I’ve recently bought a mk8 fiesta st, yesterday I noticed that the engine light had come on and today I had a message pop up saying “Exhaust filter over limit service now”. The car has supposedly been serviced recently and having checked the oil, it looks brand new. Does anyone know what this issue could be? I’ve not been able to plug it in yet to get a diagnostic report however I’m going to do that tomorrow at work, but any help on what it could be would be much appreciated, thank you

These messages are often confusing, it's nothing to do with a service at all, just means it's broken.

You should have got a message yesterday saying 'exhaust filter full - drive to clean'.

Now that it's over the limit it may not regenerate the GPF without being plugged into Ford diags first.

6 minutes ago, Liamr2000 said:

I’ve recently bought a mk8 fiesta st, yesterday I noticed that the engine light had come on and today I had a message pop up saying “Exhaust filter over limit service now”. The car has supposedly been serviced recently and having checked the oil, it looks brand new. Does anyone know what this issue could be? I’ve not been able to plug it in yet to get a diagnostic report however I’m going to do that tomorrow at work, but any help on what it could be would be much appreciated, thank you

Assuming it is the 1.5 3 Cylinder Petrol Engine then the Gasoline Particulate Filter has been allowed to get clogged up. Previous drivers must have only used it for short journeys and ignored the Drive to Clean warnings that would have popped up before this one. The Over Limit warning is the second stage warning.

You may be able to clear it by driving it as per the instructions in your Handbook, just driving fast will have limited effect. It is the excess Oxygen that you get on the Overrun that cleans it quickly once it is hot enough.

If that fails then it may be a trip to Ford to do a Static GPF Regeneration. Unfortunately FORScan have not added that Service Procedure for that Engine yet.

 

Thank you both for clearing that up for me, I had no messages saying drive to clean so it must be that the previous owner had ignored that, any idea if the static gpf regeneration is expensive to have done? It’s still under warranty that’s all but if it’s something that’s likely to cause problems further down the line then I might just take it back and get my money back… (sadly because I do love the car) I’ve previously had a mk7 ST which of course was stolen 🤣 but I had no problems with that at all over 2 years of owning it so the fact that this has happened so soon is quite worrying 

Also, would it still be okay to drive? I work around 15 miles from home and I have no other way of getting there

11 minutes ago, Liamr2000 said:

Also, would it still be okay to drive? I work around 15 miles from home and I have no other way of getting there

Here is an extract from my Handbook, your one may be slightly different. I don't know how much Ford will charge, they tend to charge half an hours Labour just to plug the car in and tell you what you already know, then at least the same again to do the Regeneration.

I have had my car since new and never had any warnings, I do give it a fast Duel Carriageway/Motorway drive once a week normally. If you commute is all in town then a car with a GPF may not be for you.

WARNING:  Do not park or idle your vehicle over dry leaves, dry grass or other combustible materials. The regeneration process creates very high exhaust gas temperatures and the exhaust will radiate a considerable amount of heat during and after regeneration and after you have switched the engine off. This is a potential fire hazard.

To reduce the risk of causing damage to the gasoline particulate filter:

• Do not crank the engine for more than 10 seconds at a time.
• Do not push-start or tow-start your vehicle. Use booster cables.
• Do not switch the ignition off when your vehicle is moving.
• Do not ignore warning lamps, indicators or information messages.

Gasoline Particulate Filter Regeneration

Particles in the exhaust gas collect in the gasoline particulate filter causing a gradual restriction over time. This restriction is removed through a regeneration process controlled by the engine control system. The regeneration process converts the particles in the exhaust gas into harmless gases.

Regeneration occurs during normal driving, to varying degrees depending on how you drive. Passive regeneration occurs when you drive at moderate to high speed but if you generally drive short distances at low speed, the engine control system could actively raise the exhaust gas temperature to remove the particles that have collected in the filter to make sure that it continues to correctly operate.

To assist passive regeneration, we recommend that you make occasional journeys that allow you to:

• Drive at a varied range of conditions, including highway conditions for a minimum of 20 minutes.
• Avoid prolonged engine idling.
• Select a suitable gear to maintain engine speed between 1500 and 4000 RPM.

If the filter is saturated or is approaching saturation, a warning lamp illuminates or a message appears in the information display.

Note:   A warning lamp illuminates and a message appears in the information display on some vehicles.

If you do not take action when a warning lamp illuminates or a message appears in the information display, you could cause damage not covered by the vehicle Warranty.

Gasoline Particulate Filter Warning Lamps and Indicators

Malfunction indicator lamp.

Gasoline Particulate Filter Information Messages

 

Message	Action
Exhaust Filter at Limit Drive to Clean Now	Drive at a varied range of conditions, including highway conditions for 20 minutes or until the message disappears. Avoid prolonged engine idling. Select a suitable gear to maintain engine speed between 1500 and 4000 RPM.
Exhaust Filter Over Limit Service Now	Drive at a moderate speed. Avoid heavy acceleration and deceleration. Have your vehicle checked as soon as possible.