PDF filter problems, still worth buying a diesel?

magnus500

Hi folks.
I commute about 600km a week and so was considering buying a diesel, hopefully smaller engine so lower tax and insurance with budget of about €5000. However, I've been researching diesels and lots of people say about problems with dpf with expensive repair costs. Does the saving of having a diesel work out or is it now too much of a risk I f looking for a lower mileage car?

magnus500

Sorry, title should read dpf, damn autocorrect!

dbrunson

magnus500 wrote: »

Hi folks.
I commute about 600km a week and so was considering buying a diesel, hopefully smaller engine so lower tax and insurance with budget of about €5000. However, I've been researching diesels and lots of people say about problems with dpf with expensive repair costs. Does the saving of having a diesel work out or is it now too much of a risk I f looking for a lower mileage car?

Hi, I've owned a few diesels over the past few years, all well looked after (in my ownership) and as you mention in your post the diesel related repairs have in all cases negagted the savings made by using a diesel car. So now i run a fiat panda. 1.2 petrol ( cheapest car to run I've ever owned) and a lexus gs300. Even with the annual road tax on the lexus being 1400ish it is still a cheaper to run over all scenario that the 307 and focus diesel they replaced (and in both cases the petrol are way more fun albeit in totally different ways) . So for me i will never ever buy a used diesel again.

dbrunson

magnus500 wrote: »

Hi folks.
I commute about 600km a week and so was considering buying a diesel, hopefully smaller engine so lower tax and insurance with budget of about €5000. However, I've been researching diesels and lots of people say about problems with dpf with expensive repair costs. Does the saving of having a diesel work out or is it now too much of a risk I f looking for a lower mileage car?

Hi, I've owned a few diesels over the past few years, all well looked after (in my ownership) and as you mention in your post the diesel related repairs have in all cases negagted the savings made by using a diesel car. So now i run a fiat panda. 1.2 petrol ( cheapest car to run I've ever owned) and a lexus gs300. Even with the annual road tax on the lexus being 1400ish it is still a cheaper to run over all scenario that the 307 and focus diesel they replaced (and in both cases the petrol are way more fun albeit in totally different ways) . So for me i will never ever buy a used diesel again.

Jayop

Sales people don't explain the DPF properly to people when buying because they don't understand them. The DPF like any other filter gets clogged up and needs to go through a process called regeneration. Basically during a long journey at a steady speed it heats up and burns off the soot to clean itself. Most of the problems with DPF filters I came across were people who bought diesels and didn't take them on long runs. They need a good drive at reasonably steady high revs every now and again. Most can go thought a forced regeneration in the garage but it can cause problems if you need to do this too often.

tl;dr

If you use it for long journeys you shouldn't have a problem. If you only use it for school run and popping to the shops then buy a petrol.


Edit: This is the case for most manufacturers that I've worked for anyway.

George Dalton

The majority of diesel cars available for a budget of €5k won't actually have a DPF.

Jayop

George Dalton wrote: »

The majority of diesel cars available for a budget of €5k won't actually have a DPF.

I'm out of the trade now 3.5 years and they all had them at that stage. I couldn't remember when they came in or what you'd buy for 5k. Would you get a 2008 focus for that money?

George Dalton

Jayop wrote: »

I'm out of the trade now 3.5 years and they all had them at that stage. I couldn't remember when they came in or what you'd buy for 5k. Would you get a 2008 focus for that money?

You probably could but I would be wary of one at that money!

Most 2008 diesel Focus models didn't have a DPF in any case. None of the Irish market cars did. Some UK cars did but not all.

Jayop

George Dalton wrote: »

You probably could but I would be wary of one at that money!

Most 2008 diesel Focus models didn't have a DPF in any case. None of the Irish market cars did. Some UK cars did but not all.

I'm sure you're right now that you say it.

colm_mcm

Id say it'd be mainly French stuff at that price level that'd have dpf

bazz26

110 bhp versions of the PSA 1.6 HDI had a DPF. The 90bhp versions didn't. Both my old 2005 Focus and 2006 Volvo S40 with that engine had a DPF. I had to replace the DPF in the S40.

On a budget of €5k I'd be looking towards a 1.9 TDi Golf or Octavia, old school technology and safer bet in that price range.

Casati

Renautl 1.5 dci up to 2008 didn't have dpf, but with OP doing 600km a week I wouldn't worry too much about it. The main issue will be getting a decent diesel without starship miles for 5000. Even the older 1.9 TDI's have issues as the miles mount up - e.g turbo failure is fairly common, and dual mass flywheel is going to be on pretty much all second hand diesels bar automatics. I think I'd be going for a reliable and fairly economical petrol like a Mazda 3 with that budget

cerastes

Christ, Id like to be able to be doing 600kms a week just to get the use of it, Ive a low mileage older 1.9Tdi diesel, it was imported and I dont think Id have gone for an equivalent year in an Irish diesel car as the spec would be lower and the miles through the roof (likely for a diesel), what you driving now?
With your miles Id get a diesel, its almost 19k miles a year

ScouseMouse

I am just off the boat from getting a new dpf on a mondeo 2l. Car still running crap with engine malfunction and lumpy driving.

It needs more work now and I could cry. Expect a thread on motors later or tomorrow when I get the full rundown from the mechanic and M53 Ford.

Leonard Hofstadter

Worth pointing out that it's the type of usage that causes DPF and DMF problems with diesel engines, NOT mileage. At your mileage diesel makes sense especially with the price gap between petrol and diesel and present, and if you're going to be doing mostly out of town driving then you don't need to worry about the DPF - it will be fine. Good luck trying to find a nice clean one at your prices, though...

cerastes

captainspeed wrote: »

Worth pointing out that it's the type of usage that causes DPF and DMF problems with diesel engines, NOT mileage. At your mileage diesel makes sense especially with the price gap between petrol and diesel and present, and if you're going to be doing mostly out of town driving then you don't need to worry about the DPF - it will be fine. Good luck trying to find a nice clean one at your prices, though...

What's good price/mileage? Thankfully I don't have a dpf
Maybe the op can find a (edit should be pre pretty pre dpf version, being older, surely be cheaper?

Markcheese

If you're doing a lot of motorway /main road miles then there shouldn't be a Dpf issue- I suppose it's former life and service history will have a large bearing - but a highish milage car is likely to already had the clutch and DMF done-
Do a lot of the Psa engines have a fuel additive bottle somewhere in there ? That tends to get ignored -