I have recently purchased a Focus 2.0 TDCI Titanium, it has a DPF, I generally run daily to work (5 miles and back), but will on a Friday PM take it up to A1 from Retford to Doncaster in 5th (2300 rpm) and back, approx 28 miles, to help DPF 'regeneration. Came off the A1 and smelt 'burning', so am I doing enough to 'help' regeneration by doing this twice a month?

You should really aim to run the car at 4500 RPM to assist with Forced Regen, it probably wont be getting hot enough, I would say run it at that speed for about 30 minutes a month...

Not being picky Jeeb, but "Forced Regeneration" is the term used when Main Dealers attempt to unblock a blocked filter, by manipulating the engine management control. When regeneration is undertaken whilst being driven normally by the owner, its called "Passive Regeneration"

And as to Dave440 question, I never drove any other way other than normal when I had my S40 2.0D turbo diesel [same engine as yours Dave] Wife drove it to work 3 mile round trip mostly queuing in traffic every day. It was bought 9th Jan 2009, only time we did real motorway driving was three times, March up to Edinburgh, June down to Dorset, September down to Devon. Other than that it was used around town mostly with the odd run on A roads to a town 16 miles away say once a month. And we never experienced DPF problems in the nine months we owned the car having covered 5,368 miles in that time. Bought with 57,654 on clock sold with 63,022 on clock 16th September 2009.

So you see,in nine months 2,560 touring miles were undertaken over a period of days lasting in total nineteen. Call that three weeks, the other 36 weeks was mostly spent on very small journeys. If you do a spirited drive [you don't have to knock the !Removed! of it screaming top of the rev meter] say lasting half an hour once every three hundred miles you will be fine.

I know I have a link in my sig advising people about DPF's, but that is only to warn people who have unknowingly bought a TDCi that is due or long over due a DPF renewal or Eloys additive reservoir top up. Some people end up buying cars that have been bought cheap by traders because those expensive DPF's need replacing. Then they stuff them to punters unaware that they have a big bill waiting for them possibly four or five months down the line.

If the car is serviced as it should be and the DPF replaced every 75K or six years with a Eloys top up every three years or 37.5K every thing should be fine.

Anyway Dave welcome to the forum mate, I hope you have many years and thousands of care free miles motoring ahead of you in your Focus 2.0 TDCi. I certainly miss the "poke" that engine had in my Volvo S40, but I could see an expensive service looming so I went back to owning a trouble free petrol engined car. I think it's fair to say, most of the expensive problems you see on the Focus forum, are on long in the tooth neglected high mileage 1.6 TDCi motors circa five years old or onwards.

Thanks for these guys, mines a 56 plate ex Lex Leasing vehicle, fully serviced by main dealer, 96,000 miles, just have heard about DPF, and did n't want abig bill. Wanted to see what i could do to help it along. Have to say first time i test drove the car i wanted it, nice seats, and steering wheel feel, plenty of 'poke'. Am very happy with car.

No Problem Catch - I do forget that the Forced and Passive is the difference between Driver and Dealer! I just see it as forcing the damned car to sort itself out ;) I just like to rev the hell out of it because if I do half an hour at 4000 revs, I know its going to be hot enough to do some good!