All modern diesel engine cars are factory-equipped with a particulate filter, commonly referred to as diesel particulate filter. It is also abbreviated as DPF, PDF or FAP. Usually it's installed after the catalytic converter and is encased in a metal shell. It's made of a porous ceramic block that weighs from 1 to 6 kg (depending on the car). Its purpose is evident from its name - the particulate filter removes (filters) unburned soot particles from exhaust gas.

Usually the filter has a service life of 200 000 kilometres and should not cause any problems up to that point if used properly. However, problems often arise after 40 000 kilometres or even less. Why? There are several main causes:

• Physical wear and tear.
• Poor quality fuel.
• Malfunction of one or more filter components (sensors).
• Oil entering the exhaust system.
• Operating the vehicle when active regeneration is not initiated.

It's important to take into account the main cause - a filter cannot accumulate soot endlessly, therefore the regeneration (burning) procedure is periodically initiated. For it to happen to a sufficient degree, the car must be operated at increased RPMs for about 15-25 minutes while the engine is fully warmed up - only then the exhaust gases can reach a temperature of up to 650 - 800 degrees Celsius. Only then the filter gets regenerated. During urban driving (especially on short trips) the burn-off practically never initiates, thus the filter quickly clogs up and fails.The same thing happens when components that control the filter and regeneration process fail.

There are several symptoms from which it is possible to tell that there's a problem with DPF:

• Check Engine" and DPF malfunction indicators light up in the instrument panel.
• Loss of power or non-operating turbocharger.
• Malfunction of the turbocharger - including after repairs. It serves as a clear sign that there's a problem with DPF. When the filter is clogged, the following occurs: strong back-pressure is generated, deposited soot particles affect the geometry of the turbine that jams the turbine and vanes (complaints about turbine underboost or overboost); soot deposits on the turbine impeller that cause imbalance.
• Increased oil level is a clear sign of problems with DPF. Diesel fuel enters the lubrication system due to the constant regeneration, and this results in increased wear of all engine parts.
• A symptom of a faulty filter can also be increased fuel consumption (especially on Toyota/Lexus cars), engine starts to stall or does not start at all, thick smoke exiting the exhaust system periodically (active regeneration).
• Failure of sensors. Soot that cannot escape freely will lead to rapid failure of sensors that are monitoring the condition of the filter, resulting in its complete failure.
• Noises when over-throttling. Engine RPMs increases slowly, popping-back when dropping RPMs, "whistling" noises from the turbocharger, etc.
• Thick black smoke is emitted periodically. Usually this happens only to those cars that are equipped with an additional nozzle for DPF filter burn-off.
• Constant regeneration or too frequent activation of the DPF burn-off cycle.

With deep cleaning (by using appropriate chemical agents) the filter can be fully cleaned and restored to its working condition. The most important factor for properly conducting this procedure is to seek the assistance of professionals. This must be done in order to properly diagnose and eliminate the cause of the failure, because just “washing” the filter is not a valid option - things can get even worse. In the video you can see why this is important. Advantages of this solution are: complete filter restoration and prevention of problem recurrence in the near future. Cons: cleaning is not possible if the filter has already started to break down; sometimes expensive sensors need to be replaced; sooner or later the problem will reoccur. Our experience shows that cleaning is only effective when total mileage is less than 200 000 km. If this is exceeded, then the chance of success is reduced to about 50%, since the service life of DPF is about 200 000 kilometres. DPF also loses its physical properties that cannot be restored via cleaning.

WE PERFORM PROFESSIONAL CLEANING BY USING TECHNOLOGY AND CHEMICAL AGENTS THAT HAVE NO ANALOGUES ON LATVIAN MARKET. WE ELIMINATE THE CAUSES OF FILTER FAILURE. IN THE VIDEO BELOW YOU CAN SEE AN EXAMPLE FOR WHY IT IS SO IMPORTANT TO ENTRUST THIS JOB TO PROFESSIONALS. IMPROPER EXECUTION OF THE PROCEDURE LEADS TO A COMPLETE FILTER FAILURE - SAME APPLIES WHEN ATTEMPTING TO CLEAN A FILTER THAT HAS ALREADY STARTED TO BREAK DOWN.

Some car owners experience problems after the filter removal - car starts to emit smoke heavily, errors light up on the dashboard, and MOT inspection test is out of the question. The cause of this problem is not the fact that the filter is removed - these problems are a direct result of the quality of services provided by incompetent amateurs in cheapest service centres. When removal is done by experts you are protected from such "perks". Guaranteed. There is a huge quality difference between tuning performed by professionals that use proven and certified solutions and non-professionals who are using “disablers” and lacking the understanding of proper procedures. Fixing up after such a "service" can sometimes be several times more expensive than doing everything properly from the start. MOT test WILL BE PASSED successfully if injectors and turbochargers are working as expected. Below is a video, in which you can see the car modified in our service passing MOT Test successfully after DPF and EGR removal. Smoke emission value - 0.50 when value of 1.5 (Euro 4 and Euro 5) must not be exceeded!After performing work of high quality the car will be able to pass the test with a threefold margin with no problems! Moreover, this figure also meets the Euro 6 standard (0.75)! It goes without saying that with figures so low there will be no plumes of black exhaust smoke and other unpleasant surprises.

It's important to remember - sometimes insignificant initial savings can lead to serious expenses (money, time, and nerves) later - it's better to have an expert perform quality services from the get-go. Below is an example of our work.