  It happens automatically every few hundred miles.

A BMW Dealer can also 'force' a regeneration cycle.  Only if the DPF warning is ignored will you get a problem.

Boris is just off on one and his plans are only valid for cars that are EU5 or earlier.  EU6 isn't included because you have a bottle of pig wee under the bonnet.  Boris already has a system in place for the worst polluting cars - the LEZ - and no one is overly concerned about that.  He needs to get the pollution in London down to meet a target but as usual is using the scatter gun approach instead of doing it properly.  Like 535dboy and Clarkson, he hates diesels.

Very soon ALL types of new vehicle will be fitted with a particulate filter of some sort regardless of whether petrol or diesel, unless they are electric.  They can fail, but that doesn't mean they will.  If used properly you won't have any problems.

So don't worry and enjoy your car.

Richard

[535dboy]

I thought I was helpful!!!

My office is 3 miles from home although overall I did do about 15k a year

I drove the car hard (once warm) and had no probs with the dpf over 4 years.

[sgrg]

[quote="X5Sport"]
And now for the sensible answers....

The DPF will be perfectly OK as long as the car has been used correctly.  Short journeys will cause it to clog eventually but as long as the car is used regularly on journeys where it exceeds 40mph for at least 20 minutes after it's warmed up then it will be fine.  A journey of this type will allow the regeneration cycle to run and that means the exhaust will get very hot and burn off the soot.  It happens automatically every few hundred miles.

A BMW Dealer can also 'force' a regeneration cycle.  Only if the DPF warning is ignored will you get a problem.

Boris is just off on one and his plans are only valid for cars that are EU5 or earlier.  EU6 isn't included because you have a bottle of pig wee under the bonnet.  Boris already has a system in place for the worst polluting cars - the LEZ - and no one is overly concerned about that.  He needs to get the pollution in London down to meet a target but as usual is using the scatter gun approach instead of doing it properly.  Like 535dboy and Clarkson, he hates diesels.

Very soon ALL types of new vehicle will be fitted with a particulate filter of some sort regardless of whether petrol or diesel, unless they are electric.  They can fail, but that doesn't mean they will.  If used properly you won't have any problems.

So don't worry and enjoy your car.

Richard
[/quote]

Thanks Richard. Looks like 2011 X5 40D falls under the EU5 category. Will do some more digging around before making my way up north tomorrow.

[535dboy]

[quote="sgrg"]
[quote="X5Sport"]
And now for the sensible answers....

The DPF will be perfectly OK as long as the car has been used correctly.  Short journeys will cause it to clog eventually but as long as the car is used regularly on journeys where it exceeds 40mph for at least 20 minutes after it's warmed up then it will be fine.  A journey of this type will allow the regeneration cycle to run and that means the exhaust will get very hot and burn off the soot.  It happens automatically every few hundred miles.

A BMW Dealer can also 'force' a regeneration cycle.  Only if the DPF warning is ignored will you get a problem.

Boris is just off on one and his plans are only valid for cars that are EU5 or earlier.  EU6 isn't included because you have a bottle of pig wee under the bonnet.  Boris already has a system in place for the worst polluting cars - the LEZ - and no one is overly concerned about that.  He needs to get the pollution in London down to meet a target but as usual is using the scatter gun approach instead of doing it properly.  Like 535dboy and Clarkson, he hates diesels.

Very soon ALL types of new vehicle will be fitted with a particulate filter of some sort regardless of whether petrol or diesel, unless they are electric.  They can fail, but that doesn't mean they will.  If used properly you won't have any problems.

So don't worry and enjoy your car.

Richard
[/quote]

Thanks Richard. Looks like 2011 X5 40D falls under the EU5 category. Will do some more digging around before making my way up north tomorrow.
[/quote]

What about my helpful advice !?

[sgrg]

[quote="535dboy"]
[quote="sgrg"]
[quote="X5Sport"]
And now for the sensible answers....

The DPF will be perfectly OK as long as the car has been used correctly.  Short journeys will cause it to clog eventually but as long as the car is used regularly on journeys where it exceeds 40mph for at least 20 minutes after it's warmed up then it will be fine.  A journey of this type will allow the regeneration cycle to run and that means the exhaust will get very hot and burn off the soot.  It happens automatically every few hundred miles.

