Particle filter additive level too low: repair needed.

[C3P_Cas_O]

Hi all, I am a new member and have had my C3 Picasso for about a year now, the subject message above came up on my screen about a week ago and I have found a few you tube videos about refilling the eolys bag or tank but none specifically for the C3 Picasso.
I have found a supplier for either 1 litre of additive (£23) or a new bag with the additive pre-loaded (£55) as they say the bag may split when refilling.
I am happy to do either but need some advice about resetting the parameters as I do not have a diagnostic device, I can see on the forum that there are several available, Diagbox, Lexia, and Peugeot Planet 2000 can anyone suggest which would be best for a novice to use although I do have an engineering background and am used to using diagnostic tools, just not on vehicles.
My budget is also quite low.
Happy to supply more info if required, thanks for any replies.

[Steve Walsh]

Hi
As far as I know, The bags get replaced and the tanks can be refilled, There is different fluids depending on what was used at the factory, Identifiable from the colour of the connectors on the tank..
When filled you then need to tell the ecu it has been done, the best systems is Lexia/Diagbox.
You may find a member near you with the kit that is willing to do it for you, There is a list on this forum
Good Luck

[RichardW]

Welcome along

What year is the car? The bags were discontinued fairly early in the life of some models (eg C4 Picasso only up to 2011) so it may be a refillable tank. I would think if it is a bag then it would be best to put in a new one, as the old one will be very brittle by now, and as noted, likely to split (if it hasn't already!).

Diagbox would be best (Lexia and Peugeot Planet are earlier versions of this) - but it is PSA specific, and some of the interface copies are not very good. If you are not wedded to PSA vehicles, then it might be better to get a generic tool, e.g. from Topdon - but it will be a few hundred £ to get one that can do more than just read a few codes. Likely to pay off pretty quickly however, as most places charge £100 for a diag session these days!

[Paul-R]

Even if it has a bag fitted there is at least one YouTube video showing a bag being refilled. The caveat being that it has to still be flexible and not already split of course.

[PaulC5]

If you want to pay for it doing, last month we had our Cactus DPF fluid refilled at a dealer and it was £357 including the diagnostic.

[C3P_Cas_O]

Glad to be here and thanks for the reply, it is a 2013 model and the supplier has stated that it should be a bag, I may have a quick look to verify as it's only three turnbuckles from a post on here I spotted, will look into prices for Diagbox and others to find what is best for me.

Welcome along

What year is the car? The bags were discontinued fairly early in the life of some models (eg C4 Picasso only up to 2011) so it may be a refillable tank. I would think if it is a bag then it would be best to put in a new one, as the old one will be very brittle by now, and as noted, likely to split (if it hasn't already!).

Diagbox would be best (Lexia and Peugeot Planet are earlier versions of this) - but it is PSA specific, and some of the interface copies are not very good. If you are not wedded to PSA vehicles, then it might be better to get a generic tool, e.g. from Topdon - but it will be a few hundred £ to get one that can do more than just read a few codes. Likely to pay off pretty quickly however, as most places charge £100 for a diag session these days!

[C3P_Cas_O]

If you want to pay for it doing, last month we had our Cactus DPF fluid refilled at a dealer and it was £357 including the diagnostic.

I have just contacted a Citroen specialist (Redline Servicing Limited) near me after your suggestion and they have quoted me £185+ vat all in to replace the bag and reset the system or £110 + vat if it is a refillable tank, which seems like a bargain to me!
I think I will go down this route on this occasion as I don't have a driveway to work on at the moment and will take some time to look at diagnostic systems under less pressure, as I do have other issues with the air conditioning to sort before the summer comes around again and turns the car into a mobile greenhouse!
But many thanks to everyone who has replied, it is quite amazing how helpful you all are at such short notice!

[C3P_Cas_O]

If you want to pay for it doing, last month we had our Cactus DPF fluid refilled at a dealer and it was £357 including the diagnostic.

I have just contacted a Citroen specialist (Redline Servicing Limited) near me after your suggestion and they have quoted me £185+ vat all in to replace the bag and reset the system or £110 + vat if it is a refillable tank, which seems like a bargain to me!
I think I will go down this route on this occasion as I don't have a driveway to work on at the moment and will take some time to look at diagnostic systems under less pressure, as I do have other issues with the air conditioning to sort before the summer comes around again and turns the car into a mobile greenhouse!
But many thanks to everyone who has replied, it is quite amazing how helpful you all are at such short notice!

I did ask the local Citroen dealership as well and they quoted me a massive £445 inc. vat.

[Mhuxley]

I had the tank crack and leak. Replacement tank, fill and reset plus diagnostic check, nothing else found wrong, £530.
June 2026

[C3P_Cas_O]

The people I went to charged me £222 inc. vat for the exact same repair, although I think mine was a bag as no mention of replacement tank.

[Rp0thejester]

My 06 C8 has a tank, eolys fluid is cheap if bought online. The problem is depending on the build date as to which eolys is required, a certain coloured connector does not guarantee that it requires that eolys.

[Peter Palmer]

I replaced a faulty PAT fluid tank recently on a 2017 van with a second hand one from ebay for £60 because mine was just showing an ECU fault which I couldn't clear. Interestingly when I fitted the replacement tank I didn't need to do any reset via the diagnostics, the fault just cleared itself and the van now thinks the tank is 22% full (its actually 100% full) The ECU for it is actually inside the tank so that tells the vehicle how full it is so the 22% figure carried over from the other car. So maybe a cheap way out of this sort of situation if you don't have diagbox is to buy a second hand tank of ebay, the newer the better and just replace it yourself, you may get lucky and get one that still thinks its still 80% full or so.

[Paul-R]

Interestingly when I fitted the replacement tank I didn't need to do any reset via the diagnostics, the fault just cleared itself...

My brother fitted a replacement S/H Eolys tank to his Mk1 508 and found exactly the same thing.