**Update** This article has been very popular with our visitors, therefore we have put together a frequently asked questions page for DPF diesel particulate filters to help our fellow motorists.
More people than ever now choose diesel over petrol for their car purchases. It might be a little more at the pumps but it’s been drummed into us that owning a diesel car WILL save you money. Now we’ve already pointed out that you need to do your homework when choosing a diesel car, especially if you don’t do the mileage (Are you really saving money by choosing a Diesel? ) but there is another thorn in the side of diesel ownership that I’ve been stung by with personally.
When I finally decided that a Nissan Qashqai+2 was the car for me, I wanted to ensure that it was frugal enough to meet the needs of an avid hypermiler and also had enough punch to ensure it didn’t feel under-powered. I ended up choosing the 2.0dci lump that gave me the best of both worlds but I didn’t factor in that this model was fitted with the dreaded diesel particulate filter (DPF).
Now after only a couple of months of ownership, I’m greeted by the DPF warning light together with the engine warning light . Most people would reach for the AA card and have the car rushed to a dealership ready to take a pasting on the debit card, but I opted to ring the dealership as I knew they two lights were related and no damage would be done in the short time it’s been on.
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After a call to the service man at my local Nissan dealership, he informed me that the DPF collects the soot and nasty things that are produced from the archaic diesel engine in order for it to meet EU emission levels. He went on to advise that the car should be run at motorway speeds in 5th for 15-20 minutes to “burn off” the collected particles in the DPF. This should be done on a regular basis or when ever the DPF light comes on, not great news for some that only very rarely breaks 50MPH.
If this fuel wasting run was not successful the car would enter limp home mode after around 2 weeks and I would HAVE to come back to the dealership for a £275 regeneration of the DPF in their workshop, destroying any savings I thought I would make by opting for the diesel powered Qashqai.
After only a brief Google regarding DPF issues, it seems that this issue has effected many fellow Qashqai owners and drivers from other marques too. The issue has also been highlighted by the BBC’s watchdog program, sadly also featuring the Nissan Qashqai. For those in the UK, click here to watch the episode. In a statement from Nissan to watchdog regarding this issue they said, “The 1.5dCi, 1.6dCi and 2.0dCi engines fitted to QASHQAI include a diesel particulate filter (DPF) to reduce emissions and help protect the environment. The functionality of a DPF may not be suitable for all customers. If your journeys are predominantly urban or low speed, a model without a DPF may be a more suitable alternative.”
My Googling has also revealed a whole array of companies offering DPF removal services with power and efficiency gains headlining together with the promise of no more expensive DPF regeneration costs. I put this past Nissan’s service man who sternly advised me to consider my options “very carefully” as the car would not pass it’s MOT without the DPF in place.
In conclusion, you REALLY need to do your homework before you choose a diesel car fitted with a diesel particulate filter. What should be heralded as an environment benefit may just be a way of main dealers to make a killing.
We’d love to hear about your experiences with diesel particulate filters, have you too been stung by this? Was it something that the dealership advised you on when choosing a diesel and did they ask about your driving habits?
Let us know in the comments below, contact form or our forum.
DPF Cleaners At Amazon
**Update time #2**
Firstly, we have been taken back with the number of comments and emails we’ve had regarding DPF troubles. We feel your pain.
The feeling is still fresh in my mind after an unscheduled visit to my local Nissan dealership 2 days before Christmas 2013. The DPF light came on while driving to work a few days earlier, followed by the ECU light just 20 miles later. This short period between the lights didn’t even allow me to get back home before it decided that only the dealership could help me. Being unimpressed was an understatement, my ranting to Nissan fell on deaf years and it went in for a forced regeneration.
The DPF has made a reappearance since with less than 1000 since the costly dealer regeneration. Lucky for me the light went out within around 10 miles but not before I reached out to a local mechanic who is offering some “specialist services” which would remove the problem completely…. for good. I’ll update you all again soon.
**Update time #3**
After a very expensive Christmas and the ever present risk of another costly DPF regeneration I decided that the Qashqai and I should part ways. I was very lucky / wise to have chose a very desirable model and managed to part-ex it at a very good price at my local Mercedes dealer. The car which replaced it was a 2013 C Class C220 cdi AMG Sport Plus.
So far I’ve been very impressed with the car as a whole. Servicing is a little bit more expensive however even with some hard core Hypermiling I’m yet to see a DPF warning light. This doesn’t mean I won’t have any issues in the future and I’ll make sure to keep you all updated as usual.
I nearly got stung with the DPF. I had a Fabia TDI and then moved to a Corsa CDTi, neither had a DPF. I then moved on to a Volvo V50 diesel and with in a month it was running rough one day.
I managed to make it home at maximum revs of 2700 with no power. When safely in my garage I turned it off and restarted with no problems and the power restored. A bit of internet research led me to believe I had the DPF and to make matters worse the lease company I bought it off didn’t seem to have changed it at the last service (75,000m).
More research later and a chat to my local Volvo indy the cost would have been £500 for the DPF, £100 for some fluid and £35 to tell the car it had been changed, oh and vat to go on top of the £100 labour charge.
Hmm, what with the climate control problems and a few other small problems I traded it on for a basic Fiesta 1.25 petrol.
I too was taken in by the diesel will save you money thing. It often won’t!
I got stung badly,my nissan quashia year 142..1.5dcl..the turbo blew and dps filter completely clogged..the engine warning light came on and everything blew with minutes,,garage collected car from side of road..cost 1900 to fix..got rid of car straightaway after repair and went back to a ford 1.1 petrol engine..never again would I bus a Nissan car…
DPFs are pure 8hite!!
i to have had problems with the Nissan x trail and the service light came on then went into limp mode so took it to Nissan and they said the Dpf had gone needed a new one for £2500 I said the car is only 8 month old how can this be right they said something about the driving style which is there get out clause since then I have taken to an independent garage and the serviced my car now 3 month later my parents have the same car and Nissan are trying to do the same thing to them wtf this is not right and some thing needs to be done about it tomorrow I am going to speak to the local newspaper to see how many people are been ripped of with the same problem
I have had a similar problem with my 2015 plate Xtrail. Only 8000 miles on the clock, engine warning light on and a stutter when speeding upto 50mph. The garage told me I need to drive on the motorway a few times revving upto 3000rpm. The red warning light went out but the amber one is still on. I have also made a complaint to Nissan Customer Service and have been told to stop driving and they will speak to the local dealer and try and book it in and get the DPF cleaned for free. I was offered a DPF clean for £90 but had to rebook anyway.
Prior to this car I had a new 62 plate Ford S-Max 2.0 TDI for 2 years, similar driving approx. 8000pa and no problems at all.
I will be changing back to an S Max next year for sure. It is a much better drive also.
My 64 plate xtrail has just packed up without warning. No lights. Just a Christmas tree one morning. DPF 51g of soot. Nissan won’t pay out yet. Still on going. Complained twice of spluttering sensation on motorway (maybe failures of re gen) but they have lost the records of this. And since being in their care, my records have been pulled from the glove box.
Hi there
I too have developed a similar problem with my 2015 X trail with only 7500 on the clock. Dealer told me today that my ‘driving style’ was at fault so not covered under warranty. I’ve never heard such c**p so have a complaint in with Nissan UK and my lease company. Basically I ain’t paying a penny so if unsuccessful the lease company can have it back .No more DPF cars, no more Nissan either
I’m on 26000 miles Nissan navara just had second serve it also had the DPf filter light on and they really criticised my driving style. I have been driving fire appliances for years and now commute 50 miles a day each way. It was all down to my driving style and chargeable WTF.
