Black Smoke & Power Loss: Insignia Turbo Warning Signs

Had similar issues with my 2013 Vauxhall Astra 2.0 CDTI last winter. Those symptoms rang a bell, mine was definitely a clogged DPF. Started with black smoke, then drop in power, especially on motorways. The whistling was actually from the turbo struggling due to back pressure from the blocked filter. Took it to my regular garage, turned out the DPF was completely clogged. They did a forced regeneration first, but it wasn't enough. Had to get the DPF replaced eventually as it was too far gone. The mechanic showed me the old filter, it was properly blocked up. Not gonna lie, it was a serious job, but worth fixing properly. The car's running like new now, much better fuel economy too. Regular motorway runs at higher revs help prevent it happening again. Your symptoms sound exactly like what I experienced. Would definitely get it checked soon before it causes more problems. A blocked DPF can affect your turbo and other engine components if left too long.

Cheers thanks for sharing that! Sounds spot on with what I'm experiencing. My Insignia's doing the exact same thing. I went ahead and got it sorted at the garage last week, they also found it was the DPF. Just curious, do you remember roughly how much you ended up paying for yours? And has everything been running smoothly since, or have you had any other niggles pop up?

Hey again! Yeah, I remember our chat about the DPF issues. Just to update you, the whole job cost me 1325.00 € at my garage, which included sorting out both the DPF clog and, as it turned out, fixing that boost pressure sensor I mentioned earlier. Not cheap, I know, but honestly, it was worth every penny. Since getting it fixed, my Astra's been running like a dream, no more black smoke, whistling, or power issues. It's actually been about 8 months now, and I haven't had a single problem pop up. Fuel economy's still great, and the engine feels much more responsive than before. One tip though, I've been making sure to take it for a good motorway run at least once a week, keeping those revs up for a bit. Seems to help prevent any new DPF issues from developing. You might want to do the same with your Insignia. How's yours running now after the fix? Notice any difference in performance?

Thanks for the update! Yeah, the repair bill was similar for me, ended up paying around 1200€. I'm actually really relieved I got it sorted when I did. Just wanted to share how it all went down. When I took it to the garage, they were super helpful, nothing like my previous dodgy mechanic experience. They showed me exactly what was wrong, explained everything clearly, and even gave me some tips to prevent future issues. The whole repair took about two days, but wow, what a difference! The car's running beautifully now, no more black smoke, weird noises, or power problems. Been following your advice about those weekly motorway runs too, and it seems to be doing the trick. Honestly, even though it was expensive, it's such a relief to have it fixed properly. The car feels like new again, and I'm getting much better fuel economy. Thanks again for all your help and advice, really helped me make the right decision instead of putting it off and potentially causing more damage!