Seeking Advice on 2019 Seat Tarraco's Exhaust Issue and DPF Regeneration Failure

Hey there,! Interesting situation you've got there, sounds similar to a problem I encountered with my 2017 Seat Leon, Diesel engine, a couple of whiles back. I'll admit I've only got some basic car smarts, but this sounds suspiciously like what I experienced! Turned out, my old Leon had a heavily leaking exhaust system which was throwing everything out of whack. When I took it to my local workshop, the mechanic was able to quickly diagnose the problem. Not my proudest moment, but it was a hell of a learning experience. The only way for me to get it sorted was to get the whole exhaust system replaced which set me back about 265.00 Euro - not a fun surprise, I can tell you! Now, I can't guarantee it's the exact same issue, after all, our cars are a little different. But given your symptoms, it might be something you want to consider. Any chance you could share a bit more info about your car? Particularly interested in your mileage, and how the car has been behaving, say, during cold starts or highway drives. That could help narrow things down.

Hey, I appreciate your response! Just to provide some more information, my Tarraco has so far run 135,423 km. I've noticed that the problems especially crop up during cold starts and while driving on the highway, as you asked. It's like the car is gasping for breath, struggling to keep up the power, you know? And as far as I remember, I didn’t experience any unusual behavior around the time of the last service. I’m gonna consider your advice seriously, maybe it's high time for me to visit my mechanic to properly check the exhaust system. Thanks for sharing your experience!

Hello again,! No problem, glad to help out! Your further info is really valuable for narrowing this down. That ‘gasping for breath’ feeling you mentioned? I saw exactly that with my Leon. It felt like my car was running a marathon with a heavy cold, underperforming and just struggling all the time during cold starts and highway runs. With your kind of mileage, it's conceivable that wear and tear issues could present themselves, especially with the exhaust system. Here's the thing - I'm not a mechanic, but based on my experience, this could be a serious matter. In retrospect, I really wish I had visited my mechanic sooner. It would’ve saved me so much time and hassle because the problem just kept getting worse the more I drove. My advice would be to arrange a visit to your workshop sooner rather than later. For me, once the exhaust system was replaced, the engine light turned off, my beast started raring up like her old self again, and no more strong exhaust smell either! I hope this helps. I’m crossing my fingers for you – hope it turns out to be something less pricy! And hey, do let us know what you find out. Cheers!

Hey there,! Can't thank you enough for your advice, really! It does sound like we had similar experiences with our cars. It's funny, I didn't think it could be the entire exhaust system, but your description has got me thinking. The 'heavy cold' analogy hit too close to home. Oh man, I probably should've paid closer attention to these signs, shouldn't I? I will definitely take your advice on board and get this checked sooner than later. Hope it doesn’t put a major dent in my walley. I'll share an update once I get it sorted. Appreciate you sharing your experience and advice. Cheers!