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2015 VRS TDI DPF replacement - OUCH!!!
Car went into limp mode and DPF light on, took into the dealer service center and they did their diagnostic and said the DPF is full of soot and needs replacement,
Good thing I was sitting down when they told me the price, $7,850. and there are no parts in Australia.
Problem started wen the missus was cold at the football and went and sat in the car with the ignition on engine not running and the seat heaters on which flattened the battery.
Ever since then the car has been doing excessive active regenerations to the point where it constantly thinks it needs to do it.
Of course I didnt pay the ransom that they wanted and took the car thinking i could remove the DPF myself.
I have been using a bluetooth OBD dongle and the VAG DPF app on my phone and i could see that it was trying to regenerate and the soot levels would decrease, but the back pressure was increasing over time.
Anyone done this before? went through and removed all retaining bolts and clamps except the one that clamps the EGR cooler to the DPF outlet. the numpty in the factory must have thought it would be funny to install the clamp with the head of the bolt facing inward towards the engine such that there is no access to it. see item 6 in picture
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Lessons so far, don't leave the ignition on without the engine running.
if it turns out the DPF is knackered I will be looking for a wreck with one that could be reconditioned.
2015 VRS TDI DPF replacement - OUCH!!!
For a $7k replacement cost - i would definitely look into a DPF doctor type service where the DPF is either removed and physically cleaned using chemicals and high pressure air and water, or a chemical can be sprayed into the DPF while its fitted to the car.
A 2015 year car should not have a irreplaceable DPF.
Soot can be removed easily, but ash is harder to remove (but can be done).
I have physically removed the DPF off my Audi SQ5 and cleaned the soot out (i had an issue which resulted in the regens not taking place resulting in limp mode and about 3x times the normal soot level being in the DPF). Once physical cleaning had taken place I used VCDS to reset the DPF parameters in the ECU and the car has been fine for about 2.5 years now and does regular regens every 450-500kms or so.
The issue with the DPF’s in front wheel drive vehicles is that they are a pain in the ar$e to remove and require dropping the subframe and will cost a decent amount of money in labour.
I see you are in Adelaide, you might want to try:
Car Service Salisbury - Adelaide's Best Car Service Center |
Diesel Particulate Filter Cleaning Specialists | Particulate Solutions SA – Diesel Particulate Filter Cleaning Specialists