Afternoon,

New member here currently on the lookout for a 2015/16 RRS with the 306 engine. In 12 years of driving this is going to be my first diesel car and have a few worries I hope you can put to rest.

Firstly the car will be used by my partner to do short journeys often and I will use it when I need to do longer journeys. Some months this car may not have any journeys longer than 20 minutes; is this very bad news for the engine/DPF?

Secondly is there any specific recalls I should be looking on a 2015 car with under 20k miles?

Many thanks.

I seem to have put this in the wrong part of the forum. Mods could you consider moving to the L494 section?

Hi, my understanding is that repeated short journeys are no good for a DPF as it does not get up to temperature. If it does not get up to operating temperature it cannot 'self clean' and gets clogged.

What is classed as short journeys and long journeys for these cars?

How often would I need to throw in an extended journey to keep it happy?

Good questions!!
I was told that on a Focus with DPF it needed a run, when engine is up to temp, of 20 minutes over 2000 RPM.
How often? I don't know.

This may help.
http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/fuels...lters.html

Thanks Lonescout.

Multiple short journeys will play havoc with the batteries on your vehicle. I would advise buying a "smart" charger and using it every couple of days otherwise you will start getting all sorts of unwanted problems. I have a CTEK and it is worth every penny.

I have enquired with my LR dealer about "short" journeys. He advised that anything under 40 miles in urban traffic would be considered as short!!!

Enjoy the vagaries of RRS ownership.

Old Jock 2018 (MY19) Jaguar F-Pace R-Sport 300PS Petrol in Caesium Blue with many bells and whistles.
2015 RRS HSE SDV6 Firenze Red with Santorini Panoramic Glass Roof, gone but not forgotten.

DPFs I feel are one of the worst things added to a Diesel car.
Currently 1:5 breakdowns with diesel cars according to the RAC, is a problem with the DPF not recycling/recharging or whatever, a new one costs over £1000 and as only last a maximum of 7 years driving (@ 10k miles PA) this will become a costly addition at services.
Even driving a lot of motorway miles doesn't always help, and with a 8 speed gearbox, at 77mph you aren't doing 2000 revs required to trigger the recycling. Using the wrong car oil causes more ash which cannot be removed, so yes you've guessed, it needs replacing quicker. An ill thought out and devised thing for owners of diesel cars. If the warning light comes on DON'T ignore it.
Short journeys (under 40 miles) are a killer, more so if the temperature isn't hot enough.
Be safe out there.

In addition to all of the above, for journeys that short you would be better off with a petrol engined car. Diesels require longer runs at steady revs to get thoroughly warmed through before they start to achieve their best fuel consumption. Stop start and crawling driving not only plays havoc with DPF's it destroys any fuel economy on a diesel.

Most of my driving is from home 16 miles to the nearest town, it is fast A Road there and back and the car has usually warmed up within the first 2-3 miles at this time of year. I have never had a DPF problem with any of my DPF equipped cars except my last Evoque which burned out sensors regularly even on long haul runs after a gearbox software "upgrade". It is town commuting driving that does it for most diesels. I do regularly do Scptalnd to London trips and longer runs in Scotland but the car is not used for commuting to/from work in city conditions. 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

For that kind of usage I would hesitate to go diesel. MY2016 HSE D SDV6 - gone due to fuel dilution problems.

By the age of 50 you have the face you deserve - George Orwell.

A suitable case for a "Muddywheels" PHEV (Mitsubishi Outlander)!! They are made for short, stop start journeys. Much like a milk float!! A lot cheaper both to buy and to run.

Old Jock 2018 (MY19) Jaguar F-Pace R-Sport 300PS Petrol in Caesium Blue with many bells and whistles.
2015 RRS HSE SDV6 Firenze Red with Santorini Panoramic Glass Roof, gone but not forgotten.

Agreed. RRSs like to be used and do not thrive on short journeys. If you are going to get one, get a petrol not diesel.

I can see how this ownership will progress - buy RRS, it gets little use, still needs things doing and it will throw up issues as is their habit, owner sells in a year's time with tales of poor quality/issues etc. It's a common story on here. 2012 SDV6 - it's missing a couple of cylinders
2008 TDV8 - it was a labour of love and is much missed