Your filter isn't finished. It's full.
Specialist diesel particulate filter cleaning and flow testing. We strip out the ash a regen can't touch, then prove the result on the bench before it goes back on your vehicle.
no feeFailed filters aren't charged
A blocked substrate, cell by cell — and what we get back.
A workshop built around one job
Most shops treat a blocked DPF as a parts problem, and quote you a replacement. We treat it as a cleaning problem, because nine times out of ten that's what it is.
Filters come off the vehicle, go through controlled heat and a pressurised flush on dedicated equipment, and go back on with a flow figure you can hold us to. If a substrate is cracked or melted we'll tell you straight away and you won't pay for the attempt.
Does your filter need cleaning?
Most people don't come to us knowing the filter is the problem. They come because the vehicle started doing one of these.
The obvious one. It usually means the filter has passed the point where a normal drive cycle can clear it.
The engine protects itself by cutting output once back pressure climbs too far. It will not release until the restriction is gone.
If the vehicle is burning off more often than it used to, ash is taking up room that soot needs. Ash does not burn off.
Short trips and stop-start work stop a cycle completing. Each failed attempt leaves the filter fuller than it started.
A restricted exhaust makes the engine work harder for the same load, and every extra regen burns fuel on top.
Fuel getting past the rings during failed regens. Worth acting on quickly, because diluted oil is hard on the engine.
Two or more of these together and it is worth a call before it becomes a tow. We diagnose it free, so finding out what is actually wrong costs you nothing. 0404 836 088
What we do
Everything downstream of the turbo, under one roof.
DPF cleaning
Thermal and aqueous cleaning of the full substrate, removing accumulated ash and soot that active regens leave behind. Suits ceramic and cordierite filters.
Quoted per filterFlow testing
Before-and-after airflow measurement on a calibrated bench, so restored capacity is a number on a report rather than a promise.
IncludedRemoval & refitting
We take the filter off and put it back on, including gaskets, clamps and sensor lines. Drop the vehicle in and leave it with us.
Booked jobsCatalytic converter & EGR cleaning
The rest of the aftertreatment system gets the same treatment — cats, EGR coolers and valves, and SCR components.
On requestFault diagnosis
Blocked DPF filters are usually a symptom. We scan and check for the injector, sensor, turbo, cracked intercooler pipe and vaporiser faults that caused it, so the clean actually lasts.
FreePickup & delivery
Send the filter to us by courier, or we'll collect from your yard for fleet work across metropolitan Melbourne.
Fleet accountsBlocked, then clear
Drag across a substrate to see what comes out. Every cell you can see through is exhaust gas that no longer has to fight its way past ash.
Drag the handle, or use the slider and arrow keys.
What you're looking at
The pale lines are cement joins between substrate segments. Everything between them is the cell matrix — thousands of square channels per filter, each one plugged at alternating ends so exhaust gas is forced through the porous wall and the soot stays behind.
That's also why a blocked filter can't just be blown through. Ash packs into the closed ends of those channels and stays there, regen after regen, until something physically flushes it out. A face that looks like this is one where gas has somewhere to go.
How a filter moves through the shop
Six stages, same order, every time.
Booking and drop-off
You book a slot and leave the vehicle, or courier the filter in on its own. We log it and photograph it on arrival.
Removal and inspection
The filter comes off and gets checked for cracking, melting and core damage. Anything unsalvageable is flagged before work starts.
Baseline flow test
We measure airflow through the dirty substrate. This is the number the finished job gets compared against.
Thermal and aqueous cleaning
Controlled heat breaks down trapped soot, then a pressurised flush carries the ash out of the channels in both directions.
Drying and verification
The substrate is dried and flow tested again. If it hasn't reached target, it goes back through rather than out the door.
Refit and report
Filter goes back on with fresh gaskets, fault codes are cleared, and you get the before-and-after report with the invoice.
What the bench says
Every filter leaves with its own numbers. Here is what the report actually shows you.
Measured against your filter, not an industry average. The report goes out with the invoice.
Not in Melbourne? Post the filter in
You do not need to bring the vehicle. If you or your workshop can get the filter off, send it to us and it goes through exactly the same process as one that arrives on a truck — same heat cycle, same wash, same flow test, same report.
- Get the filter off
Your own mechanic can do this, or any workshop. Leave the sensors and clamps on the vehicle — we only need the filter itself.
- Pack it properly
The substrate is ceramic and it will crack if it is dropped. Wrap the housing, brace it so it cannot move inside the box, and mark the carton fragile.
- Send it with your details
Put your name, phone number and the vehicle make and model in the box. Message us the tracking number so we know to expect it.
- We clean, test and return it
You get a call with the baseline reading before we start, and the filter goes back with its printed flow report.
Send filters to
Apex DPF Cleaning SolutionsFY 2/1 Churchill Street
Williamstown North VIC 3016
- Turnaround
- Back out the day after it arrives
- Questions
- 0404 836 088
Fleet and commercial
Downtime costs more than the filter does. We schedule fleet work around your run times and keep spare units on the shelf so a truck goes back out the same day.
