60,000 mile Mazda 5 Diesel - keep or sell?

Sportacus

My wife and I received this car as a very generous wedding gift from my parents, and it has been fantastic. The problem is after 5 years the DPF is causing problems and will need replacing soon (will cost thousands for a main dealer spec one), and I don't know what other expensive repairs are likely soon.

I always envisaged keeping this car for 10-15 years or more and am very emotionally attached to it. Also I feel bad for my parents about selling it so soon. But on the other hand keeping this car could be a huge financial burden at a time when we're struggling as it is.

Of course, there is still the question of what to replace it with, and I'm thinking of going down the bangernomics route (e.g. just get a 15 year old car for £500 with 6 months+ MOT and scrap and replace if it fails). I really need a 7-seater, any decent late 90s MPVs still around?

mcjordi

go to a remap place.. (chose carefully) get the insides of the DPF removed and mapped out for around £300.. keep the shell of the DPF intact though as its part of the mot and if missing can fail it..

Sportacus

sorry, but I couldn't in clear conscience be chucking out 10,000 times as many carcenogenic particulates into the air of my town. Also, I've heard they're going to tighten up the MOT smoke test to check for this and/or connect to the ECU to check it's not been remapped. They already do this in Germany.

mcjordi

that would cause far too many issues for the MOT as it is. they wont do that.. they only check its there ie the shell.. same as it does for the cat.

That was my advice i wouldnt be paying 1000's or whatever for DPF replacement
other option is give a good old italian tune up to allow the DPF to regen

UsernameAlreadyExists

Sportacus wrote: »

I've heard they're going to tighten up the MOT smoke test to check for this and/or connect to the ECU to check it's not been remapped.

Any links to this information? I'd be interested to see what happens when remapping becomes an MOT fail.


EDIT: there's some interesting information in the listing details here
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Diesel-Particulate-Filter-DPF-Regeneration-Regen-Service-Mazda-6-5-Specialist-/131211726696?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item1e8cd40f68

k3lvc

mcjordi wrote: »

other option is give a good old italian tune up to allow the DPF to regen

Love to see that on a Mazda 5 :rotfl:

mcjordi

k3lvc wrote: »

Love to see that on a Mazda 5 :rotfl:

fair point

Sportacus

http://forum.mazda6club.com/2-0-diesel/296729-mazda-6-dpf-removal-remap-automatic-mot-failure-dont-do.html

It won't be just a visual check for long.

BeenThroughItAll

Since you've given no details of the car other than mileage, I've guessed at the model. ECP sell a DPF for £340.08. Buy one, then take it to your local exhaust fitter and bung the lads £25 quid to fit it for you (take some biscuits too). Or find a friend who knows what a spanner looks like, changing a DPF ain't rocket surgery.

http://www.eurocarparts.com/search/723680011/p/home

Alternatively, try one of the DPF cleaning services like DPF Genie. Use Google.


There is literally NO point in junking the car just because the DPF's playing up. Factor in the cost of finding a car, buying it, insuring it, taxing it if it needs it, fixing the niggly things you miss, etc and it'll cost you more in the long run. Fix this one, and then once it's done DRIVE IT HARDER and take it for LONG RUNS to avoid knackering it again.


Or, get over your principles and have the guts knocked out and a remap (which will probably cost just as much as a cleaning service or a cheap DPF).

BeenThroughItAll

Sportacus wrote: »

http://forum.mazda6club.com/2-0-diesel/296729-mazda-6-dpf-removal-remap-automatic-mot-failure-dont-do.html

It won't be just a visual check for long.

Where does any of that say it won't be a visual check for long?

Slowly_does_it..

There is a Mazda 5 diesel on A-Trader for sale for £5K, with 150K miles on the clock, so your car might be able to reach that.

I have seen places that take your DPF, clean them, and return them, google is your friend here. However an italian tune up -:rotfl:- might help, with a highish rev blast along a motorway.

Edit - just seen that the 150K car is only a 2010 car :eek: