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Flashing DPF light used to mean take to garage, often caused by high oil level. Steady DPF light meant blocking filter.
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You should visit here www.mazda-campaign.co.uk
I would recomend serious attention before damage is dine. This is a serious known issues with these vehicles that Mazda fail to accept !
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Hi All.
Wanted to pass on my Mazda 6 TS 143BHP diesel history for you guys.
When i test drove the car last October, 62000 miles on the clock, full mazda service history as it had been a company lease car, the DPF was on, and obviously when i asked the salesman about it, he fobbed it off and said he get it put out when i picked it up. Foolishly i put a deposit down then and went home and read the stories of DPF on the internet and this forum in particularly.
Gutted would be a major understatement.
I got the car home, and checked the oil, the salesman had done a service including cambelt change, in his own workshop, and took it to mazda himself to reset the light (Alarm bells...only mazda can get this light reset!). On our first long ish journey in the car, after about 20 miles on motorway, it went slow, as if the turbo had packed up, or a "safe" mode had been activated. I pulled over to visually check the car, no leaks, blowing of exhaust or drama's, so started up and carried on...now running normally.
same thing happened again a couple of days later. again no warning lights, or leaks or visual problems, and car went back to normal. At this point i got home and checked oil level, to my horror, the garage had filled the oil right up to the X on the dipstick. When i quizzed the garage on it, they held their hand up but said they couldnt drain any oil till the following week. So i did it myself. Drained about 2 litres of oil. Since then, the car has been faultless.
With the car at 72000 miles, i decided to change the oil myself, couldnt get to the oil filter, but as it was going in for MOT this month, i was happy to leave the filter without breaking my arm trying to get it off.
However, last week, now at 75000 miles, in france when the DPF light started flashing. Gutted. Had no option really other than continue driving 140 miles back to the ferry. I was happy that the oil was good, as i'd changed it myself recently. And we got home fine in the end, still with the light flashing, but no sign of any "safe mode" at any point in the 5 hour journey on french equivalent to A and B roads.
Reading more once i got home, there is a special oil that the mazda 6 engine must have, with a different percentage of phosphur i think than normal oil. So although i had matched my new oil to the 5W-30 it says in the book...it wasnt wuite right or able to deal with the diesel particulate coming into the sump.
So, car booked into mazda, oil change, filter change, DPF light put out and ECU reset. £150. Not particularly happy bout that, including the £1.75 for screen wash that i got charged?!?!?!? (Perrys in Portsmouth for those of you looking for places NOT to take your car!)
Car now MOTed, and hoping to trade it in for a hopefully more normal Mondeo 04 diesel this weekend.
So i think i've been lucky with my mazda6, but dont want to push my luck too far...so its going to some other bloke to worry about!!!
Hope someone can make use of my experience.
Goose.
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What Mazda don't tell you in their handbook is that their DPF warning light doubles up as a service reminder light - it's programmed to come on every 13,000 miles or so if you haven't visited a Mazda dealer. Cheap little trick and the reason I'll never buy another Mazda. Google the problem for more information including how to re-set without visiting Mazda.
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What Mazda don't tell you in their handbook is that their DPF warning light doubles up as a service reminder light - it's programmed to come on every 13,000 miles or so if you haven't visited a Mazda dealer. Cheap little trick and the reason I'll never buy another Mazda. Google the problem for more information including how to re-set without visiting Mazda.
Bang on. Bought car at 80K miles last Mazda service 75K. Fully serviced the car when MOT was due not Mazda dealer. Yo and behold 88K the DPF starts to flash. As nearest Mazda dealer is a 3 hour ferry journey and 60 mile drive. Any other pointers as to how I may solve the problem. Love the car, otherwise, so would be reluctant to chuck it.
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Hi Coinneach, Good Morning.
You are FAR from a dealer! wow.
Do you know if the correct oil was used? I have heard in stories that if the wrong one is used that can cause the DPF light to appear flashing...either that or the unit is died....(hope not!)
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Not sure if correct oil was used. I know it was the correct grade 5W/30 but unsure if it was DPF compatable. I pumped 3 litres of oil out of the sump to get the dip stick to the correct level. This must mean the oil is about 50/50 with diesel. My next option is to replace the oil, DPF compatible, and oil filter. Then take it on a burn to try and clear the DPF. I have a mate with the electronic kit but not sure if it will access the Mazda information. Any other suggestions at this stage?
