Black Smoke & DPF Issues: Vauxhall Insignia Help!

Hi there! I had a very similar issue with my 2006 Vauxhall Vectra 2.0 CDTI (I have some experience working on cars but nothing too advanced). The symptoms were exactly the same as yours, black smoke, drop in power, DPF light, and that nasty exhaust smell. Took it to my trusted mechanic who diagnosed a severely clogged DPF due to the high mileage (was at 180,000 km). They had to replace the DPF completely as cleaning wasn't enough anymore. Total bill came to around €1,550 including parts and labor. Before you jump to conclusions though, what's your current mileage and have you been doing mostly city driving? Also, which engine variant does your Insignia have? This info would help me give you more specific advice based on my experience.

Thanks for sharing your experience! My car's at 87825 KM and had its last service about 2 months ago. You're right, those symptoms sound identical to what I'm experiencing. Been doing quite a bit of city driving lately, which probably hasn't helped. Really hoping I can avoid a full DPF replacement as that's quite steep! Did your mechanic mention any cheaper alternatives before going for the full replacement? Might try taking it for a good motorway run first to see if that helps clear things up.

Hey again! Thanks for the follow-up. Yeah, those mileage details definitely help paint a better picture. My Vectra had over double those kilometers when I ran into similar issues. Actually, before going for the full replacement, my mechanic did try a few cheaper options. First, we did what you're thinking, I took it on a long motorway run (about an hour at steady speeds above 70mph), which sometimes helps force a regeneration. Unfortunately, in my case, it didn't solve the problem completely. Then we tried a chemical DPF cleaner through the fuel tank (cost about €20) and also attempted a forced regeneration at the garage (that was around €150). These helped temporarily, but the issues kept coming back after a few weeks. Given your much lower mileage, you might have better luck with these alternatives than I did. Definitely worth trying the motorway run first, it's free after all! And if that doesn't work, maybe go for the chemical cleaner before considering anything more expensive. Just a tip from my experience, after I got mine sorted, I made sure to take regular motorway trips and avoid too much stop-start driving. It really helps prevent these issues from recurring. Let me know how that motorway run goes, fingers crossed it sorts it out for you!

Thanks so much for all the detailed advice! You've honestly made me feel a lot better about the situation. I'll definitely try that motorway run this weekend, there's a good stretch I can use that should work perfectly. If that doesn't do the trick, I'll give that chemical cleaner a shot since it's pretty cheap. Really appreciate you breaking down all the options and costs, helps me know what to expect if things escalate. I'm also gonna take your advice about including more motorway driving in my regular routine. Seems like prevention is way cheaper than cure in this case! I'll update the thread after I try these solutions in case anyone else runs into similar issues. Thanks again for taking the time to help out!