I have had the same experience today. I have been given a quotation for 2200 pounds.
I have same problem with Nissan Pathfinder 2.5Auto 4 wheel drive turbo. While on round Australia trip with 22ft Caravan arrived in Darwin after travelling Brisbane to Perth and after get 80K service within couple days DPF light came on. I was assured by Mechanic driving above the 80km/hr would arrest the problem, but no .
I arrived in Katherine week later after a trip which looked like a ship blown up at sea and having roadside assist telling me the oil change included in the major service I had was overfilled, and noticeable by oil spray everywhere in motor bay. This was fixed by Toyota in Katherine and I proceeded to leave Katherine thinking all will be good now,but no, on came the light again and I had to return to Katherine after travelling 100ks out. I made arrangements with local mechanic to burn down DPF with great success I was informed, but no, after towing caravan short distance from town on came the light again. I have been driving over 80k’s an hr for a long way since leaving Brisbane, and for manufacturers and dealers to say you must be doing trips all the time and not informing customers of this lumming problem and costs are fundamentally wrong and they should be held accountable. I now have to go back to Darwin for Nissan to confirm problem with expected cost to be $3700 for DPF and a start of $176 for first Hr of Labour. I have read reviews that have had statements like “it’s lucky that is all it cost, sometimes you have to replace Catalytic Convertor which is a $6000 figure”, we need a collective approach to sort this out, as I maintain the vehicle is “not fit for purpose”.
Regards Garry
(stranded in Katherine NT)
Hi,i have had the same problems with my qashqai+2 1.5 dci,it has only done 6000 miles and has had to go into nissan to get regenerated,i cant believe nissan are getting away with treating its customers this way,why should we have to drive on motorway every week at sppeds of 70-80mph just to make sure the filter wont get blocked with soot,i wish i hadn’t bought this car now and would strongly advise anyone who is considering buing this model not to bother,i simply cant afford to run this car,the nissan dealer never informed me that i would have to keep running at crazy speeds to keep filters clean,i am considering legal action against nissan asthey are taking the piss and getting away with it.
6000 Miles and the Exhaust clogged up ???
What type of fuel did you use and what type of driving do you do ?
I mean do you leave your engine on for more than 4 minutes ?
Regards
Niceguy60
I had the same problem, they told me it was because of the way I drive..the dps filter clogged and blew the turbo..absolutely ridiculous as I always did the service ..never late…
I have had this exact problem since I bought my Volvo V50, and totally agree it’s shocking that motor dealers don’t disclose this information for the consumer to make an informed decision. And better yet – maybe the filter gadget needs to be redesigned? ?????? Just a thought.
I also have had this problem with my new Nissan qashqai 1.5 diesel. I took delivery in August and my December 2013 my DPF was blocked. The garage took a week to clear it and I ended up losing a tank of petrol as they kept taking it out on regeneration tests plus forking out for a hire car. No one made me aware of this problem and Nissan customer service are useless. I took car on 2 year lease so I am stuck with it. I don’t understand how Nissan get away with marketing the car as urban proof family vehicle if it’s only meant for sales reps bombing up and down motorways.
i have a quashai 08 2.0 dci we do regular trips down the moterwat newcastle to nottingham and we have a constant problem of the pdf light turning on and not beingable to burn it off since we brought it a year ago weve done everythin the machanics and nissan have said to burn it off but nothing has worked we resorted to taking it to our own machanic who just turned it off and reset it with nissans new update went to drive to work pdf came on machanic left a note to run car in third gear 3-4krpm as thats what he does to clear his on a 40mile round trip we did this but still not cleared now having problems with starting engine and car cutting out in middle of journeys i cant afford to keep paying for a regen so has anyone found a way to clear it properly everytime? i’d love to hear how !
Hi Alan
Ive been having the same issue but luckily I’ve not have the issue with it cutting out.
I had to have my DPF regened just before XMAS and again I was furious. I’ve had a quote from a guy in Kings Lynn who is going to gut the DPF, re-weld it like new and remove the DPF from the ECU.
If you remove it totally your car will fail its MOT, so you have to keep it in place for the visual inspection.
Pls who is this guy in Kings Lynn, can you supply me with his contact details. I am having a nightmare of a time with my jaguar DPF, constantly coming up every week,
Thanks
I have a Qashqai 2.0DCI. It is 6 years old now but ive had it for 3 years and the light has just come on again for the THIRD time. I was not told anything about the filter and I was never asked about my driving style by the Nissan Dealership I purchased the car from. I feel very let down by Nissan and will not buy another one because of it. I regret having the car. It costs too much money to keep fixing it.
Hi Phil. Seems that this article is becoming very popular with Qashqai owners for all the wrong reasons. I’ll get in touch with Nissan and see what they have to say about the matter.
3 times over 3 years seems to be about my average too. Like you, I’ll certainly not be buying another Nissan in a hurry.
Nor I we are arguing with Nissan customer service and griffin mill dealers due to the way I drive dpf filter clogged up after 1300 miles plus 2 new radios and a grinding noise which is wheel bushes that also are a recall on the car ……… I always thought Nissan was best but not anymore
My DPF clogged and it cost me a lot of money. The initial cost was £3500 but even then, for some reason it did not self regenerate. I spent and another £500 fixing sensors but even now, it will not self regenerate so I have had the AA out to do it. The main dealer fixed the symptoms by replacing everything but they have not solved the problem! I can’t face wasting any more money on this. What should we do?
I took our 59 plate qashqai 2 to nissan today after dpf light and engine light came on. I was advised I need forced regeneration at cost of 200 pound. I have just been informed this was Unsuccessful and pdf light off but engine light still on. Advice to run it hard on the motorway in 4 and 5 gear despite it being a 2L dci. Advised me likely require a new dpf £1500 part within 18 months. Reason again that we weren’t running it in a way that suits it ie hard. We bought it thinking it was an urban crossover suited to both runs and city. Car is just 4 years old. I dreadful start to new year.
Seems that the 2.0 dci engine is really bad for this. All the comments and emails I’ve been getting have been around this model.
I feel your pain. I’ve had to go early mine done twice and I’ve had the car less than 2 years now. Kinda defeats the object of you have to thrash it everywhere to stop it from happening. Diesels have lots of low down torque and don’t suit that kind of driving.
Let us know how you get on.
Will do. My husband is an ex service manager and mechanic. He can’t believe it. Concern is the regeneration failed but dpf light gone off. I will keep you updated after our conversation trip to collect the car in the morning
Look forward to it. Seems very strange. Mine was only done in December of last year and the regeneration took the Dpf and the EML light off.
Nissan have a blank chq when it comes to the regens and Dpf issues. Even owners will the new model seem to be effected even though I think they made changes to prevent it happening.
Karl, I have a New Qashqai, 8 months old, 7800 miles on the clock. Came up with an engine malfunction light (no filter light on the new model), garage said it requires forced DPF regen, charged me £200 as warranty won’t cover it! So definitely a common problem for new cars as well! They claim it is my driving that caused it but I do at least 4 weekly 20-minute motorway runs, so am not buying into that. Trading standards or watchdog?
