Adblue - refilling issues?

[Erbster]

Yes you can with a small enough diameter pipe

Update:
I inserted a narrow (about 1cm dia) plastic pipe into the adblue filler; it went in about 50cm, until it met a stop. It was very hard to siphon, as soon as the liquid flowed, it would draw up air and stop. I got about half a litre out a dribble at a time. Let’s hope that’s enough.


https://caliventures364847572.wordpress.com/

 

[altvic]

Unfortunately it’s not 13 liters is the maximum hence it’s always advisable to fill up 1/2 a liter less than the maximum advised on the dash to allow for deviations in pump quantity.

Syphoned out about a pint of AdBlue today. I used a thin tubing down the filler neck (Below fuel filler) that I had left over from the white plastic tubing used on refrigerator water supply; the tube would not go in too far before meeting resistance. When I checked the reading on the car dash it still read same (6500 miles). I need an oil change so will see what happens on a run in new year as sorned at present.
Pig urine tastes delicious!

 

[Erbster]

Pig urine tastes delicious!

NOT! So you had that pleasure too...


https://caliventures364847572.wordpress.com/

 

[Jay586]

I was going to ask if the siphon worked without getting a mouthful...

 

[Erbster]

I was going to ask if the siphon worked without getting a mouthful...

Don’t try that at home...
In future I’m going to check the min/max before filling!!


https://caliventures364847572.wordpress.com/

 

[Grumps]

I Just fill up with Adblue till it comes out the top with a 10 ltr container, shows 6000 miles on the mfd, uses about 1 ltr every 500 miles, never had a problem.

 

[Amarillo]

I Just fill up with Adblue till it comes out the top with a 10 ltr container, shows 6000 miles on the mfd, uses about 1 ltr every 500 miles, never had a problem.

From what we have just learnt, that sounds like a dangerous strategy. You may be OK 99 times out of 100, but you only need to be unlucky once to be saddled with a repair not covered by warranty.


Follow my blog: www.au-revoir.eu

 

[Grumps]

As posted previously, these are commercial vehicles used by builders and craftsmen, not alchemists, we shouldn't be worrying about if we fill a tank with 0. Something of a ltr over and panicking because we might have to drain it out. Just drive the van it will use it up

 

[Ting Tong]

There’s people on the T6 Facebook forum talking about the egr warning light on low (<25%) fuel. Apparently it goes out if you give the van a good run (presumably you’ll need to have filled up first).

 

[VW Guru]

As posted previously, these are commercial vehicles used by builders and craftsmen, not alchemists, we shouldn't be worrying about if we fill a tank with 0. Something of a ltr over and panicking because we might have to drain it out. Just drive the van it will use it up

Hi I can can say that that is totally incorrect I work on these vehicles all of the time and if you follow that strategy then you will end up in a work shop with a failed adblue system. You need to follow what it says on the dash. I have at least 8-10 instances of adblue overfill come through my workshop every week because people have adopted your strategy and not followed the mfd and the vehicle handbook. An overfill is not warranted and will cost you in the region of £200 to be rectified. The adblue tank uses an ultra sonic sensor to measure the adblue level if you fill it up to the filler neck then you over fill the system and the ultra sonic sensor sees it as empty. The system will shut down and no it will not just use it.

 

[VW Guru]

There’s people on the T6 Facebook forum talking about the egr warning light on low (<25%) fuel. Apparently it goes out if you give the van a good run (presumably you’ll need to have filled up first).

Hi less than a quater of a tank will not effect egr but it will prevent the dpf from going into regen and then it will put on an engine light. No dpf light will illuminate.

 

[Grumps]

My ultra sonic sensor must not be working, I fill up to the top, with no problems.

 

[VW Guru]

My ultra sonic sensor must not be working, I fill up to the top, with no problems.

Well to date you have obviously been lucky and your sensor will be working otherwise the system would have shut down. I’m purely trying to help people I work on these vehicles for a living as a vw master tech I’ve seen a lot of issues due to over fills. I think it’s stupid that the tank can be overfilled it’s a 13ltr max tank and you can squeeze 17 liters in but anything over 13 liters causes issues. I don’t agree with how the tank works but that unfortunately is how it does and it causes many many problems

 

[Jay586]

I rarely start threads as I'm not one for rows.

We, those of us that like to avoid issues, are very grateful. @vwguru, enjoy your holiday and ignore anyone who wants to play roulette having been told.

 

[Erbster]

I rarely start threads as I'm not one for rows.

We, those of us that like to avoid issues, are very grateful. @vwguru, enjoy your holiday and ignore anyone who wants to play roulette having been told.

+1. Thanks vwguru.


https://caliventures364847572.wordpress.com/

 

[Eber123]

Good evening,

I contacted VW Ireland about the AdBlue overfill and the quarter diesel tank usage. Today I received this reply:
...
Your vehicle was supplied with an Owner’s Manual and it should be located in the glovebox. I have attached 2 extracts from your Owner’s Manual which will give you some information on the AdBlue system and also DPF regenerations.


Overfilling with AdBlue can cause AdBlue to escape and damage the tank system. This would not be covered under warranty as it is classed as pilot error.


You can drive your vehicle with less than a quarter of diesel in the tank, however, the DPF Regeneration will not occur. Over time, constantly operating the vehicle in this manner can put pressure on the DPF system and in turn will not allow the regeneration process to occur. A build of carbon will require a visit to the work shop where a manual regeneration will have to be carried out. However, in some cases, the damage may be too severe and the vehicle will require a whole new DPF system. Again, as this is pilot error, it would not be covered under your manufacturer’s warranty.


