Release date: 25th April 2016
DPF Clean Team calls for greater enforcement of DPF
removal laws
The only way to eliminate the misleading and illegal removal of Diesel Particulate Filters (DPFs) is to re-introduce regular spot checks, modernise and mandate exhaust emissions checks in the MOT, and prioritise enforcement.
That’s the damning verdict from automotive reconditioning DPF Clean Team at a time when DPF removal is back on the national agenda after more than a thousand diesel vehicles were caught by the government on the road without the essential DPF fitted. It is widely estimated that around 29,000 people die prematurely each year in the UK as a result of particle pollution. This led to the mandatory introduction of DPFs for all diesel vehicles in 2009, but still too many industry traders are illegally removing DPFs, catalytic converters and silencer units when they become clogged and blocked, in search of a quick fix.
DPF Clean Team offers a legal, and more affordable solution for blocked DPFs, by professionally cleaning the filter to bring it back to a near-new condition. The other alternative legal solution is to replace the DPF with a new one, but cleaning can be considerably more cost effective and immediate. Cameron Bryce, Managing Director of DPF Clean Team, says that the only way to discourage people from illegally removing DPFs is to better enforce outlawing the practice and re-introduce spot checks, which were stopped in 2011.
Cameron Bryce commented: “Anyone who is advocating the illegal removal of DPFs, catalytic converters and silencer units is not only breaking the law but is misleading motorists too. It may seem a cheap and quick option, but it is costing them money in the long run. Not only is it invalidating their insurance, but it often damages other parts of the vehicle too. Removal of these components does not address some of the wider issues that have caused blockage, such as a faulty temperature or pressure sensor, faulty glow plugs or a failed exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valve.”
The Department for Transport (DFT) has commissioned research to better detect DPF removal by measuring exhaust fumes, with their findings contributing to changes made to the Roadworthiness Directive, scheduled to be introduced in 2017/18. DPF Clean Team is already working closely with fleet operators including Leicestershire and London Metropolitan Police Forces, Avis, and Europcar, as well as more than 1,800 independent garages, to provide quick turnaround DPF cleaning services. However, the business is still coming across tradespeople who are offering DPF removal as a service and believes that the law regarding removal needs to be better enforced and taken more seriously.
“While
it’s good to see the government taking action against DPF removal, what we
really need to see is the return of spot checks on the road, greater
enforcement and a better system for MOT checks, rather than basic visual
inspection. Motorists everywhere need to know there are options such as professional
cleaning and aftermarket replacements, which are not only far more cost
effective and legal, but can treat all the other issues surrounding DPF
blockage that removal often fails to address.” Cameron Bryce concluded.
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About DPF Clean Team
Based in Hinckley, Leicestershire, DPF Clean Team has over 15 years’ experience in the motor parts reconditioning industry and is one of a handful of companies in the UK to offer a full SCR and DPF cleaning service to independent or franchise garages and commercial fleet and plant operators across the country.
DPF Clean Team has sought worldwide best practice and undergone extensive training to be able to offer its unique DPF cleaning service, developing flow test results in conjunction with University of Nottingham.
The company’s process utilises state of the art ultrasonic cleaning technology and is accredited ISO 9001. The six step cleaning system uses powerful non-flammable chemicals available only to specialists.
DPF Clean Team
is committed to providing excellent customer service and a cost-effect and
legal solution for the trade to offer customers.
For further
information, please contact:
John Edden
Bridge PR &
Media Services
T: 024 7652 0025