I have a kuga 63 plate bought off dealer dec 19 not told anything about these filters
Because car sales etc were shut down and furloughed I had car service by
Mobile mechanic
Now telling me warraty void
Totally unfair seeing i am a key worker and need my car doing over 600 miles a week
Confused
Have a Skoda octavia 4 weeks after the warranty ran out the air mass meter gave up to replace cost £230 picked up the car and found that the pdf light was on dealer told me to take it out for a 20 min 70 mph run down the motorway did that still no light off .
Took it back to the dealer and was informed that due to the air mass meter malfunction it had caused a build up of soot in the pdf that probamely meant that it was ruined and would need to be replaced at a cost of £1200
HELLO why are we being made to pay these ridiculous costs that are causing us a great deal of finanacial pain in order to ( COMBAT SO CALLED GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE)
Anyone in America seeing a warm winter
All,
my post might make you feel better as the problem is not with the one manufacture but with the new technology (bloody DPF)…. I have a VW golf bluemotion fitted with this silly thing and it gets blocked every two weeks. The first time I had a china man who claimed to have cleaned it with some chemical but I don’t think it was a wise decision and it cost me £300! this was over the Xmas period….
now I have to take it to the dealer to force regenerate it… what a bla bla with the environment at our expense! why can’t our policy makers put pressure on the manufacturers for their mistake to provide a free service for this issue rather than already pissed off under severe regression public!
Hi. I have Volvo V50 and never ending problem with soot filter. Dealers are ignorant and arrogant when it comes to this problem. There is no cure for this. I have decided to rip all this sheet out, fool the cars computer about the voltage riding coming from soot filter sensor and this will be the end of this ever going on problem.
I advise all to do the same and have a piece of mind…
How and who did this for you?
Not that simple I’m afraid, I tried to fool it first with a small pot to give it 0.35v it runs for a bit but goes into limp still. I built a module from an small arduino and wrote a program to do something similar, but change the voltage after a few seconds. still didn’t work right and getting limp mode. there are people that do a DPF delete service, but it does involve removing the innards of the DPF, (drill it through but watch out for the oxygen sensor) also involves reprogramming the ECU to remove all the DPF nonsense from it.
Hi my daughter has a 308 she had it about 4 months when it started making a noise and flashing engine fault,took it back to garage as it was only 13 months old they said it was the DPF and told her she must take it on the motorway to keep it clear, she never uses the motorway, now six weeks later its gone again now they want £650 to do it again and told her she does not drive fast enough. I belive they should never have sold her this car without asking if she drives fast or on motorways we are now in a fight to try to sort it out. Never heard anything like it they say don’t speed the gararge said you must or pay out !
Have a 2008 Suzuki Grand Vitara 1.9 ddi engine. The engine is a Renault F9Q engine originally designed for the megane range. DPF light up with engine light, taken to Suzuki garage advised the DPF has clogged try running at 50 mph in 3rd or 4th for half hour – nope still there. Then stated the DPF needs replacing, wanted £3280 including vat plus the labour of one day as had to take out the engine to fit??????
Asked Renault but as not their car will not look at it, but did ask about a DPF was quoted £1200 inc vat inc fitting.
Will not look at any new diesel powered cars again.
Better change the name of city diesel fuels its not true.
I’ve read all posts and have a sinking feeling! Bought 2008 1.5dci Qashqui a week ago, has developed a knocking/pressure release type noise when running (both idling and moving). Is it likely to be this DPF thingy. Has a 28 day warranty, but not liking mt chances. Any advice truly welcomed.
Hi.
It’s very unlikely to be the dpf. I recommend you report it back to the garage ASAP.
As I understand it, you actually have 3 months minimum warranty if you buy from a garage.
I would check the oil level as soon as you can too.
Let me know if I can be of any further help.
Regards Karl
Thanks Karl, will check the oil.
Taking it back to the garage today. have reported the fault with them and they’ve said they’ll get it looked at. Seems it might be a head gasket problem, which they assured me had been checked prior to me buying the car.Kinda lost all confidence in her now though, despite initially loving her with all her up grades. Oh well, Sheffield here we come!
The thing to do is take the dpf off,cut a hole in it and smash out the internals, remove all sensors first so as not to damage them. Weld the patch back on then get a local tuning company to turn the dpf off I’ve done 5 so far and it’s worked brilliantly. I use a company called celtic tuning to turn the dpf off, they are based in cornwall but have dealers all over the country and some internationally.
I have looked into this subject a lot.
I do around 50k a year round London and Home Counties.
My Jaguar was faultess till December.
Now it has the orange dpf light on most weeks. I have a route home that sorts it out.
A good idea is to only use quality fuel. I noticed more often needs for a run on supermarket fuel.
Always use good quality oil.
Make sure your garage use the correct low saps oil, C1, 2, 3,or 4.
Make sure things like the EGR valve are functioning correctly.
And regular use of a dpf compatible injector cleaner can help to keep combustion efficient.
Make sure you air filter and fuel filter are regularly changed.
I change them at less than manufacturers specification as i consider my usage to be “severe service” i also change the oil and oil filter at half usual interval also. 8k miles is enough in my book!
Most of all is to consider Ash.
A dpf fills up with soot.
This is regen and burns off but leave soot.
The ecu knows no different between Ash and Soot, it just sees a voltage change due to restriction.
My dpf will be coming off for cleaning in the next few weeks.
I have found 2 companies that may help.
Ceramex and dpfgenie.
Both offer a guarantee.
And an idea how clean you filter now is.
Ceramex will likely be my choice. They have been dpinf LGV and Bus dpfs for over a decade.
In these vehicles cleaning of a dpf is considered a service item.
Note if your dpf continually tries to regen because of Ash buildup being confused with Soot by the Ecu then more Soot will build up and your vehicle could end up in an endless cycle of regeneration.
I said above
“but leaves soot”
That should have read
“but leaves Ash”
Oops
I’m considering buying a Volvo V50 that states the 1st owner requested that a DPF was not fitted to the vehicle originally. Is this possible? I assume it must be legal if it was done by the manufacturer?? How could I ask for this to be proven?
I am currently having the dpf challenge with 2008-2010 nissan caravan and toyota hiace imported from japan. I live in Jamaica where low sulpher diesel was only recently introduced. The Toyota and nissan dealerships here get their vehicles from a plant outside of japan so they are not familar with this issue. I have a car dealership and i sell these units all the time. How do I fix this issue? Can the diagnostic machine fix it?
Hi
I currently have a Nissan Qashqai 2012 1.5. My problem is as i found out to do with the DPF… now what we have been told is our car has once been regenerated without any luck. We have been quoted £1500 to sort out the problem. Firstly the car does not have a DPF light installed, so what happened was the EML came on when i was away on holiday. As soon as i got home with the car i rang dealership and took it in. Thats when i was told what the problem was. Now i have taken up a case with nissan customer services regarding the issue and refusing to pay. Reason is that we were never asked about our style of driving and was never told about DPF, if we were aware of it then we would have had a petrol version. Secondly our car is not fitted with the light so there is no warning to rectify the problem. We are awaiting response from customer services. I will not back down.
Hi,
I know this is a few months on but I have exactly the same thing with the EML coming on and they have told me the DPF needs replacing at £1500, as you can imagine I am not chuffed at all. How did it go with the customer services? The annoying thing is I am looking to sell the car but cant with this EML light on. The car drives perfectly fine and just want this sorted but no way I am paying £1500!!!!
Hi Chrissy
This is a few months on but i feel i neef to post having read it.
