A diesel particulate filter (DPF) is a filter that captures and stores exhaust soot (some refer to them as soot traps) in order to reduce emissions from diesel cars.
But because they only have a finite capacity, this trapped soot periodically has to be emptied or ‘burned off’ to regenerate the DPF.
This regeneration process cleanly burns off the excess soot deposited in the filter, reducing the harmful exhaust emission and helps to prevent the tell-tale black smoke you used to see from diesel vehicles, particularly when accelerating.
Euro 5 exhaust emissions legislation introduced in 2009 to help lower car CO2 emissions effectively made DPFs mandatory, and since then, around one in two new cars a year have been diesel-powered.
Since 2009 when the ‘Euro 5’ standard came into effect, exhaust emissions standards for new diesel cars have effectively required fitment of a DPF to the exhaust system. In fact, many cars registered before 2009 will have a filter fitted as well.
And these measures are taken for good reason, as diesel particulate (soot) emissions cause serious health problems in humans. DPFs reduce diesel soot emissions by 80% but they’re not suitable for everyone. Even if your driving is not mainly urban/stop-start, changes to driving style may be required to keep these systems working properly.
How do diesel particulate filters work?
Diesel Particulate Filters (DPF) catch soot particles to avoid them exiting the exhaust system. As any filter, they must be emptied regularly to maintain performance. For a DPF this process is called ‘regeneration’. In this process, the collected soot is burnt off at high temperature to leave only ash.
DPF Cleaning & Restoration Services
If the DPF light comes on, it’s time to get device cleaned.You will need to get your DPF cleaned as soon as possible. While you can buy DPF cleaner fluids from automotive stores, these are not proven to be effective. It is best to leave DPF cleaning to the professionals.
