What on-vehicle cleaning does
On-vehicle cleaning treats a blocked diesel particulate filter without taking it off the car or van. A cleaning fluid is injected into the filter through an existing opening, left to soak, then cleared by running the engine and driving the vehicle. It is a quicker, lower-cost first step for a filter that is blocked mainly with soot.
MET’s instructions are clear about the limit: the process removes soot and oil residues only. It does not remove the ash that builds up over a filter’s life, because ash doesn’t burn and can’t be dissolved out on the vehicle. For ash, the filter has to come off and be washed through in a METClean machine.
Neither method fixes the cause of a blockage. A faulty sensor, injector or EGR valve, or a pattern of short journeys, will fill a cleaned filter again, so the vehicle’s faults are fixed before any treatment.
The METClean on-vehicle range
The treatment uses two METClean fluids applied with the METClean applicator. Stage 1 is the cleaner that soaks into the soot; Stage 2 is the flushing concentrate used after it. Both are sold in workshop pack sizes, and prices and current stock are on each shop page.
- METClean DPF Cleaner Stage 1/2
The two-stage cleaning fluid for on-vehicle treatment: Stage 1 cleaner and Stage 2 flush concentrate, in a choice of pack sizes.
- METClean On-Vehicle DPF Cleaning Advanced Applicator
A compressed-air applicator gun that injects the fluids through the pressure-sensor or temperature-sensor opening, supplied with a removable hose and a step reducer adaptor. The fluids are sold separately.
- METClean On-Vehicle DPF Cleaning Fluid with Free Stand
A workshop stock of the on-vehicle fluids supplied with a METClean display stand.
- METClean On-Vehicle DPF Cleaner Display Stand
The display stand on its own, for workshops that sell the treatment at the counter.
- The full on-vehicle range in the MET shop
Every on-vehicle cleaning product and applicator, with prices and stock.
How a treatment is carried out
The sequence below follows MET’s on-car instructions. Use the quantities, soak times and engine speeds given in the instructions, and wear gloves and eye protection.
Fix the fault and warm up
Put right whatever caused the blockage, then bring the engine up to its normal operating temperature.
Inject Stage 1
With the engine off, fill the applicator with Stage 1 and inject it into the filter through the pressure pipe or the exhaust temperature sensor opening, using the adaptor. Leave it to soak, then run the engine.
Inject Stage 2
With the engine idling, inject the Stage 2 flush into the filter in two halves, running the engine after each so the fluid is properly atomised.
Drive
Take the vehicle for a test drive with regular hard acceleration to complete the clean.
Catch, rinse and dispose
Fluid can run from the tailpipe, so place a container underneath. Flush the applicator with water afterwards, and send waste to a waste management company.
- METClean on-car cleaning instructions (PDF)
The full instructions, with quantities, times and safety notes.
When the filter needs to come off
On-vehicle treatment is the first step for a soot-loaded filter on a vehicle whose fault has been fixed. It isn’t the answer for an older, high-mileage filter that has been through many regenerations, because what fills that filter is mostly ash. If the warning returns soon after a treatment, or back-pressure stays high, the filter needs an off-vehicle clean.
Off-vehicle cleaning takes the filter out and washes it through against the exhaust flow in a METClean machine, which carries the ash out with the water and lets you inspect both faces of the filter for cracking or melting. METClean machines clean DPFs, SCR catalysts, DOCs and GPFs this way.
Ready for off-vehicle cleaning?
When on-vehicle treatment isn’t enough, see a METClean machine clean one of your own filters.