Thanks for the reply Robert.
I'm not concerned about driving short trips - I do 19 miles each way to work most days and the 06 Panda Multijet.
I have quite a rounded appreciation of off highway after treatment technology and that it would be more of a when, not if the DPF section would need attention.
The various DPF systems all have a common factor. They collect soot from exhaust gas and have a regeneration cycle which heats up the internals to burn off as much as possible. It is not a 100% regeneration – each time some ash that remains. Eventually the system reaches its ash capacity and the DPF needs to be removed for either an ash service or replacement.
There are various ways and means of the engine control unit knowing when the DPF requires a generation cycle – delta pressure across the unit, ECM usage map, RF signal passed through the DPF to name a few.
There are also active and passive regeneration types. Some systems can change valve timing and fuel in to generate enough heat, while others have a separate injector and spark plug in the exhaust system to facilitate active regeneration.
Soot don’t only get into the exhaust stream from burning diesel. Another factor is cylinder blowby. All engines allow some oil past the piston rings and ito the combustion chamber. This is where low ash oil is critical. Use the cheap stuff and you’ll shorten the life of the DPF.
Other oil leaks (Turbo oil seal) or poor cold start system condition (faulty glow plugs) will also contribute to how long the DPF will be OK for.
All this extra clever technology employed to help clean up the aftermath of diesel combustion translates to extra component count. Which means more to go wrong, more risk of being off the road with big repair bills.
Not only that, the extra technology is often placed around the engine in the available engine bay space. Therefore it can get in the way of normal engine components and make what was once simple jobs more complicated and time consuming, more labour cost.
Sorry if I focus on the negatives here. I’ve not even seen a FIAT with aftertreatment , nor asked about which technology they chose.
