Excellent result and very informative post,. I don’t have a Sportage but I’m sure your post will be of great interest to unfortunate owners that do.

 

Can you enlighten us on which OBD scanner you purchased, or do all such scanners have the necessary function?
I am contemplating doing the regeneration process as a preventative measure, perhaps once every couple of months, my thinking being that if it is cleaned up before the warning light comes on then it may never get bad. The scanner would allow me to monitor the progress and effectiveness of the plan.

 

I do preventive action as i drive a couple of times a week, any where down hill or even on entry slip road i drop a gear or two let the revs climb and remove my foot from the accelerator, so far this has kept mine trouble free.
i am mindful to do it towards the end of a journey so there is enough heat in the exhaust/filter. it is now part of my driving and i am getting favourite places to do it.
I think engine braking is key if you practice this technique in normal driving the filter should be able to clean itself more easily.

 

I periodically check things with my OBD reader. I use the Car Scanner app which I downloaded from the App Store. My readings have been 0 each time I’ve checked. I only use Shell or Esso 99 Ron fuel and, owning a PHEV, I don’t expect to have issues but I still like to look through the pages of data. It’s quite fascinating to see what’s available.

 

Which OBD scanner do you use, there’s loads out there, don’t want to waste my money ? 👍🏻

 

It would be marvellous if Kia, or any other manufacturer for that matter, would create a video for PPF and DPF regenerations, showing how to set up OBD reporting using an app. I have recently invested in an Ediag scanner which came highly recommended by Scotty Kilmer (Youtuber who knows what he is talking about), but feeling my way around ATM to establish what live data should be monitored.

 

I purchased an vgate icar pro £22 amazon and the free scanner app as shown previously, all you need information wise is the exhaust temperatures before gpf/ppf 2 sensors !! And the gpf charge state .

 

1.6 petrol manual Sportage 22 plate, Last night I managed to clear my first ppf sensor after trying several times (roadworks/crash slowed me before)warmed up for 10 miles (50 mph zone) used sport mode 4th gear accelerated to 4000rpm drop to 3500rpm took me only 20 minutes!! very handy considering I have its first MOT Saturday!! I wasn't stressing at all !! not sure if this had any impact but 3/4 filled my tank (this time) with super unleaded, I hope this helps anyone really not impressed considering I brought a petrol to get away from this (should of done my research!)

 

Firstly, thank you everyone for sharing as accumulating the different methods and techniques has finally got me to regenerate the exhaust filter. I'm starting to think of this is a design fault and I'll tell you why. I got my 22 plate Sportage serviced, along with a forced regen end of Jan 2025. Only 11k on the clock. After this forced regen, I drove from London to Edinburgh and back approx middle of Feb and within two weeks of returning, the warning message reappeared. Surely this filter should not be blocking up at this point. I then drove a return trip from London to Chichester and it didn't clear!!! The only way to clear it was I took it on the M25 at 0100, after I worked all day, and drove a 90 mile round trip, sports mode, 3rd gear, speed 65mph, revs 4000, let it drop to 50mph and then accelerate back to 65mph. Eventually it cleared. If this didn't work then I was going to buy one of those engine scanners other posters have been talking about. Seems to me that this filter only clears, and stays clear, only when driving with high revs and normal motorway driving doesn't make a bit of difference. Love the car but this issue alone makes me want to sell it.

 

I forgot to mention in my post, I've only ever used E5 petrol and always switch off the auto 'start/stop' function att he start of every journey. I dread to think how often this happens if I were to be using E10 fuel

 

I have preached previously both in this forum and a Hyundai forum about what can be done by owners to avoid or reduce the frequency of PPF blockages illuminating the warning lamp. Although we may not be able to eradicate the problem once and for all, by a little modification of our driving technique, it is possible to certainly decrease the number of occurrences as alluded to in post #4 from `noublue’.

Avoiding E10 fuel and paying the little extra for E5; alternatively, using a good fuel additive with E10 will go some way to reducing the frequency of the issue along with the very specific instructions from Hyundai/KIA in order to clear the filter. That process is far removed from the nonsense spread by some on forums about 'Italian tune-ups’ and the ‘Drive it like you stole it’ theories which may work in diesel land but does not clear a blocked PPF.

 

Just an update on my experience trying to regenerate ppf . Today I decided to check ppf/gpf level with my obd reader , charge state was 3 so decided to take car out and try to reduce to 0 to save me the hassle when it's activated as stage 4 and warning light come on .
My findings were that it was very difficult to get the exhaust temperatures over 600 degrees for the soot to burn off and I only managed to get it to reduce the charge state to stage 2 after 25 miles, after 40 miles I stopped and came to the conclusion to regenerate the filter efficiently as possible wait until the warning light is activated and the charge state of the filter is at 4 , thus there is more fuel being burned as regeneration has started and possibility of a successful regeneration by the owner increased.
I regenerated the ppf back I February after 17 miles with the warning being on and ppf at stage 4 light on so in hindsight I shall just wait until light is activated again and hopefully clear as before insted of trying to keep on top of it as tried today !.

