HELP NEEDED FAST!

5850 Views 30 Replies 11 Participants Last post by wilma08, Sep 3, 2013

Drivingmad

Discussion Starter · Aug 25, 2013

Hello folks,
I have just ordered a new 2013 Antara 4x4 diesel and have now discovered this forum!!! If I had found the forum before I ordered it I would not have paid the deposit and would have ran out of the dealer's screaming. Engine blow up's, DPF nightmares, fires, rotten VX back up! I must say I like the spec of the car and the test run was great - much better than other 4x4's I tried - KIA Sportage etc. My question is - should I CANCEL the order or go ahead, bearing in mind I got a good deal.

1 - 20 of 31 Posts

Grumps

· #2 · Aug 25, 2013

No keep it unless your only doing a few thousand miles a year around town but that goes for any diesel with a DPF.

Out of the 300+ members we only have a handful of issues. Check out the Kia or any other model of SUV you have been looking at and you will find the same.

As long as you know the mpg is not going to be as good as advertised and again this goes for other makes a well and you have had a drive in the Antara and you are happy then go for it.

I'm 18 months into owning my Antara and think its great.

Drivingmad

Discussion Starter · #3 · Aug 25, 2013

Hello GrumpsThanks for your quick reply. I have been researching and test driving my next replacement car for 6 months and have driven VW's, Citroen, Skoda, Kia, Suzuki, Renault, Jeep. Dacia, and Nissan alternatives. My test run showed the Antara was most comfortable with best road noise suppression. It drives well.The spec is also better than the Freelander, and the VX is heavier too. However, there seems to be a major prob. with the DPF in this car if it automatically self-cleans every 500 miles. My car is a 2013, wouldn't they have this prob. sorted?

Andyk

· #4 · Aug 25, 2013

Drivingmad said:
Hello GrumpsThanks for your quick reply. I have been researching and test driving my next replacement car for 6 months and have driven VW's, Citroen, Skoda, Kia, Suzuki, Renault, Jeep. Dacia, and Nissan alternatives. My test run showed the Antara was most comfortable with best road noise suppression. It drives well.The spec is also better than the Freelander, and the VX is heavier too. However, there seems to be a major prob. with the DPF in this car if it automatically self-cleans every 500 miles. My car is a 2013, wouldn't they have this prob. sorted?

FYI, I have a five year old Antara with 72,000 miles on the clock. The car runs as sweet as anything and is used daily for short journeys as well as a lot of caravan towing. Nothing major has gone wrong and we are very pleased with it. We have just come back from three weeks touring Europe pulling a large caravan. Even in high temperatures and steep gradients, the Antara pulled as if the caravan was hardly there.

What you have to realise is that most people only contribute to a forum when they have a problem. The majority who don't have a problem never post, so the picture builds up of lots of problems. However this is a skewed picture on life. I nearly cancelled my new caravan after reading the manufacturers forum, but then worked out it was always people with problems that were posting on it.

FYI, my Antara does a regen every 500 miles, so what... The fuel consumption drops by about 20% for 15 minutes. Even if you used about 0.5 of a gallon in this 15 minutes, this onlyequates to about 0.1 gallions of extra fuel burned in this time (around 70p). Itamusesme the heated debates that DPFre-generations cause when you are talking about an extra 70p in fuel every 500 miles. I have also found the Antara to be as reliable as any other car I have owned. Don't let the issues on here sway you, go with your feel of the car and if it suits you or not.

Andy

Edited by: Andyk

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Off Road Doc

· #5 · Aug 25, 2013

Hi Driving mad welcome. I like you tested many 4x4 and traded my RAV 4 in for an Antara and have not been dissappointed. Yes there seems to be some problems with DPF but as Grumps said what diesel doesnt. Many of the issues are how the Antara is driven. Only you can decide whether or not to go ahead with the purchase but I have had mine almost 12 months and still loving it. Infact Iam typing this after spending the weekend in Peebles, 400 mile round trip and the Antara was a joy to drive

Drivingmad

Discussion Starter · #6 · Aug 25, 2013

Hello Folks,Many thanks for your encouraging posts. Like I said I've tried a lot and the Antara just felt good and right. VW's are boosted in the mags. but to me they felt really ordinary (and noisy).The Sportage was deafening (road roar). I haven't tried a new Freelander though I own among others an oldDisco Mk1 V8 which is good until you watch the fuel gauge. The Antara felt solid and, well, dependable. And also very good value for money. Do you know that a £25,000 Freelander doesn't have cruise as standard?So I think I will press ahead, forward tho' a cannae see.
Glad to see many Scots on the forum. Ah'm frae the Boarders masel'. Safe oot safe in: we're aw daft doon here!
Drivingmad for 45 years and not one penalty point at all.

