DPF & EGR delete - strong diesel smell inside vehicle

I recently got a Malone stage 2 tune and a Rawtek DPF + EGR delete kit (high flow cat, stock muffler).

The smell inside the vehicle is a lot stronger than expected. Even getting into the car after being parked overnight, there's a residual diesel smell (presumably lingering on the interior fabrics). Just wanted to see if others have experienced the same after doing deletes or should I be checking the exhaust for leaks (bad weld somewhere?)

I can't see myself enjoying this car if the smell will be that strong for the remainder of its lifespan.

I have driven the deleted CR cars and never noticed anything at all while driving them, same as all my old diesels that had no EGR or catalyst, and certainly no DPF.


Maybe you have an exhaust leak somewhere before the tail pipe.

Check the area near the fuel filter. It can seep if the o-ring doesn't seat properly.
Did the mechanic recently replace the filter?

flee said:

Check the area near the fuel filter. It can seep if the o-ring doesn't seat properly.
Did the mechanic recently replace the filter?

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I don't believe so, I got an oil change at the same time as the exhaust work but I don't think he had to touch the fuel filter.

I should specify that it's more of an diesel exhaust particulate smell, and not a fuel smell.

Agreed, most likely an exhaust leak, something is wrong there, check for soot around fittings. These cars do not really smell in the cabin when you're driving them around. Can't say the same for the Mercedes/BMWs. My PD with an EGR delete smells much stronger and doesn't leak.

Got the mechanic to check it over again today and apparently they found nothing wrong. I wonder if they checked the seal of the EGR block off plate though, could it be they were focusing on the exhaust and didn't notice fumes leaking into the engine bay and getting sucked in by the air vents?

Just throwing this out there but since its a golf could the hatch not be latched fully? I drove around for a few days with the cab smelling like soot because I didn't get the hatch to fully latch. Yours is newer than mine so you'd probably have the car screaming at you if it wasn't shut though.

Exenos said:

Just throwing this out there but since its a golf could the hatch not be latched fully? I drove around for a few days with the cab smelling like soot because I didn't get the hatch to fully latch. Yours is newer than mine so you'd probably have the car screaming at you if it wasn't shut though.

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That's a good point - I haven't used the hatch for a few days. The car didn't tell me that it was open but I gave it a good slam to be sure.

The smell seems to be getting slightly better somehow, or I'm just getting used to it? Maybe some chemicals just had to burn off? Do I need a new cabin air filter? We'll see how it goes.

The one discrepancy I did note is the shop that did the install told me they didn't use a high temp silicone sealant (as specified in the instructions) when fitting the downpipe and EGR block-off plate. Could small amounts of exhaust be leaking through there?

Any of you guys have an idea if an egr block off plate exist for the tdi 2.0 ea288?

oilhammer said:

I have driven the deleted CR cars and never noticed anything at all while driving them, same as all my old diesels that had no EGR or catalyst, and certainly no DPF.


Maybe you have an exhaust leak somewhere before the tail pipe.

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Just wondering, have you driven a CR with the windows down (or even open just a crack)? I barely want to open them anymore because of the wave of diesel exhaust that hits me almost every time i'm at a light.

I understand that my exhaust is completely unfiltered now, but should it be this apparent or could my TDI be running a bit rich?

My golf was crashed by a previous owner, hatch never sealed. They burned incense in the car to deal with the stink. I side piped it to get the exhaust where it wouldn't come back in.
Was especially maddening because if you opened the windows it got worse, only way to keep it out was with the windows up and the blower motor going max.

mbesemann said:

or could my TDI be running a bit rich?

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look into how a diesel is throttled

mbesemann said:

Just wondering, have you driven a CR with the windows down (or even open just a crack)? I barely want to open them anymore because of the wave of diesel exhaust that hits me almost every time i'm at a light.

I understand that my exhaust is completely unfiltered now, but should it be this apparent or could my TDI be running a bit rich?

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You deleted the emissions control stuff, I am not sure in your case this was a wise thing to do, since you are obviously extra sensitive to it. OR, there is an exhaust leak somewhere before the tailpipe that is causing fumes to enter the car's cabin somehow.

My own daily driver (which does have a catalyst, but never had a DPF) has its exhaust dumped directly UNDER the car, and I can barely smell it with the windows down, but I do notice it. I rarely drive with the windows down anyway. Have the exhaust checked for leaks.

I did have the exhaust looked over and apparently they found no leaks.

At this stage I’m also kind of annoyed at the smell from outside the car anyway (when clearing snow in the winter) so I may sadly have to get the DPF refitted.

Is there any benefit to keeping the EGR delete only? Will this contribute to clogging up my DPF faster?

Cheers for all the info.

[486] said:

My golf was crashed by a previous owner, hatch never sealed.

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That’s a good point about the hatch, mine does have a creaking sound from the top when I close it, maybe things aren’t aligned properly? I’ve never had an accident with it though.

You will probably have to get it all refitted, probably at some expense. The dpf filters soot and will do very little for the smell IMO. You need the cats back in as well.

The 2.0 CRs don't smell much, far less than a PD with an EGR delete or the BMWs/Mercedes. Yes if you idle any diesel without a dpf for 10 minutes it's going to smell around it.

Maybe hit up rawtek and see if they could install a cat and check over the exhaust? Still think it probably has a leak either at the egr or turbo. I've had to double check and look under an ea288 before because it ran so clean, the 189s aren't far off.

Lightflyer1 said:

You will probably have to get it all refitted, probably at some expense. The dpf filters soot and will do very little for the smell IMO. You need the cats back in as well.

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I do have a high-flow cat with my current delete, although I suppose because it’s high flow it won’t be quite as good at eliminating smell as the OEM one.

I’m pretty sure it is the microscopic particles in the air that are the most irritating, as just the smell of fumes wouldn’t bother me as much.