Fuel Additives in BMW Diesel

pdh

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2007
Location
Newfoundland, NJ
TDI
2015 Golf TDI, 2014 BMW 328d, X Drive
Do you BMW owners typically add any fuel additives....especially LiquiMoly Diesel Treatment?
Does the BMW hi pressure fuel pump need additional fuel lubrication due to ultra low sulfur fuel?
I have 2014 328d w/40k which I purchased CPO in November 2017....an amazing car. I Have not found a BMW Diesel forum nearly as good as the TDI Club.
I have had 3 TDI's since 2006 and also have a "new" 2015 Golf TDI after I sold my 2011 Jetta back to VW. Thank you
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
I use Opti-Lube XPD or Stanadyne in all my diesels, including my 335d. It's fine for current emissions systems, provides lubricity which I feel benefits the HPFP, and also provides anti-gel protection.

I've used lubricity additives in my diesels pretty religiously since the early 2000s. ULSD has much lower lubricity than higher sulfur fuels, and I don't think you can count on corrective additive dosing by fuel distributors. The amount of fuel gelling we've seen in New England in the past couple weeks supports that belief.

IMO it doesn't really matter what additive you use, just use one.
 

Tin Man

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 18, 2001
Location
Coastal Empire
TDI
Daughter's: 2004 NB TDI PD GLS DSG (gone to pasture)
Do you BMW owners typically add any fuel additives....especially LiquiMoly Diesel Treatment?
Does the BMW hi pressure fuel pump need additional fuel lubrication due to ultra low sulfur fuel?
I have 2014 328d w/40k which I purchased CPO in November 2017....an amazing car. I Have not found a BMW Diesel forum nearly as good as the TDI Club.
I have had 3 TDI's since 2006 and also have a "new" 2015 Golf TDI after I sold my 2011 Jetta back to VW. Thank you
I'm happy to not use aftermarket additives. Just coincidence, the two times I did, something went really wrong with the car: the first was leaky fuel lines (E320 CDI, PowerService Silver) the second was damaged (335d, replaced under warranty) catalytic converters and NOx sensors (older version of Sta-Bil diesel).

The technical specs required of ULSD imply improved lubricity through more consistency and higher overall quality compared to LSD.

But to argue about this, especially on this forum, will not be very fruitful.

If you use Google, you can find the two forums on BMW diesels. They have lots of threads on additives. In a word, BMW does not recommend additives. I do know BMW uses the Bosch CP4 pump in the 328d which has proven to cause more problems (in VW's) than the CP3 in BMW 6 cylinder models.

Cheers,

TM
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
I believe the VW does not recommend additives either. They did, briefly, when the PD engines were in use, but not since.

I also agree that arguing about this in a forum probably isn't useful. People should consider their confidence in their local fuel supply and make their own decision. I know folks who've had diesels last a long time with no use of additives, and I also know people who have experienced lubricity related component failure in diesels.

Overall, do what you feel comfortable with.
 

Lat

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 20, 2007
Location
Vancouver, BC
TDI
2012 BMW X5 35d, 2006 Jetta TDI
I don't use additives when I'm Canada, as the lubricity (mandated B2) is decent here. Every time I drive down into WA and I fuel up with either the 335d or PD, I'll use Power Service White.
 

2010golf

Active member
Joined
Dec 30, 2014
Location
ca
TDI
2010 golf 6spd manual RIP. 2015 golf 6spd manual
About a Year ago, Cummins the worlds largest diesel engine manufacturer officially endorsed a couple of power service additives. That gave me more confidence in additives .

FYI, Cummins also uses both the cp3 and cp4 pumps for their engines .
 

jck66

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 4, 2001
Location
Greenwich, CT, USA
TDI
12 Passat SE / 14 BMW 535d
And in terms of forums, I haven't found anything that is as good as TDIclub, however you might try bimmerfest. I have been lurking there since I got my BMW and there is some decent info in among the usual wheel/tire/tint discussion. (Also, you might recognize a couple user names from here...)
 

dmanb2b

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2014
Location
NY
TDI
2012 Jetta, 2011 335D
And in terms of forums, I haven't found anything that is as good as TDIclub, however you might try bimmerfest. I have been lurking there since I got my BMW and there is some decent info in among the usual wheel/tire/tint discussion. (Also, you might recognize a couple user names from here...)
The M57 forum on e90post is a wealth of knowledge. The North America BMW Diesel Owners Group on Facebook is also a great resource. Vendors, group buys, members and technicians that are always willing to help

I hate snake oil, but I am a fan of XPD, Power Service and especially Powershot's Diesel Extreme for noisy injectors. There are quite a few M57s with injector codes that were brought back to life with Diesel Extreme and avoided injector replacement. EDT is their everyday additive.

Bottom line US diesel quality is very inconsistent.
 

rtking

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 18, 2011
Location
Southern California
TDI
2011 Jetta Sportwagen 6MT
I use Redline Diesel Fuel Catalyst. I went 240K miles in my Jetta TDI without a fuel pump issue. In my 328d, the service history showed that a fuel pump and fuel system replacement occurred with the prior owner at 49K miles (6K before I bought it). I’m hoping that the Redline additive will help to stave off any fuel pump issues like it did with my former Jetta.
 

dunerking

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 10, 2009
Location
Saugus,Ca
TDI
04 Jetta TDI
I run Optilube XPD in my 05 Dodge Cummins,13 Cayenne diesel and 04 Jetta TDI. Wether or not it does anything..not sure. But it's a small price for helping to save a IP.
 
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