September 2019

Above: Pressure testing by Darren I n the last few years, Darren Darling, the founder of The DPF Doctor Network has become a well known and much sought after DPF specialist. Based in Ashington, his work takes him all over the UK and Europe, meeting potential ‘Doctors’ interested in joining his network and, in his capacity as the brand ambassador for automotive aftermarket brand JLM Lubricants. He’s in demand on the speaker circuit too. He spoke at Automechanika Birmingham in June, and that was just one of many appearances at technical events. In this exclusive interview with Aftermarket, Darren gives an insight into his growing DPF Doctor Network, why he’s a brand ambassador for JLM Lubricants and the new training centre he has recently launched. Why did you launch The DPF Doctor Network? I knew from experience there was a gap in the market for a network of specialist, highly trained technicians; each one able to correctly diagnose the reason for DPF problems and to undertake successful repairs. Other networks were in existence but I wanted ours to focus on doing the job properly first time and to become renowned for delivering a fantastic customer service experience at every touch point. To realise this ambition, I developed a programme of ongoing training and mentoring for network members and a strict application criteria. Fast-forward a few years and within our network we share knowledge and experience regularly and are always up to date with new technology and new diagnostic techniques. There’s a real spirit of camaraderie between us. And we are DPF fanatics! We see all the problems that cause a DPF to be unreliable but more often than not the DPF is not the problem. It’s a sign of other problems, so it’s our job to get to the root of the problem. This approach saves our customer money and ensures their vehicle does not return to the workshop. Damaged DPFs are on the rise so we are in great demand. What size do you want The DPF Doctor Network to grow to? We are currently at 76 members. To reach this number I had to reject over 700 applications. I am selective to say the least! My goal is to have 100 members by the end of this year; 150 by the end of 2020. This will equate to a lot of fixed DPFs when you consider that in the last few years alone our network has fixed over 2,000. When assessing a potential new member, I’m not looking for a 26 AFTERMARKET SEPTEMBER 2019 TECHNICAL www.aftermarketonline.net THE DPF DOCTOR IS IN Get to know Aftermarket’s latest contributor, Darren Darling, founder of the DPF Doctor Network, a little better