Ford S-MAX - When to replace high mileage - Rudithedoodle

When to replace a car.. would like to keep it running until next year but worried about DPF. Will talk to our regular independent garage and ask them to do a filter clean. We have a 2012 Ford S-MAX 2.0 TDCi Titanium with 160k mileage bought at 136k mileage one owner in 2019 (was a high mileage car for someone driving 19k p.a

. We don’t think the DPF has been replaced before we bought it. We drive around 7k per year, short journeys mainly unfortunately (life changes.. bought before pandemic yes that means a diesel isn’t the right choice now .. !) . we know this means DPF will not last as long. We’ve replaced timing belt and alternator. Assume that we are gambling with DPF and likely to need replacing this year?

Ford S-MAX - When to replace high mileage - daveyK_UK
There are lots of variables and questions to answer

. Do you do long local journeys aka the engine is running for a good while to get hot?
. Is the car in good order and well maintained?
. Is the price you paid considerably higher than the online quotes from the likes of WBAC or Motorway?
. What would you buy next and how much would it cost you?


I know of someone with a Zafira Tourer who drives far less miles since lockdown but has a high mileage diesel; after considering some of those questions they decided to keep it, mainly due to the high cost of new cars.
Ford S-MAX - When to replace high mileage - pd

Why do you think there is a problem with the DPF? If it's working fine then it'll probably keep working fine and I wouldn't worry about it

If you really want to find out anyone with a decent diagnostic machine can plug in and read off the pressure levels which will tell you if it's blocked. If there's nothing actually wrong with how the car drives I suspect it's not blocked at all.

Ford S-MAX - When to replace high mileage - SLO76
Unless you plan on spending a heap of money on something low mileage and nearly new I’d stick with what you have. A DPF could last 80,000 miles or 250,000, it either works or it doesn’t, and don’t waste money on carbon cleaning, it doesn’t work longterm if at all. If it’s full and won’t regen then replace it. Cost should be around £400-£500 for the parts and not a huge amount of Labour to fit it, certainly not a great worry nor a real reason to splurge £15-£20k on another car, especially at today’s ludicrously overinflated prices. I’ve seen these on taxi fleets with upwards of 500k.
Ford S-MAX - When to replace high mileage - barney100

Just give it a good run down the motorway once in a while. With a bit of luck it will last a while, a replacement car is not cheap. Nothing worse than trading your old car in, paying a fortune for a replacement then a while later you see your old car happily chugging along.

Ford S-MAX - When to replace high mileage - barney100

You can get a dpf for yours for under £200, there are a few on the net.

Ford S-MAX - When to replace high mileage - Brit_in_Germany

We got rid of our S Max aged 11 and 130,000 miles. Most of its life was spent doing short journeys with a longer drive every 2-3 months. We never had an issue with the dpf. The egr needed changing once and other than wear and tear that was about it.