Clearly the DPF cannot continue to capture exhaust soot indefinitely, at some point a process called regeneration has to be activated to prevent the DPF from becoming blocked.
Vehicle manufacturers have developed different DPF regeneration strategies but essentially the temperature in the DPF has to be increased to the point where soot trapped in the core burns to ash. For this to happen automatically, it is normally necessary for the vehicle to be driven for an uninterrupted period at moderate speed, typically on a motorway. Unless such a drive cycle happens regularly, soot will build up in the DPF to the point where it may trigger a warning light on the dashboard and cause the engine to revert to a ‘limp home’ mode.
