Bought a car with DPF removed - now stuck getting MoT

wetjeans

Hi,


About 18 months ago I bought a used car (year 2006). It developed a fault about 10 months ago and I was told by the local mechanic that the Diesel Particle Filter had been removed. He was only able to determine this by disassembly of exhaust system and not because of some visible evidence of interference. At the time he said it would cost around £1500 to repair the DPF which is probably just a bit less than the value of the car. So since the car was running fine without one, I declined.

Now fast forward 10 months to now and the MoT is due and the rules have changed and a missing DPF is an instant fail. I'm not wanting to lose my initial investment on the vehicle, but it seems like getting a new MoT is impossible/unlikely. Now that so long has passed, I have no recourse to make a claim against the previous owner? So here I am, stuck with a car doomed to fail just hoping that someone steals it or smashes into it or some other act of grace.

Is there nothing else I can do - clearly this is unfair on me???

What about Diesel scrappage schemes? I keep seeing offers for £1-2000 trade in of old diesels, but I don't really have enough money for a new car, is there anywhere where people might pay £1500 for an old diesel so they can get a £2000 discount?


Any ideas appreciated.


Many thanks.

kmb500

I'm assuming you bought privately not from a car trader? If so then its sold as seen and unless they flat out lied to you and told you in writing that it has the DPF, I don't see how youd have any recourse against them.

I don't think it is "unfair" just one of the things about buying used cars. Not all of them are squeaky clean and untouched...

AdrianC

wetjeans wrote: »

Now fast forward 10 months to now and the MoT is due and the rules have changed and a missing DPF is an instant fail.

Assuming the vehicle passes the smoke test, then the DPF is only checked for presence visually - so if the housing is there, but empty, it'll pass.
https://www.mot-testing.service.gov.uk/documents/manuals/class3457/Section-8-Nuisance.html#section_8.2.2.1

Now that so long has passed, I have no recourse to make a claim against the previous owner?

Not a hope. Even if it was a trader - you don't say so, so I guess it was private?

Is there nothing else I can do - clearly this is unfair on me???

Hey-ho.
Just think how many DPF problems you've avoided in the year and a half you've been driving... After all, that's why it would have been removed in the first place.

wetjeans

AdrianC wrote: »

Assuming the vehicle passes the smoke test, then the DPF is only checked for presence visually - so if the housing is there, but empty, it'll pass.

Thanks. That is good to know. My car only generates visible exhaust output at really really high revs.

Not a hope. Even if it was a trader - you don't say so, so I guess it was private?

It was a trader actually. I had understood that after 3 months there is nothing I can do? After 18 months surely it's going to be a case of his word against mine?

Hey-ho.
Just think how many DPF problems you've avoided in the year and a half you've been driving... After all, that's why it would have been removed in the first place.

That's great, but at the same time I'm not overjoyed about all of the polluting I've been doing. I'd rather have a petrol car now, but there seems to be no way to recover my initial investment or something close to. That's why I was wondering about the £2000 scrappage scheme - is there nowhere where people can advertise an old diesel so they can take advantage of this scheme?

After lots of reading online I'm amazed that car manufacturers have been allowed to get away with this DPF scandal. The DPF just seems like an extremely immature technology and ended up leaving a massive cost burden on the customer. But car manufacturers don't seem to carry any blame.

AdrianC

wetjeans wrote: »

After lots of reading online I'm amazed that car manufacturers have been allowed to get away with this DPF scandal. The DPF just seems like an extremely immature technology and ended up leaving a massive cost burden on the customer. But car manufacturers don't seem to carry any blame.

The "blame" lies with customers who didn't do research properly pre-purchase, and bought cars that were inappropriate for their use - blinded by high economy figures and cheap VED.


DPFs have been around for nearly two decades. They work just fine - when used properly.

foxy-stoat

What car is it and have you had a proper quote for the replacing the DPF you have?

Struggling to think of an old diesel car thats worth £1500 that carries a £1500 price tag for its DPF replacement.

Arklight

The scrappage scheme exists within the imagination of car company marketing departments and nowhere else.

In my experience it provides zero additional discount to what you would get from haggling. One Hyundai dealer even told me not to try and use it as it would mean he'd not be able to offer me as big a discount if the scrappage was coded to the sale.

So I can’t imagine anyone buying an old diesel with no DPF and no MOT to try and get a nonexistent discount unless they really hadn’t done their homework.

wetjeans

foxy-stoat wrote: »

What car is it and have you had a proper quote for the replacing the DPF you have?

Struggling to think of an old diesel car thats worth £1500 that carries a £1500 price tag for its DPF replacement.

The car is a Mazda 5 - 2006 model, I paid £2200 for the car. The quote was from a mechanic, who said it was the part which was expensive. I also made an enquiry with my local Mazda dealer and they confirmed the cost of the part.

AdrianC

Main dealers are rarely the only source of parts.


https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/332545215970 - and probably similar prices from a myriad of other sources.

System

wetjeans wrote: »

Thanks. That is good to know. My car only generates visible exhaust output at really really high revs.

It may fail then as during the test they rev the engine to high revs and hold it there. DPF filters are not £1500 if you get a third party one and not one from the main dealer. Ebay have them from £240 and its less than an hour labour to fit..

After lots of reading online I'm amazed that car manufacturers have been allowed to get away with this DPF scandal. The DPF just seems like an extremely immature technology and ended up leaving a massive cost burden on the customer. But car manufacturers don't seem to carry any blame.

The DPF filters fitted the truck I drive at work with 770,000km on show 0% filled on the driver info panel. The one fitted to my Mondeo which is now on 135,000 miles is working just fine and shows no blockage at all when viewing live data with Forscan. Then again in both cases for the vast majority of the time the vehicles aren't used for short around town journeys. DPF filters work just fine when you drive a diesel vehicle for the type of journey they were intended for.

steve_blake1490667

Arklight wrote: »

The scrappage scheme exists within the imagination of car company marketing departments and nowhere else.

In my experience it provides zero additional discount to what you would get from haggling. One Hyundai dealer even told me not to try and use it as it would mean he'd not be able to offer me as big a discount if the scrappage was coded to the sale.

I can't speak for Hyundai but my local Audi dealer gave me £6k for my 13 year old diesel banger on top of their regular/normal discounts when i bought a brand new A4 (factory order) from them a few months ago. So taking the Audi Diesel Scrappage discount into account, i got almost 30% off a car which had a list price of £39k....sheer madness by Audi to give such large discounts. Yet Drive The Deal quoted me £34k for the exact same car - they didn't offer the scrappage scheme. DTD laughed at me when i told them Audi have offered me the same car for £28.5k by trading in my 2005 banger...it was me who was laughing at the end :rotfl:

Here's the proof in case you were wondering: