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Old 1st June 2022, 12:14   #106
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Re: Ford India struggles with DPF problems in 1.5L TDCI | Poorly handled & utter lack of transparenc

Hi community

This is my first post and I would like to share my story with the community and hope that you guys can help provide some solution to DPF warnings.

I own a Ford Aspire diesel with manufacturing date 04/2021.

My first DPF clogging error message " Exhaust filter overloaded please drive to clean " was at 2500 kms. The vehicle just underwent the service a week before at PPS Ford Domlur, Bangalore for a 2500 kms check and there was no item line in the checklist regarding the soot percentage in the exhaust filter!! So it was extremely worrying that it occurred immediately after a service check! In addition, vehicle had done a fair amount of highway runs during these 2500 kms. I took the vehicle to the service center again where they did a software based regen.. However, the warning cropped up again and I had to drive on the highway to clean-up the filter. I did this by driving till Kolar on OMR highway.

After this, the second time the DPF warning cropped up at ~10,500 kms. In between these kms, I had done a Bangalore- Panvel-Goa trip for around 4500 kms and other highway trips around Bangalore. However, immediately after driving 200 kms inside the city for office use, I had level1 warning. This time, due to time constraints, I drove 88 kms on OMR highway till Naraspur and back. However, the cleaning process started quite late and then it stopped because of the barricades and speed breaker where I had to drop my speed and went below the prescribed RPM limit. Following which, this level 2 appeared warning: "Exhaust filter limit reached. Drive to clean now". I took the vehicle to PPS Lalbaug, where the service engineer told me that there was no other option apart from driving it on the highway. I was going to Chennai at the time, so the issue got resolved by driving again on the highway. One of the Ecosport, he also drove till Chennai to clean!

Now, I almost did a 7000 kms round trip from Bangalore-Dharamshala-Bangalore in the last 2 months. But I got the third level 1 warning, followed level 2 warning after driving 300-500 kms in and around Dharamshala. This time I got really scared. The nearest service stations are Mandi and Pathankot, both around 150kms from Dharamshala. There is no other solution from ford apart from driving on the highway. How the hell are you going to maintain 4th gear > 2000 rpm with 60-80 kmph in the hills? So I did not drive the vehicle till my return trip.

The pain of BS VI diesel is that if you drive 300-500 kms constantly around 3th-4th gear.. you are bound to get DPF clogging. The vehicle is meant only for the highway. Ridiculous that Ford has not come up with a better Exhaust system after 2 years of launching the vehicle. There was no recall/ update from service centers for my VIN number.

Moreover, PPS dealership said " DPF is a BS VI "feature" ? So I asked them if it is a feature, then why didn't they explain it during the sales. Also they told me it is written in the owner's manual that driving is the only solution. I asked them if they would provide the owner's manual before sales and or asked them to find a highway near the hills. Also ford's customer interface wrote this : " The Message appearing on his vehicle is due to DPF regeneration. Installation of DPF is as per ARAI norms and the cleaning process is as per the recommendation to satisfy the BS6 norms."
I asked for confirmation by sending an email to ARAI. I have not received any replies from them.

At least some of the other 1.5 BS VI diesel, like XUV 300, have park regen feature.

Apart from DPF issues, the vehicle has no other issues. I have not experienced power loss even at level 2 warnings. Overall fuel efficiency is also around 20-22 kmpl till now.

Is there any feasible solution for regular use in the city? Park regen in open space would be really helpful but this is still release of poisonous gases into the open.

Before buying the vehicle, I didn't know I'll be covering so many highway mileage. I intend to use to regular city drive as well but experience says every 300 kms, I will have to take the vehicle to the highway.

Is there any after aftermarket kit which can display soot% on the MID?

Also, it is possible to connected with some at FORD, to see if there is more convenient solution than driving on the highway? As of now I'm working through the dealership and front end customer relationship team.

Last edited by vb-saan : 2nd June 2022 at 08:18. Reason: typo
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Old 2nd June 2022, 00:36   #107
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Re: Ford India struggles with DPF problems in 1.5L TDCI | Poorly handled & utter lack of transparenc

A solution though illegal for DPF problems

A friend of mine got his Ford EcoSport BS-6 Stage 2 remapped from Wolf Moto (only remap) and Engineering Exponents (for hardware upgrades except custom intercooler IIRC).

