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What's the average lifespan of a DPF?

I have recently bought a four year old Volkswagen Touran 1.6 TDi with 17,000 miles on the clock and a full service history.

The issue of DPF comes up on your site often and this is raising concerns.

1) What is considered a 'healthy' lifespan of the DPF?
2) What would we need to do to maximise lifespan in terms of driving style, fuel used, etc?
3) How much are replacement costs typically, dealer workshops vs non-dealer ones?

Asked on 26 March 2015 by CLSDean

Answered by Honest John
1) 80,000 miles before it typically fills with ash and needs either cleaning by the Ceramex process or replacing entirely.
2) Avoid short runs of less than 5 miles from cold starts unless immediately followed by longer runs of more than 20 miles. Regularly drive the car long distances. Use superdiesel such as Shell V-Power Nitro Plus.
3) Ceramex charges about £300 to clean a DPF. A VW dealer would probably want more than £1,000 to replace one. This engine is also prone to clogging of the EGR valve which typically costs £600 to replace.

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