I have had same problem and highlighted same issues. I stood my ground and Nissan paid 75% of parts taking bill from 1600 to 700. I had to pick my car up having waited 10 weeks for a part as Nissan started to say i was holding them to ransom as i had their loan vehicle. They are writing as if matter is closed. I have only just begun. We need to get this campaign in the public eye. There are a lot of people being affected.
Dave
Hi all.
Well my story is i have a Focus 57 plate 1.6 TDCI. I bought it with 71k on the clock and was fine until the DPF fluid went low. Topped it up at about 73k. Now 76k and it looks like the DPF is blocked. I checked my oil level and it’s high. Apparently that’s another sign is the oil levels rising.
So i borrowed my uncles Volvo V50….and in one day it went!!! I think it’s the DPF or EGR valve but my uncle said he thinks it needed servicing. Two cars in two days is just crap luck. However it’s going to our trusted mechanic and we’ll see the results come Monday.
Me and my uncle had to laugh else we’d have cried….i highly doubt i’ll ever buy Diesel ever again even though i do a 60 mile round trip to work and back. This DPF is more hassle than it’s worth. Petrols you can do a lot of DIY easily 🙂
Thats because your Ford has the 1.6 Peugeot Diesel not the 1.8 Ford engine that did not need a DPF till 2008. The Puegot engine around this period was a pain anyway if you do not change the oil more often than the stated period as the turbo failed through blocked oil feed pipes.
Hi all
We had two cars that were costing alot to run so we decided to sell them both and buy one car that would last us for many years to come. We have three kids all under five at the time we made this decision back in 2011 and we needed something big preferebly not an MPV. We eventually bought a Mazda 6 2L sport estate, within one week the DPF came on whilst on holiday. I called the dealer and they told me to ” give it a good thrashing for 15 minutes, that should burn the soot off”. We had no idea what a DPF was or that the car had a DPF fitted!
We did as the dealer sugested resulting in the engine management light coming on and and the car limping along. We were gutted to say the least we had spent all our savings and despatched with two reliable cars. I called the local mazda dealer and they issued me with a warning not to drive the car as it may damege the engine. It went from bad to worse! So as it stands now July 2014 we have had to regenerate the DPF four times and replace the oil and filters each time. The last regen was two weeks ago only three months after having a full service including oil and filters.
We simply cannot afford this vehicle purely because of the DPF, apparently we dont do enough motorway miles, which was not mentioned when we bought it, so we are now looking to sell it having wasted hundreds of pounds on the DPF.
The DPF is supposed to be good for the environment but what about all the spent oil and the extra fuel used to regenorate the DPF? These are side effects that directly impact the environment!
There should be a clear notification from dealers if a car has a DPF fitted giving consumers all the facts to make the right decision that suits their needs.
My sons car, a Mazda 6 diesel estate had all the problems associated with the DPF filter. Eventually he got it removed and the ECU reprogrammed. Since then he has covered 30000 miles and sailed through 2 MOTs without any problems. As the law stands at the moment in the UK. Removal of a DPF filter will not cause an MOT failure.
Hi,
I bought a 08 lexus is220d 2 months ago. The second week of owning it the vsc light came on and the car went into limp mode I brought it back to the dealership and they regenerated it and advised me to drive it hard now and again on the motorway to blow out the crap in the dpf got it back after regen and two weeks later after me driving it well on the motorway now and again, and then two weeks after that it went into limp mode again . Same thing happened again I brought it back and they sent it again to Toyota for regeneration . So I was driving back from a long journey after only gettin the car back about a week and a half ago and the bleeding car went into limp mode again , I have about a month left on my warranty , will the dealership that I bought it from refund me ? So in the last 2 months the car has went into limp mode 3 times , this has turned me off diesels alltogether I will not be touchin a car again with a dpf valve fitted . So guys what should I do should I get it removed or will the dealership offer me. A full refund or will I have to take them to court ?????
Take the car out and give it a good hard thrashing down the motorway. If you do not you will always have troubles.
Richard, how did you get the DPF regenrated under warranty? Nissan won’t cover it on a brand new car (7800 miles on the clock, 8 months old) as they are claiming that it is a consumable part and down to driving style!
I am company truck driver in the USA. OTR truckers/OVER THE ROAD TRUCK DRIVERS, have been dealing with the DEF/DPF issue for 3+ years. Everything that has occurred and your forum statements have happened to over the road drivers even though they travel at the recommended speeds constantly!! A new issue which no one is being advised on. Is one the particulate filter fails and the DPF system uses excessive spraying fluid which is actually urine from a male animal diluted with water. This is called DEF or diesel exhaust fluid. It also contains high levels of ammonia. When the system breaks down and it uses exhaustive DEF it backs up out of any crack or exit in the exhaust system HENCE the occupants can end up breathing steamed/heated ammonia which can give you a lots of problems with your health that you feel could be other.
The environmentalists have initiated these protections which is not a bad thing/idea. If you look at history there is always a trial and error when it comes to a new ideas designed for the public from Detroit.
I would actually hope that the multi million $2 billion in revenue companies, that own more than 5000 trucks in their fleet, could initiate a recall or at least force a fix due to their purchasing power.
I can tell you that diesel vehicles are not blowing Blacksmoke out of their pipes with this system. It is a positive direction for the environment. And the consumer has to put up with it.
I’ve just had my DPF replaced by my local garage on my Nissan qashqai. Again I regularly drive 30 minute journeys, mostly dual carriage ways so my driving habits cannot be to blame – although I find this ridiculous on an expensive brand new car that our driving habits have to be altered to suit the car! The dealer would not cover it under my warranty – due to me not having it serviced with them – wanted £1300 to replace the DPF. My local garage charged £700. The best part is that the dealers have kept my service log book and have said they will give it back when I pay them for diagnosing the problem, even though it was the RAC that diagnosed it!
Seat Leon fr tdi . Dpf light was coming on ever week. Got told by a friend who works in the trade. To only use v power fuel. Because it burns cleaner. Which i did. I must say it works. Light comes on around ever mouth now. Buy the dpf cleaner from Halfords for 9.99 use it after every service. Make sure you use the right engine oil. Low ash one. Hope this helps someone
I have a 2010 59 reg Nissan X trail 2.0dci bought a year ago from main dealer its is low mileage one owner example and a year later DPF and Engine Management light now on explored numerous options main dealers want 160 to 200 to regenerate not once have they mentioned how long the filter clean will last until next time
a specialist has told me its a waste of money as he reckons it will block again within a month and suggested removing filter and by passing which having read the direct gov website appears illegal and an mot failure, like wise removing the innards and leaving the casing on although may work also sounds dodgy I like many others object to a 1500 bill anyone got any suggestions i suspect though that there is no such thing as a cheap fix
Hi Mark
Unfortunately your specialist is right. The removal of the DPF is illegal as they are required for the MOT.
I am aware of some companies offering a services that disables the DPF in the ECU (brain of the car) followed by the gutting of the material in the filter. Once complete the filter is still in place but it’s just a shell.
Not sure how this would effect the MOT as it would increase particles in the emissions.
I also experienced the same issue with my Nissan as per the article and ended up getting rid of it.
Let me know if you need any further information or help.
