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Wed 28 Jul 2004 09:31

Citroen Xsara Diesel Revs - Duchess

In the FAQ section, it says you should run a diesel to 4,500rpm a couple of times a week. Is this true for all cars?

I have a S-reg Xsara and the red section on the rev counter starts at 4,750rpm. It's not often I get above 3,000rpm in normal driving. The car runs great but fails its emissions bit of the MoT every year - is this coz of how I drive? Should I be taking the revs up to the top of the "safe" section regularly?

Sorry to sound thick but I never had a diesel before and I want to look after this car!

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Wed 28 Jul 2004 11:10

Citroen Xsara Diesel Revs - Dynamic Dave

Forum Search - Right under where you log in/out.

Search for "Italian Tune" (yes, include the quotes ;o) )

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Wed 28 Jul 2004 11:10

Citroen Xsara Diesel Revs - Soupytwist

The short answer is probably yes - it is down to the way you drive.

Revving to the upper part of the range will clear out accumulated soot etc. which if present would increase the likelihood of the car failing the emissions part of the MOT. They rev it hard to do the test and the soot that would get shoved out at that point would probably mean that the tester can\'t see anything for about ten minutes afterwards.

So once the car is nicely warmed up get on some dual carriageway and hold it at about 4,500 rpm for a couple of minutes.

If your MOT is coming up soon it might be worth investing in something like Millers Diesel Power fuel additive and then doing the above. If it\'s not for a few months just give it some revs once a week or so.

The technique described above is colloquially referred to as an Italian tune up - do a forum search for it and you\'ll find plenty of advice on how to do it and it\'s benefits.
--
Matthew Kelly
No, not that one.

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