AdBlue

UPDATE

Well, I downloaded the Measure blocks and reviewed the file, apparently the Tank contents is liters not Percent (can see in the file it is 19.0 l not 19.01 as I thought from looking at the screen last night.

All said it seems that the key-on 30+ secs does reset the tank volume. I added more adblue and now the measuring block reads 27.0 l which from my understanding is a full tank (good thing since there is no more space in the tank).

Dutch VanAtlanta provided the adaptation info so i"ll have to go check the adaptation blocks later when I have a chance, but at least I know the tank is full and the alarm is cleared. Doesn't explain the alarm coming on with more than 1/2 a tank of AdBlue but that is a problem for another day.

whizznbyu said:

4 cyclinder TDi's don't need it. Only the 6 cylinder "belchers" do (Touareg V6, and Q7). BUT, Ford's Powerstroke, Dodge's Cummins, and GMC's Duramax are exempt because if not you and I are really going to pay for the bailout.
It's about $20 for 2.5 gallons at the Audi dealership, and $11 at the VW dealership. Once Pepboys gets it, it'll be lower. Audi adds a perfume, like Chanel #7 to theirs that's why the extra cost.
Apparently in my Q7, every service interval you have to put about a couple of liters (what dealer says). There is a sensor somewhere that indicates low levels, with a mileage countdown. Past that countdown, you're stranded and will need to be either towed or have someone bring you some adBlu. Best is to carry a bottle or so in the trunk of the car to make sure you don't run out. BS in my opinion, BUT, I have yet to smell exhaust fumes from the Q7 with this stuff. It really is almost odorless.......

Click to expand...

Wrong Wrong Wrong, TDI's use adblu, google it...

I read through the thread and just a quick question. I'm a new Q5 TDI owner and was wondering what adblue to use? Does it make a difference if I use the stuff from the dealer or the PeakBlue from Advance Auto for $12.99. Just got the car and want to be prepared. Thanks for your feedback.

styles9797 said:

I read through the thread and just a quick question. I'm a new Q5 TDI owner and was wondering what adblue to use? Does it make a difference if I use the stuff from the dealer or the PeakBlue from Advance Auto for $12.99. Just got the car and want to be prepared. Thanks for your feedback.

Click to expand...

"AdBlue" refers to a specific brand (or set of brands) of diesel exhaust fluid (DEF). Any DEF is a solution of 32.5% urea in 67.5% de-ionized water. So long as the manufacturer doesn't muck that up with impurities, any type of DEF will work fine -- it's not like motor oil, which is a complex cocktail of petrochemicals and additives. I'm not sure where the AdBlue sold by dealers is made, but if it comes from Europe and you're in the US, you're essentially paying to ship something that's 2/3 water across the Atlantic.

One advantage of the AdBlue you get from a car dealer is that it comes in a jug with a no-leak screw-on filler to make adding it to the AdBlue tank easy. There are videos on YouTube showing you how to re-use that bottle or turn it into a funnel to help you add a less expensive type of DEF.

Note also that the DEF tank holds enough to last a normal oil-change interval. Thus, you normally only need to add it when you do an oil change. If you take the car in for this task, your mechanic should handle it.

You may want to refer to the Wikipedia article on DEF for more general reading.

Great, thanks for the info. Just wanted to be sure I wasn't missing anything.

Great, thanks for the info. Just wanted to be sure I wasn't missing anything.

Does the Q5 TDI use the same passive and active Adblue tank system as the Q7, or does it simply have a single Adblue tank? I think I read somewhere that the latter is true, but I would appreciate it if someone here could confirm that this is true.

Thanks!

One tank on both models, same fluid. DEF is DEF, as long as its made properly the branding doesn't matter. A lot of long-haul truck stops now have DEF pumps. Silly for a sedan that only takes 5 gallons, but for vehicles that take 10+ it can save time and money.

I have a 2013 Q7 TDI.

I know that http://www.europaparts.com/filling-hose-adblue-diesel-exhaust-fluid-000012499.html is not the same thing as https://vw.snapon.com/SpecialToolsDetail.aspx?itemid=15860026

What I can tell from the Service Training Self Study Program Booklet on 3.0L TDI engines is the 10L bucket http://www.europaparts.com/adblue-diesel-exhaust-fluid-g052910a4.html needs to be held up high in order to "push" fluid from the Active Tank to the Passive Tank.

Would this be what myturbodiesel.com means by "burping" the system?

And would I be able to accomplish this via the http://www.europaparts.com/filling-hose-adblue-diesel-exhaust-fluid-000012499.html ?

