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T his special feature was originally planned as a focus on what the Kalimex team were bringing to Automechanika Frankfurt 2020...‘Nuff said… However, we have hopefully gone one step better with this interview with the DPF guru that is Barry Lawson of Ewan Lawson Motors. Barry is a member of Darren Darling’s DPF Doctor Network. If you’re outsourcing DPF work or turning it away, read what Barry has to say and be prepared to think again. It’s a massive opportunity to earn good money without investing in expensive kit. Q. When we last spoke you predicted that DPFs were going to cause problems for motorists. Why so and were you proved right? I mentioned this back in April, just a few weeks into lockdown. Gradually cars were coming into the workshop with their DPF lights on. Speaking to customers it was clear that driving routines had changed significantly. They were working from home or not working at all with the family car predominantly used for short journeys to the supermarket. Weekend travel had all but stopped and cars were sitting on driveways for weeks on end. When we investigated why the DPF light was coming on, it was largely due to failed regeneration. Short journeys usually mean that the conditions for regenerating a DPF are not being met. This causes the soot content to build up and block it. Once we’ve sorted out a blocked DPF we speak to our customer about their driving patterns and how they can prevent the problem reoccurring. For example, keep the fuel level above 1/4 of a tank and if you’re using your car in the main for short journeys schedule in a 30-40-mile 28 AFTERMARKET SEPTEMBER 2020 TECHNICAL www.aftermarketonline.net WHY BLOCKED DPFS MEAN BIG BUSINESS FOR YOUR GARAGE A DPF special where we find out how to make the most of the opportunity from Barry Lawson, of Ewan Lawson Motors BY Mike Schlup, Managing Director of Kalimex drive at 60-70mph to allow regeneration to take place. The DPF is a self-cleaning filter so most people are advised to blast it up the motorway or drive it hard. This isn’t necessary. Steady driving is fine. Q. Can you give an idea of the range of DPF related problems coming to your workshop? We get a wide range of DPF related problems. For example, a 2017 Range Rover just out of warranty with 25,000 miles on the clock to a 2010 Ford Transit with 150,000 miles on the clock that’s never off the road and not being regularly maintained. We look at every vehicle on an individual basis, starting with a customer questionnaire so we can understand its history.