DPFs on BBC Watchdog

Last week, the BBC programme Watchdog showed an interesting film about consumers who felt they were mis-sold diesel vehicles, and didn't know about the DPF in their cars.

EEC is happy to provide advice and support to our customers and garages, which can be passed onto consumers.

Our Technical Team can be reached by calling +44(0)23 9224 5300 or emailing technical@eurocats.co.uk.

You can read the full article on the BBC Watchdog website by clicking here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/watchdog/2011/10/diesel_particulate_filters.html

Denmead turns pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

The UK's largest manufacturer of aftermarket catalytic converters has been 'going pink' to raise money during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Colleagues at Denmead-based European Exhaust and Catalyst (EEC) spent a successful day wearing pink clothing, baking and buying home-cooked pink treats in a pink-prize raffle and making donations to raise £466.32 for Breast Cancer Care.

Paul Clark, Managing Director, commented: "This is a cause very close to our hearts and we're proud to be able to raise awareness amongst our staff, and make a positive contribution to an excellent charity."

"After seeing everyone embrace the spirit of the day, EEC has matched the donations made by staff to create a total that can help make a difference."

The charity cares for over 50,000 people who are annually diagnosed with breast cancer, and donations help fund vital services, such as a helpline, support groups and work in hospitals.

You can find out more at Breast Cancer Awareness month at: www.breastcancercare.org.uk and about European Exhaust and Catalyst at: www.eurocats.co.uk.

Compliance with REACH Regulations

We are pleased to confirm that the entire EEC product range is REACH compliant, the EU regulation that confirms the safe use of registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemical substances.

As a responsible and environmentally-aware organisation within the aftermarket trade, we have recently conducted a survey amongst our suppliers to ensure safe working practices, looking into our suppliers use of components, materials, pre-and-post production processes and packaging.

We have obtained assurances from all of our supply chain that we are fully compliant with REACH legislation, and will continuously monitor the firms we use, and respond appropriately to any changes.

EEC  is able to confirm it is fully aware of its obligations under REACH and have obtained assurances from our supply chain to ensure proprietary sub components and packaging of its products are compliant with REACH regulations . EEC will continuously monitor the supply chain and respond appropriately to any changes.

You can find out more about the REACH regulations by clicking here 

Do you have back pressure?

Our technical co-ordinator Stuart Still shares some correspondence from a customer in Italy, helping to diagnose a common issue:       

 

“Dear Sir, I know that you are the specialist in Catalytic Converters and so I need your help in order to find the right product for me.

I have an Opel Tigra 1.6 16v year 1998 engine type X16XE., and about a week ago I made the following changes:

- Sports exhaust manifolds in stainless

- Central Sports

- Terminal Sports

After this intervention the car run great.

Then I bought a Sports 200 cells metallic catalyst converter and installed as a replace of the original. And that's where I started to have problems in fact I lost a lot of power at the low RPM. The store where I bought it told me to not worry about it because after remapping the chip the car will go much better.

I honestly don't believe in that and I think that:

- With a good starting base and remapping the chip you can get a lot more

- With a bad starting base you can get what you had originally

After a consultation with the Opel company they told me that the engine X16XE is very sensitive to the backpressure and a 200 cells metal catalyst converter can only make things worse. Many manufacturers argue no, and I would like to know also your opinion.

In this particular case which product would you recommend since you sell many of them? Sport, universal, or is better to put one with the exact characteristics of the original? So please give me a good advice because I don't want to buy a wrong product again.

I am attaching the photo of the original catalyst with exact measurements and photos of the Sports catalyst converter that I put on.

The shape and the measures are important in order to not have space problems under the car. (If the diameter is more than 13cm will not fit).

Eventually do you ship to Rome Italy?

I await for your feedback.

Yours sincerely,

***** ****”

STUART'S REPLY

Dear ***** ****,

Thank you for your inquiry. Please let me explain.

The overall performance (MPG, sound reduction, emissions) which is produced from a four stroke engine depends directly on the accuracy of the back pressure levels from which the exhaust system has been designed.

A sports exhaust is fitted to a car to reduce the back pressure; this is needed to extract the extra exhaust gas pressure generated when improving the engines performance; extra BHP.

By fitting a sport’s exhaust system to a standard car will not improve its performance. It will change the correct back pressure which has been set for maximum performance + fuel consumption by the manufacturer (Opel).

By replacing the standard silencer with a sport box the vehicle will use more fuel, make more noise and actually go slower.

Your major problem has arisen when you replaced the original catalytic converter with a sports cat, as this has had the greatest impact on reducing the back pressure.

By keeping the OE cat on you have lessened the impact of the sports exhaust system.

You have two options, increase the performance/BHP of the engine, or refit the correct cat and exhaust system.

To check your back pressure on a standard vehicle, (not sports/high performance) test the emissions using a four gas analyser.

The emission values, if the engine is running correctly are:

CO <0.2, CO2 13.5>, HC <15 PPM, O2 <0.2.

If there is a back pressure problem, positive (less noise blocked exhaust) or negative (more noise) the emissions values will range will be:

CO > 0.3, CO2 < 13.5, HC between 25PPM and 125PPM, O2 > 0.2.

The emissions test should be done with the engine running at 2500 RPM, as this is when the back pressure has been set at neutral.  

I hope this has helped.

Kind regards,

Stuart Still

EEC Tec support.

EEC have embarked on a full emissions training program to include catalytic converters, DPF’s, lambda sensors, exhaust systems, and how to read and understand 4 gas analyser values. These training programs can be arranged through the day or in the evening.

For more information please contact Duncan Richards or Stuart Still at EEC. Eurocats.co.uk

sales@eurocats.co.uk

Join us at Equip Auto next week!

Make sure you join us at Equip Auto next week for the launch of our exclusive new DPF Reset Tool!

You will be able to see our demonstration units, see how it works on our video screen and talk through your requirements with experienced sales and technical staff.

We will be bringing you our largest stand to date - located in Hall 6 Stand No 6N111, showcasing some of the latest and most exciting additions to our range of over 4,500 catalytic converter applications - as well as our constantly expanding range of Diesel Particulate Filters.

We've also arranged a large display of our popular exhausts and front pipes, brake pads and accessories.

You will be able to meet our sales team, take away our latest catalogues and technical information, and find out more about the level of service we guarantee our customers.

As a leading European supplier of quality automotive products, we're also keen to understand how we can improve our offering, and would be interested in hearing your feedback on the latest product launches.