In this article, the AAAA takes a look at Diesel Particulate Filters in the face of reports of customer requests to ‘delete’ or remove this emission control system from vehicles

Over the past year, there has been a rumbling within the automotive industry; a murmured discussion between technicians wanting to do the right thing by their customers, by their business, and by the industry whilst facing off a growing consumer demand which would have them do the opposite.

The rumbling is steadily increasing, and conversations becoming less guarded as the issue bubbles its way towards the surface. Finally, the time has come to pull back the curtain on the DPF Delete movement and for the industry to take a stand against this practise.

First, let’s take a look at Diesel Particulate Filters.

DPFs: what they do and how they work
AutoGuru states that as diesel engines have evolved, and vehicle emissions have been monitored heavily, manufacturers have been employing more and more emissions control devices, to better protect the environment and reduce the unsightly ‘black clouds’ that are renowned with older diesel vehicles.

One of these systems is the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) which sits in the exhaust system and filters harmful carbon particulates produced in the combustion cycle, preventing these particles from being released into the atmosphere.

First fitted to diesel vehicles in the early 2000s, the DPF has been causing confusion and, in many cases, expensive repair bills for drivers, due to lack of knowledge about the system.
The filter is designed to deliver an 80 percent reduction in diesel particulate and soot emissions and does this by trapping the particles in the filter itself.

The engine control unit (ECU) monitors the saturation level inside the filter, and when it reaches a certain percentage, increases the temperature inside the exhaust to ‘burn off’ the particles… READ MORE on the Australian Automotive Aftermarket Magazine website.