Basically, upgrading to Stage 2 will require hard DPF Delete, thus making the DPF problem rest in peace. The car will be a lot fun to drive, with 141 BHP and 317 NM.

It isn’t really cheap and warranty being void is also the con besides car being termed illegal.

Last edited by suhaas307 : 13th July 2022 at 15:29. Reason: spacing for improved readability
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Old 2nd June 2022, 04:26   #108
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Re: Ford India struggles with DPF problems in 1.5L TDCI | Poorly handled & utter lack of transparenc

Quote:
Originally Posted by swparth18 View Post
The pain of BS VI diesel is that if you drive 300-500 kms constantly around 3th-4th gear.
For a person whose driving is in city only, what advantage these Diesels give, then? Whatever he saves in normal running, he has to spent it by these additional and unnecessary runs!
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Old 14th June 2022, 14:55   #109
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Re: Ford India struggles with DPF problems in 1.5L TDCI | Poorly handled & utter lack of transparenc

18,800 kms were up on the ODO and plus with these DPF warning signs, I went ahead with my 20k service milestone. Service center guys convinced me that there is new software update for DPF warning, however my friends in Ford’s product development told me that the diesel team still under working on the updates and could take up a month or so before it is released. Maybe the service teams/center have received an intermediate version. Service center's DPF engineer almost drive one vehicle per day for clean up!

Service was a routine check-up, however there were still additional costs as compared to the brochure’s price around 4300/- for Aspire. Wheel alignment, Wheel balancing, Air filter, AC filter and AC cleaning costed extra. Plus, I also opted for interior deep cleaning. The bill ended up being 11k.

There are some good discounts on the Ford Flexi Service Plan for the next there years and advertised on the website itself : https://www.india.ford.com/owner/flexi-service-plan/ . You get discounts also on cleaning service, Wheel Alignment/Wheel Balancing and so on by paying up-front on the service. I went for it and got an overall discount 2k on the service bill.

I had asked them to check the soot percentage before and after DPF clean up. My trip ODO was at 85 kms (post highway trip these kms were covered in the city traffic) for which the SOOT percentage was measured to 89%! With software based cleaning and updates they brought it down to 9%.

As per Ford’s latest customer they have also changed the driving conditions DPF slightly :
Quote:
During driving you may experience of “Exhaust filter overload- Drive to clean warning” message. We request you to drive the vehicle in normal road condition with speed limit of 60 Kmph with RPM 1250 for kms 30 to resolve the warning message concern or In hilly roads Drive at minimum 1200 rpm and with the highest possible gear (>2nd gear) to resolve the concern.
If a message “Exhaust Filter Over Limit Service Now” along with a MIL (Malfunction Indication Lamp) is visible in the instrument panel, please bring the vehicle to nearest dealership to clean the DPF filter.


I'm fairly satisfied with the overall vehicle + service + reliability. So as of now happy to wait for FORD to resolve the issue completely.
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Old 11th July 2022, 20:27   #110
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Re: Ford India struggles with DPF problems in 1.5L TDCI | Poorly handled & utter lack of transparenc

Quote:
Originally Posted by GautamJ View Post
A solution though illegal for DPF problems

A friend of mine got his Ford EcoSport BS-6 Stage 2 remapped from Wolf Moto (only remap) and Engineering Exponents (for hardware upgrades except custom intercooler IIRC).
Basically, upgrading to Stage 2 will require hard DPF Delete, thus making the DPF problem rest in peace. The car will be a lot fun to drive, with 141 BHP and 317 NM.
It isn’t really cheap and warranty being void is also the con besides car being termed illegal.
Unfortunately this is the only option for most BS6 Ford owners. 2 owners from the EcoSport group have done this as well. Even a stage 1+ with dpf delete would suffice.
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Old 11th July 2022, 20:46   #111
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Re: Ford India struggles with DPF problems in 1.5L TDCI | Poorly handled & utter lack of transparenc

Quote:
Originally Posted by swparth18 View Post
However, immediately after driving 200 kms inside the city for office use, I had level1 warning.

...

But I got the third level 1 warning, followed level 2 warning after driving 300-500 kms in and around Dharamshala. This time I got really scared.
As an owner of BS6 Diesel, I know what you're talking about! I had 2 scares with my XUV300. The first time, I rectified it with a Park Regen (thank god to Mahindra for that) and the second time, it went away on its own even while we were within the city.