A BMW Dealer can also 'force' a regeneration cycle.  Only if the DPF warning is ignored will you get a problem.

Boris is just off on one and his plans are only valid for cars that are EU5 or earlier.  EU6 isn't included because you have a bottle of pig wee under the bonnet.  Boris already has a system in place for the worst polluting cars - the LEZ - and no one is overly concerned about that.  He needs to get the pollution in London down to meet a target but as usual is using the scatter gun approach instead of doing it properly.  Like 535dboy and Clarkson, he hates diesels.

Very soon ALL types of new vehicle will be fitted with a particulate filter of some sort regardless of whether petrol or diesel, unless they are electric.  They can fail, but that doesn't mean they will.  If used properly you won't have any problems.

So don't worry and enjoy your car.

Richard
[/quote]

Thanks Richard. Looks like 2011 X5 40D falls under the EU5 category. Will do some more digging around before making my way up north tomorrow.
[/quote]

What about my helpful advice !?
[/quote]

oops thanks 535dboy, although buying an X5M is not a viable solution for me

[X5Sport]

EU6 only applies to a small range of cars at the moment.  Boris is just being a money/headline grabber.  There are hundreds of thousands of diesel vehicles on the road in the UK with DPFs and the massive overwhelming majority have never had any issues with their DPFs.  There are cleaners that can be put through as well, and they keep the DPF running.

The handbook tells you exactly what you need to know about them, and how to look after them.  A lot of scare stories appeared after catalytic converters first arrived.  Most of those were nothing more than scare stories.

Being aware of having one and that you need to do certain things is the key.  You now know, so should not have an issue.

Enjoy driving the new toy.....

Richard

[celica]

[quote="535dboy"]
I thought I was helpful!!!

My office is 3 miles from home although overall I did do about 15k a year

I drove the car hard (once warm) and had no probs with the dpf over 4 years.
[/quote]

shouldnt the useful post be sell the x5 and buy a proper car LOL


for the OP, many current diesels now have DPF.
I've just come from e61 5 series LCI, basically a faceflift.
What's interesting to note is that the pre facelift have the DPF as a serviceable item on the idrive i believe at 120k I think, whilst the LCI had done away with it in the service menu screens on the idrive.

there is a life span on DPF, like any other items on each cars, but as above, make sure once in whilst its given a good run

[X5Sport]

[quote="celica"]
...shouldnt the useful post be sell the x5 and buy a proper car LOL [/quote]

Don't encourage him, he's got a stretched A3...... O:-)

Richard

[535dboy]

[quote="X5Sport"]
[quote="celica"]
...shouldnt the useful post be sell the x5 and buy a proper car LOL [/quote]

Don't encourage him, he's got a stretched A3...... O:-)

Richard
[/quote]

With a 4.2V8!!

[X5Sport]

Hence the stretch....... )

[99ron]

I reset the 120K DPF replacement alarm on the idrive when it came up on my pre-LCI 535d and at 148K still no problems. Just drive the cars like they are supposed to be driven and the DPF regens should keep it clean.
I see some have taken to removing the DPF using a bypass pipe with associated remap rather than replace a clogged one, but I think recent MOT laws have changed to say if the car was built with a DPF then it should have one fitted. Not a cheap item to replace so best keep giving it a good thrashing )

[X5Sport]

[quote="99ron"]
......but I think recent MOT laws have changed to say if the car was built with a DPF then it should have one fitted. Not a cheap item to replace so best keep giving it a good thrashing )
[/quote]

Correct

[martin33100]

[quote="99ron"]
I reset the 120K DPF replacement alarm on the idrive when it came up on my pre-LCI 535d and at 148K still no problems. Just drive the cars like they are supposed to be driven and the DPF regens should keep it clean.
I see some have taken to removing the DPF using a bypass pipe with associated remap rather than replace a clogged one, but I think recent MOT laws have changed to say if the car was built with a DPF then it should have one fitted. Not a cheap item to replace so best keep giving it a good thrashing )
[/quote]How do you reset the DPF on he Idrive?