Vehicle repairs

his could be due to a soot overloaded diesel particulate filter.

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Diesel exhaust flows through a diesel particulate filter (DPF), where soot and larger particles are captured, allowing only filtered exhaust gases to pass through. When the DPF soot level reaches a certain point, the engine’s computer triggers regeneration (self-cleaning). During regeneration, exhaust temperatures must become hot enough to burn built-up soot off the DPF.

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However, in some driving conditions, such as excessive idle or frequent low-speed driving, the DPF won’t trigger the regeneration. Without the self-cleaning function, the DPF will quickly become too clogged with particles to function efficiently.

The BG DPF & Emissions System Restoration Service cleans up the exhaust system by using equipment to trigger and control the regeneration process. BG Diesel Performance Oil Change Service completes this service to diminish the tendency for the DPF to overload with excess soot, enabling it to self-clean more effectively in the future.

There’s not a standard change interval for cambelts.

Depending on the model and the manufacturer, the recommended interval can be anywhere between 30,000 miles and 100,000 miles. There will often be a time-based interval specified too e.g. 60,000 miles or five years, whichever is the sooner.
Sometimes the manufacturer will revise the recommended interval during the life of the vehicle so it’s best to check with a franchise dealer as they will have the most up-to-date information. They will need to know the make, model, engine number and model year.
In most cases cambelt failure results in serious damage to many other components in the engine – a major rebuild or even replacement engine will be required!
It does no harm to renew the belt early. If you buy a used car it’s wise to get the belt renewed if you are in any doubt that it has been renewed at the appropriate time.

First of all have a look in your car manufacturers’ manual. If you cannot find the answer there you can bring it along to our garage and one or our technicians will plug your car into our vehicle diagnostic tool and and explain the issue.

Catalytic converter often last 10 years, but actual life depends on mileage and engine tune. 50,000 miles is a more reasonable benchmark, and you can generally expect to replace the catalytic converter once during the life of a vehicle.

If failure occurs early, it’s important to find and fix the cause of the problem before fitting a new CAT otherwise the replacement can be expected to fail prematurely too.

There are three main ways they fail:

Melt down – unburned fuel enters the catalyst and ignites on contact. The extreme heat literally melts the ceramic matrix. Poor ignition timing, a faulty oxygen sensor, worn or defective spark plugs, incorrect fuel mixture and other ignition/fuel injection related faults could lead to this failure.
Carbon deposits – oil or antifreeze entering the combustion chamber/exhaust system can lead to a build up of carbon on the matrix, which increases back pressure leading to overheating and poor performance.
Catalytic converter fracture – the ceramic matrix is fragile and can break-up as a result of excessive vibration or external impact. As the matrix breaks up back-pressure increases and overheating can result.