Heavy trucks
Prime movers and rigids, including large-canister filters that won't fit a standard machine.
Vans and light commercial
Couriers, trades and service fleets doing short urban runs that never complete a regen.
Utes and 4WDs
The most common job on our floor. Dual cabs that tow, idle and stop-start their way to a blockage.
Buses and coaches
Route and charter operators, with work scheduled overnight or between shifts.
Plant and earthmoving
Excavators, loaders and telehandlers. Filters can come to us if the machine can't.
Agricultural
Tractors and harvesters running high-hour, low-speed cycles that load a filter fast.
Parts over the counter
Three things worth having on hand, whether or not your filter is with us. Ring or send the form and we'll confirm stock and a price for your vehicle.
Replacement DPFs
Cleaning saves most filters, but not all. A cracked or melted substrate can't be recovered, and when that's the verdict we supply the replacement rather than sending you elsewhere.
- Passenger, 4WD and light commercial filters
- Heavy-vehicle canisters to order
- DOC and SCR units available alongside
- Fitted here, or supplied for your own workshop
- All makes and models — held in stock or sourced
Preventative maintenance oil
Ash is what eventually blocks a filter, and the oil in the sump is where a lot of it comes from. Low-SAPS oil to the right ACEA spec loads a DPF far more slowly than a general-purpose diesel oil.
- Low-SAPS engine oil, DPF-safe specifications
- Matched to your engine's ACEA and OEM approval
- Fuel and system treatments for high-idle work
- Bulk pricing on fleet accounts
- All major oil brands and grades
The oil we stock and use in the workshop
Hoses and boost pipes
A split intercooler hose or a perished turbo pipe throws the fuel trim out and soots a filter up fast. It's one of the faults we look for first, and a common reason a cleaned filter blocks again.
- Intercooler and boost hoses
- Turbo and EGR hoses
- Silicone upgrades for heavy-duty use
- Clamps, couplers and sensor lines
- All makes and models — held in stock or sourced
Counter sales are enquiry-only at this stage — there's no online checkout. If you want customers paying on the site, that's a separate build.
Thirty-one reviews, not one under five stars
Most of them say the same two things: you were told what was wrong before the work started, and you were told what it would cost. Read them in full on Google.
Read the reviews on Google“Very transparent, and explained to me what the job entailed.”
Michelle B. · Kia Sorento · Google“Van works awesome now — super smooth, super happy.”
Manvir H. · Volkswagen Crafter · Google“Cleaned within a day, and the price was very reasonable.”
Rahul G. · Mitsubishi Triton · Google“Cleaned within a day, and an update video was sent to me.”
Antonio S. · Local Guide · GoogleExcerpts from Google reviews, shortened. Follow the link above for each review in full.
Questions we get asked
If yours is not here, ring and ask.
How do I know it is the filter and not something else?
You often cannot tell from the dash alone, which is why we start with a diagnostic rather than a quote, and we do not charge for it. A blocked filter, a failed sensor and a split boost hose can all throw similar symptoms, and cleaning a filter will not help if the real fault is upstream. We check before we touch anything.
Do you clean filters, or delete them?
We clean them. Removing or disabling a diesel particulate filter on a vehicle used on the road is not legal in Australia, and a deleted vehicle can fail a roadworthy inspection and void an insurance claim. Everything we do leaves the vehicle road legal.
Will cleaning damage the filter?
Not when it is done on the right equipment. The substrate is ceramic, so the risk comes from thermal shock and from blasting it with pressure, which is why our cycle brings the temperature up and down slowly and uses an aqueous flush rather than force. A filter that is already cracked is a different matter, and we check for that before starting.
What if my filter turns out to be beyond cleaning?
Then we tell you and you do not pay for the attempt. Cracked or melted substrates cannot be recovered, and no amount of cleaning changes that. If you want a replacement we supply those too, so you are not left starting again somewhere else.
How long does a clean last?
It depends entirely on how the vehicle is driven. A filter on a vehicle doing short suburban runs will load up faster than the same filter doing highway work, because the exhaust rarely gets hot enough to regenerate properly. The oil in the engine matters too, which is why we stock low-SAPS grades.
Do I have to leave the vehicle with you?
For a booked job, yes, and most are back the same or next day. If you would rather keep the vehicle, you or your workshop can remove the filter and drop it in, or post it to us.
Do you work on trucks and machinery, or just cars?
Both. Prime movers, buses, vans, utes, excavators, loaders and agricultural equipment all come through, alongside passenger vehicles. Heavy-vehicle canisters are quoted per unit because they vary so much.
Can you handle a fleet?
Yes, and it is worth talking to us before a vehicle is off the road rather than after. We can work around your run times and keep a record per unit so you can see which vehicles are trending towards trouble.
Book a clean
Tell us the vehicle and the symptoms and we'll come back with a price and the first available slot.
Phone0404 836 088
Emailsean@apexdpfcleaningsolutions.com
Workshop2/1 Churchill Street
Williamstown North VIC 3016
HoursMon–Fri 8am–8pm
Sat 8am–6pm
Sun closed