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You have to be very careful your engine dont run-away on its own...i know i have a 62% diesel to oil ratio in my sump...my cars been sitting on my drive in the current state for 2 1/2 years now whilst in fighting my case against Mazda.
I am sure i have saved a guide on how to reset the light but that is only covering the annoyance of the light, are you sure there is nothing else wrong with the unit?
Have you thought about having it removed?
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Not able to do much about it until next week. Yea weighing up all my options at the moment and removal could be one. If you find a copy of the guide to switch of the light that would be useful.
Thanks for the advice and best of luck with your case.
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hello
I'm new to this site but I did have similar problem with dpf on my mazda 6 2008.
I went to www.pandpauto.eu and they adviced me dpf removal for 450 pounds.No problem since two months.
Edited by PeterPeter on 05/02/2012 at 16:10
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I had my 57 plate Mazda 6 serviced at my local garage (not Mazda dealer) and sure enough a couple of weeks later the DPF light started flashing, after making a lot of enquires I went to a Mazda dealer who confirmed that when a service is done the various counters (including DPF) are reset during the diagnostics and only authorised Mazda dealers have the programme to do this, while Mazda do not have a problem with unauthorised dealers Mazda can and will charge around £60 to do a reset. I was lucky because as a "one off" the Mazda dealer did a reset on this occassion free of charge, it took all of 5 minutes.
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Hi Coinneach, Good Morning.
You are FAR from a dealer! wow.
Do you know if the correct oil was used? I have heard in stories that if the wrong one is used that can cause the DPF light to appear flashing...either that or the unit is died....(hope not!)
Sorry for interupting your question to "Coinneach" - YES the correct oil is VERY important, for mine I even bought Mazda oil and filter, still the flashing DPF light. Its still a Mazda con! Life is about choices, Do I pay mazda 100 notes or do I have disco lights!
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What Mazda don't tell you in their handbook is that their DPF warning light doubles up as a service reminder light - it's programmed to come on every 13,000 miles or so if you haven't visited a Mazda dealer. Cheap little trick and the reason I'll never buy another Mazda. Google the problem for more information including how to re-set without visiting Mazda.
Bang on. Bought car at 80K miles last Mazda service 75K. Fully serviced the car when MOT was due not Mazda dealer. Yo and behold 88K the DPF starts to flash. As nearest Mazda dealer is a 3 hour ferry journey and 60 mile drive. Any other pointers as to how I may solve the problem. Love the car, otherwise, so would be reluctant to chuck it.
Bang on again - This is so annoying! - Flashing DPF means "Drive to dealer, part with 100 notes, go home" - FOOLS SUCKERS!!! - Let it flash! my mazda now comes with disco lights! DPF, Low tire pressure! (Sensor has gone in one of the wheels) - I am so going back to audi/vw where i can do almost anything with my Ross-tech cable!
DONT BE A VICTIM!
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Thought I'd add my (ongoing) experience to this and see if anyone can help me out.
Bought a Mazda 6 TS 2.0d 143 2006 last october with 80,000 miles. Car had just had a new cambelt, tensioner and water pump. I thought this would give me a decent run in the car and set me up for some trouble free motoring!!!!
On my way to the lake district in January, 150 miles up the M6, DPF light and check engine light came on, into limp mode. Took to Mazda dealer who said oil level was low, they topped up and performed a DPF regen. Car was fine whilst away but after 80 miles of the return journey, same thing again, half way down the M6. Limped home and took it to my local Mazda dealer who diagnosed a knackered turbo and quoted £2000+ just for parts. No mention of oil level problem. No chance of paying that so took it to an local engine specialist for the turbo replacement. He inspected the turbo and said he couldn't see a problem with it, no play in the bearings, no excessive oil around the turbo. He managed to carry out a regen again, and I got the car back. No problems for 400 miles on the daily commute, 20 miles each way on motorway. Then DPF fault back again. Took it back to local garage. We managed to get some tips from a Mazda mechanic to reset the ECU in case it needed a Mazda service visit, but this didn't work. Managed to get a Mazda mechanic to sneak it into the back door of the workshop to plug it in again. He again diagnosed a turbo fault, with a DPF ash reading of 13? He also checked the injectors at the same time and there are no problems with them.