♠ChumBucket♠

· #7 · Aug 25, 2013

Had ours since 1st June, got 4.5k on the clock now & it's been no bother apart from a wee blip with the regens (which touch wood, seems to have settled down). Apart from that it's been great!

Spacious, smooth, quiet & plenty of power. Lots of nice features (SE Nav) & looks great to boot!!

Feels solidly built too. The Qashqai & sportage just look like over-size cars compared to the Antara!

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Drivingmad

Discussion Starter · #8 · Aug 26, 2013

In the cold light of morning I have had another look at the posts about DPF - hundreds of them. I reckon there must be some prob. here. Someone mentioned they think the filter is too far from the engine and so does not heat up enough. What will it be like in winter which is why I ordered the car anyway? I downloaded the manual from the VX website and it mentions engine damage if there is a problem with the DPF. On the indicator stalk of the new car there is a white label in many languages which states that you have to keep driving when the DPF light is on. This is ridiculous. It means that you might have to drive on past your destination! I know that DPF or FAP (Peugeot-Citroen) can cause grief but they have sold millions. I never use motorways and don't drive more than 20 miles in most journeys. Will a 2.2. TDI Antara not be fit for my purpose ?

Off Road Doc

· #9 · Aug 26, 2013

Drivingmad the light you talk about only comes on when the DPF filter is so staurated that it need help in cleaning. If the car is driven like it is meant to be i.e no short stop journeys the light shouuld never come on as normal regen is enough. In 12 months ownership I have never had the light come on. Living in the north of Scotland we dont have any motorways its all about how you manage the dpf.......Ive had 4 diesels now all with dpf and regens but no problems

Grumps

· #10 · Aug 26, 2013

Drivingmad you are getting obsessed before you even get your Antara.

Dont stress about it. Its not an issue for the vast majority of Diesel car owners. I drive my Antara the same as any other car and most of its weekly driving is stop start town driving to and from work.The ones that have had problems Have a fault which for some reason VX have problems fixing and just blame the owners for not driving it properly.

If you are that obsessed about the DPF maybe you shouldnt buy your Antara.

Pondpaul

· #11 · Aug 26, 2013

Hi Derek
I see your still going strong on this site, hope everything is ok?
Just so you all know, I've just put a post on the dpf about my fix and it's been great since.

Drivingmad

Discussion Starter · #12 · Aug 26, 2013

Hello Grumps,I am not obsessed, just reacting to the posts on the forum. Spending the best part of £20K I need to feel I am not buying trouble. Like I said, before I read the posts I had no worries! Mytest drive proved the Antara the best of all the many vehicles I had driven as a prospective new buyer.I have known for a while that DPF (FAP) components can cause aggro when a car is driven short distances always, but what gets me here is the apparent response of Vauxhall in blaming the driver. I do not understand how customer relations can be so silly. Do they want repeat custom or not?
Hi Pond Paul,
I will check out your DPF post.
Thanks folks for all your reassurances.

Grumps

· #13 · Aug 26, 2013

Drivingmad said:
Hello Grumps,I am not obsessed, just reacting to the posts on the forum. Spending the best part of £20K I need to feel I am not buying trouble. Like I said, before I read the posts I had no worries! Mytest drive proved the Antara the best of all the many vehicles I had driven as a prospective new buyer.I have known for a while that DPF (FAP) components can cause aggro when a car is driven short distances always, but what gets me here is the apparent response of Vauxhall in blaming the driver. I do not understand how customer relations can be so silly. Do they want repeat custom or not?
Hi Pond Paul,
I will check out your DPF post.
Thanks folks for all your reassurances.

Im sure you will love the car if you just enjoy it. A few people have had issues and now so many people have started worrying about something that might never happen. The regens are a fact of life for any diesel owner these days but too many people get over stressed and obsessed about it. Just treat it like any other car and for get about the dpf and you will be fine.