But may I ask you, how short were your trips during these city drives? We all know BS6 Diesels aren't a big fan of stop-go traffic but what's worse is very short city commute where the trip ends even before the coolant temp hits the optimal running temperature. If that was the case, then it is no surprise that your DPF started clogging up faster than it would have if the city drives were interspaced with bouts of good speed.

Quote:
How the hell are you going to maintain 4th gear > 2000 rpm with 60-80 kmph in the hills? So I did not drive the vehicle till my return trip.

The pain of BS VI diesel is that if you drive 300-500 kms constantly around 3th-4th gear.. you are bound to get DPF clogging. The vehicle is meant only for the highway.
Well, you're right about the highways and I'm not sure how BS6 diesel vehicle owners in the hills are managing with their vehicle. However, the vehicle is not meant only for the highway. The idea is to not go on long bouts of short city commutes. Take it for a short spin every weekend and you should be good.

The 2 times that I got those warnings, I had failed to do that. So it was partly my fault.

Quote:
I intend to use to regular city drive as well but experience says every 300 kms, I will have to take the vehicle to the highway.
This was already known! There were countless posts on the forum when BS6 diesels came to the market on DPF issues. And the 300km is again a thumb rule depending on how short/long and how free/congested your city commutes are going to be. The idea is whenever you can, take it for a short highway spin. Don't wait for the DPF issue to come.
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Old 12th July 2022, 16:48   #112
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Re: Ford India struggles with DPF problems in 1.5L TDCI | Poorly handled & utter lack of transparenc

Quote:
Originally Posted by swparth18 View Post
Is there any after aftermarket kit which can display soot% on the MID?
I am a Freestyle Petrol owner. There has been quite a few discussions about the DPF troubles with Ford's BS6 diesel engines on the Kerala Owners Group on Telegram. It seems they have developed an app to display the DPF levels.

Maybe something like this can be adapted for the Aspire.

I am attaching a document that was shared on the Telegram group. All credits go to the actual developers. I am only sharing this here.
Attached Files
File Type: pdf DPF CLEANING MADE EASY.pdf (336.8 KB, 453 views)
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Old 13th July 2022, 15:02   #113
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Re: Ford India struggles with DPF problems in 1.5L TDCI | Poorly handled & utter lack of transparenc

Quote:
But may I ask you, how short were your trips during these city drives? We all know BS6 Diesels aren't a big fan of stop-go traffic but what's worse is very short city commute where the trip ends even before the coolant temp hits the optimal running temperature. If that was the case, then it is no surprise that your DPF started clogging up faster than it would have if the city drives were interspaced with bouts of good speed
Hi krishnakumar, yes and coolant temperature is something that is shown in the MID also. But surely it does not extrapolate to the exhaust gas temperature which is required for DPF burning? I think, coolant temperature would be more dependent on the ambient temperature. That's why directly exhaust temperature or soot % is more helpful metric. They measure all of it anyways.

My city bouts were mainly from home to the office which is from Baiyapanahalli to ITPL (around 11kms). Early in Feb-March, only tin factory was a small bottle neck and the whole trip took about 30 mins. Actually, while coming back it , after a few days, I started taking ITPL- Seegehalli- OMR road route just to have some high speed bouts in-between. And still I ended with up DPF warnings.

I think the tricky part from engineering point of view would be to have "partial cleaning" ( might not be possible because of emissions). DPF cleaning is either full go or no go. So unless you do required driving cycle for the cleaning till the message of DPF is cleaned appears, it will not get cleaned. So, 8 kms of city and 8 kms of highway type of cycle will not cause a significant delay in clogging. At least that is my understanding.

Quote:
This was already known! There were countless posts on the forum when BS6 diesels came to the market on DPF issues. And the 300km is again a thumb rule depending on how short/long and how free/congested your city commutes are going to be. The idea is whenever you can, take it for a short highway spin. Don't wait for the DPF issue to come.
I knew But I underestimated the impracticality of it and hence the frustration. 300 kms is nothing right? 20 kms of office to-fro.. So that translates to around 15 trips. You go to office regularly it is bi-weekly otherwise with hybrid it is monthly.