So, do I get the turbo replaced, even though there is no obvious wear on it, or could it be (hopefully) something simpler than that. I've read some things about EGR valves? What about using the wrong oil? I know the car was serviced before I bought it but don't know whether it was the correct oil. I keep reading that this engine is very fussy about what you put in it.
Has anybody got a layout of the engine bay for the car so I can try and locate things like the EGR valve for myself?
Any help or advice would be very much appreciated.
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He again diagnosed a turbo fault, with a DPF ash reading of 13?
Here's your problem. DPF filters require low ash oil. A previous owner has used el cheapo oil with a higher ash content.
Diesel engines usually burn a bit of oil. Ash and soot gets trapped by the DPF. The soot burns off, but ash is incombustible so it remains in the DPF. Gradualy ash will reduce the capacity of the DPF. This is usually the limiting factor in the life of a DPF.
The only way to find out if the DPF is clogged with ash is to get pressure drop data after a regen. A clean filter should have a low pressure drop.
There's no reason for the turbo to have failed unless it has been starved of oil. A clogged DPF will impair turbo function. You probably need a new DPF, not a turbo.
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Thanks for the reply. I am hoping that it might be something like that rather than a mechanical failure.
If it is the case that the DPF is knackered, what about cleaning options. There is one company online who seem to specialise in cleaning DPF's, as well as a few posts on various forums regarding DIY cleans using different chemicals and pressure washes etc. Sounds a bit sketchy to me but could be worth a try? I can't imagine a new DPF will be cheap and cleaning it must be worth a punt? Anybody got any experience with this?
The other option would be DPF removal with a remap. Various companies offer this option for around £500. This would then stop any future issues, and as the MOT is only a metered smoke test, shouldn't be a problem?
All thoughts appreciated.
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I had an old C5, one of the first to have a DPF, 2001 model. The DPF blocked soon after I bought it, probably why it was sold.I didn't even know what a DPF was then but soon learnt. It was simple to remove as was more or less a routine maintenance job to be done every 72k miles or so. Took about 1/2 hour to remove. I soaked it in some hot water with detergent for a couple of hours, then blasted it with a pressure washer from both ends until the water was clean, took about 1/2 hour. Left it to drain for a few hours before replacing. Didn't have any more DPF problems for the remaining year of ownership & saw a 15% improvement in mpg after cleaning.
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Very interesting. I wonder why more companies don't offer a cleaning service. After all the principle of 'core exchanges' and remanufactured parts is well established.
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I suppose the only other thing to think about is whether something is actually wrong with the engine which is causing the DPF to block. There is no sign of any smoke out the back when it's running, but I guess this could be because the DPF is doing it's job and catching all the crap. And the car seems to pull fine when it isn't in limp mode, suggesting the turbo is ok?
If I get the DPF unit off, and run the engine, this would show me whether there was anything sinister coming out of the engine? Or would this screw with the ECU because it won't be getting proper reading form any sensors I might have to remove to take the DPF off?
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" If I get the DPF unit off, and run the engine, this would show me whether there was anything sinister coming out of the engine? "
I did run the C5 without the DPF. After about a mile the ECU decided to try to regen the DPF that was no longer fitted which just shoved a load of unburnt diesel smoke out the back. So I don't think you will gain much from trying that.
If you look at old Mazda 6 diesel threads, this manufacturer seems to have more problems than any other with the DPF. Maybee you have a faulty sensor in the system causing extra unnecessary regens.
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" I wonder why more companies don't offer a cleaning service. After all the principle of 'core exchanges' and remanufactured parts is well established. "
Citroens policy at that time was to fit an exchange DPF & send the old one back to a central depot in France for cleaning, & charge the customer circ £500 - £1000 for the privelege ( this also included £100 worth of Eolys fluid ).
I did post on here at the time what I had done to try to help others.
One reply at the time was that the residue washed from the filter was a health & safety issue, so a garage would probably have to invest in a lot of equipment to show that everything was being contained & recycled. I have to say that the patch of grass where I washed out the DPF is as green as ever.
