DPF light came on today on start up, is it still safe to drive until I can get my car in to a shop?

[TDINaylea]

Just wondering how serious this issue is and what other parts I risk damaging if I continue to drive my 2012 Sportswagen. I rely on this car as my only ride and daily commuter so it is crucial I don't blow it up or cost myself thousands more than the DPF replacement is already going to be.

Thanks ahead of time for any input, this is my first Diesel so my lack of knowledge breeds ample anxiety!

 

[TurboABA]

Lots of unknowns.
What kind of mileage & maintenance are we talking about? How much do you "need" to drive until you get into a shop?
What kind of driving do you need to do? (stop and go, long freeway runs, etc)
Do you have any diagnostic tools like VCDS, crappy amazon code scanner, or a nearby autoparts store with a generic scanner that can at least do a free scan so that we have more context about what said fault is?
I assume it's on solid and not flashing!

 

[TDINaylea]

Solid, not flashing, no CEL

access to crappy code reader, no vag

i commute near Seattle, 31 miles one way, so alternating normal freeway driving and stop and go depending on the day. That paired with weekend in town driving. I just got the car about 2 months ago and we have been being very nice to it and always keeping it in D, realizing now that is a mistake and encouraging the wife to drive in sports mode!

I'm at about 136k miles, dieselgate fix has been performed and I am outside of the extended warranty coverage.

I need to continue to be able to reliably drive 60-75 miles a day, this is my families only vehicle!

I appreciate the response, please let me know if I can give any more information that would help to convey what my poor TDI is experiencing!

 

[Tuheeden]

If it's the DPF, which it probably is, yes you can drive it. It will gradually lose power and fuel economy but it could take 1k to even 10k+ miles before it gets bad. All that's happening is your building back pressure which in extreme cases can generate enought heat to damage the turbo or burn an exhaust valve. Again that's pretty rare.
The bigger question is what's next? Unless your doing a delete, you need to find a new DPF and have it installed and that's likely a couple thousand

 

[TurboABA]

The bigger question is if you have access to any scanner, generic, crappy, whatever, why are you not using it and providing an actual code or something more useful in trying to "diagnose" some MIL that's light up?

It could be as simple as you've just "short tripped" it enough times back to back, that it might just need a good 50mi drive at freeway speeds to be able to perform a sufficient regen.... or it could be much worse like failed sensors and\or components.

Give us a clue!

 

[oilhammer]

It could be on for a deNOx catalyst regen issue, which could just mean it needs a thermostat. Without a scan tool, no way to tell. But yes, you can drive the car for a few days until you get it to someone who can tell you what specifically is happening.

 

[TDINaylea]

I thought pulling a code with a crappy scan tool wouldn't work in this case due to there not being a CEL? if I'm wrong I will be scanning tonight!

I appreciate the input so far, I've gotten it to regen now but the light is still on. I'll be driving it until wednesday/thursday of next week when I can get it in to a trusted shop (thank you everyone for the list of good shops! I love the one that I found using the list)

I'm hoping that it doesn't call for the DPF to be replaced, I'm not quite set up yet to handle doing the delete myself

 

[turbodieseldyke]

I thought pulling a code with a crappy scan tool wouldn't work in this case due to there not being a CEL? if I'm wrong I will be scanning tonight!

Scan it with a good scanner.

 

[TDINaylea]

I'm going to be getting a VCDS soon, but not before getting it in this coming Thursday.

 

[wpryor]

If it's the DPF, which it probably is, yes you can drive it. It will gradually lose power and fuel economy but it could take 1k to even 10k+ miles before it gets bad. All that's happening is your building back pressure which in extreme cases can generate enought heat to damage the turbo or burn an exhaust valve. Again that's pretty rare.
The bigger question is what's next? Unless your doing a delete, you need to find a new DPF and have it installed and that's likely a couple thousand

Could backpressure cause i

 

[wpryor]

Could backpressure cause the vehicle to go into limp mode?

 

[MORTAMIR]

If you need to scan your car let me know. You can use my VCDS.

 

[TDINaylea]

Thanks MORTAMIR, I really appreciate the offer!

An update on the issue, my mechanic found a failing thermostat was preventing regen. Got this replaced and they have confirmed (monitoring with Autel) that the DPF is executing regen at this point.

After about 1500 miles of driving however the light is still on. Went back to the mechanic and had a scan done with my regular oil change and received the following info -

P1A58:00/067 44:000 - NOx catalytic converter Regeneration required - Active/static

The shop is unsure of exactly what this means and recommended that I go for a diagnostic at a dealership to see what they say it could be. Still no loss of power or mileage. Anyone else run in to the same code? suggestions for a fix? hopefully I can avoid a dealership diagnostic fee!

 

[oilhammer]

Have to do a manual regen while driving, this requires a suitable scan tool, a long road where you can drive uninterrupted for ~50 miles at ~65 MPH.

 

[TDINaylea]

Thanks for replying Oilhammer, what am I risking by driving it in this condition?

 

[oilhammer]

If it is all working OK it will eventually run that regen, but I would want to try to force it first like I said in my previous post. It may end up needing a new deNOx catalyst... it happens. These are crazy fragile expensive cars to operate until they get deleted. And if you can't or won't, then you'll just have a crazy fragile expensive car to operate. Get used to it. I'd recommend a spare. Car that is, not tire.

 

[360gtracer]

These are crazy fragile expensive cars to operate until they get deleted.

Sorry for jumping in - just found this.

I don't have this problem (yet? 216K on my '15 GSW), but wondering - until what gets deleted? Also sorry if it's a dumb question....

Thanks.

 

[TDINaylea]

The emissions system, delete refers to getting rid of the DPF and EGR.

Thanks Oil! I'll drive it till it regens enough or needs replacing then a sawzall and tune it is!

 

[TDINaylea]

Just found a shop that will do the delete in my area for under 700$, just the physical work, not the tune.

Looks like I'm going for the delete soon and won't even have to get my hands dirty!

 

[TDINaylea]

sorry for the serial posting, but I was looking through the Malone website and I was wondering if in order to install the stage 2 ECU tune if you also have to purchase and install a DSG tune? and if so can you do this through the FlashZilla as well or would I have to rent their DSG flashing tool? I greatly appreciate everyone's input and help!

 

[turbodieseldyke]

sorry for the serial posting, but I was looking through the Malone website and I was wondering if in order to install the stage 2 ECU tune if you also have to purchase and install a DSG tune? and if so can you do this through the FlashZilla as well or would I have to rent their DSG flashing tool? I greatly appreciate everyone's input and help!

DSG tune is optional, but if you don't, you can expect the stage 2 to eventually damage something. You might want to shop around for tunes, though. Malone doesn't have the best reputation for quality, especially with DSG. Search around here for posts by @lemoncurd and Xtremefunky (?)