Cleaning DPF filters - how much can you earn on this?
25 million is the number of vehicles registered in Poland. Every third of them is diesel, the exhaust pipe of which comes, among other things, from dust, which is one of the causes of smog. That is why such vehicles must be equipped with DPF filters. More and more drivers use the services of professional cleaning of these filters. Is it profitable to provide cleaning services for DPF filters?
The fight for clean air in our country has launched a service for cleaning particulate filters in cars, trucks and buses. The technical improvement of the cleaning process with a specialized machine eliminates the do-it-yourself segment. Drivers cannot clean the filter themselves with a conventional pressure washer. So is it worth taking the opportunity to open a DPF filter cleaning service?
The demand for this service is growing dynamically. DPF cleaning companies do not complain about the lack of customers. Moreover, fewer and fewer drivers are engaged in the illegal procedure of removing filters. They are effectively discouraged from this rule change by roadside checks, fines for not having a DPF filter in the car, and the risk of losing the vehicle's approval. Among other things, there is a growing interest in the DPF filter cleaning service. because it allows you to restore the filter to almost one hundred percent of its efficiency, and the cost of repairing the filter is even half the cost of cutting it - we emphasize once again that this is illegal.
Until a few years ago, it was popular to abandon diesel particulate filters; black business flourished in our country with impunity. Often, unaware of the violation of the law, customers found themselves in a “hollow”, where they were informed that after removing the filter, the car would easily pass smoke tests during periodic checks at the inspection station. The customer, packaged in a bottle, paid dearly and thanked for the professional service, and the “hollowbody” made extra good money by selling what was cut out, i.e. the most expensive element is a filter cartridge coated with platinum particles. To make matters worse, the deceived drivers did not report that a car without a diesel particulate filter could not legally drive on public roads. This can lead to the loss of permission and a fine of several hundred zlotys. A foreign trip without a particulate filter can end up with a mandate of up to 3,5 thousand. Euro.
We must also remember that we will not sell a car without a filter, and certainly not at the price we would like. Today, every customer asks for a DPF filter. It is also worth noting that the number of online ads offering DPF filter removal is drastically reduced. Many drivers - in connection with the tightening of sanctions for the lack of a filter - turn their complaints to workshops where the particulate filter was removed from their car. This is why the number of workshops that are still willing to cut filters is rapidly declining. Because who needs troubles, complaints, etc.
It is worth noting that the emergence of a new DPF cleaning technology played a big role here. Today, almost everyone has heard about the hydrodynamic method of cleaning particulate filters. It is nearly XNUMX% effective and has therefore dominated the DPF filter cleaning services market, pushing other, less efficient methods into the background. In addition, the price of this service is really affordable, so the more illegal cutting of filters ceases to pay off and does not make sense at all.
With this new method, there are also new business opportunities. New companies are being created providing DPF cleaning services, which are used by both auto repair shops and ordinary drivers. Owners of transport companies and municipal transport companies are also increasingly interested in the service.
To start a business, we need a specialized cleaning machine. The cost of acquiring such a device ranges from 75 thousand. up to 115 thousand PLN net, in the offer of the Polish manufacturer OTOMATIC. It is enough to purchase a car with training, and the cleaning process itself does not require special skills. Considering the average technical cost of filter cleaning – PLN 30-40 net – it is not difficult to calculate how quickly we can expect a return on investment from the purchase of a machine. The cost of the filter cleaning service ranges from PLN 400 to PLN 600.
From an interview with Krzysztof Smolec, co-owner of OTOMATIC, a company specializing in the production of DPF filter cleaning machines with hydrodynamic technology, we learned that a large group of their customers declare a return on investment between 6 and 12 months from the date of purchase of the machine. The record holder took only three months. Krzysztof Smolec pays special attention to the quality of the services offered: “There is nothing more important for a car repair shop than not returning a filter once cleaned with a complaint. That is why we place special emphasis on filter cleaning training and customer service, as well as the technical support offered by our company after the purchase of the machine.”
Although companies offering DPF cleaning have already appeared on the market, the demand for this service is constantly growing. In our country, a large number of cars are diesels equipped with a DPF filter. It should also be remembered that the number of car checks on Polish roads is growing. Since 2017, some police patrols have been equipped with appropriate diagnostic equipment and special emissions control campaigns have been organized periodically.
In addition, it is worth recalling that from September 1, 2017, also new cars with a gasoline engine must leave the factory with a particulate filter - the so-called. GPF. The expected introduction of a new haze rating - from 1.5 m-1 to 0,2 m-1 for Euro 5 and Euro 6 vehicles - is likely to set the filter cleaning line for many years to come. Everything indicates that there is still enough space on the market for companies offering services in this area.
Machines for DPF filters: www.otomatic.pl.
