Black Smoke & DPF Issues Plague Discovery TD5

Hey there! I had similar issues with my Land Rover Range Rover Sport 3.0 TD6 (2003) last year at around 155,000 KM. The symptoms were exactly like yours, black smoke, engine light, reduced power, and that strong diesel smell. Took it to the garage, and it turned out the DPF was completely clogged with soot. The mechanic showed me that the regeneration cycle had failed multiple times because of my short-distance driving patterns, which didn't allow proper regeneration temperatures. In my case, they had to do a forced DPF regeneration first, but that wasn't enough. The filter was too damaged and needed replacement. It was definitely a serious repair job, took them three days to complete everything, including testing. Since then, I've been taking longer drives regularly to help with natural regeneration, and I'm using better quality diesel. No issues for the past 8 months. Hope this helps with your decision-making.

Thanks for sharing your experience! That sounds exactly like what I'm dealing with. Would you mind sharing how much the whole repair set you back? Also, curious if you've had any other issues pop up since the fix? I'm trying to budget for this and want to make sure I'm prepared for any potential follow-up problems.

Hey again! Glad to help out! Yes, I ended up paying 1550.00 € to fix my DPF issue. It was definitely not cheap, but honestly, it was worth every penny. The mechanic found that the diesel particulate filter was heavily loaded due to the high mileage, but they sorted it out completely. Since getting it fixed, my Range Rover Sport's been running like a dream, no more black smoke, engine light's stayed off, and the power's back to normal. Haven't had a single DPF-related issue in the past months. The diesel smell is completely gone too. One tip though, I've made sure to take it on longer drives regularly since the repair, which helps keep the DPF clean through natural regeneration. Also switched to premium diesel, which seems to help. No other problems have popped up since the fix. Just keep in mind that these DPF systems need proper maintenance to avoid future issues. Regular highway drives and good quality fuel are your best friends! Let me know if you need any other info!

Thanks so much for all the details! Actually, I just got back from the mechanic today. You were spot on, it was definitely the DPF. Had to pay 1700.00 € for the whole thing, a bit more than what you paid, but at least it's sorted now. The mechanic I found was really good, showed me everything they were doing and explained why the problem happened. They did a thorough cleaning first, then ended up replacing the filter since it was too damaged. Took about four days total, but the difference is incredible! No more black smoke, engine's running smoothly, and that annoying diesel smell is gone. I'm definitely taking your advice about the longer drives and premium fuel. Already planning some weekend drives to keep the DPF happy. The mechanic also gave me some tips about driving patterns to help prevent this from happening again. Really appreciate everyone's help with this. It's such a relief to have it fixed properly!