Introduction
Welcome to SootScout!
I created this website to document my journey in learning about the DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter) in my Land Rover Discovery Sport 2017 (2.0L Ingenium Diesel) vehicle.
I hope that by sharing my experience, I can help others who are in a similar situation, and also raise awareness about the issues that diesel car owners face with their DPFs.
(If you don't know what a DPF is, here is a video that explains it in simple terms).
You may have heard before that if you own a diesel car, you are supposed to drive it on the motorway every now and then. But, do you know why? And, how often is "every now and then"?
By reading through the content on this website, you will learn about the DPF, the various regeneration processes (passive/active), soot accumulation, and how you can monitor the soot level in the DPF to prevent it from getting blocked.
Short story
In order to better understand how my car's DPF worked, I decided to record the soot level in the DPF over time using an OBD2 scanner device and an iOS app called "Car Scanner ELM OBD2".
Over the course of 2 months I have recorded more than 200 trips in and outside the UK, and on this page I will share everything I have learnt through this process.
I have also created a chart that displays the data I have recorded, which you can view by clicking the link below:
Open the SootScout Chart
To learn more about the equipment I used to record the data, click here.
Long story
In 2022, I purchased my first ever diesel car from a Land Rover dealership. Having owned petrol vehicles all my life I wasn't really sure what I signed up for, but I figured if millions of people drive diesel cars, it can't be that bad, right?
While I was aware that diesel engines were mostly beneficial for long distance driving due to their fuel efficiency, I was completely oblivious to the existence of the DPF and the potential issues that could arise from it.
If I remember correctly, the salesperson at the dealership mentioned that the car had to be driven on the motorway every now and then, which I agreed I was going to do. However, they didn't go into any more detail why this was important.
No mention of the DPF, no mention of the various regeneration processes (passive/active), soot accumulation, etc. I was under the impression that as long as I drove the car on the motorway a few times a month, I would be fine.
And, for about 2 years (~20,000 miles), everything was fine. While the car was mostly used for short trips in town, I made sure to take it on the motorway a few times every month as advised.
Then, one day, while driving on the motorway (!), out of a sudden a warning light appeared on the dashboard with a message saying "Exhaust Filter full, visit dealer".
After getting home, I did some research and found that this was a common issue with Land Rovers and other diesel cars.
Given that I still had 1 year left from the 3-year extended warranty I purchased when buying the car, I took the car to the dealership in the hope that they would fix it under warranty. How wrong I was...
After about 3 weeks having the car sitting in their parking lot, the dealership informed me that the DPF was blocked and needed to be replaced. The cost? Well over £2,000. The warranty? Not covering it.
They blamed it on my driving style, which I found hard to believe given that I followed their advice. My appeal found deaf ears, and I was left with no choice but to pay for the repair.
But, before I went ahead buying a brand new DPF, I decided to attempt a less expensive remedy: getting the DPF cleaned. I took the car to a local garage that offered DPF cleaning services, however, they told me that a pressure sensor used by the DPF was giving incorrect readings, and that had to be fixed first.
Having learnt about the broken sensor, I had a new hope that this would prompt Land Rover to acknowledge the DPF had an issue and they would fix it under warranty. But, once again, I was wrong. They refused to fix the sensor & replace the DPF, saying that there was no evidence that the sensor was broken. They said they have the most sophisticated diagnostic tools and that they couldn't find anything wrong with the sensor.
I then took the car back to the local garage. On further inspection - sticking a camera into the DPF - they found that the DPF was in fact cracked from the inside, and that I had no other option than replacing it...
Given that we were under time pressure (we have been without a car for way too long, and we were shortly going on a long journey in Europe), I gave up the fight... I decided to buy a genuine new DPF from Land Rover, and get it replaced with the broken one.
It was around this time when I found out that there was a class action lawsuit against Land Rover for DPF issues, and that many other people were in the same situation as me.
I have also come across a document which explained in detail how the DPF was not fit for purpose on my Discovery Sport. This is due to the DPF in these vehicles not being fitted close enough to the engine, resulting in the hot exhaust temperature exiting the engine to cool down too much when reaching the DPF. This cooler temperature is then unable to burn off the soot, which accumulates in the DPF and eventually blocks it (unless active regeneration is performed).
Having learned all this, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I had two goals:
- Record data from the engine to understand how the DPF works (or, more importantly, doesn't work) in my car
- Monitor the soot level in the DPF while driving in order to prevent it from getting blocked again
Over the course of 2 months, I have recorded more than 200 trips in and outside the UK, and on this page I will share everything I have learnt through this process.
DISCLAIMER: I am not a mechanic, nor a car expert. I am a software developer who is passionate about technology and data. The information I provide here is based on my own experience and research, and should not be taken as professional advice. If you are experiencing issues with your DPF, I recommend you take your car to a professional mechanic.
If you find the information presented on this page valuable, please consider donating to help me continue working on this project:
Alright, let's get started!
First, allow me to show you the equipment I used to record the data from the car.
Click here to continue.