Regards
Karl – Hypermiler.co.uk
had my 59 plate suzuki grand vitara ddis one month its been back three times with the dpf filter had it regenarated the thursday did 15 miles up pops the dpf light on the saterday suzuki responds i am not doing enough miles i am having to regenerate twice a week at 30 miles per trip its costing a fortune its now at the garage again i have a s-cross on loan its a diesel no problems with that help please
These systems along with EGR and similar are simply devised as cash collection methods. Look at the way modern vehicles are constructed all to prevent smaller garages working on them. New Merc and BMW have systems to prevent an independant changing a battery! Why dealer only prices. My policy? Remove them or bypass as soon as method available. I have a mondeo TDCI with egr completely removed from new, No issues or problems 100,000 mls on same turbo and nice clean exhaust. Start asking garages for models without them, the money will talk.
I have had similar issues and ended having the DPF “resolved.” My dealership were useless and refused to do anything under warranty, I have since contact Nissan Uk customer service and I have to say that they have been very good. They told me that their policy is to carry out a forced regen under warranty and at the same time offer some driving advice to the customer. If it happens again they say that they will offer a free regen once again but only as a “good will gesture.” I wasn’t even offerd the regen by my dealer under warranty ehich Nissan Uk say was wrong of them.
My advice if you are haing DPF issues is to cut out your dealer and go straight to the UK manufacturer.
Since then I have had the sales manager from the dealership call me up and invite me in to the branch to discuss it further- sounds like someone has rattled his cage!
The meeting is today so will let you know how it goes. I echo many of the comments here – if I knew what i know now about DPFs then I would have gone for a petrol version.
Another point regards MOTs- (this info was gained direct from an MOT tester) it is correct to say that a car without a DPF would fail an MOT if it originally had one fitted. However it would be virtually impossible for an MOT technician to detect this as they are only allowed to carry out a visual check as they are not allowed to remove any components for inspection (they are limited for time also). So as long as the DPF removal has been carried out professionally and discretely (i.e by removing the internals but leaving the DPF housing ) they would not be able to tell if it had been removed or not.
Also , contrary to popular belief, diesels do not undergo the same emmissions tests as petrols (CO, hydrocarbons, etc.) they undergo a smoke opacity test. Even with the DPF removed and with soot emitted it would be still nigh impossible for a diesel vehicle to fail the smoke opacity test because the test is so old and with very high fail setpoints that most modern cars would breeze through (assuming there is no underlying separate engine issues.
I’ve a 11 plate 2.0dci Gash’qai and the MIL light came on about 2 weeks ago. Today I noticed the car wouldn’t go into boost in any gear at WOT so I used my scanner and pulled the fault history. There were two codes. One was DPF and the other was engine oil quality. I’ve just hit the service mark at 50k miles.
My plan is to change oil and give it an Italian tune up. If not, I’ll gut the innards and reset the MIL. I’m not paying £1600 for the environment every few months. Nissan should make an ‘urban’ car that can handle an urban lifestyle.
Car is now in permanent ‘limp home’ mode when fully warmed up. ECU is restricting revs beyond 3krpm and I assume is also opening the turbo waste gate as no boost is generated. Car booked in for a full service.
The car drives like normal from cold.
I have a 2014 Qashqai +2 a few weeks ago I got a stop start engine fault – the car continued to drive fine (the stop start feature just didn’t work). After a week of driving the car entered ‘limp mode’. When I brought it to the nissan garage I was told it required a DPF regeneration. I did not have any DPF warning lights. This cost me €204. The car is not yet one year old.i drive on the motorway (> 100 km journey) once every week. Nissan dealership have refused to cover this under the warranty.
I will change this car ASAP and will not be purchasing a Nissan car again (this was my third) – given how Nissan have refused to accept responsibility.
I am deeply disappointed by Nissan. People need to be made aware of how poor their after sales is.
Next time i would like to buy a lpg car no more stupid DPF.
Problems with DPF are mainly due to people not selecting the right tool for the job. Commuting to work or going to the shops is the job for a pushbike, scooter or at worst a small petrol powered car. A diesel is for hauling you and your gear hundreds of km down the highway.
It’s crazy that people think they are optimising their transport by purchasing a diesel engine, when in fact they are carrying around 2 tonnes of metal and plastic along with them every where they go, in a vehicle designed to carry 5 people and their gear.
Hi all fellow sufferers, I too have purchased a new car 2013 Diesel Nissan Note and have been having probelsm whilst under warranty.
The regen warning light has never come on, just straight to the EML and I have effectively looked like the car was on fire some days… RAC have regenrated 4 times and today i have limped it in to delarship who never wrned me of this for a diesel and have also blamed my driving habits. i do meet what i am suppsed to do.
Single Mum thrilled and proud to buy her first new car but now stressed and panicked!
I work for the NHS and have already contacted Nissan UK as I am going to offer to send a NHS global mail to every-one in my Trust to warn people about their delaers not being truthful at the start for us consumners.I hope this may make them take some notice as i will refuse to pay if like all the readers above, they expect hundreds or thousands of pounds for essentially what is a known and expected issue.
Can you imagine health care being as mercenary?
Who would buy a diesel vehicle if we know there would be such problems?
Will let you know how I get on, fingers x’d!
I have been to look at a new Suzuki Vitara today and after talking to the sales rep about engine choices he pointed out that i would not have the driving lifestyle appropriate for a diesel powered Vitara as the engine has a DPF fitted and would most likely clog up.
That has to be a step in the right direction and perhaps is down to drivers complaining that he offered the information,I dont know if its standard practice across all Suzuki dealers of course. I live in France so it could just be french dealers.
I’m sorry to hear of everybodys problems but rest assured you have all convinced me not to buy a diesel. It’s a shame because i muh preferred the diesel engine. I have a 2009 Civic Diesel at the moment which was never fitted with a DPF, i dont know if modern ones have it.
P.S. I wish people would follow up there posts when they say they will let us know what happened.
Great to hear that you’ve had experience with a responsible dealer. I’m in the process of finding a new car and they have been very hit and miss.
I’d agree that it would be great if people could update us – It will help other people having similar issues and need a way forward.
I had DPF problems with a diesel Mazda 6. Have now got a PETROL Skoda Octavia 1.4T. It’s fast, smooth and very economical. It’s easy to get 50mpg on a journey. Drove from Scotland to Coventry at 70pmh and it returned 55mpg.
So ditch diesel and get trouble free motoring from a modern petrol engine!
I have nissan quashiaq dci 1.5 diesel I have the pdf light come on been told to have a long drive on motorway to get ride f the problem but it not worked as any one else no any way to get ride of the problem as can’t afford to take it to a garage
Interesting to read all these comments! We bought a 2 year old low mileage Qashqai 1.5 diesel car from a garage. We picked it up last Friday. We immediately were aware that it was slow in 1st and 2nd gear (well, to be honest it was dangerous, as it almost stopped!) Needless to say, after having it for all of 20 hours, back it went to the garage. Now 10 days later, they are saying they do not know what is wrong with it! the problem is definitely something to do with the Anti Pollution system. They have tried cleaning the filter, tried a regen, this is still not fixing the problem. We have no idea when we are likely to get our car back. At no time were we told about the driving style required, indeed I was not even aware of what a DPF was! We are both retired, so are particularly worried about the ongoing cost of this car – mind you that’s if we ever actually get it back.
