This has probably been done to death, but it is so difficult to find definitive information outside the Volvo dealer network - there is some on the D5 model here alread - especially as a deler is more likely to err on the side of sales rather than the customer's wallet!

My 08 V50 has 73k Km on the clock. It goes for its first "MoT" shortly, so I had the 80k service carried out by my local Volvo dealer (at €84 for the labour - about 75 minutes, it's not the type of adventure one undertakes too often) just to be sure that all the bells and whistles were up to speed.

Since I don't usually get servicing done at Volvo dealers, I asked if there was an Eolys tank, a DPF, what were the replacement intervals etc. To start off with, the Eolys tank hadn't been checked during the service, so that was €90 for VO 1161752 additive, plus the labour cost for starters. Next bad news was that there is a DPF; that "the light" will come on about 120k Km, signalling replacement; that it can't be cleaned; that it must be replaced to keep the emissions correct and that only from the 2012 model year is the DPF good for life. The DPF replacement cost is apparently "around €500". So, at around 120k, the servicing bill looks like DPF €600, Eolys top-up €120 plus routine service €175, total €895.

Curiously, Mr Volvo has never made mention of these (DPF replacement and Eolys top-up) lofty costs in his sales blurb on the vehicle. I digress....

The majority of my journies now are long-ish distance (50 to 100 km several days a week). My questions are:-

1. Is it likely that if I keep the Eolys tank topped up and my journies at medium to long-ish, the DPF will outlast the nominal 120k life?
2. What other things can I do to avoid the high costs involved in replacing the DPF at "around 120k"?
3. Is it possible to get a suitable DPF and/or Eolys fluid outside the Volvo dealer network? Would the DPF from a carshed/scrapped V50, for example, suit my needs?

Thanks