DPF cars - is your tailpipe clean??

[hebblemarine]

OK, when I got the car (85,000 on the clock), the inside of the tailpipe was totally clean - like new metal, even though the exhaust was far from new.

Now (105k miles) it looks like the tailpipe of a diesel: sooty!

Just wondering if this is a sign my DPF is dying / dead, although it does regen and does not smoke during a regen...???

Thinking it's starting to disintegrate and is now letting some soot through...??

it's a v6 facelift 55 plate.

Can the DPF be mapped out of the V6?? Cos if it's falling to bits inside, then it will be getting the metal bar treatment and I would want it mapping out.

[GazVXLINE170]

Alot of DPF cars I see - Insignia CDTI 160's the tail pipe has a black soot stain on the bottom. Normal, but I thought the DPF was supposed to reduce that. Goes to show pointless bit of performance and fuel economy sucking technology. Get it removed.

[badback]

My original pipe was always spotlessly clean, and my twin scorpion pipes are the same. Never seen any smoke whatsoever from the car in over 4 years of ownership.

[hebblemarine]

Gazza - oh, there's no way I'm shelling out for a new one when / if it dies... it will be getting gutted!

Badblack - yeah, my pipe was alway spotless... and looking at the corrosion outside, I reckon it the original exhaust... so was a bit concerned why it should start doing this after around 100,000 miles of being clean. Strange. Reckon it's starting to fall to bits...??

[Celes]

There's a thread open on here on how to clean your DPF. You should check it out mate Now if only I could find it for you lol

[hebblemarine]

A member (I think it's SB1UK) has cleaned several with a pressure washer - successfully! They have been brought to him as they've blocked through driver error / incomplete regens. I'm anal about letting it finish a regen, even if it means letting it run, so I try to avoid this situation.

But they do have a finite life, something not helped by the engine burning crankcase vapour.... Hmmm.

[Celes]

Found it http://www.vectra-c.com/forum/showthread.php?t=129911

[hebblemarine]

That's the one, thanks!

I just got the wrong member...

[lee gsi]

Yeah mine is spotless too

[Homer]

Mines pretty clean, there's a little dribble of black in the bottom of the pipe from condensate but that is it. Takes ages to form as well.

The only advantage to this pain in the arse thing - keeps the back of the car clean!!