DPF woes

[TheSmiths]

Or *no* DPF unit woes, as the case is..

The previous owner of our Cali fitted a custom exhaust system, without a DPF.
(DPF being the Catalytic convertor - and the key noxious gas polutant remover).

Presumably it was to improve gas flow (to go faster), but this only came to light today, when our MOT failed due to the missing part.
(Several years after purchasing it 2nd hand)

It's a fairly hefty £2K plus operation to replace this all with new VW parts, as the entire exhaust setup appears custom and it would all need to be replaced for QuickFit to entertain doing it.

So - has anyone had any experience of breakeryard / 2nd hand DPF units ?

Should this even be possible, does anyone know of garages or engineering works in Scotland / Edinburgh / Borders / North England - that would tackle that job - or better still, may try and salvage the existing custom pipework and fit a 2nd hand DPF unit inline of the existing pipe.?

I'm still gobsmacked by this - it's really disappointing that someone went to all this trouble to make a good quality thick stainless steel exhaust pipe system without fitting a filter on it..
Seems a totally dumb and environmentally irresponsible idea...

I'll probably just have to suck up this bill, but it's worth asking if there may be an option to salvage something from the bits of the setup that are ok.

Buyer beware... :-(

 

[Loz]

Sue the seller.

 

[T6 CFO]

I'm tempted to agree. No idea of the law but that goes beyond buyer beware. Bad luck


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[TheSmiths]

The small-claims process is made to be simple, and whilst it takes some time off work to go through it, if there hadn't been 3 years of MOT's between when I bought it and have just discovered it, I'd give that real thought..
I'm still staggered it's not there..
I'd expect there would some burden of proof to establish it wasn't me that fitted it, and with 3 MOT not failing since purchase, it's not without possible dispute.
But i do feel duped.

 

[Meoncoast]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/10573720/DPF-removal-the-facts.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/caradvice/honestjohn/10516106/Removal-of-a-DPF-is-illegal.html


and

 

[Annik]

100% agree, it is the seller that should be paying for this, not you.

I would be paying him a visit if it was me!

Where do you buy it? eBay, auto trader ?

 

[DM]

A very difficult one. Morally the seller should be responsible. Legally - I have no idea. I suspect that removal is not illegal per se but operating the vehicle without it is illegal. Probably worth calling in some of that legal assistance that we all pay for with various insurances. It's clear that the seller knew that the vehicle was not road legal when they sold it to you.

It also raises a question over the competence of the MOT testers that previously inspected the vehicle.

 

[scottk]

Hopefully they didn't remove the EGR at the same time or it could be even more expensive! It may also need to be remapped to standard. Best to try and get in touch with the guys who fitted the exhaust system and find out what all they have done. You never know, they might have a DPF abailable! Good luck.

 

[bigmac77]

if there hadn't been 3 years of MOT's between when I bought it and have just discovered it

Are you saying that your vehicle has passed 3 MOT's without the DPF? MOT's since 2014 include a visual check for presence of the DPF filter.

 

[Rich20]

I think some investigtion work relating with the exhaust manufacturer first to try and get proof of an order or payment. Once you have that to confirm a date of fitting you are able to move forward with the seller to see if they accept responsibility. I would think your discussions with the MOT centres may cause some embarrassment if they missed the DPF on their checks. Good luck.

 

[Meoncoast]

would think your discussions with the MOT centres may cause some embarrassment if they missed the DPF on their checks.

I sure I have read that because of such removals being on the increase and firms openly saleing such mods, closer checks in the last year are being made at MOT testing for these so I would expect why such failure has not happened at past MOT's

 

[WelshGas]

I sure I have read that because of such removals being on the increase and firms openly saleing such mods, closer checks in the last year are being made at MOT testing for these so I would expect why such failure has not happened at past MOT's

In the past only the Emissions were checked. Now they do a visual check for the DPF to see it is present. However there is no check to see if the Internals of the DPF are present.

Besides the mechanical work being done then some serious re-programming of the vehicle EMU has also been done.
If the owner was not told about this at the time then I would have thought that there was a good case against the Seller, wether it was a Private or Trade sale. Legal Advice?

 

[snowy55]

As said before check the EGR valve assembly is complete and functioning before you start any negotiations otherwise you may have to start all over again.
Let us know how you get on.

 

[AlanC]

If you have a stainless exhaust without a DPF, then I would also check that the EGR has not been blanked off. Usually the two go together.

The follow on from that is that the EGR and DPF programing in the ECU will have also been deleted. Usually all these go together. Reinstating all of this is possible but will be expensive.

I would not go to Kwickfit as you may find just the exhaust being replaced will ruin the performance of the van without the rest being reinstated too. You need to find a company who do these mods, find out what has been done and will reverse them for you.

Alternatively you could find a company who make stainless steel exhausts and see if they will fit a DPF body with no innards in the right place. As WeshGas has said the MOT is only a visual inspection and no other test is done. A cheaper option.

Sorry to be the bearer of possible worst news.

Alan