Is an Opel legal on UK roads once its DPF is removed?

No. Using an Opel on a public road without its filter breaches the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations, and from February 2014 an Opel without its DPF automatically fails the MOT. The fine is up to £1,000 for a car, or £2,500 for a light goods vehicle such as a Combo van. Our Opel removals are therefore for off-road and motorsport vehicles only.

Why are Vauxhall articles listed on the Opel page?

Because they describe the same models. The Insignia, Vectra, Zafira and Combo are sold as Opels as well as Vauxhalls, so our Insignia 2.0 CDTi, Vectra 1.9 CDTi, Zafira 1.9 CDTi and Combo 1.3 CDTi articles cover the Opel-badged versions too. Match the model and engine size on your car to the article before treating it as your own.

Why does an Opel Combo van regenerate its DPF so often?

A small 1.3 CDTi engine has to work hard to heat a large filter. The Combo’s DPF sits some way down the exhaust, where the gas can be up to 100°C cooler than it is near the turbo, so the engine management runs active regenerations often: each can last 10 to 30 minutes, and they come round roughly every 150 to 250 miles. Stop-start driving cuts many of them short, and the filter loads up faster as a result.

How does a blocked DPF end up damaging an Opel’s turbo?

Through back-pressure. With the filter choked, exhaust gas pushes back against the turbocharger, and once its seals give way the turbo leaks oil into the inlet, where it coats the EGR valve. The pressure can carry on into the crankcase and the injector seals. On a road-going Opel, the filter is best cleaned and the cause found before it gets that far; our DPF explainer shows how the blockage builds.