In our experience, long RV road trips and unexpected maintenance issues go hand in hand. This time, we found ourselves 2000 miles from home when our Diesel Exhaust System failed, and the onboard computer warned us that our speed would soon be derated to 50 miles per hour. Little did we know that we were about to learn some important advice that every diesel truck owner could benefit from. i
After making a few phone calls, we found an automotive repair shop in Denver that works on diesel trucks and could diagnose and remedy the problem before needing to move our fifth wheel across town to our next reserved campsite. The unfortunate news came the next day that our Selective Catalytic Reduction (SRC) was failing and would have to be replaced. The mechanic explained that with Ford the SRC, the Diesel Oxidation Catalyst (DOC) and the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) are all connected. The only remedy that the shop was offering us was to replace the entire assembly at the shocking price of $12,000. The idea of sinking that kind of money into an older high-mileage truck was unsettling.
In a desperate search for options, we found a company called DPF Alternatives that claimed to be a specialist in repairing, not replacing, Diesel exhaust systems, and they had good reviews. The Company’s founder,Junior Reyes answered the phone and when we explained our predicament, he set us at ease right away, telling us that he believed he could fix the problem for around $2000. He explained that he had developed a patented process to remove the soot from the filter thereby giving new life to our old exhaust system without having to replace anything. Two days later, they had removed 15 inches of soot from the DPF and we had the truck back with a one-year warranty and Junior’s confident reassurance that we would make it back to Florida without issue. 3000 miles later, we are happy to report that our truck is running great.
DPF Alternatives now has over 100 franchised locations across the United States, and we highly recommend that all diesel truck owners consider using their service for similar predicaments or even as preventive maintenance at 100,000-mile intervals.
