BMW 6 Diesel DPF Issues: Real Solutions Needed

Hey there! I had a pretty similar issue with my 2013 BMW 5 series diesel. I've got some experience working on cars, but DPF problems are tricky, so I took mine to a workshop. Like yours, mine was showing warning lights, losing power, and smoking. Got it checked, and yep, DPF was completely clogged. My mechanic said a forced regeneration wouldn't cut it, so the whole filter needed replacement. Cost me around 1550 Euro, but it's been running perfectly since then. Quick question, what's your mileage and how often do you do long drives? Also, can you share which specific warning lights you're getting? Might help determine if you're dealing with the exact same problem I had. By the way, if you're considering a repair, I'd be happy to share my workshop's approach. The 6 series uses a similar DPF system to my 5 series, so the fix should be comparable.

Thanks for sharing your experience! Mine's at 195702 KM and my last service was about 2 months ago. I mostly do short trips these days, which probably hasn't helped the DPF situation. I'm seeing the engine management light and the DPF warning light on the dash. Sometimes they flash together, sometimes separately. I'd definitely appreciate hearing more about your workshop's approach, seems like we're dealing with very similar symptoms. The forced regeneration actually crossed my mind, but from what you're saying, I might be looking at a full replacement too. Did you notice any improvement in fuel economy after the repair?

Hey again! Yeah, those short trips are definitely what caused your DPF troubles, exactly what happened with mine. When I had mine fixed, fuel economy improved quite noticeably. I'm getting about 15-20% better mileage now, which was a nice bonus after the expensive repair. Those warning lights you're describing are identical to what I experienced. And with your mileage being similar to what mine was (I was at around 187000 KM when it failed), I'm even more convinced it's the same issue. Let me share what my workshop did, they first ran diagnostics to confirm it wasn't just a sensor issue, then checked the back pressure readings. They ended up doing a complete DPF replacement because, like I mentioned before, the regeneration attempt wouldn't have solved it. The mechanic showed me the old filter, it was completely blocked with soot and ash. One tip though, since the repair, I've made sure to take the car on a good highway run at least once a week. It helps keep the new DPF clean and working properly. Been about 8 months since the replacement, and no issues whatsoever. If you want, I can share more details about the specific part numbers they used? Just remember to check if your insurance might cover any of this, mine surprisingly did cover a small portion of it!

Thanks so much for all this detailed info! This is exactly the kind of real-world experience I was hoping to hear about. The mileage comparison and similar warning lights really confirm what I was suspecting. It's particularly good to hear about that fuel economy improvement, that would definitely help offset some of the repair costs in the long run. I think I'll have to bite the bullet and go for the full replacement like you did. No point trying cheaper fixes if they're not going to solve the problem properly. And that's a really good tip about the weekly highway runs, I'll definitely need to change my driving habits once it's fixed to prevent this from happening again. Would definitely appreciate those part numbers if you've got them handy. I'll also check with my insurance, wouldn't have thought about that, so thanks for the heads up! Think I'll start getting some quotes from local workshops this week. Really appreciate your help with all this, it's made me feel a lot more confident about tackling the problem.