Thread: Newbie member with DPF issues!

Hi all...brand new member to the forum and I know nothing about cars I'm sorry.

I've joined as I have now owned 2 Range Rover Sports and I love them. My problem with my latest acquisition (2015 RR Sport SDV6, HSE) is that I am experiencing DPF issues which are requiring manual regen procedures every time at great expense (5 times so far in the space of 18 months). The vehicle has had this issue since it was purchased brand new by the first owner however Land Rover Australia has advised me this is happening because of my driving! They have told me I'm not driving long enough journeys for the car to get to the required heat to burn off the diesel emissions...essentially it's my fault! I don't recall ever signing up to buy a car and signing a disclaimer that I need to drive the car a certain way or it will go into limp mode and it will cost me $500-700 to fix every time...unbelievable. This for a car which was originally purchased in 2015 (new) at a cost of $150K and is now in it's 5th year and travelled only 73,000kms. Apparently nothing can fix the problem, LR Australia won't accept any responsibility or ownership (as it's out of warranty) but I might have thought in order to protect their high end brand, integrity & reputation they might have come to the party and assisted in some way. The vehicle is useless to me if I have to be a slave to it! Any suggestions gratefully accepted!!

If the DPF is actually filling to the extent being indicated (ie not a faulty sensor indicating incorrectly) and if the vehicle's engine management software is at the latest level (there might have been an update since the vehicle was built to either reduce the soot or to correct incorrect reporting) and you can't work into your usage a regular 80 kph+ drive to clear the DPF then you should consider changing the vehicle for one with a petrol engine.
An engine management reprogram (re-map) may be available that alleviates the problem but they could be illegal depending on what they change. I know that reportedly legal remaps are available for some engines that reduce (not delete) EGR operation to reduce the build-up inside inlet tracts.

73,000 kms / 5 years is low usage.
What's your average daily or weekly trip and the average speed on that trip?
And as pointed out how often do you do over 80 km/h for an extended time i.e. not just overtaking?

Being a low mileage vehicle isn't the issue,its the length of each trip,and the speeds on the trip.

If the trips are short,and at around town speeds,then thats the issue.

The DPF doesn't do a burn off.

Apart from checking if there is a software up date,there is not much you can do,except go for some long runs in the car each month or so.

We have work vans with DPF's,no issues at all,as they are running all day,some around town.They have a burn off switch and a gauge,to let the driver know the state of the DPF,we never have to use the switch.

Seems LR don't have a burn off switch and gauge either?

Many others do.

Thanks guys for all your responses. In answer generally, I am now retired so my driving habits are fairly suburban & short in nature so this is obviously the issue. I don't really want to be dictated by the needs of a vehicle in order to prevent break downs so best I sell it and buy petrol I think. If this DPF was introduced to reduce emissions then the manufacturers certainly failed vehicle owners.

DPF were introduced to reduce particulate emissions and that works. Diesels probably should not have been marketed as much to city users but the I don't think you can blame the manufacturer for usage that does not match what they were designed for. When I retire, if my wife and I don't travel as much we will also need to reaccess what sort of vehicle we need. By then it will probably be an all electric vehicle.
PS. This is a good site to advertise a low klms Landrover on :-)

Originally Posted by speleomike

DPF were introduced to reduce particulate emissions and that works. Diesels probably should not have been marketed as much to city users but the I don't think you can blame the manufacturer for usage that does not match what they were designed for. When I retire, if my wife and I don't travel as much we will also need to reaccess what sort of vehicle we need. By then it will probably be an all electric vehicle.
PS. This is a good site to advertise a low klms Landrover on :-)

Land Rover sales reps have recently changed the way they market their vehicles because of this exact issue,there have been many complaints.

In fact if you look on the LR site there is a section on whether a diesel or petrol vehicle is the best vehicle for you.

I also find it strange that other manufacturers can have a switch and gauge to show when a burn off is needed,but LR don't do this.

You can buy a standalone dongle which will force a DPF regen, but you have to drive the car at speed during the process.

DA-Dongle DPFDR (Jaguar Land Rover DPF Dynamic Regeneration Device) – Diagnostic Associates Ltd

At least with this device you could avoid having to take the car back to the dealer each time it's coming up with the DPF full issue.

Or take it for a run up & down the freeway once a month as a preventative action.

Or trade it in on a petrol. The supercharged V6 and V8 are sweet motors.