Quote:
There has been quite a few discussions about the DPF troubles with Ford's BS6 diesel engines on the Kerala Owners Group on Telegram. It seems they have developed an app to display the DPF levels.

Hi febyphilabr, thank you for the document. I do know about it as I'm part of the facebook group of Ford owners. They had jotted down their own experience based testing which is very commendable. I will look more into this : ELM 327 OBD2 connector 2. FDPF – DPF Monitor for Ford app. It will definitely help in plan my soot % better. I will also look which connector is more suitable for forscan for future mods as well.

However there lots of points which I don't agree with ..

1)
Quote:
never use 5th gear while on Regeneration phase or during trying to induce it.
According my experiences, 5th gear 2000 RPM definitely cleans the DPF faster than 4th gears 2000 RPM or greater. I spoke to the service engineer as well, and he also confirmed this. He said this is due exhaust pressure.

2)
Quote:
1. Keep an eye on mobile app in DPF SOOT %, DPF LOAD % and CAT Temp
I can have the mobile holder, however this sort of keeping an eye on something else constantly while driving gives me anxiety. That's why till now I rely my wife do the navigation or on boards or memory

3)
Quote:
In 3rd gear...Increase speed suddenly 50 to 90. Release accelerator. Allow the car to reduce speed
by own. Once reaching 50.. again increase to 90... Like this do 5 - 7 times.
Seems like a very dangerous thing to do right? Their recommendation was to do drive cycle at night.

My main point would be the solution to DPF issues should not have such repeated customer engagement and also driving conditions which are so strict. Hence park regen or adding ADblue at service intervals feels like more feasible approach of circumventing this issue.

Last edited by suhaas307 : 13th July 2022 at 15:30. Reason: spacing for improved readability
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Old 27th July 2022, 22:08   #114
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Re: Ford India struggles with DPF problems in 1.5L TDCI | Poorly handled & utter lack of transparenc

News Update

Ford India has announced another Field Service Action/Recall program for EcoSport/Figo/Aspire/Freestyle manufactured from Aug 19 - Aug 21 (22E06)

Areas of concerns;
1. Updation of emission norms
2. DPF efficiency
3. Correction of oil life related issues

Action;
1. Change of Catalytic Converter
2. Change of Exhaust Gas O2 sensor
3. Updation to latest firmware of PCM


I am planning to get my EcoSport TDCI, 2021 checked as well, post previous recall. For once post my previous recall and changing the catalyst filter, I happen to face the DPF warning. Followed the drill as advised by Ford, and the warning vanished!

However, I am facing the display message error with the oil life span status, which drops to 0% for every 2500-3000 Kms.

Fellow Ford Owners can check their eligibility below;

https://www.india.ford.com/owner/field-service-actions/

Last edited by Aditya : 28th July 2022 at 05:01. Reason: Acronyms
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Old 28th July 2022, 07:33   #115
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Re: Ford India struggles with DPF problems in 1.5L TDCI | Poorly handled & utter lack of transparenc

Did any of you guys face issues with Diesel-Oil getting mixed?
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Old 29th July 2022, 10:56   #116
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Re: Ford India struggles with DPF problems in 1.5L TDCI | Poorly handled & utter lack of transparenc

Quote:
Originally Posted by witwat View Post
News Update

Ford India has announced another Field Service Action/Recall program for EcoSport/Figo/Aspire/Freestyle manufactured from Aug 19 - Aug 21 (22E06)

I am planning to get my EcoSport TDCI, 2021 checked as well, post previous recall. For once post my previous recall and changing the catalyst filter, I happen to face the DPF warning. Followed the drill as advised by Ford, and the warning vanished!

However, I am facing the display message error with the oil life span status, which drops to 0% for every 2500-3000 Kms.

