Honda BR-V Diesel: Glow Plug & Black Smoke Problems

Hey there! I had low experience with diesel engines until I faced a similar issue with my 2018 Honda HR-V diesel last year. Those symptoms sound very familiar! My car was showing pretty much the same signs, long cold starts, black smoke, and that annoying glowplug light staying on. Took it to my regular workshop, and they diagnosed a faulty glow plug. They had to replace one plug that was completely worn out, plus they checked the others just to be safe. Total bill came to about 560 Euro, but it fixed all those issues you mentioned. Just curious, how many miles/kilometers do you have on your BR-V? And have you noticed any knocking sounds during startup? This info would help me understand if you're dealing with exactly what I faced. Hope this helps! Let me know if you need more details about my repair experience.

Thanks for sharing your experience! My BR-V has clocked 220,328 KM and had its last service about two months ago. Actually, I haven't noticed any knocking sounds during startup, it's just the slow start and black smoke issues. The glow plug replacement costs you mentioned seem reasonable. Did you also get your DPF cleaned when they did the glow plug work? I'm thinking of getting both done together if I need to take it to the shop.

Hey again! Yeah, you're right to ask about the DPF, I actually did end up getting that cleaned when they replaced my glow plug. Looking back, it was definitely the right call to do both at the same time. The mechanic explained that the faulty glow plug had been causing incomplete combustion, which meant more soot was building up in the DPF than usual. In my case, getting both jobs done together saved me some money on labor costs, since they already had everything opened up. The DPF cleaning added another 300 Euro to the bill, but my fuel economy improved dramatically afterward. Plus, no more black smoke! Since your mileage is pretty similar to what mine was (mine was around 230,000 KM when this happened), I'd definitely recommend getting both done. The symptoms you're describing are almost identical to what I experienced, and fixing both issues at once really brought my HR-V back to life. Quick tip though, after the repairs, I switched to a higher-grade diesel fuel and noticed it helped keep everything running smoother. Might be worth considering once you get yours fixed up too! Let me know how it goes if you decide to get the work done. I'm curious to hear if it solves your issues like it did mine!

Thanks so much for the detailed follow-up! That's really helpful to know about the connection between the glow plug and DPF issues. I'll definitely take your advice and get both done together, seems like it'll save me money in the long run. Your experience really matches what I'm going through, and I'm feeling more confident now about what needs to be done. That's a great tip about the higher-grade diesel fuel too! I've been using regular diesel, but I'll switch to premium once the repairs are done. The total cost of around 860 Euro for both jobs sounds fair, especially if it'll fix all these issues. I'll schedule an appointment with my mechanic tomorrow and make sure to ask them to check both the glow plugs and the DPF. I'll let you know how it turns out, fingers crossed it sorts out all these problems like it did for you! Thanks again for all your help!