Cleaner trucks. Lower lifetime cost.
Replacement DPFs are running fleets thousands of dollars per truck per failure. Ultrasonic cleaning brings that down to less than 20% of the cost of replacement. Schedule it into routine maintenance and most of the unplanned downtime goes away too.
DPF replacement is one of the bigger line items most fleets don’t budget for.
A replacement DPF runs $4–5k for the part. Whole muffler boxes can be much more – we’ve had Volvo units quoted as high as $40k. Per truck, per failure. Across a fleet of 100+ vehicles running modern emissions gear, that adds up fast.
We’ve had experience cleaning DPFs and other filters from Scania, MAN, Volvo, Isuzu, Hino, Mercedes, Ford and VW. Our ultrasonic cleaning method is by far the most cost-effective option to get the vehicle quickly back on the road.
Per-truck cost, side by side
- Replacement$4–5k+
- Pressure cleaning~$1,250
- Ultrasonic cleaningfrom $450 + GST
- Same filter, repeated cleansx3+
Three maintenance models for a fleet.
Most fleets are still on the first one. Moving to the second or third saves money on the lifetime view.
The rotation model: zero downtime cleaning.
One of our fleet customers runs a model where they keep cleaned spare filters on the shelf. When a truck comes in, they swap in a clean one and send the dirty one to us. The truck’s back on the road in hours, not days.
For very large or single-brand fleets, this model is genuinely effective. The trade-off is filter inventory cost – you’re holding stock against your fleet’s mix of vehicle types. For mixed fleets running 1–12 year vehicles across multiple brands, the inventory becomes complex fast. For most fleets, scheduled cleaning (Model 3) gets most of the benefit without the inventory cost.
If you’re thinking about a rotation programme for your fleet, talk to us. We can work through the inventory maths with you.
What’s coming for fleets.
Emissions testing in COF.
NZTA is moving toward emissions testing as part of certificate-of-fitness inspection. The same direction the US, Europe, and most of Asia have already gone. Deletion is rare in most fleets (forestry aside), but any deleted vehicle will fail those tests. Re-fitting working emissions gear after the fact is significantly more expensive than maintaining it would have been.
Increased filter load from modern fuel.
Most New Zealand diesel comes from Singapore and Korea. Some of that supply produces noticeably waxy, asphalt-y residue that pressure cleaning can’t shift. Whatever maintenance model you run, the residue load on the filter is increasing.
Bigger engines, lighter loads, more cleaning.
The trend toward bigger engines for the same haulage means more vehicles run below the load threshold needed for self-cleaning regen burns. The current spec direction works against natural regen – which means external cleaning is becoming structurally more necessary, not less.
Want to talk about a fleet maintenance programme?
Fleet pricing, scheduled cleaning intervals, courier logistics, rotation programmes – let’s work out what makes sense for your operation.
Talk to Us