Bought a 2012 qashqai +2 tenka top of the range great car having had it 2weeks engine light came on (red one) took it back fixed it 2 weeks later same light came back on phone Nissan they kept it for the weekend an replaced the dpf filter so I thought great problem solved not the case 3 weeks later same light back on I do dual carriageway driving on a daily basis all but give up with the car now will be phoning them tomorrow unacceptable no use to anyone shame really because it’s a great car
…just posted a similar story – my advice is to forget the main dealer and go for a reliable independent, get them to check the sensor output on the exhaust system – seems the pressure sensors are less reliable than the filters, mine was reporting high pressure without the engine running – that will fool the ECU into reporting a blocked filter…
Bought a new Qashqai Tekna in mid August. Within 2 days engine cooling fan came on (for prolonged period) after car had been driven for a short distance. Returned to dealer who said nothing wrong. Since then this has happened at least 10 times. Returned to dealer for 2 days, I am told nothing wrong but this is simply engine regeneration. Not acceptable on a new car that has only done 1200 miles Have had diesel Mercedes, Jag, Toyota, Range Rover this never happened to them.
Lesson to be learnt, will never again buy a Nissan!!
Renault laguna diesel 2011 here and same problem. Im sure diesel particle filters costing environment more than not having them. Hope to trade against petrol car. Money saved on fuel is probably few hundreds but dpf is more than few hundreds a year
I have this problem with a 2007 Mazda 6 – 2.0 Litre. Within 3 weeks of buying it the DPF light starts flashing, engine light constantly on and the car has a complete loss of power. now it moves like an old car. Complete rubbish !!!! Dealers should make this very clear before selling the vehicle OR just not sell them sort !!
Bought my wife a qashqai+2 earlier in the year which she loved, until the DPF “clogged” and left her in Limp mode. Typically I was away at the time (work on a boat) and as a reasonably confident DIY mechanic could only sit on the sidelines listening to her tales of woe. The main dealer ran a diagnostic check and decided that a “regen” was the cure. £280 later she drove away with the problem fixed – only to re-occur a couple of months later – again while I was at work, another £280 regen! A few weeks later it happened again – I was at home this time and thought to hell with it, I’ll buy a new filter – went to the main dealer to price it up – the parts guy produced a list of the various part numbers which also included all the exhaust sensors, I asked him why I needed all the sensors and was told “oh, we have to replace them every time we do this job…”. in other words it could have been one of the sensors at fault – then drove the limping car to an independent for a diagnostic session, found the pressure sensor between the engine and filter was showing high pressure without the engine running, this situation was misdiagnosed as a blocked filter by the ECU – changed the sensor, cleared the faults and hey ho all good for the last six months….
moral is you can’t trust everything the main dealer tells you, those guys must have been aware that the sensor was suspect.
Hi interesting…. im having a siluar prob..
Can u change them your self ?
Do you know the official part name or no. .?
Hi was this sensor called the DPF pressure sensor?
My 2.0dci Qashqai is back in the garage again with the same old DPF issue. Regeneration failed last time and it cost £1300 to replace (it had 57K on the clock). Its failed two regens today so lets see what tomorrow holds. I might be getting more miles than others from my car before the light comes on, but I don’t make frequent short journeys so I’m pretty annoyed that Nissan seem to think that its down to this, and not a design failure. And even if it was for others, its supposed to be urban proof!
Having seen these issues before purchase of my 1.5 Qashqai I took out a warranty with EPGwarranty assist, with expanded coverage to include DPF filters. 6 months on my broke down with no warning. The Nissan dealer in Cambridge claimed it was too clogged to regenerate hence £1500 to replace it. Surprise, surprise the weasels at EPGwarranty assist refuse to cover it. The warranty was a total waste of money and if anyone suggests you take one out with them, don’t bother they will never pay up on anything.
The problem seems to be with euro regs and not involving fuel suppliers to give us better diesel .The Renault engine used in most of these cars including mine is prone to this in several ways and compounded by poorly trained mechanics !I am used to fault tree diagnostics and they only point to an area to diagnose !The government should force them all to rectify the dpf failings as regeneration wastes lots of fuel !Hot engine and 4th gear revs for 20 mins to help clear ash so lets all go to London and do it soon see action then >
I have a two year old Suzuki SX4S Cross Diesel. It has never given me any trouble of any sort, but, I knew about DPFs before I bought it, and I knew it would have been no use for short journeys only. There has been much discussion in the motoring press about this for years. I have used my car for work, and I have always let the DPF burn out when I’ve heard it cutting in, even when I have been stationary. There is a slight noise from the engine which indicates tnat the DPF is regenerating. Fail to do this too often and the thing will certainly clog up. Also, always use top grade fuel, and change the engine oil regularly. The Suzuki uses a very good Fiat Diesel engine, the same engine I had in my last car without trouble, which then happened to be a Fiat. I discussed the merits of Diesel and petrol engines with the salesmen when I bought these cars, so I went in with my eyes open. I am about to buy another Suzuki, a new Vitara, but this time with a Suzuki petrol engine, because I won’t be needing to use the car for work so a Diesel will be inappropriate. As for removing the DPFs, this is totally illegal. Just be sensible when you buy a car and remember that Diesels are only suited to regular longish journeys. And Fiat builds good Diesel engines… Oh, and modern petrol engines can be very economical too.
Hello all,
I purchased a second hand Mazda 5 mpv from Osbourne car sales in Maidenhead. One week after purchasing the car (and while over 350 miles away in Yorkshire! the dpf died. I was stuck in Yorkshire, so my only chance of getting home was to have the thing replaced at a cost of £504.00.
I called in at a VOSA/DVSA approved garage who informed me that there was also a fair few problems with the car. Suspension bushes here, anti roll bar bushes there, a tyre that was not road worthy (!) and brake discs that had the ‘face’ grinded off instead of being replaced.
The garage (Osbournes) have now had the car back for a week to repair, and I have told them I want the costs of the DPF back.
Am I right in doing so?
I feel I am as I have had to also pay out:
£75 to clean oil (from the new car) off my drive
£150 in loss of wages (from taking the car back to osbournes-twice!)
£25 in minicabs as the courtesy car was not a seven seater-hence a cab to follow on a few occasions.
£30 in petrol for the loan car as it came with 0 fuel.
Where do I stand?
Please help
Many thanks
Glen.C
Volvo XC60 2011 Plate, cracked DPF, £700 repair bill from main Volvo dealer (and that includes 20% discount!). Going to take it to a local garage, hopefully they can do a weld repair. No warning lights, performance unchanged, absolutely no warning.
XC60 is a lovely care, but they only produce Diesels therefore you can’t get away from the DPF problem if you only take local trips.
Hi folks,
I used to be an M.O.T tester and any diesel car that had a dpf on it was undetectable by our diesel emissions equipment, also said cars never had any soot in the exhaust tail pipe and so are sure giveaways as to the presence a properly functioning particulate filter, but the tester is only interested in the end result of the emossions test and is the only safe way for him or her to issue a failure.
If you smash the core out of it you are then commiting fraud by driving it on public roads because you are cheating the authorities out of the correct rate of excise for you vehicle for which there will be a hefty fine if caught.
Removal of a dpf is also anti social and people should think ahead what it means to do this, diesel soot is a carcinogen yes thats right it causes cancer this is the reason that dpf filter exist and anyone tampering with them is simply a scumbag because they care nothing for the environment or the people within.
The dpf is poor technology and I’ve had a car with one on it but wont have another until there is an improvement with them.
There are ways to reduce the dpf problem, one by running with dipetane additive in your fuel and two, every four or five tanks full add Forte dpf regenerator (and I don’t work for them) to a full tank, this worked for me with a 1.6 crtd octavia in which I had the light on after about 12 months ownership of the (10 plate new) car, using the above and driving with higher revs during regeneration cycles (don’t use top gear for this purpose as you need to generate more heat in the exhaust) I never saw the light again and part chopped it after five years for a suzuki petrol.
Dave
My Nissan Cyril never revealed a dpf problem until I towed a caravan down to Spain. Crewe to Portsmouth, no problem, across on the ferry to Santander and then I got the light and the limp home mode en route to Madrid ie on day two of prolonged towing. Courtesy of the AA European. Breakdown and Nissan in Madrid we continued our journey 180 euros lighter. Throughout our tour spells of towing were interspersed with independent driving at high revs as per the advice of Nissan Madrid. Sure enough on the way back to the UK it happened again on Day2 of towing. The final advice of my local Nissan dealer is that although in theory my X Trail and caravan were a good match the Nissan was working hard coping with the hills in Spain. The advice was to keep dropping off the caravan and going for a motorway blast to clear the spot out. Not 100%desirable or practical. I have changed the X Trail for a 3 litre Range Rover Sport, my theory being to have so much power that the caravan will hardly affect the car at all. Within 2 weeks of buying the 2011 78000 mile Range Rover guess what…… Dpf light on with no caravan attached. Dealer has done a forced regen at his expense and on we go waiting to see what happens next. Have just added a dpf cleaner to the fuel tank and will travel to Birmingham tomorrow in a lower gear to achieve 3000rpm. I am loving driving the RR and do not want to fall out of love with it the way my relationship with the X Trail soured.
Hi everyone, we have the same problem with our brand new Nissan x-trail that was bought in November . After 7 months the DPF becomes blocked and we have to pay £347 . We were not been told about this matter and the proper driving of the diesel engine . Two months after the first breakdown we’ve encountered the same problem again on our way to holiday destination in devon, eventhough we’ve already follow what they say and We have to pay £199 . We’re really devastated knowing that it’s not even a year old car. I’m thinking of filing a complaint but i don’t know if this is the right thing and if this is right where do i file the complain. I don’t know where to get help . Tomorrow when we get back to Leeds we have decided to return or swap the car to petrol . It really ruins our holiday . Any help will be highly appreciated. Thank you.
Why is this scandal being covered up.
This should be getting max. publicity.
The people are being robbed.
Theese ara a sad stories. Where does this DPF nonsens come from?
But you all who have experienced all theese DPF problems, is it so, after speeding on highways that the DPF light goes out without turning off the engine. In my case it does not go out untill I´ve stopped the car and switched off an on again.
Does anyone recognise that if the the engine is turned off before regeneration cycle finishes, dieseloil may blend together with the motoroil and it´s level goes much to high and even lights up a red warninglight for to low lubricating pressure?
I have got the same problem now. Bought my car 3 years ago. Has already gone into limp mode twice since we bought it. Now again but major this time had black smoke coming from the engine as i went to drop kids off school. Had to call AA who said it was dpf filter blocked. Took it to Nissan who kept it for 2 weeks and gave it back after fixing it and advising to drive on motorways more often. Has only been 4 days and i ve got the same problem again car is losing speed and not going above 40. Taking it back again to Nissan to complain in morning. Who else can i complain to as these cars shouldnt be allowed to sell if they have this error. Its meant to be a family car yet it can break down any moment!
Rip out the guts of the dpf and be done with it. Many professional diesel shops will do it for you and nobody will be any the wiser and the system spins a lot more freely, esp the turbo.
Similar with my diesel Qashqai, 1.5, had to have very expensive regeneration done only to find 4 months later, the dreaded combo of red and orange light on the dashboard. Brought it to local dealer who advises that there is a second connection between the turbo and engine which is prone to soot clog and requires a further purging. The diagnostics also identified a No.2 injector failure which accounted for the stuttering performance and will require even further expense (although this was not directly attributed to the DPF issue) ? Local mechanic advises not to remove the DPF as it will result in failure of emissions test in local country. Hard to believe that Nissan are shrugging their shoulders and saying “it’s the way you drive your car”. Really pleased with mileage/fuel performance but hurting over mult add on costs
I am another customer with a Nissan Qashqai DPF issue, 33.000 miles still with warranty went into limp mode. When are these people going to sort this issue, it has been a problem for such a long time.
There was no mention when i bought the car, they were happy to take the cash. No car for a week while they waited for parts.
I am just hoping now that the parts work and i dont need a new filter.
Sorry to hear that Keith. Unfortunately I don’t think they’ll ever clean up their act. Nissan are really behind on DPF design – even new ones have issues.
Hope you get it sorted. Let us know how you get on.
Hi All
just read all probs with dpf I have a Nissan x Trail 2.0 dci tekna 2010 bought it November 2015 has been running great I did a service on it in march 2016( oil oil fillter diesel filter air filter ) have been towing caravan with ok then got the EML RED LIGHT and THE ORANGE LIGHT ON 5 WEEKS AGO got my hand held auto scanner and found error (Engine oil Deteriorated) SO CLEARED the error changed oil and oil filter ok for 5 weaks then error back again went to Nissan dealer for info and one of the guys said it could be DPF just needs a blast up the motor way cleared the error took it for a blast was ok for a few days but just comes back so to day 5/4/17 went to my local auto parts dealer where I always go and aksed for the best DPF cleaner he said totry this 4TEC DPF & TURBO System Cleaner have went for a good blast with rpm 2500/3000 in 3 and 4 gear the lights came back on twice I am going to see if it does the trick if not I might look at these sensors will let you all know the out come
Hi John
Sounds just like my Qashqai did. Just make sure you’re using low ash oil as recommended by the manufacturer. Also have someone check out the EGR valve as that too can cause issues.
Let us know how you get on.
Cheers Karl
Hi Karl
Well have run the car for three days now with 4TEC DPF & TURBO cleaner but lights are still coming on I can get rid of them with my hand held auto scanner I was doing 65 with the cruise control for a few miles when the lights came on and the cruise control would not work I am going to see a mechanic I now to check the EGR valve I also have read on some forums that it might be a sensor for the DPF Will keep you posted
John ss
DPFs are the work off the devil. I had on going problems on a Honda CRV. I had 3 regens and still the problems came back. Honda quoted me a stupid price to have a new DPF fitted which was around 3k. For me petrol is the way forward if you do under 12k a year also short runs seem to kill the DPF. It bought a lot of stress to myself and my wife in knowing that the car was costing us money every few weeks either on a regen or having to replace the DPF for mega money. It just doesn’t make sense that I have to go out every week to blast my car down the motor way for at least 30 minutes at a constant speed to get the car to burn off the soot for the light to go out. Also it got to the point where the motorway blasting didn’t even work. The car industry needs to get on top of this problem ASAP.
Happy Qashqai owner no more..
Four years ago I bought a 2nd hand Nissan Qashqai 2.0L diesel (2010 plate). Around Christmas the car would not start.by taking out the battery, whatever electronic bug it had was cleared and managed to get the car working again.
Three months later I get DPF fault while driving at approx 30 miles per hour (while climbing a hill).
After reading all these comments, I can only request that Nissan CREATE AND SUPPLY THE NECESSARY SOFTWARE PATCH to address these DPF sensitivity issues.
Having worked as a service engineer/ investigator this is something that can be clearly tweaked during an annual maintenance if Nissan supplies the patch to its garages. But they are clearly making a killing on spares.
I have a J10 Qashqai 1.5 62 plate which has just gone into limp mode and stopped after the engine management light lit up on the dashboard. Diagnosis from garage is blocked DPF filter. Now the model I have doesn’t have a DPF warning light, so we have gone straight from ok to ‘dead’ without warning.
We only bought this 1 year ago, we did take out extended warranty but as it isn’t electrical or mechanical it isnt covered under warranty !
We were not told that we needed to drive this car in a certain way to ensure regeneration when we purchased this vehicle.
I’m afraid once sorted we will be departing with the car and going back to petrol
If your car has a DPF – use Shell VPpower diesel, it is a GTL, gas to liquid fuel, natural gas is turned into a synthetic diesel fuel, burns a lot cleaner.
a) Make sure your exhaust gas pressure, exhaust gas temperature, thermostats and engine oil/water sensors are working correctly. DPF regen works on pressure differential at the DPF.
b) Once it gets high, the car will decide to do a regen once you are going above 45-60 mph for more than 15 mins and your engine is at the right temperature, usually 75c and that you have more than 20l of fuel. Those figures are for BMW 318d/320d (and similar) engines.
Now a competent garage (or diyer) should be able to do part a.
It’s up to you to do part b.
Use Shell VPower GTL diesel for less soot in the first place, not supermarket cheapy stuff.
I have a Qashqai 1.5dci and have just had this problem. Livid is an understatement as we regularly drive at 70mph for an hour plus. If that’s not enough to keep it clean then it shouldn’t be allowed on the car. Something should be done to stop car manufacturers cashing in on the problem they have created.
I have a Laguna mk3 my DPF warning light came on . Well it says ( check injection) on the dashboard. So had it cleaned at a local garage at a cost of £ 240.00 quid, bearing in mind it was the first time it had gone wrong from new and had 130.000 on the clock. It has now come on again and gone into limp mode and will only rev up to 3000 rpm and has only covered 26.000 Niles since it was cleaned ?? It’s used as a taxi. And have been told to take it off the car and pressure wash it with hot or warm water only ????£
I have just bought a Qashqai 1.6dci 2017 model already having problems can you use cleaning fluid i.e. Wynns Particle Cleaning additive Nissan told me not to wouldn’t give me a reason but Wynns said you can use the 325ml bottle every 3000km
who do you believe
I will be returning to Nissan tomorrow for the 3rd time in 6 days with this issue. Supposedly they clean the carbon build up and make my car safe again.
Concerned that this keeps happening and I am left with loss of power given my commute is 140 miles on the M4 driving at 70mph.
Yes i have had the same problem. I brought my nisson second hand a 2012 year old. The dealer has been quite good as i have only had it two to three weeks.They have regenerated it three times now and perhaps the nexr day the light came back on.Im now waiting for him to get me a new filter.The car seems to run ok,but after a few miles it seems to loose a little power.What damage could that do while waiting for the new filter.I need the car daily.
I am on my seventh visit to Dealership for Dièsel Particle Filter not regenerating. Nissan Xtrail Diesel 2.0, 2017 4×4.
Use Shell V diesel lower Ash, dealer serviced low wash Oil. High speed motorway driving in higher revs regularly for over 40 minutes, some long trips
Vehicle bought from brand new from Japan via Nissan Uk. First Dealership garage forced regen done after about 450 miles from brand new.
Stated it was a faulty sensor. Did not replace oil and filter. Second visit to garage another forced regeneration and oil and filter change. Seven visits to garage ref blocked dpf.
Mileage currently 16950 miles. Last regen done about 1000 miles ago.
Garage aware that my driving style and everything is optimised to dpf to work properly. I have had a Nissan diesel before for three years and no problem with the dpf.
Therefore it must be a fault with the dpf. Advised by Nissan dealer that these cars should have been given a different Software mapping and that they have to have a Doftware update but only do it if problems raised. So garage now saying dpf is broken as in faulty.
They will sort directly with Nissan UK and I’m hoping the dpf will be replaced at their cost and this Software issue will also be sorted. Surely it should be a recall but looks like they just do the fix when car in for service or if in on a problem.
I was once informed that there was also a bad batch from manufacturer of the dpf’s but that was resolved. It is extremely frustrating paying out for this top Tenka model which is expensive.
Had two motorway breakdowns at limp mode. RAC recovered and full diagnostics usually on engine management Orange.
Took car to garage they gave it me back after 4 hours then power loss so I drove straight back to garage and red engine management light came on as I pulled into garage.
The dealership is taking it up with Nissan UK. It is definitely not driver style or related. They are stating that this dp Filter has been faulty and the wrong Software details shipped out with vehicle will have also had an issue on its failure to properly work.
They now have my car and I have a small dealers car while I wait for outcome. I need my large Nissan Xtrail and tow bar for trailer and job. Lost productivity and time sorting and taking it to be fixed. Never get a diesel again. If it were not for dpf i do like the Xtrail and would keep getting one every three years.
Government and vehicle manufacturers need to challenge the technology as maybe it’s not fit for purpose?.
Alan,
What i think should happen is that the dpf should be checked when a vehicle has a scheduled service due.
I was driving 1160km back home in the ford kuga diesel and was entering an onramp to the gateway arterial doing 80km/h.I went to speed up to 110km/h and just as i went to overtake a vehicle my car lost power and all i could see was the needle dropping down from 110 to 40 with cars right up my arse.Not good on a freeway right in the middle of traffic and i mean traffic.
These car companies need to have these filters checked when a service is done on a vehicle.When i bought the car i was not told anything about this part on the car. I think they don’t tell you because you may change your mind in the purchase of the vehicle.
Nissan makes crap diesels, end of story
They should be hauled over the coals for selling lemons
Their DCi jukes and qashqais have crappy injectors and high sensitivity to fuel
at 30k miles I replaced an injector and am looking at a 2nd one
I have a 1.5 diesel+Acenta J10, 09 Mine has been a poor starter therfore changed fuel filter , oil, air, pollen water pump, I noticed had a Ford fuel filter since changing that worse on fuel recently new heater plugs. Poor then it broke down twice garage says its doing a regeneration so try it broke down , now have to get another fuel filter b3fore they mess with dof, car needed for disabled. Thinking of putting my Merc E class back on the road only had a falt battery. Plus 1.5 underpowerd. Long winded apologies
I own a 2016 X-Trail and I have done just over 14,000 miles without problems.
I use a diesel DPF additive to the tank every 4th fill, the car runs much smoother so it must be doing something. And once in a while I fill up with Shell super diesel, which does hurt the wallet. I do try to use the wife’s petrol car for short runs when possible, but when I can’t I drive in a gear that keeps the rev’s at 2000rpm (depending on traffic), I even do this on longer runs and the difference in fuel consumption is genuinely negligible.
I also opt to visit family and go via a motorway route that will take around 45 minutes, again keeping to 2000rpm. This gives the regeneration cycle a chance to do its job.
I hope others can use this info’ to their advantage. If I eventually get DPF problems I will post at what miles it occurs.
I’ve always used Shell V power diesel. Then again, the car is doing 60 miles a day on motorway at 65mph for a least 30 minutes.
Go to a good tuner’ remapper ‘ they’ll sort it about £500ish give or take and you’ll never have no more probs’ power + Torque gain more miles to gallon