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Should we use diesel additive in our engine to keep it in good condition?
We are focusing on news regarding fuel additives for use in diesel engines. With diesel cars now over 50 per cent market share in the UK, and very significant numbers in use, there's a valid story concerning keeping them in tip top condition, especially older cars which are less likely to visit the service bays. I wondered if you could give me a comment please, regarding the significance of keeping diesel tiptop to maintain best economy and look after the engine .
Asked on 30 March 2013 by MH, via email
Answered by
Honest John
The problem with many modern diesel engines is the Diesel Particulate Filter, which are designed to gather unburned hydrocarbon soot on start up, then burn it off in an environmentally friendly way later in a car's journey. This makes diesel engines with DPFs unsuitable for repeated short runs from cold starts because there is no "later" so the soot does not get burned off and eventually chokes the DPF.
Some manufacturers (Renault, Mazda, BMW) counter this with technology that heats the DPF extra quickly. Some use Eolys fluid to help the DPF regenerate (PSA/Ford/Jaguar). Many use systems that inject extra diesel fuel into the engine to regenerate the DPF but this does not always work and the extra fuel can sink to the sump, contaminating the sump oil and even raising it to a level where the engine can run uncontrollably on its sump oil. It is therefore vital for all users of diesel-engined vehicles with DPFs to keep their DPFs clear either by buying vehicles with fast warm DPFs, by running the vehicles longer distances, or by using DPF cleaning additives.
Some manufacturers (Renault, Mazda, BMW) counter this with technology that heats the DPF extra quickly. Some use Eolys fluid to help the DPF regenerate (PSA/Ford/Jaguar). Many use systems that inject extra diesel fuel into the engine to regenerate the DPF but this does not always work and the extra fuel can sink to the sump, contaminating the sump oil and even raising it to a level where the engine can run uncontrollably on its sump oil. It is therefore vital for all users of diesel-engined vehicles with DPFs to keep their DPFs clear either by buying vehicles with fast warm DPFs, by running the vehicles longer distances, or by using DPF cleaning additives.
Real MPG enables you to register the fuel economy you are actually getting against your make and model of car, its engine and type of transmission.
Every time you enter an average consumption figure against your car, the overall average automatically adjusts to reflect it.
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