Cleaning and maintenance

Diesel particulate filter

~1min read
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warnings

The diesel particulate filter filters out soot particles in the exhaust gas. The soot particles are collected in the filter and are burnt off. To assist in this combustion process, Volkswagen recommends that you avoid making only short journeys.

  • Use only diesel with low sulphur levels .
  • Never use petrol or heating oil.
  • Never use biodiesel. It is permissible for the fuel manufacturer to mix biodiesel within the scope of EN 590 .
  • Do not allow the fuel tank to run empty.
  • Do not overfill engine oil .
  • Do not tow-start the vehicle. Use jump leads .

To minimise a blockage of the diesel particulate filter, the engine speed in vehicles with an automatic gearbox may increase slightly in order to automatically initiate the cleaning process of the diesel particulate filter. The indicator lamp will, however, not light up.

Even when the exhaust purification system is working perfectly, there may be a smell of sulphur from the exhaust in some conditions. This depends on the sulphur content of the fuel being used.

Test yourself

A quick Volkswagen Touran quiz: every answer comes with an explanation and a link to the manual page.