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One reply at the time was that the residue washed from the filter was a health & safety issue
Ash is comprised mainly of silica (ie sand!) which is famously inert (that's why it doesn't burn off during regen)
Soot? Well it obviously contains PAHs which aren't great for health but in essence it is little different from chimney sweepings so hardly an elf 'n' safety nightmare.
That the patch of grass where I washed out the DPF is as green as ever.
Probably greener! I've used soot and ash from an open fire as garden fertiliser with great success.
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So, after some thought, and a quick look at getting the DPF off, I decided that it wasn't a job I fancied myself. So took it for a DPF removal and remap. Just picked the car up this morning. I won't be happy till put some real miles on it but the job looks good. I used Longlife in Chester. I'll keep updating how I get on!!!!
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Yes do keep us updated please Mossycave.
When's the MOT due and what assurances have Longlife offered about the car being futureproof for MOT changes?
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MOT passed last week. Raised the issue of the DPF removal with tester, and he said it doesn't even come into the test. Possibly different for newer cars though.
I did have concerns over it passing the smoke test as it is smoking sometimes on start up and when under load. (but only sometimes). It's also using oil, so whatever is wrong is presumably what was blocking the DPF in the first place, but at least now I can see what's going on. Smoke test reading came out at 0.3, with a pass mark of less than 2.6 (?).
I've done about 4500 miles since the DPF removal, and have so far had no issues with it.
Happier now than I was 5 months ago.....
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Have your dpf removed, with a remap so your emissions are good for the mot I charge 300 for the dpf brick taken out and a remap no more dpf light so price won't be far from that.
Matt
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Hi Matt,
Not sure what your point is here?
The DPF has already been removed, as discussed earlier in the thread. The car has just passed the MOT, flying through the smoke test. The issue I have with smoking, is presumably related to the fact that it is burning oil.
Could another remap really solve this?
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Matts point is an adert for his services, its not allowed on this site, should be removed by the administrators eventually.
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It wasn't an advert for my services just an example was my business name or telephone number involved I think not I was just giving a example of price.
Sorry I did not see the earlier thread and no another remap wouldnt help with the oil issues.
Regards matt
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Thought I'd throw another update into this.
The Mazda has now done 104000 miles. Still burns oil and smokes on occasion on start up and when I put my foot down. No more DPF issues so any concerns about removing that have gone. Has now passed 2 MOTs with no problems.
Hope this helps anybody else in the same situation with these cars.
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does the DPF light still have to illminate on the dash, and then go out on start up for the MoT?
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And if the new MOT is followed correctly all parts fitted to the car when new must still be attached ie DPF, removal will be a failure.
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not so sure about this, what about moddifying? for example, new bigger alloy wheels,retro fitting HID headlights (properly), window tinting, different bumpers.... etc
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It's part of EU emissions regulations - UK didn't opt out so they apply here - vehicles must have emissions equipment fitted that was originally fitted as new.
Wheels etc don't come under emissions regulations.
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aye, but as stated, they dont test emissions at the MoT, i suppose if you're unlucky enough to be tested at the roadside you could be in trouble
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aye, but as stated, they dont test emissions at the MoT, i suppose if you're unlucky enough to be tested at the roadside you could be in trouble
Which garage do you use, they should be reported.
Diesels still have an emmisions test and all OEM emissions equipment must be present. There should be a disclaimer on the wall of the garage telling you all that can go wrong in a diesel test and its not the garages or DVLA's fault if it does go wrong.
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" I wonder why more companies don't offer a cleaning service. After all the principle of 'core exchanges' and remanufactured parts is well established. "
Citroens policy at that time was to fit an exchange DPF & send the old one back to a central depot in France for cleaning, & charge the customer circ £500 - £1000 for the privelege ( this also included £100 worth of Eolys fluid ).
I did post on here at the time what I had done to try to help others.
One reply at the time was that the residue washed from the filter was a health & safety issue, so a garage would probably have to invest in a lot of equipment to show that everything was being contained & recycled. I have to say that the patch of grass where I washed out the DPF is as green as ever.
PLEASE READ & THEN THINK CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU MAKE YOUR NEXT MOVE!!!!
I had the same problem with my DPF some time ago and after a lot of research I found a company called Car Surgeon Ltd.
