Def fluid intervals

[03tdiwagon]

Hey everybody, as the title says? What are your average Def fluid fillup intervals

I got the car (2014 passat tdi comfort line) at 42000km now it has 56000km and still no Def fill up light.
I average 950-1050 a tank depending on how heavy i am on the pedal.
70% city (below 80km) 30% hwy (above 80km), ***side note I have achieved 2 +1100km tanks but mainly 95% hwy at 120km/hr ***

I mention this because I've read the more city driving and worse fuel economy per tank the sooner the Def light comes on as more Def is required at consistently higher rpms and lower vehicle speed (under 80km/hr) ( getting up to speed in stop and go city driving)

I assume the dealer filled it up upon fixing all recalls and changing all the parts like brake parts, tires, fuel filter, brake fluid, transmission fluid , when they posted the car for sale. ( this was a dieselgate buy back car that sat a year or so until the dealer won it at a auction then I bought it) POINT BEING I've put just over 13000km since I acquired it. I read most people average 11000-13000, so im just checking.

Thanks guys

 

[Tom in PT]

I believe DEF fluid consumption varies a lot. In my mix of driving all with a light foot (30 per cent city, 70 percent highway) I consume a liter or two for 5,000 miles. You read that right. Never once had the light come on in 37,000 miles. I top off the tank on annual oil changes.
2013 Passat SE TDI DSG

 

[oilhammer]

It is all over the place, depending on driving. Just fill it at every service, and if it has been a while since it was serviced last and you are heading out for a long road trip, I'd fill it before you leave. I wouldn't overthink it.

 

[mattbevans]

I second Oilhammer on filling it at every service interval. It helps keep the concentration of the urea in the range that the car can read it and avoids getting a false adblue light. Weirdly enough this thing doesn't seem too DEF hungry at least from my experience. Now my Q7........

 

[740GLE]

about 15K per 5 gallons, so a 2.5 cube every other oil change works for us. I added the last 2.5 gal I had on hand around 55K in May, sitting at 62K now, prob make it to Xmas before needing to visit the local truck stop for another top up of my cubes.

 

[03tdiwagon]

Not to be funny just straight forward.
When you guys say top it up, if I use the oem jug I can dump the .5 gal into the tank then cut the bottom off and reuse it, dumping any other def into the tank.
How does 1 "top up" when the fill hole is blocked with the jug threaded onto it and I have no idea how much to add ?

I can essentially put a full bottle onto it and when I "push down" to release the fluid the tank may already be full and at this point if I u screw the bottle ill make a mess ....

So is it safe to say simple ad 1 adblue .5 gal jug every oil change and that way I know I always got something. The car doesn't have the manual so I dont know what the proper steps were .

 

[Tom in PT]

I just snake a clear hose from my 2.5 gal jug from the local parts store into the adblue reservoir and pour VERY SLOWLY. The procedure can make a mess if you overfill so be prepared with towels and rags. I have never bothered with the "OEM jug".

 

[oilhammer]

We use the standard 2.5 gal jugs here, that come with the self-venting flexible spout. However, on the NMS and NCS SCR-equipped TDIs, the spout is not very useful. So on those, I just use a DEF-dedicated transmission type funnel (for back when transmissions actually needed such a thing). And as Tom said, pay attention as you are filling it so you do not overfill and make a mess. If you pour slowly you can "hear" a change in sound when the DEF nears the top and you can stop filling. I still wrap a rag around the neck on the car, just in case.

Again, do not overthink it.

 

[03tdiwagon]

Job complete. It took 2.2 gallons.. did what you guys said. Peace of cake. Thanks for help and input

 

[Jetta_Pilot]

Just for what it's worth. I use the 1.89 liter OEM VW bottle with the bottom cut out and fill it several times while still in place. You get to a point where you see that it is getting full and then I bump the car a bit to let the DEF go down.

For peace of mind I lay a black garbage bag around the fill hole and the trunk floor. No spills anytime that way.

 

[06bluebeetletdi]

I bought the hose on amazon, one end screws on the 2.5 gallon jug, the other end on the car. I just filled mine to within 1” of the top, it worked great, it started to slow down filling and i let it empty what was in the hose into the car and found out it was as full as it could be.

 

[Jetta_Pilot]

I bought the hose on amazon, one end screws on the 2.5 gallon jug, the other end on the car. I just filled mine to within 1” of the top, it worked great, it started to slow down filling and i let it empty what was in the hose into the car and found out it was as full as it could be.

I have used the 2.5 gal jug but found that the damn thing did not seal properly at the neck so I gave up on the idea.
Besides I buy the DEF fluid for much less at the big truck stops at the DEF pump, about $ 2.79 - $3.00 a gallon.

 

[berks_tom]

I find it simpler to just put in the full 2.5 gallon container every time the DEF light comes on. I can put the entire 2.5 gallon container in without overflowing.
Does it fill it up? No.
How full does it make the tank? I have no idea, but I don't have to worry about it until the light comes on again. That interval is measured in months.
Does it risk spilling DEF in the trunk? No.

I don't see why I should worry about filling the DEF tank to the top.

 

[740GLE]

Agreed no need to top it off, I only toss in what I can so the DEF doesn't age in the garage but in the tank. I usually pick up two 2.5 gal cubes worth at the truck stop when the light comes on, that means within 5K (2-3 months) i can toss in the second cube without worry of overflowing.

 

[akjdouglass]

I refill at every service re-using a factory container I've filled from a cube. When flow stops, just unscrew the jug and I'm done.

Word of caution, though: After unscrewing the spout from the bottle many times during the past two or three services, the threaded neck became brittle and busted off during a refill . Luckily I noticed it right away and turned it upright before I spilled too much. Rags around the spout kept it from becoming a major mess. Up to that point, I had never spilled a drop.

 

[c3kTDi]

I have a special spout. It has an internal tube that provides air relief, inside the outer tube that allows the DEF to flow. Not sure where I got it... It allows any amount of DEF to be poured, and any amount to remain in the jug, and not a drop spills. I can fill the DEF reservoir to the top, or leave it somewhere beneath that. I keep it wrapped up in a bag in the trunk. It fits any DEF jug threads.

 

[Smashed Ixnay]

Not sure how much I consume, but I do about 120 miles a day with most of it being highway. I usually just refill it every 10k miles when I do my oil change. The only one time I had a DEF light come on was when I didn't refill it and I think it said I had 1.5k miles left till it was empty. I want to say this was about 15-16k worth of miles. Not sure why I didn't fill it up that time, but for me it's just easier to do it every time I change the oil so I don't have to worry about it again.

 

[moon1234]

I usually get around 18k miles on a full DEF tank. I wait until it gets to 1000 miles left and then stop at the truck stop. Put free paper towels down around the fill spout in the trunk. Tip over the handle before putting it in the trunk. Always find the last guy was too lazy to get that last little bit out.

I then slowly put four gallons in the DEF tank. Works great. DEF is $1.99/gallon at the truck stop. Can’t being myself to pay for a bottle when it’s so easy to just fill it the “normal” way.

I still think VW was dumb to not put the DEF fill right next to the fuel fill. The Golf and A3 have it in the “correct” spot and it’s a lot easier and less “worrisome” about spillage.