The reminder comes from automotive reconditioning specialist, DPF Clean Team, and is important considering that many dealerships do not cover DPF maintenance under standard vehicle warranties. Many dealerships will offer to replace a DPF outside of warranty, but DPF Clean Team claims the costs this can incur can be 20 times more expensive than simply cleaning the filter.
The British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) is currently leaning on the new UK Government to provide a national framework for ultra-low emissions zones as part of its five point strategy to tackling transport-based air pollution. With this is mind, managing director of DPF Clean Team, Cameron Bryce, insists that the performance of DPFs has never been more important.
He commented: “DPFs are gaining importance in the public sector as Euro 6 engines become more common through routine fleet replacement, and via retrofits, to satisfy London’s emissions zone. But what many operators do not understand is that DPFs are not warranty-covered and therefore a blocked DPF is not the responsibility of a dealer or vehicle supplier. To replace a DPF outside of a warranty agreement can be expensive when compared to the small cost of cleaning a filter, which can get a vehicle back on the road and compliant with the ULEZ very quickly.
“This is not just an issue for public sector fleets travelling through London, but to the entire country if ULEZs are to be rolled out on a national scale.”
One thing that DPF Clean Team does advocate should ultra-low emissions zones be implemented nationwide, is that each local authority enforces routine testing of DPF efficiency. This would alert public sector fleet operators to a potential issue with a DPF before it becomes serious enough to flout emissions targets and cause more serious problems on a vehicle.
Cameron Bryce, whose company already works with major public sector fleets in the UK including Leicestershire and Metropolitan Police Forces, said that too many public sector fleet operators are neglecting their DPF filters.
“We get many calls from drivers who get in touch once they see a warning light on their dashboard, by which point, it could be too late. Regardless of whether a DPF is a retrofit or installed during a vehicle build, it needs to be regularly maintained and for public sector fleets, which aren’t doing many long distance journeys, regular cleans can ensure that they do not become blocked. A blocked DPF doesn’t just affect performance levels, it can cause a vehicle to be off the road, incurring greater expense to public sector fleet operators, which they just cannot afford.”