New DPF

[Lincoln Shrimp]

Hi guys,

Having bought a 5 year old 68 reg Vauxhall insignia last October (90k miles), my DPF is now completely blocked (beyond a clean) and needs replacing. It's blocked that much that it won't even allow a forced regen to be performed.

I have a 12 month platinum warranty from a 3rd party insurance company (Auto Select) which will probably pay out next to nothing. The garage where I've taken the car to I trust and they have tried to email the warranty company to ascertain whether they'll cover a new DPF. However until the garage have investigated further, they are unsure whether they will find any other issues.
My garage are deliberately being slightly cagey about what info they provide and have so far stopped short of providing estimates on costs etc. They are trying to protect me as they say they know what these insurance companies are like and they'll do anything to get out of paying up.

The garage have said that just for a new DPF it will cost £2,500.
Does that sound right? Looking on Ebay, the cost for the part alone appear to be around £750.

Can anyone offer me any further advice or guidance. I spent 8k on thus car back in October and it feels like it was money down the drain.

thanks in advance

Joe

[lizzard-t]

Go directly to the insurance company.
Look at the T&C of your policy and read what it covers .
Ask for the insurance company to contact the garage.the insurance company cannot autherise anything if the garage doesn't communicate with the company.
Also the insurance company may have a selection of garages that they authorise to carry out work like Halfords

But I'll say this now the price you are being told is fooking high and an insurance company may well ask for a cheaper option or another garage to fit the parts.
But without proper diagnostic checks
Done by the garage then the claim cannot be processed.
Make sure the garage are not trying to stitch up the insurance company because these insurance companies know the going rate for work and parts .
Also I've put your thread in the correct section.
Please familiarise with the sub section s

[Lincoln Shrimp]

Thanks for the advice. I'll follow up with the insurance company tomorrow.
I'm sure I must have missed something, but aside from a new battery and a new turbo pipe that was originally found to need replacing, the garage have only talked about me needing a new DPF and the £2.5k was badged against just that.

The other problem is that the car can't be driven anywhere else so it kind of feels like I'm stuck with this garage....although as I've said, theyve always been first class in all the years I've been going to them.

I've looked at my policy and it seems like they will only pay up to £250 towards a new DPF which only just scratches the surface of the £2.5k that I've been quoted.

If I decided to sell the car, would you advise getting all the work done first before selling or see what I could get for it as it is at present?

[lizzard-t]

At the moment you would get a very low price for it because it doesn't drive.
I would get it taken elsewhere even if you have to pay for recovery costs.
£2500 for a DPF you are being done right up the chuffer.
If that price is just for the DPF and they are 100% certain it's the DPF and not anything else then they are shagging your bottom without lubricant.
If you can get one for £800 then buy it and get it delivered to them.
If they are 100% certain.
But if you have brought a diesel and you are not understanding how to get the car to regenerate then it will happen again.
But there are factors behind why it's got so blocked.
Like glow plugs not working.egr valve clogged .map and maf dirty .
Lack of maintenance.
If oil has not been changed in a year then that's doing it no favours.
But a word of caution if it's blocked then they should not be trying to force regeneration because the oil level is probably too high and that could cause engine damage trying to regeneration.
Have they given you any fault codes or any information on what they have found on live data.
I myself think that they are trying to hold you to ransom.because the car cannot be driven under it's own power and so you are at there mercy.
I would get a second opinion if that's me .

[RBH]

You say you trust the garage.......then you say they are being cagey.........

I don't get that part.

Or you coukd always gut it, blank off the EGR and get it mapped out for around £400.

[Lincoln Shrimp]

Sorry mate....I meant they are being careful what they are saying to the insurance company as they've said that in their experience, one false word can see them wriggle out of paying out. They've tried ringing the insurance company direct but they won't speak in any detail to my garage....they just tell them to put it all in an email.

The garage say that it needs a new DPF, but until they spend time and labour investigating further, they dont know if there's anything else wrong...therefore meaning that their original diagnosis may not be the full extent of what needs doing.

How much would you say is a fair price for a new DPF and labour?

Can you just explain what you mean about blanking off the EGR and getting it mapped?

[RBH]

If you're garage is good then they can diagnose it within a couple of minutes.
all they need to do is plug in a diagnostic machine and it'll tell them there and then what's up with your car.

So, yes, they are pissing you about.

The garage you trust are being arse to you.

all you need to do, is get a decent garage and theyll do it....most places wont do it, so you would need to be careful when as.

You get them to remove the DPF, they then remove the internals and refit it.
they would use a blanking plate onto the bottom of the egr.
the car gets a map to remove the egr and dpf and thats.
never a worry about the dpf blocking ever again.

[Shaady]

2.5K for a new DPF? It sounds like they don't want the work with that price and they're not even sure that it'll fix all the issues.

These warranty companies are an absolute joke too, you would be better off putting the money aside and using it as and when needed for issues with the car. I found out the hard way mine will pay a max of 60 quid an hour labour too...it's 2024 ffs not 1924!

[grimliver]

My insignia before I sold it was quoted 800 for a new dpf fitted roadside, your being mugged

[Lincoln Shrimp]

Thanks for all the advice guys.
Aa a starter for ten, I've arranged for a local DPF cleaning specialist to inspect my current DPF this Saturday to see whether it can be saved.
Looking around online, it does seem that a new DPF can be bought for around £800-£900 so I shall put the garage on the spot and ask them to give me a cost breakdown of their quote... part vs labour.

[Shaady]

Unless you have no other choice I would be inclined to take it somewhere else after they have tried to rip you off like that, no matter how close they can get to the other prices you have found.