Can I just take my car to a mechanic to clear my DPF?

There are different stages of DPF blockages, and they can be treated differently. We want you to save money but also keep your car healthy for as long as possible, so we’re giving you all the information you need to look after your DPF.

If the warning light on your dashboard comes on, it means the DPF has become blocked. It’s probably around 45% blocked at this stage, so you shouldn’t need a mechanic to clear it. The soot causing the blockage can be burnt away – sometimes your car does this itself, either by getting hot when you drive for a long time, or by deliberately igniting diesel to create enough heat for the soot to burn.

You can also use Redex DPF Cleaner, which will help the soot to burn away just with normal driving. Add it to your fuel and drive normally and it should clear in around 10 minutes.

If you don’t take any of these measures your DPF will get very blocked, and your car could go into limp mode. A mechanic can then perform a “forced regeneration”, where they burn away the blockage, but this usually costs around £250. Additionally, you can also only do this around 4 times before it destroys the filter, so you want to avoid it. Replacing the DPF typically costs around £1000, so the easiest and cheapest thing to do is to use Redex DPF Cleaner before you get serious problems.