Hi, hoping someone can help. I have a 2008 Focus 1.6 TDCI. Been a great car up till last few weeks. Recently feels like its lost most of its power. Particularly during acceleration. In the morning on the way to work, acceleration to 30 is slower but between 50-60 and 70 takes forever, even though the engine is reving. During the journey, some performance returns and acceleration improves. MPG has stayed the same and engine always starts first time. Took the car to a Ford Dealer who had the car most of the day, charged around £170 to carry out diagnostics after a test drive. They agreed with me on the loss of power. Their suggestion was that the CAT had gone and would need replacing at a cost of around £800. After speaking to some friends they have made me doubt the dealers suggestion as to the cause of the problem. Does anyone think its the CAT or any other (cheaper) suggestions? Thanks

Hi, hoping someone can help. I have a 2008 Focus 1.6 TDCI. Been a great car up till last few weeks. Recently feels like its lost most of its power. Particularly during acceleration. In the morning on the way to work, acceleration to 30 is slower but between 50-60 and 70 takes forever, even though the engine is reving. During the journey, some performance returns and acceleration improves. MPG has stayed the same and engine always starts first time. Took the car to a Ford Dealer who had the car most of the day, charged around £170 to carry out diagnostics after a test drive. They agreed with me on the loss of power. Their suggestion was that the CAT had gone and would need replacing at a cost of around £800. After speaking to some friends they have made me doubt the dealers suggestion as to the cause of the problem. Does anyone think its the CAT or any other (cheaper) suggestions? Thanks

Your cat and dpf are all one unit mate,

Get your dpf internally removed an car remapped for around 400

Also blank your egr valve with a stainless steel blanking plate.

No trouble there after

Thankyou for your reply. I didnt realise CAT and DPF were all in one. Kind of explains the cost. Im not very clued up on modern cars. If the CAT/DPF were removed would this affect the emissions for the MOT? Take it these jobs are not done at the dealers? Thanks again.

The DPF removal is now technically a failure of the MOT as of February this year, so tread carefully!

The DPF and CAT sit within the same housing in the exhaust, so are two units but in one if that makes sense.

A proper removal and remap of the engine means that the DPF should not really be seen as missing on an MOT but they do look more thoroughly going forward. If its a diesel car, your only tested for smoke output and not emissions for the MOT. The cat however would more likely offer more smoke if that was to be missing.

Thanks for the reply. Really confused on which way to go. Had a quote for DPF removal and software modification, as well as a remap to between 135 and 145 bhp for £300 all in. MOT is what concerns me though. Though the place offering the quote assures me there would be no MOT problems. Also I believe that only cars built mid 2008 58 plate onwards would be scrutinised. As mine is 08 would it be exempt?

Diesel Particulate Filters

What is a Diesel Particulate filter?
A diesel particulate filter (DPF) is a device fitted to a diesel vehicle which filters particulate matter (PM) from exhaust gases. It does this by trapping solid particles while letting gaseous components escape. This type of filter has been in use for over 20 years, and many variants exist. These filters enable reductions in emissions which help meet European emission standards, improving air quality and thereby health standards.

Regeneration
DPFs need to be emptied of trapped particulate matter regularly. This is done by a process called regeneration, which involves burning the soot to gas at a very high temperature, leaving behind only a very small residue. Regeneration, If not carried out properly, can lead to a build up of soot which can affect performance and ultimately lead to expensive repair costs. This has led to some diesel vehicle owners removing their DPFS. However, DPF removal has both legal and social implications.

Legal requirements and the MoT test
From February 2014 the inspection of the exhaust system carried out during the MoT test will include a check for the presence of a DPF. A missing DPF, where one was fitted when the vehicle was built, will result in an MoT failure.

A vehicle might still pass the MoT visible smoke emissions test, which is primarily intended to identify vehicles that are in a very poor state of repair, whilst emitting illegal and harmful levels of fine exhaust particulate.

It is an offence under the Road vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations (Regulation 61a(3)) to use a vehicle which has been modified in such a way that it no longer complies with the air pollutant emissions standards it was designed to meet. Removal of a DPF will almost invariably contravene these requirements, making the vehicle illegal for road use. The potential penalties for failing to comply with Regulation 61a are fines of up to £1,000 for a car or £2,500 for a light goods vehicle.

Social Implications
Air pollution causes an estimated 29,000 early deaths in the UK, and has annual health costs of roughly £15 billion. The health effects of PM are more significant than those of other air pollutants. Chronic exposure contributes to the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and lung cancer. Current evidence suggests that there is no “safe” limit for exposure to fine particulate matter. The Report of the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP) from 2008 concluded that, although there had been improvements in pollutant levels, the average reduction in life expectancy as a result of airborne particulate matter across the population was 6 months3.

Furthermore, PM has negative environmental impacts. It comprises nitrates, sulphates and ammonium which are the main drivers for acidification and eutrophication – two extremely damaging processes to natural ecosystems, which can cause habitat loss and affect biodiversity. PM also contains black carbon, a known contributor to global warming. DPFs are essential in reducing current PM emissions in order to prevent these processes occurring.

Thankyou for that. Think that pretty much rules out removing the DPF. Now the hard part of finding a DPF/CAT for much less than the £800 quoted. Ford never mentioned the DPF after the diagnostics. Is the DPF and CAT both replaced together? Or are they the same thing?

Normally they are replaced seperately as far as I know. You can buy an aftermarket filter for a lot less.

Thanks for all your help. Understandably ive been reading up lots on the situation whether to replace, remove or have dpf cleaned. Noticed lots of people with dpf problems, having management light illuminate or engine cut out. Ive never had any of these issues. So starting to doubt whether the problem is the DPF but maybe a sensor or pipe and dealer trying to sting me. MOT on 5th Feb so hoping to get sorted by then. Thanks

Does anyone know where I could get a DPF for less than £190? Also is it best to get it fitted at ford or can any fast fit centre fit it? Thanks

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Could this be the fuel filter?

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Fuel filter is always a possibility to be fair, anything that stands between the end and the engine, so it could be air filter, fuel filter, oil and oil filter.

To be honest, for a handful of notes you could replace the fuel filter, the air filter can be gotten for as little as a fiver, oil and filter you could get kwik fit to do this for £40ish.

Thanks for the advice. Car had a full service and MOT yesterday at the dealer. It passed the emissions test but cost £180 for new pads and rear drums cleaned and aligned. Wish I hadn't bothered seems to have even less power now. Not sure if the fuel filter was changed as part of the service but will phone and check. Thanks again.

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edit..

did you confirm if they had changed the fuel filter?

I contacted Ford. The fuel filter wasn't changed as it was an interim service. Strange thing is I've got elmconfig and the torque app. Both showing no DTC codes and performance seems to be returning.

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