Fellow Ford Owners can check their eligibility below;

https://www.india.ford.com/owner/field-service-actions/
Thanks witwat for the update! I checked on the Ford website with my VIN and I am also shown 22E06 code with the details "BHARAT STAGE 6.1 CAT CALIBRATION". I own an Ecosport TDCI falling within that period but I am yet to face any issues or warnings on highway or city use. I am not sure if I should get the replacement or calibration (following the old adage of don't fix what is not broken). If I understand correctly from your post, did you face the issue for the first time after changing the catalyst?
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Old 29th July 2022, 12:58   #117
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Re: Ford India struggles with DPF problems in 1.5L TDCI | Poorly handled & utter lack of transparenc

Even my March 2020 Ecosport TDCI is showing 22E06 code with the details "BHARAT STAGE 6.1 CAT CALIBRATION". I had my cat-con changed under recall earlier this year. I did face a "DPF full. Drive to clean." warning post that once but that warning went away after taking it on a highway spin of 30/40km. I haven't faced any issue after that. I plan to contact the service center and see what they say.
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Old 29th July 2022, 14:17   #118
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Re: Ford India struggles with DPF problems in 1.5L TDCI | Poorly handled & utter lack of transparenc

Quote:
Originally Posted by witwat View Post
News Update

Ford India has announced another Field Service Action/Recall program for EcoSport/Figo/Aspire/Freestyle manufactured from Aug 19 - Aug 21 (22E06)


Action;
1. Change of Catalytic Converter
2. Change of Exhaust Gas O2 sensor
3. Updation to latest firmware of PCM


I am planning to get my EcoSport TDCI, 2021 checked as well, post previous recall. For once post my previous recall and changing the catalyst filter, I happen to face the DPF warning. Followed the drill as advised by Ford, and the warning vanished!

However, I am facing the display message error with the oil life span status, which drops to 0% for every 2500-3000 Kms.
]
Thanks for the post. I checked my VIN and it does show 22E06 and the same details that you and others have mentioned. And I too got the DPF warning for the first time after around 800 kms from the date of changing the Catcon and PCM update done under FSA 22E05 in Jan this year. I had not got it before that. And after driving on the Hyderabad ORR for around 40 minutes at 80 speed, it vanished. After that I have done around 3000 kms of highway driving this month, but never got that warning.

Quote:
Originally Posted by akshay380 View Post
Did any of you guys face issues with Diesel-Oil getting mixed?
None.

Quote:
Originally Posted by RishikeshK View Post
Even my March 2020 Ecosport TDCI is showing 22E06 code with the details "BHARAT STAGE 6.1 CAT CALIBRATION". I had my cat-con changed under recall earlier this year. I did face a "DPF full. Drive to clean." warning post that once but that warning went away after taking it on a highway spin of 30/40km. I haven't faced any issue after that. I plan to contact the service center and see what they say.
Same with me. However, during the 3000 km highway drive, when I stopped at a fuel bunk to use the restroom, when I was sitting in the car with the engine still on while my partner went to the restroom, i found a different sound from the engine at idling speed, and the fuel consumption was showing as 0.8 liters per hour. But after 3 minutes the idling became relaxed and the meter was showing the normal 0.4 liters per hour consumption. i guess the DPF was re-generating till that time. I am yet to face the oil issue, but my FordPass app shows only 30% oil life left, though i hardly drove 4000 kms after oil change in March this year.

Last edited by vnabhi : 29th July 2022 at 14:19.
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Old 29th July 2022, 15:20   #119
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Re: Ford India struggles with DPF problems in 1.5L TDCI | Poorly handled & utter lack of transparenc

Quote:
Originally Posted by vnabhi View Post
i found a different sound from the engine at idling speed, and the fuel consumption was showing as 0.8 liters per hour. But after 3 minutes the idling became relaxed and the meter was showing the normal 0.4 liters per hour consumption. i guess the DPF was re-generating
Are you sure its not becasue of the intermittent on/off of a/c compressor and radiator fan ?. In my car (BS4 diesel), the instantaneous FE varies due to these at standstill and also due to variation in ambient temp.
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Old 29th July 2022, 16:18   #120
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Re: Ford India struggles with DPF problems in 1.5L TDCI | Poorly handled & utter lack of transparenc

Quote:
Originally Posted by maheshm619 View Post
Are you sure its not becasue of the intermittent on/off of a/c compressor and radiator fan ?. In my car (BS4 diesel), the instantaneous FE varies due to these at standstill and also due to variation in ambient temp.
I am absolutely sure. The AC compressor was on all through. It was the sound of the engine idling that appeared to be a bit hurried, with a different sound. Even when the idling was normal, the AC compressor was working, but the sound came back to normal. I've been using Fords from 2007, so I know what it feels like when the AC compressor switches on. In the Figo, there is a distinct shudder when this happens during idling.
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