Exhaust, DPF and diesel servicing

We repair exhausts and mufflers, clean diesel particulate filters and service diesels. Most of it starts with a noise or a warning light. We’ll find which part of the system is at fault and quote it before we start.

Signs your exhaust or DPF needs looking at

• The car has got louder, and louder again under acceleration.
• A rattle underneath at idle that fades as the revs rise.
• A blow or a hiss you can hear with the window down.
• Exhaust fumes you can smell inside the cabin.
• A particulate filter light on the dash, or the car dropping into limp mode.
• A diesel that has lost power, or is smoking more than it used to.

What exhaust and diesel work involves

An exhaust is a run of pipes and joints, a catalytic converter or a particulate filter, and one or more mufflers, all hung under a car that gets wet and salty. They go at the joints and the welds first. The repair might be a clamp and one section, or it might be the whole run from the manifold back, and you should know which before you agree to it.

A diesel particulate filter traps soot and burns it off on longer, hotter runs. A car that only does short trips never gets the chance, so the filter loads up, the light comes on and the car cuts power to protect itself. DPF cleaning clears the trapped soot so the filter can do its job again.

Not every blocked filter can be saved. If yours is past cleaning we’ll tell you, rather than charge you for a clean that won’t hold.

Diesel servicing follows the same logic as any other car. Oil and filters to the manufacturer’s specification, fuel filters on their own interval, and a look at the parts diesels are hard on. Same-day service is available and most jobs are finished the day they come in.

Exhaust faults and your pink slip

An exhaust that’s blowing, leaking fumes into the cabin or hanging loose is the kind of thing that fails a safety inspection. If your rego is due, it’s worth sorting the exhaust before the car goes in for its pink slip. The inspection can also be scheduled as part of a logbook service, so the car only comes in once.

What to tell us when you book

Tell us what you can hear and roughly where it’s coming from. Whether it’s worse cold or hot, at idle or under load. If a light is on, say which one and whether the car has gone into limp mode. If it’s a diesel, tell us the kind of driving it does, because short trips and long runs give a filter very different lives.

Questions about exhausts, DPFs and diesels

Can a noisy exhaust fail a safety inspection?

It can. A system that’s blowing, leaking fumes into the cabin or hanging loose counts as a defect. If your rego is coming up, get it looked at first.

Why does my DPF light keep coming on?

Usually because the car does mostly short, cold trips and the filter never gets hot enough to burn off what it has trapped. A pattern of short runs will bring the light back even after a clean.

Do diesels need servicing more often than petrol cars?

They have their own items, like fuel filters and the particulate filter, and they’re less forgiving when the oil is left too long. The interval itself comes from the manufacturer’s schedule for your car.

Can you replace just one section of the exhaust?

Often, yes. If the rest of the system is sound, a section and a clamp will do it. We’ll tell you what we found and what it needs before we quote.