 

I believe there has been less threads on here recently about the dreaded GPF light. I assume its because the ambient temperature has been higher thus the cars are running on less "choke" then in winter.
Choke is a word for all the oldies, like me who remember having to delicately adjust them whilst driving from cold.

 

Can you enlighten us on which OBD scanner you purchased, or do all such scanners have the necessary function?
I am contemplating doing the regeneration process as a preventative measure, perhaps once every couple of months, my thinking being that if it is cleaned up before the warning light comes on then it may never get bad. The scanner would allow me to monitor the progress and effectiveness of the plan.

I believe there has been less threads on here recently about the dreaded GPF light. I assume its because the ambient temperature has been higher thus the cars are running on less "choke" then in winter.
Choke is a word for all the oldies, like me who remember having to delicately adjust them whilst driving from cold.

Yes I remember " chokes"on the older cars , the air temperature has a lot to do with the ppf issue I think like you say , the last time my warning light came on it was after 1000 miles since last forced regen the previous December in February with miles at 17500, since clearing it then by myself it still hasn't came on and was at stage 3 today and at 19200 miles so as the air temp rises the longer before ppf is required to be cleared as you suspect , will stick in a tank of shell expensive petrol and see how long I get before it hits stage 4 and light is activated.

 

I have been running my 1.6 mhv on tesco momentum and millers petrol additive since I had to regen a few months back touch wood no problems i dont know about cold temperatures haven’t had it that long il continue and see how it goes it’s a bit more pricey if it continues to stop the GPF coming on it’s worth it 🤔

 

it’s a bit more pricey if it continues to stop the GPF coming on it’s worth it 🤔

Given what we know about the clogged PPF issue, I think you are on the right track. Thankfully, my car is not MHEV so isn’t troubled by the PPF problem. Nonetheless, although E10 is the recommended fuel, I fill up occasionally with E5 but for the most part, I use E10 + 50ml of Miller’s. I’m a big fan, having been using it previously in its diesel formulation for over 30 years. I opted to continue with their petrol potion on acquiring my Tucson and I have never had any fuel problems or poor running in any of my cars.

There are some who pooh-pooh the very notion of a fuel additive, dismissing all such products as snake oil. Their knowledge of the matter is typically based on a non-scientific test by 2nd-rate motoring hacks from one car mag or another, rather than long-term, real-world experiences of users, some of whom have never had a fuel system problem in a quarter of a million miles over many years.

There seems to be an expectation that if a car’s 0-60 mph time isn’t improved by a second or two and/or a 5 or 10 mpg decrease in fuel usage isn’t forthcoming, then the stuff must be crap! Such expectations, sadly, are misplaced. Were these additives produced and distributed by thieving chancers like Michelle Mone, then they would almost certainly be useless and snake oil indeed. However, these potions are formulated by highly-skilled chemists and tribologists who know a thing or two about internal combustion engines, fuels and the lubricating properties required to ensure the longevity of engines and associated components.

 

During cold months my PPF clogs roughly every 500 miles. During warm months, about every 2,000miles.
No doubt having engine running whilst waiting for window to demist doesn't help.
There's a good chance I'll be swapping my MHEV for a PHEV in September.

 

My ppf comes on every 600 miles its now on for 5th time absolutely sick of it .

 

Hopefully you'll get a few more than 600 miles now weather is warming up.

 

Forgot to add only done 3000 miles I've probably used more fuel driving about clearing warning than actually using vehicle when needed.

 

Switch to supermarket super unleaded and try and coast as much as possible, approaching junctions etc, lift off earlier and coast, I only had the light on 3 times in 3 years, always cleared it myself without an issue. I didn’t adjust driving style at all just used super unleaded Morrisons. Other people have suggested coasting more would help. Good luck 🤞🏻

 

I know how to clear it I've already done it 3 times but found the process quite dangerous in normal traffic so have to go out around 4 on morning to get a clear motorway. I know it's because I do short journeys that is causing the issue but last week I drove from Glasgow to Aberdeen and back a round journey of 300 miles and the ppf warning came on the very next day.

 

I’ve been using Tesco momentum and I also been using millers for the last 3 or 4 tanks of petrol unfortunately the ppf came on last week so the cold weather theory doesn’t quiet hold with me considering the warm weather we’ve had I cleared it quiet easily this time though on the motorway I’m now going to drive only in sport mode and see if that’s any better ive noticed while in sport mode the car idles quie higher worth a go

 

The point is surely you shouldn't have to go through all this nonsense with a brand new car just to get from A to B . Would like to know if anyone has just ignored the ppf warning and just kept driving what eventually happens.

 

Agreed. The risk you take if you continue, as you probably know, is that the filter will block beyond a point that it can be regenerated by anyone. The car should go to limp mode before then. That is assuming the filter is actually block8ng and this is not a sensor/software issue. It would mean a complete replacement which would be unlikely to be covered by warranty.

 

had mine come 5 time now in my hev

 

Well going to try this tonight and see what happens ordered a vgate icar pro OBD reader and will try the other recommendations to as regards additive and fuel. Anything that saves me taking it in .

 

There is a new thread of some interest to you members.