Black smoke and loss of power in the 2019 VW Arteon diesel: Possible causes and workshop tips wanted

I can well understand your problem, I also had a similar situation with my 2016 VW Passat diesel model. I also had black smoke coming out of the exhaust and the engine performance was also severely restricted. Let me tell you, your suspicions could be correct. In my case, the diesel particulate filter was definitely heavily loaded. That was a serious problem because the DPF couldn't just be replaced. The entire system had to be cleaned, which took several hours. The workshop first had to check whether the DPF could still be regenerated. If not, a new one had to be fitted. Anyway, my advice for your next visit to the garage is to make it clear that you now understand the whole process and how much work is involved. Also have the mechanic check whether any other parts are damaged, e.g. the turbocharger. Hope that helps you. Otherwise, it's important that you make sure you regularly run the engine free to clean the DPF. It's best to do this on the highway. Good luck with your next visit to the workshop! Best regards!

(Translated from German)

Hey, thanks for the info! I now really have a better idea of what I could be facing. Do you remember how much you paid for the whole procedure back then? And has anything else come up since then that you'd like to get rid of? Thank you and best regards!

(Translated from German)

Sure, no problem, I'm happy to share my experience. So, to fix the diesel particulate filter, it was a total of €1550. Of course, it was quite a chunk at the time, but there was a reason for it. The diesel particulate was defective due to high mileage and it wasn't exactly cheap to repair. But ever since I had it done by a mechanic, everything has been great. The only other thing I'd like to say is that you really have to keep at it and run up the engine properly to clean the DPF, as I've already advised. Otherwise the problems could come back. So long, take care!

(Translated from German)

Wow, that's a really expensive job, but if it helps to get the car back on the road, I guess I'll have to pay for it. I'll take your advice to run up the engine for the DPF cleaning to heart. A big thank you for your helpful tips and experience! I hope that everything goes well on my next visit to the workshop. See you next time. Take care and best wishes!

(Translated from German)