Team-BHP - Kia Seltos DPF costs Rs. 1.57 lakhs to replace! Take proper care of your DPF

I just happen to see this in one of the Seltos groups. I was under the wrong impression that DPF costs around 50-60k. Also I'm not sure if extended warranty covers DPF or any of the components in exhaust systems.

This can be a gentle reminder to all BS6 car owners to treat the DPF with care in whichever way possible. The reason that led to the failure is not known though. It appears to be a case post the warranty period. I'm trying to gather more information on this.

Thanks a lot for the information, We have two Diesel Kias in the family, one is a 2022 Sonet Diesel AT and another is a 2023 Seltos Facelift Diesel AT which has the Adblue tank, Do you know which model car this is, The Incheon Kia Vadanappally showroom is near my home and just opened in the beginning of 2024, so it must be a case of someone living nearby.

That looks very steep. If there are multiple failures, isn't Kia supposed to do a fix on design? I don't see how can a customer take care of such thing. We can get fuel from a reputed place at best or take the car on the highway but if there is a flaw in the design, why should customers pay?

One thing is certain for any high-running vehicle, the best is to stick with proven products from Toyota or Maruti.

Exhaust systems are covered under warranty as they are part of the engine. If the customer has taken extended warranty, then this part would be covered.

This appears to be a case of putting the blame onto the unsuspecting customer because of the “way he used his car” - typical passing the buck done by dealers.

The letter refers to a risk in proceeding with the DPF generation process - well, that is precisely why extended warranties are taken by owners.

The only exception to this is if the extended warranty specifically excludes the DPF (like it excludes the clutch) which would not be the case as the DPF is not a normal wear and tear part.

I don't think a customer can take care of this. At max, one can go on highway and clear it occasionally but 1.57L for a component which has only one job and is not even controlled by the driver is astonishing. :shock

IMO, it is the responsibility of the brand to fix this under whichever warranty they deem fit. If it was something which had driver interference like clutch or there was any physical damage then it would have been understandable.

Kia, pull up your socks and fix this without charging a paisa from the customer.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Turbanator (Post 5862232)

Overall, there has been a spike of issues reported by Hyundai and Kia customers. Are Korean twins becoming new VW/Skoda?

Even in many cases, if the cost and time of fixing issues + maintenance related to DPF are so high, it just doesnt make a sense to buy a diesel car at all.

In mass market, Maruti and Honda seem to have played well by removing diesel from their portfolio. In the long run, resale of Hybrid cars from the same segment would be better than diesels.

If I remember correctly, Mahindra also charges around 90k for the Thar (price is from 2022 though). The argument is you should keep an eye on the DPF warnings. The filter can get clogged which is fine but if it conks off after warnings on the dashboard, you need to pay up.

It is one thing to know the cost, it is another which is the timeline to replace the same. In July this year, some dog which used to sleep under my facelift Seltos X line D AT chewed the wire connecting to the Cat-con and luckily I did not drive much post the DPF warning displayed. The wiring harness took 15 days to procure and I was told by the SC that luckily the Cat-con was unharmed otherwise they had one car at the SC which had been waiting for the Cat-con since more than 3 months.

Kia/Hyundai issues are not reported online much but I guess this is a normal practice for the service centers. I think your friend should push for a warranty replacement if the DPF failed without any warnings. This DPF issue is actually widespread but quite under-reported with cars standing at the SCs for more than a couple of months.

I had owned Euro IV models of VW PASSAT (2.0 TDi) and Seat IBIZA (1.6 TDi) in UK, which had DPF issues after I bought it :crying , obviously sold as the cars had the DPF issue.
If the Soot accumulated is higher, even the 30min run on the highways at 2K RPM doesn't resolve the DPF issue.
I had tried with couple of local mechanics, but it was futile with the money spent.

Finally got in touch with a mechanic, who replicated the DPF regeneration using the VCDS diagnostics tool and also used cleaner liquid (engine cleaning was recommended) in this process. The DPF issue was fixed within an hour.

I had burnt my wallet with Passat, but when the DPF issue occurred in Ibiza, it was only a call away to fix the DPF issue.
This was done for a hefty 320 pounds but still cheaper than replacing DPF, which costs around 2K pounds.
The Ibiza is still with my friend and has been running good for 4+ years.

Hopefully we have a solution to fix the issue with the Euro VI (newer engines with AdBlue for exhaust) at a cheaper price.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Turbanator (Post 5862232)

One thing is certain for any high-running vehicle, the best is to stick with proven products from Toyota or Maruti.

With DPF, not even Toyota is spared of quality issues. Search for Toyota DPF issues in Australia and you'll get a lot. It's just that we are into the DPF age later than Australia who got in there from Euro 5 days. So, it's just a matter of few more years before we start experiencing DPF issues.

TLDR: DPF inherently is a jugaad to meet the emission norms. It's very unreliable and costly to repair. In the BS6 and stricter emission world, it's better to stay away from diesel engines ( unless if in the case of trucks where you do have those frequent long drives. )

This is just the start, guys. Wait till other components of that extremely complex BS6 diesel exhaust system start needing work at the 5-7 year mark. The day I heard of the Thar DPF costing 70k and the need for rituals like 'long drive' and regeneration, is the day I decided to get a Thar Petrol.

The DPF is a malai kulfi compared to the SCR system in bigger diesels which injects AdBlue & reduces emissions - just google up how it works and you will marvel at its complexity & jugaad. Truth is, today, a BS6 diesel exhaust system is way more complicated than the diesel engine itself!

BS6 diesels are a headache. Get a hybrid or EV if you want low running costs. Else, petrols rule.

If you buy a diesel = get the maximum possible warranty coverage (6-7 years) that is available. But even that won't compensate for the potential downtime, inconveniences & long wait periods.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO (Post 5862467)

True. Due to stringent emmison norms, exhaust systems are becoming complex for diesel engines. Increasing cost of upgrading engine plus related exhaust technologies (cat con, particulate filters etc) to keep emission within permissible limits is the main reason why many companies had to pull the plug on their best selling diesel models. Things would only get more challenging in future of diesel vehicles.

It is in customer's best interest to weigh all pros and cons of diesel engines and make a purchase accordingly. It is no more the cost of fuel bills which should decide the choice of fuel. Hope people realise that sooner rather than later.

My sister owns a Carens diesel automatic top variant and has had DPF issues since a year now. It started somewhere around 20K+ kms & still is a problem at 40K+ kms.
Kia had replaced 50-60K worth of DPF related components under warranty after some back & forth but still got back DPF warnings after a few thousand kms. I noticed it a couple of months back & even after a spirited highway drive, it showed up in a few 100 kms.

DPF issues seems common with Hyundai/Kia diesels as noticed & heard from KIA service center.
The diesel engine being noisy & regular DPF issues are 2 major concerns on an otherwise positive experience with the car & service overall.

They are concerned about its long term reliability, especially after warranty is over and are planning to sell it off. They went for Kia for the overall positive experience they have had in other countries but am afraid not anymore.