By trapping soot particles from exhaust fumes, a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) usually turns a diesel vehicle into an environmental friendly machine. The problem, however, is that the filters usually collect the soot particles and as a result run the risk of getting clogged. This is a not-so-easy-to-ignore problem, since clogged up filters tend to restrict exhaust system airflow, something that may eventually affect the performance of the car. To help ensure that your car is at peak performance, preventing the excessive accumulation of soot is a must. Here are tips that can help you do so.

Drive your car for longer periods

Since cars usually produce the most emissions when starting, driving for short distances usually means that you are restricting your car to the emission-heavy phase. And what makes it even worse is that the engine never has enough time to heat up, something which usually ends up denying the Diesel Particulate Filter a chance at a proper cleanup. This is because it is only when the engine is hot that the accumulated soot particles in a DPF can be burnt and converted into carbon dioxide.

Driving for longer distances usually heats up the engine to such an extent that the gases passing through the exhaust system are at a high-enough temperature to burn off any accumulated soot. Doing so once in a while will therefore go a long way in helping to reduce the rate at which your Diesel Particulate Filter clogs.

Ensure that you always have the right fuel levels

In cases where the soot build up reaches to a level that starts to affect the performance of your car, an inbuilt system of getting rid of the soot can kick in. This process is designed to intentionally increase the engine temperature so as to ensure that the exhaust system temperatures are high-enough for effective soot burning. It is therefore not unusual to notice an increase in the car's idle speed, a change in the engine's note and an increase in the rate at which the car consumes fuel.

However, this DPF unclogging process cannot kick in if your car is low on fuel. Therefore, ensuring that your fuel tank is always more than 1/4 full is an easy way of ensuring that the soot level in the DPF does not run into it-will-likely-damage-your-engine territory.

Use a diesel particulate filter additive

DPF additives are compounds that increase the chances of a successful soot burn out. For example, there are DPF additives that contain compounds that ignite at lower temperatures. When these compounds adhere to soot particles, they cause the particles to burn at not-so-high temperatures. This usually has the effect of reducing the rate at which soot particles accumulate at the Diesel Particulate Filter even when driving a car for shorter periods.

Contact a professional auto serivce like Williams Oil Filter Service Co. to ask about purchasing a DPF.