I don’t have any experience with BMW diesels, but I do with Mercedes diesels and Powerstrokes.
If it were me, I would go ahead and replace the DPF if I were going to keep the car. Some people have had success with cleaning the DPF, which may be a less expensive option for you. DPF cleaning has gotten a lot more effective and common in recent years in the diesel truck world.
With most diesels, if the DPF becomes fully clogged and is unable to regen, the vehicle will go into limp mode. It sounds like your DPF is not yet fully clogged, but might be close. It’s great that the previous owner intentionally took long trips monthly to encourage regens, but still, that DPF has had a long life (assuming it’s the original). Also, I’m not sure how BMWs handle regens, but I believe my Mercedes needs 45-60 minutes at highway speed to accomplish a regen. I’ve read that if the speed drops below 35 mph, the regen may cancel.
Newer pickup trucks have a gauge that tells you how much soot is in your DPF. I wish our cars had that!
Good luck!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Cars:
2011 BMW 328i
2013 Mercedes GL350
Bookmarks