Diesel Exhaust fluid

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Down the road I'm looking into a BMW 328D or a Audi Q5 TDI.My question is can the diesel exhaust fluid be toped off every two months or when ever I want to or do I have to wait until a certain amount is used?Thanks Joe
 
Topping off should be no problem.Its when it gets low and the light comes on...dont ignore it.The engine will cease to operate to keep the EPA Feds happy.
 
you can top off anytime you want. I'm not sure about the 328d but the X5d has two tanks.....each (11k mile.....I change mine at 5k) oil change gets about 2 gallons of DEF.
 
I read somewhere that BMW gives you like 1000 miles of warnings when the DEF gets low.

Some of the Fords coming in have had a warning that they will be limited to 50 mph if the DEF is not refilled within XXX miles. I think the BMWs just prevent you from starting.
 
What is this DEF fluid?
Is it Eloys of AdBlue (urea)

The AdBlue systems are currently being introduced by the likes of BMW and Merc on high end diesels, though as Euro 5 is the current reg snd these meet Euro 6 it is still an option.

Eloys fluid on UK models fitted with that system usually require a top up every 75k miles. Apparently a small amount is injected into the tank every time you put fuel in so if you tend to put in a couple of gallons at a time rather than top off it csn need done early.

As far as the AdBlue systems i believe they have an extra filler cap beside the diesel one and you fill up as and when.

A lot of the High End London Chauffeur companies are buying vehicles with this system, likely for marketing reasons than any genuine enviromental concerns
 
Originally Posted By: bigjl
What is this DEF fluid?
Is it Eloys of AdBlue (urea)


DEF is Diesel Exhaust Fluid.
I think AdBlue is a brand name but it's the same stuff
 
I think I paid $12 for several gallons at the VW dealer but you can get DEF at WalMart and other stores for less.
 
I think it's like $22 a gallon (sold in 1/2 gal easy-fill containers for $11 or 2-1/2 gal containers for $??) at my local BMW dealer but most of that is probably due to the special fill nozzle required to fill the tanks...I cut the bottom out of one and use it as a "funnel". Ad Blue or other DEF is around $2.50 per gallon.

Usage for vehicles comes out around 3% of diesel burned or so.

FWIW, I've occasionally noticed a very slight ammonia-like odor when I first back out of the garage and walk behind my X but I have NEVER smelled ammonia-like odors behind other vehicles on the road nor any of the HD equipment we have at work and that includes street sweepers, buses, fire equipment and LD/HD trucks.
 
Current price for DEF at my local truck stop is $2.87 a gallon. Wally World probably can compete favorably with that in those 2.5 gallon containers they have on the shelf. I have never know that the exhaust from one of these burns like acetone.... that is unless the Diesel particulate filter (separate issue) is going thru a regen cycle. Now that is really nasty if you are behind a diesel going thru that cycle.
 
Ford wants $6.15 for the one gallon bottle of DEF, and $13.54 for the 2.5 gallon jug of DEF. They also have a specific funnel that prevents spilling that is $5.93. The nozzle used to come with the fluid free, but now they charge the dealers for them.
 
Originally Posted By: Miller88
Ever get behind one of these? Burns your nostrils like acetone!

I never was near a DEF equipped truck that smelled bad.

Maybe the one you encountered had some kind of problem with the DEF system.
 
The DEF system is a awesome money maker in the parts department when someone puts diesel in the DEF. You have to replace every component of the system that touches the fluid, and Ford refuses to cover any of it under any sort of customer assistance program. Last one we did was around $10,000 customer pay.

What really sucks is when a customer puts DEF in the diesel. On the new 6.7 there is a kit Ford has for that purpose that includes new pump, lines, injectors. Parts alone is around $12,000 and again no assistance is provided to the customer.

FWIW the 2 caps are clearly marked Diesel and DEF. The Diesel is green and the DEF cap is blue.
 
I think the DEF tanks on the 2012 Freightliners we have at work are 5gal. Not sure how long it lasts, but we have a DEF refueling system at the fuel island. I know the engines either cut-off or go into limp mode if you run the DEF tank out.

I just cannot imagine WHY anyone would want a turbo diesel in their normal, every day passenger vehicle in the US, in 2013.

DEF is expensive and the vehicle won't run w/out it.

Diesel fuel is more expensive than gasoline.

The emissions systems on diesels seem to be crazy complicated and expensive.. All that an you pay all that extra $ just to have the diesel? Yeah.. No thanks.
 
Originally Posted By: eljefino
^ Jeez louise. Are they both behind the same filler door?


Yes, but the caps are different colors and different diameters. The nozzle for the DEF clicks into the filler neck to prevent spilling. However you can't fix stupid.
 
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