-TDI newbie

And should I assume that the recommended accessories for the VAS6542

1) VAS6931 https://vw.snapon.com/SpecialToolsDetail.aspx?itemId=43710063

and

2) SET740 https://vw.snapon.com/SpecialToolsDetail.aspx?itemId=15870005

can be rigged for "next to nothing" in my garage at home?

I don't see why not but even with the specified jack and adaptor, it's still the old and busted way of doing it. The new hotness is much easier and more time efficient.

https://audi.snapon.com/SpecialToolsDetail.aspx?itemId=48520057

tdi_andover said:

I have a 2013 Q7 TDI.

I know that http://www.europaparts.com/filling-hose-adblue-diesel-exhaust-fluid-000012499.html is not the same thing as https://vw.snapon.com/SpecialToolsDetail.aspx?itemid=15860026

What I can tell from the Service Training Self Study Program Booklet on 3.0L TDI engines is the 10L bucket http://www.europaparts.com/adblue-diesel-exhaust-fluid-g052910a4.html needs to be held up high in order to "push" fluid from the Active Tank to the Passive Tank.

Would this be what myturbodiesel.com means by "burping" the system?

And would I be able to accomplish this via the http://www.europaparts.com/filling-hose-adblue-diesel-exhaust-fluid-000012499.html ?

-TDI newbie

Click to expand...

You don't need any of these tools/accessories to be able to successfully fill the adblue tank!!!

Just get a 1 Litre jug of adblue from your local VW/Audi Dealer. It's designed with the correct special connector to screw on to the adblue filler. Once the jug is empty, just cut the bottom of the jug off with a box cutter -- now you have a funnel that you can use to pour in more adblue from a larger jug. Works for me.

CanadianLurker said:

You don't need any of these tools/accessories to be able to successfully fill the adblue tank!!!
Just get a 1 Litre jug of adblue from your local VW/Audi Dealer...

Click to expand...

...only if you don't care how much you're paying for it. The whole point of us using BlueDEF and other AdBlue alternatives is that it's MUCH, MUCH cheaper than buying it from the dealer.

However, if you're using AdBlue alternatives on a TDI with the two-tank setup, without the special refill container they provide, you're likely to have trouble "burping" the system (the upper tank will fill, but not flow into the lower tank due to trapped air). If you don't have the special tool to deliver the AdBlue/BlueDEF to the lower tank, you can use an old trick for 'pulling' or bleeding air out - vacuum. You'll just need to apply vacuum at the fill port, and once you have created a vacuum space in the upper tank, the air will begin to automatically flow up from the lower tank as the AdBlue flows down to replace it. I was able to do this with a simple Shop Vac. You'll want to use a Wet Vac, unfortunately, because as air is 'burped' out of the lower tank, it kicks up some of the AdBlue and you can feel it (and later see it) getting sucked into the tube. With my Shop-Vac, I just had to press the plastic hose against the fill nozzle (which *conveniently* matched in size), and within about four seconds, enough vacuum was created to cause the air to begin coming out. I only held it that way for a few seconds and released, then I could hear the system burping itself for a while. I repeated this five times, and could no longer get any air out.

For those that have used the screw-on refill containers from Audi/VW, this should make perfect sense. Besides preventing spills, I think the screw-on container is designed to create a closed system with the refill tank, so that it will suck air out as AdBlue flows in. That's why that always worked so well for me in the past. Now I use containers of BlueDef and simply pour it in. The 'parking on a hill' suggestion never worked for me, even if I shook the Q7 really strongly while it was on the incline.

One other suggestion I have is to reuse one of the Audi/VW AdBlue tanks. You'll have to modify it by adding a removable plug, so that you can refill it, but it HAS to be a plug (not just a container with the bottom cut off to use it as a funnel) because when you're adding AdBlue/BlueDEF to the system, you need a closed container so that it will pull air out as the AdBlue goes in.

AdBlu, buy a couple of bottles from Audi dealer and ask for an empty small bottle and hack off the bottom on that small bottle, there your funnel/refill tool. Use the lug tool from the tool box in your Audi and remove the adblu plug install the funnel you have to press down the bottle so that the fluid will drain to the below repeat as needed. Adblu alert goes away after 1-2 Days of driving around providing you did not run out adblu.

Instead of digging out the tire tool use an 18mm socket. The tool kit in mine is below the spare tire. I have to disconnect the subwoofer, pull out the tire, and open the cover below it to get to the tool kit.