GPF status with OBDEleven scanner?

[grazuncle2]

Hi

I'm still awaiting my VW garage appointment for the high idle problem but i the mean time I'm trying to gather s much information myself to fore arm myself. with that in mind I just took delivery of an OBD11 scanner today...
I have heard of others monitoring GPF with this system and I'd like to check the soot levels but do not know where to start looking in the menus yet.

any pointers appreciated

[grazuncle2]

Found it..

Open up the app with the device in the OBD port turn on ignition. I didn't have to run the engine.

The information you look for is in live data. Even the Basic plan allows you to see live data.

Go to control unit 01 engine

Then in the menu select Live Data

Then in the search bar type Particulate filter

tick the boxes you want data displayed and ok

I found my particulate filter at 0.8%.. so pleased about that.. this hasn't had any effect on my high idling rpm at all but at least I know they won'y try to push me in that direction as a probable fault.

[grazuncle2]

I found my particulate filter at 0.8%.. so pleased about that.. this hasn't had any effect on my high idling rpm at all but at least I know they won'y try to push me in that direction as a probable fault.

I found more selectable data on the OBD app.. one reading was 33% before taking it in to the garage (from most of my research this is not 33% of 100 but confusingly, out of 250% The figures still do not mean anything to me.. 33% could be high?

GPF data.png (117.56 KiB) Viewed 4026 times

I don't know the criteria.. hence my asking many questions on this and other boards.. still no real information to go on.

Well I was wrong about the garage doing a forced regeneration.... LOL
They said it was blocked and I would not have been able to have unblocked it with my Motorway driving either.. As I don't know enough 'facts' about this I'm not in a position to agree or debate it with them. They didn't charge which I found unusual.. Is a regen really a warranty claim? The software update they did and 'finding' warranty stuff (that was approved by VW) to do for me at the same time is so strange for this VW garage; it is usually upselling me stuff with some valid excuse. I'm not complaining that I didn't have to pay for all of this of course but little of it really makes much sense.

So non the wiser.. the RPM is bac to normal if 1000 rpm idle is normal for a TSi 1.0 turbo? I know it is only a three cylinder engine and that could be the reason.. my 3 cyl Polo TDi was higher idle that I was used to, too and they said it was fine.

Again who know except a VW expert.

Still looking around the net for answers but getting nothing so far.. too often GPF searches bring up DPF instead. Hopefully I can get some definitive answers and help some other Polo owner in the same position.

[Harrihealey02]

Most of the time the dealer will know the car best and have sophisticated technology and computers to dial into your car and read data that many OBD scanners can’t read. If they said that the GPF was blocked and the motorway drive would not have cleared it, that would seem very odd because if it was that bad the car would have a warning light. There must be something else that they have done to reduce the RPM as you said it had an update carried out, this may have fixed your issue.
In the owners manual look in the following section: 'Fuel and Emission Control - Troubleshooting - Catalyst Convertor - Particulate Filter'.

You will see the following:

“ Particulate filter clogged with soot
The yellow indicator lamp lights up.
The particulate filter is saturated with soot and requires regeneration.
Prerequisite for regeneration trip: the engine is at operating temperature.
For petrol engines.
- Drive at a speed of at least 80 kph (50 mph).
- Remove your foot from the accelerator completely for a few seconds to allow the vehicle to coast with
gear engaged.
- Repeat this procedure (accelerate and coast) until indicator lamp goes out.
- May take some time.
If lamp does not go out, seek expert assistance immediately.”

[grazuncle2]

Most of the time the dealer will know the car best and have sophisticated technology and computers to dial into your car and read data that many OBD scanners can’t read. If they said that the GPF was blocked and the motorway drive would not have cleared it, that would seem very odd because if it was that bad the car would have a warning light. There must be something else that they have done to reduce the RPM as you said it had an update carried out, this may have fixed your issue.

In the owners manual look in the following section: 'Fuel and Emission Control - Troubleshooting - Catalyst Convertor - Particulate Filter'.

You will see the following:

“ Particulate filter clogged with soot
The yellow indicator lamp lights up.
The particulate filter is saturated with soot and requires regeneration.
Prerequisite for regeneration trip: the engine is at operating temperature.
For petrol engines.
- Drive at a speed of at least 80 kph (50 mph).
- Remove your foot from the accelerator completely for a few seconds to allow the vehicle to coast with
gear engaged.
- Repeat this procedure (accelerate and coast) until indicator lamp goes out.
- May take some time.
If lamp does not go out, seek expert assistance immediately.”

Thanks for looking at this: I agree it is a bit conflicting.. I have looked at a LOT of YT videos on this subject and a blocked DPF or GPF makes driving VERY difficult and you get a warning on the dash, Stop start is usually disabled by the ECU, hot smell, exhaust note different and high fuel consumption etc etc. none of which I had.

My Scanner suggested 33% soot load calculated and seems low compared to the very often quoted range of up to 250% (strange to have a 250% figure I know) It can take 30 -60 minutes to force a regen.. they phoned me back to tell me they did it 20 minutes after I left it with them; you must need 5 of those minutes to get the car in the garage and hooked up!. I'm not convinced of there regeneration (and not charging me for it?) now. Perhaps there was an update/recall that fixed this problem and they never did it previously. It's all supposition but frustrating at the same time.

Anyway the 33% figure was nearly zero when i got it back from them and re-scanned it. Since then I am keeping an eye on the figures just to see how my driving and trips locally affect the levels. one figure (Oil Ash Mass) since getting it back was 1.83%.. after a day of 40minutes travelling including some high traffic, I expected it to rise but didn't even one bit! I began to wonder if the reports from the scanner/app were working at all. I took it out yesterday on a short trip and cold and it went up to 1.84% whilst the Soot load calculated was still 0.0% (was 33%)

It would be nice to know what these figures actually mean in real terms. I will just keep and eye out from now on. I have asked many questions on various forums but not getting much specific feedback (this is not a moan). Pointless asking OBDEleven as it would be like buying a spanner and asking how to use it on.. (take your pick) It would be too specific.

Anyway I'll continue to post information and hope it helps others in their journey for more information.

[grazuncle2]

update on this 'blocked' GPF saga and high idle RPM (1400 rpm)

some interesting observations since the VW garage forcing a regen of the GPF.

The Particulate Soot (screenshot in post further up) load calculated was 33% and was close to 1% after getting the car back. However since it seemed my driving routine caused the blockage (short journeying/ shopping trips etc) and was going to push up this figure again I was more than a little concerned; especially if this 'seemingly low' 33% figure indicated a total blockage as the garage claimed; I got a bit paranoid over it and checked the particulates routinely every few days for a month.

Now after 6 weeks of the same short journeying the figures have hardly budged .. I accumulated some very low water load for a day.

All of this leads me to suspect that something else was going on.... the forced regen with rich fuel delivery and high revving a stationary car for 20-30 minutes should have drastically lowered the average fuel consumption figure reported by the dash display - but no. The comment of updating the car's software may be a clue. Only the garage knows the reality.

I check the particulates only when running a scan for other things now.. nothing significant to report.