Inchindown

· #14 · Aug 26, 2013

I support what others have said. The DPF is not a problem for the vast majority of Antara owners.
A very small minority seems to have a fault which is proving hard to identify and fix. I'm also sure some of those who appear to be having problems with the DPF are experiencing problems due to not understanding how the DPF system works.

You mention the DPF being too far from the exhaust. All this means is that normal driving on its own will not enable the exhaust temp to get high enough to clean the filter. This in itself is not a problem. It is a design choice by VX, probably due to having to fit a DPF to a car that was not originally designed to have one. VX's solution is to have an active regeneration system to increase the exhaust temperature so the soot in the filter burns off properly.

I've had my car since March and have done just about 4700 miles so far. I've had 9 DPF regenerations with an average interval of518 miles. I've found it takes something between 10 and 20 minutes to complete a regen. I find a regen only reduces mylong termaverage MPG by about 0.1 or 0.2 MPG but soon returns to normal after a short time.

So. as others have said, don't get too stressed out about the very few problems that have been reported about the DPF. Remember that forums tend to attract people with problems hoping to find a solution, but this forum has many more people without any DPF problems at all. So just enjoy your car when you get it. If you think you can't get passed the idea of having a DPF problem, then maybe you should look for a different car that doesn't use diesel.

Edited by: Inchindown

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♠ChumBucket♠

· #15 · Aug 26, 2013

I have MORE regens with motorway driving!! Work that one out!!

Pottering about A roads in 20 mile stints doesn't bother mine one bit!!

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Drivingmad

Discussion Starter · #16 · Aug 26, 2013

Hello Folks,I have decided to back my original judgement and go ahead with the order. I will let you know how I find it next week. Thanks for your help!

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♠ChumBucket♠

· #17 · Aug 26, 2013

Drivingmad said:
Hello Folks,I have decided to back my original judgement and go ahead with the order. I will let you know how I find it next week. Thanks for your help!

Nice one, don't forget it's got a lifetime warranty (up to 100k) that might help alleviate any concerns you may have had!!

Anyhow, so, what colour, model???

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wilma08

· #18 · Aug 26, 2013

Yes goodman you won't regret it its a good car to drive, is the colour WHITE SENAv 184 auto only kidding enjoy

Andyk

· #19 · Aug 26, 2013

2

Drivingmad said:
In the cold light of morning I have had another look at the posts about DPF - hundreds of them. I reckon there must be some prob. here. Someone mentioned they think the filter is too far from the engine and so does not heat up enough. What will it be like in winter which is why I ordered the car anyway? I downloaded the manual from the VX website and it mentions engine damage if there is a problem with the DPF. On the indicator stalk of the new car there is a white label in many languages which states that you have to keep driving when the DPF light is on. This is ridiculous. It means that you might have to drive on past your destination! I know that DPF or FAP (Peugeot-Citroen) can cause grief but they have sold millions. I never use motorways and don't drive more than 20 miles in most journeys. Will a 2.2. TDI Antara not be fit for my purpose ?

FYI, I have never had the re-generation light come on. I only know it is doing a DPF clean when the fuel consumption drops a bit. I hope this helps

In general and as I said before, I recon at the most it uses 50p - 70p of extra fuel during the DPF clean every 500 miles. Doing 12,000 miles a year, this equates to less than £15.00 per year. I'm at a loss as to why so much discussion is generated over 30p per week

Surely there are more important things to worry about in life,

Edited by: Andyk

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cwrocs

· #20 · Sep 2, 2013

Hi all with regards to the regen's, prior to purchasing our Antara i had read many items about the DPF and regen's and became increasingly worried about this, and likewise considered cancelling my order, however i have stuck with it, and am just coming up for 10K on the clock, and have never seen the regen light on (indicating too full), however i presume this is because my daily commute involves motorway driving for 20 miles and 10 miles urban, and we tow the van every few weeks. In my opinion normal people would never buy anything if we took heed of all negative feedback. Its like complaining in Tesco/Asda, you never go a congratulate them at how low the prices are just how high, indicating with inflated prices you would never shop there. As for the Antara, i consider it to be a brilliant car, and its been one of the best 10 k ever done in any car.

Chris W

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