Regarding removal of the DPF

Lum

Ok, I believe these are the facts:

You can remove the DPF just fine.

It will pass an MOT with the DPF removed as the emissions requirements for the MOT are much lower than those of EuroV or whatever.

There are no changes to your taxation band as this is based on the CO2 figure from the factory. The taxation system does not punish you for making the emissions worse, nor does it reward you for making them better.

Removing the DPF will, if anything, improve your CO2 figures as it can improve your MPG or performance, depending on how heavy your right foot is.

It does not affect your ability to enter the London low emission zone without paying, if you were previously eligible then you will still be eligible as this check is done based on paperwork.


Sounds great doesn't it?


However, there is one thing that hasn't been mentioned. A lot of people are sceptical about CO2 and it's relationship to global warming, which I can understand, but DPFs are about diesel particulates.

The effect of particulates is to cause smog, to trigger the development of asthma in people (especially children, but adults too) who did not previously have it and to trigger asthma attacks in people who already have. There's also a variety of other diseases, including heart attacks, claimed to be affected by diesel particulates, but I cannot be bothered to look them up right now.

If you're driving a deDPFed car on the motorway or in rural areas I don't mind so much. if you are driving it around urban areas, city centres and schools, then frankly I hate you. Just get a petrol car already!

Trebor16

Wig wrote: »

How many times have you or anyone here been pulled by VOSA for an emmisions check or otherwise whilst driving a family car?

I was pulled over by a police officer working with VOSA for an emissions check back in the summer of 2002. The VOSA guys were rather bemused that the young officer had pulled over a car that was nine months old.:D

I've not been pulled over since.

Premier_2

patman99 wrote: »

Its not a legal requirement to fit DPFs in the UK ...

But it is a legal requirement for manufacturers to produce cars that meet the legislated emissions levels at the time ...

... and the only way manufacturers can usually do this currently is to fit a DPF.

Of course, if you have a magical method of achieving such emission levels without the added cost of a DPF, please let the manufacturers know. They'll pay a fortune for this knowledge as it will save them £billions, not to mention improve cost of ownership figures which are all so important to the fleet buyers so boosting the manufacturers sales (and hence profits) even more.

:cool:

Trebor16

Premier wrote: »

But it is a legal requirement for manufacturers to produce cars that meet the legislated emissions levels at the time ...

... and the only way manufacturers can usually do this currently is to fit a DPF.

Of course, if you have a magical method of achieving such emission levels without the added cost of a DPF, please let the manufacturers know. They'll pay a fortune for this knowledge as it will save them £billions, not to mention improve cost of ownership figures which are all so important to the fleet buyers so boosting the manufacturers sales (and hence profits) even more.

:cool:

Are you talking about the Euro emissions levels or what is required for passing an MOT?

Jakg

Premier wrote: »

But it is a legal requirement for manufacturers to produce cars that meet the legislated emissions levels at the time ...

It's a requirement if you want your car to meet type approval, but it's not a requirement if you want to drive it day-to-day.

There are many examples of where cars are type approved one way, but the manufacturer offers a different configuration, option or dealer fitted option for general sale. For example, the MX5 has a comical ride height as standard to get the bonnet at the right height (iirc) for pedestrian protecton. But the dealer will happily fit the Mazda-approved Bilstein suspension pack the car was actually meant for... Similarly (and not a UK example), the Japanese have (or had) a "gentlemens agreement" to limit power of new cars to 280 BHP, so thats all the Impreza made... but Subaru would happily offer all the dealer-fit Prodrive bits to massively boost that.

Seeing as all VOSA are going to test you against is the MOT visible smoke level (for a petrol) you'll have no problem at all passing without a cat or DPF.

The *only* think that might catch you out is construction and use to declare the car "unroadworthy", but I'm not sure if that mentions the EURO emissions standards.

UncleZen

Dont you think that the solution to the whole expensive DPF / regeneration / replacement thing is for manufacturers to devlop a cheap disposable replacement filter that gets replaced at every service interval?

poppasmurf_bewdley

Jakg wrote: »

It's a requirement if you want your car to meet type approval, but it's not a requirement if you want to drive it day-to-day.

But isn't it illegal to drive a car that doesn't meet type approval requirements?

Otherwise, what's the point in having them?

Notmyrealname

Trebor16 wrote: »

They reduce smoke emissions. But would a car that has had the DPF removed fail the MOT smoke test?

No, they reduce PARTICULATE emissions.

Notmyrealname

Wig wrote: »

How many times have you or anyone here been pulled by VOSA for an emmisions check or otherwise whilst driving a family car?

I've not but I've passed them. Two favourites were Michaelwood services on the M5 and the VOSA checkpoint north of Queensferry.

Notmyrealname

patman99 wrote: »

Its not a legal requirement to fit DPFs in the UK

However having a DPF affects the tax band on some cars so you could technically be charged with a VED offence.

Take my car. MK4 Ford Mondeo 2L TDCi. Road tax is £50 cheaper for the same model with a DPF - £115 vs £165 I pay.