Honda HRV DPF Issues: Black Smoke & Power Loss Help

Hey there! I have some experience with cars and had a very similar issue with my 2013 Honda CR-V diesel. Those symptoms sound exactly like what I went through last year! My CR-V was showing the same signs, black smoke, drop in power, DPF light, and that nasty exhaust smell. Took it to my trusted workshop and, yep, the DPF was internally damaged beyond repair. Ended up having to replace the whole unit, which set me back about 1550 Euro. Not cheap, but it solved all the problems instantly. Just to be thorough, have you noticed any other warning lights? And what's your mileage? Also, when was the last time you did any highway driving? These details would help figure out if you're dealing with the same issue I had. Quick tip: Since getting it fixed, I make sure to take regular longer drives to help with DPF regeneration. Makes a huge difference!

Thanks for sharing your experience! My HRV has 146905 KM on the clock, and I actually had my last service about 2 months ago. I haven't seen any other warning lights besides the DPF one, but that exhaust smell is really getting on my nerves. I'll try your tip about the longer drives, honestly haven't done much highway driving lately, mostly short trips. Guess I should give my car a proper run soon! It's good to know what the fix was in your case. A bit worried about the cost, but better to sort it out now than let it get worse. Would you mind sharing how long the repair took at your workshop?

Oh hey again! Thanks for those extra details about your HRV. Yeah, those short trips are definitely not helping the DPF situation, totally been there! In my case, the repair took about a day and a half at the workshop. They had to order the part first though, so I was actually without my CR-V for almost 3 days total. Since you mentioned mostly doing short trips, that's exactly what caused my DPF to fail in the first place. These diesel engines really need those longer runs to clean themselves out properly. After my repair, my mechanic recommended at least one 30-minute highway run every week, and honestly, it's made such a difference. Quick tip from my experience: Before you commit to replacing the whole DPF, you might want to ask your workshop about trying a forced regeneration first. I wish I'd known about this option before jumping straight to replacement, might have saved me some cash! Though with those symptoms you're describing, especially that strong smell, it's sounding pretty similar to what I dealt with. Keep us posted on what you find out! These DPF issues can be such a pain, but at least you caught it before it got worse.

Thanks so much for all that detailed info! Really helpful to know about the repair timeline, I'll need to plan around being without my car for a few days then. I actually called my mechanic while waiting for your reply, and they suggested exactly what you mentioned about trying a forced regeneration first. Got an appointment booked for tomorrow morning! You know what's funny? I just checked my usual routes and realized I haven't done a trip longer than 15 minutes in weeks! No wonder my poor HRV is struggling. Definitely going to follow your advice about the weekly 30-minute highway drives once this is sorted. Really don't want to deal with this issue again! Really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience, it's made me feel much better about tackling this problem. Will let you know how it goes after the mechanic checks it out!