27000km since last refill and no def light yet???

[03tdiwagon]

so the car is a 2014 passat tdi comfortline
bought it at 41430
now it has 68500

i got the car from a dealer who bought it on auction from one of vw massive tdi lots, the did all the breaks, tranny fluid, i managed to get them to change the brake fluid too i only assume they topped up the def fluid... point being i have never had this light come on and im pushing 27000km or 16k miles. the norm seems to be 10k miles so how is this possible. or 8 months out of the 12 ive had it i droove 60% city 40% hwy at 50km a day, the past 4 months ive been 80% hwy and 20% city ( just a background on the consumption) im averaging id say 925-950 a tank. i run shell v power and petro canada as these have the highest cetane rating in ontario.

background of the car : in march of last year i got into a very mild parking lot accident where a gentleman backed into me as i was driving and hit the passenger rear corner pannel. the inurance company fixed all the body work changed the rim and bearing ( kept the tire) and sent me on my way. at the time my biggest concern was the def tank and the injection pump but apparently that was A-ok....... i have noticed over the past several months a smell from the exhaust, i only notice it after the car is idle for about 5 minutes and anytime after that aslong as its running. it is a rich smell like a mix of diesel and something else, but it isnt exactly a nice smell either it kinda gives you a headache ( i know sniffing fumes does that to you, but just the smell in general is repulsive)


im taking the car in monday the 26th for the ac checkup as its blowing not really cold anymore, im going to get the oil changed but at the same time i want to get this def issues figured out. what part of the VCDS shows the fluid level i read that it only shows 3 levels full (70%+) almost empty (30%) and empty is this true.

thanks guys feedback is appreciated (oilhammer)

 

[Lightflyer1]

Did you buy from a VW dealer or just some dealer? First I would check redo all of those services if they can't produce paperwork showing the correct parts and fluids were used. VCDS could read the level or you could just fill it up now and see how much it takes and note for future reference. 16k miles isn't necessarily out of line for this.

 

[AverageAndy]

I used to add 2.5gallons at each oil/filter change (every 10K miles) and have never had a low DEF warning. Last change I tried to do the same and overfilled a little with some left in the bottle still. Looks like the tank holds almost 5 gallons, so not surprised your light it hasn't come on yet if tank was full. Here's a thread about the tank:

DEF Capacity | TDIClub Forums

 

[Tom in PT]

My consumption of DEF is about 2-3 quarts per 5,000 miles on my post-fix '13 Passat. So yes, 16K without a low adblue warning light is not necessarily out of line.

The documents that came with the emissions modification done in 2017 on my car says that DEF consumption would increase post-fix. That has not been my experience, if anything conumption is about the same or even less.

I drive with a very light foot, 80 percent highway, and speeds are almost always below 65 mph, that might have something to do with low DEF consumption.

I top off the fluid at oil change time (yearly) and never think about it, or regens either for that matter. I do all my own maintenance and would not want a dealer touching my car except for a warranty repair.

The smell you have is somewhat concerning. Is there any noticeable gray smoke (unburned fuel)? Unburned diesel fuel in exhaust is nauseating and you should not have that at all.

 

[06bluebeetletdi]

I just topped off the ad blue in mine, I am at 99,000 last top off around 93,000 and it took less than 1 gallon. I had about 1/2 gallon in one container and it might have taken the same amount out of a second new container.