Will using premium fuel and driving gently improve the life of the EGR, DPF and injectors?

The emissions fix was done on my 2010 Volkswagen Golf 1.6 TDI in January 2017 and it now drives very differently. The DSG gearbox changes up into seventh gear much earlier than before (at around 40mph) with the engine labouring on occasions. It is also very jerky when cold and when manoeuvring at low revs/speed. I've also noticed that the fan continues to run on now after switch off. My question really revolves around preserving the life of the car and expensive components by using premium diesel and modifying to a more gentle driving style. I don't drive in heavy traffic and the car has only done 50,000 miles so is this combination of fuel choice and driving style likely to improve the life of the EGR, DPF and injectors?

Asked on 3 April 2017 by James Kelly

Answered by Honest John

Use only the best fuel: Shell V-Power, BP Ultimate, Total Excellium, etc. What you need to avoid most of all are repeated short runs from cold starts. After the mods the engine creates more soot, so the fans are because the DPF is actively regenerating to burn it off and in doing so it gets very hot. It is actually undesirable that the DSG changes up at low revs, so use the manual override to keep the revs up as much as you reasonably can.

Tags: volkswagen emissions scandal short journeys dpf life dpf diesel engines injectors egr valves premium fuels diesel cars owning consumer advice nox emissions egr problems emissions fix regenerating

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