When I spoke to them they told me that they were no longer offering DPF removal and remaps because new legislation was due to be introduced which would mean automatic failure of an MOT test.
Anyway, they persuaded me to have forced regeneration or rejuvenation as it would mean I would be back on the road the same day.
I decided to go with the rejuvenation at just under £200 as it meant that the ash content would also be eliminated which meant a completely fresh DPF system.
My car has been running with no issues at all for almost 2 years since then. I have clocked around 37,000 miles in that time!
There details are:
Car Surgeon Limited
DPF Regeneration / Rejuvenation
07853355415
Nationwide call out service available upon request
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For any of you out there thinking of DPF removal and remap, avoid it like the plague. Those who are offering you removal and remap are just taking you for a ride. You will need a new DPF if you do so as it an automatic MOT failure:
**********************************************************************
www.gov.uk/government/news/new-rules-for-mot-to-te...r
PLEASE THINK CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU MAKE YOUR NEXT MOVE!!!!
Edited by Brad6 on 05/03/2014 at 15:39
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Hi All
I'm new to this forum and suffering with the DPF, engine maintenance problem since i bought this car Mazda 6 2.0 2006 mid of last year.
Tried checking with Authorised dealer and came back with a list of recommendations to check injector seal, oil sump cleaning, turbo to be checked. I went with only the dpf regeneration along with mini service of changing the oil and filter. As part of the regeneration though it went fine, they said the reading coming out doesn't look normal so there could be problem with the sensor itself.
No surprise, the DPF light back (but just on didn't flash) within 30 miles drive. Not ready to spend any further checked with local garage and they tried DPF regeneration and the lights disapperared.
Went for 3 hours drive in motor way with some dpf cleaner added to the fuel and all went fine. Soon after 15 miles drive in local the light came back and within another few miles started flashing. I'm regularly checking the oil level and its slightly higher than the level F.
Really confuesed whether to spend any further fixing the issue. Is it worth trying new DPF costing about £240 ? Do i need to change the sensor as well ? or Forget the car and go for a petrol one. My usage it will be local drive with few motor way drive in a month.
Please help.
Edited by raj76 on 03/01/2014 at 10:07
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See my ither post on my CX7 problems.
Regarding the DPF light. In the CX7 manual it states that there is an 'oil condition' monitor which will advise when the condition of the oil has deteriorated by flashing the DPF light.
May be similar for Mazda6's - I'm sure that the engines are closely related.
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As I understood it, and I'm far from being an expert on any of this, the regulations regarding original emissions equipment only applies to cars from 2008(?) onwards? My Mazda 6 with DPF removed is a 2006 model, hence 2 succesful MOT's.
For further info, my DPF light still comes on with the ignition, it's the regeneration sequence that has has been removed from the program, along with the physical DPF.
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Must admit if i found meself in a nightmare-become-reality and stuck with one of these heaps, if i couldn't palm the thing off onto someone else, i'd have the DPF out and the system reprogrammed sharpish.
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The regulation surrounding DPF removal at the time of the MOT test is not based on the age of the vehicle.
If the MOT tester logs the vehicle onto the system for a test procedure and it shows up on the system as having a DPF then he will fail it if he notices that it has been removed or tampered with (welded etc.). The examination sheet has a special instruction cantained within it to that effect.
Your car may have passed thus far because the legislation just became law around 3 weeks ago.
I had my Mazda 6 tested last week at my local Kwikfit and they had a notice up in the waiting room on the "SPECIAL NOTICES" board. I asked abut it so the chap behind the counter explained it all to me at the time.
Here you go:
www.gov.uk/government/news/new-rules-for-mot-to-te...r
Edited by Brad6 on 05/03/2014 at 15:48
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MAzda 6 DPF light flashing is "the service interval" warning ! not a fault with the DPF. Car Owners are being ripped off by having DPF removed etc when all it needs is a reset. Here is a link to instructions, I do it myself as the non Mazda people who service my car are to stupid to do it for me, www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV3_TYoWzAs
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MAzda 6 DPF light flashing is "the service interval" warning ! not a fault with the DPF. Car Owners are being ripped off by having DPF removed etc when all it needs is a reset. Here is a link to instructions, I do it myself as the non Mazda people who service my car are to stupid to do it for me, www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV3_TYoWzAs
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