Although both systems could lead to extensive costly repairs if not operated correctly, for the most part every day driving of the vehicle will prevent these issues from occurring.

In summary, be careful not to overfill the AdBlue system. AdBlue can be purchased in any petrol station or motor factors as well as our dealers in small and large quantities. You can purchase a 10l drum of AdBlue and given that your tank holds 13l, you won’t overfill it when the time comes to refill.
...
First of all I think it was brilliant from VW Ireland to reply to my query so quickly and with so much detail.

Before I start to make a scene and be angry (first thing on my mind) I believe it would be interesting to see what the competitors (Ford, Toyota, Renault, Fiat etc) do. It might be worse, it might be better.

It seems that everything is costly and complicated with the California, which I did not expect when I bought it. Yes it is an adventure to buy and own one, but that "adventure" could mean that if something breaks after warranty, repair becomes unbelievable expensive.
My research before I bought the California was that it is build on a Transporter which is on the market for a long time. Quality checked when leaving the Transporter factory, and double checked when arriving in the camper factory. After the transformation from a Transporter to a camper another quality control is done.

Also I trusted in German engineering and practicality. A camper van in this caliber should be easy and efficient possible to repair. Unfortunately this seems not the case.

Maybe these postings give a wrong indication of the VW California camper, but at least some food for thoughts.

Regards,
Eberhard

 

[westfalia]

Good evening,

I contacted VW Ireland about the AdBlue overfill and the quarter diesel tank usage. Today I received this reply:
...
Your vehicle was supplied with an Owner’s Manual and it should be located in the glovebox. I have attached 2 extracts from your Owner’s Manual which will give you some information on the AdBlue system and also DPF regenerations.


Overfilling with AdBlue can cause AdBlue to escape and damage the tank system. This would not be covered under warranty as it is classed as pilot error.


You can drive your vehicle with less than a quarter of diesel in the tank, however, the DPF Regeneration will not occur. Over time, constantly operating the vehicle in this manner can put pressure on the DPF system and in turn will not allow the regeneration process to occur. A build of carbon will require a visit to the work shop where a manual regeneration will have to be carried out. However, in some cases, the damage may be too severe and the vehicle will require a whole new DPF system. Again, as this is pilot error, it would not be covered under your manufacturer’s warranty.


Although both systems could lead to extensive costly repairs if not operated correctly, for the most part every day driving of the vehicle will prevent these issues from occurring.

In summary, be careful not to overfill the AdBlue system. AdBlue can be purchased in any petrol station or motor factors as well as our dealers in small and large quantities. You can purchase a 10l drum of AdBlue and given that your tank holds 13l, you won’t overfill it when the time comes to refill.
...
First of all I think it was brilliant from VW Ireland to reply to my query so quickly and with so much detail.

Before I start to make a scene and be angry (first thing on my mind) I believe it would be interesting to see what the competitors (Ford, Toyota, Renault, Fiat etc) do. It might be worse, it might be better.

It seems that everything is costly and complicated with the California, which I did not expect when I bought it. Yes it is an adventure to buy and own one, but that "adventure" could mean that if something breaks after warranty, repair becomes unbelievable expensive.
My research before I bought the California was that it is build on a Transporter which is on the market for a long time. Quality checked when leaving the Transporter factory, and double checked when arriving in the camper factory. After the transformation from a Transporter to a camper another quality control is done.

Also I trusted in German engineering and practicality. A camper van in this caliber should be easy and efficient possible to repair. Unfortunately this seems not the case.

Maybe these postings give a wrong indication of the VW California camper, but at least some food for thoughts.

Regards,
Eberhard

Pilot error. Lol.

 

[DG1]

Thanks for sharing that, Eberhard. I think if ever there was a vehicle where it was imperative to read the manual cover to cover, it is the T6 California Ocean.
It sounds like a good plan to wait until the indicator says an Adblue fill up is required and then add 10l from a bottle, rather than trying to fill the tank up completely, which otherwise would be the instinctive thing to do.

 

[Amarillo]

Brilliant reply.

The AdBlue warning light comes on at 1000 miles which is less than 2.5 litres. Refill with 10 litres and you are safe.

Driving from full to under 1/4 tank shouldn’t matter too much as the soot will be burned off soon after next refuel. It will only matter if you consistently drive with less than 1/4 tank.

I still think it is nuts that the AdBlue refuel at a pump won’t cut out at 13 litres.


Follow my blog: www.au-revoir.eu

 

[Eber123]

Good evening,

To make life a wee bit easier I toy with the idea just to let VW dealer fill up AdBlue. Yes, it cost more than buying it in a bottle and doing it myself, but hey, at least it is done properly - and if it isn't they have to repair it.

I believe that my VW Service Advisor said the refill will cost around EUR 50 - 55. This is expensive, but I might have got it wrong.

What I am not so sure is the tank. During normal day-to-day use my tank will never get that low. But if we are out and about it might go down that low. In general it seems that is not a problem, but the DPF system needs to generate.

Well, may I ask a (stupid) question? What is this famous DPF sytstem actually?

Regards,
Eberhard

 

[WelshGas]

Brilliant reply.

The AdBlue warning light comes on at 1000 miles which is less than 2.5 litres. Refill with 10 litres and you are safe.

Driving from full to under 1/4 tank shouldn’t matter too much as the soot will be burned off soon after next refuel. It will only matter if you consistently drive with less than 1/4 tank.

I still think it is nuts that the AdBlue refuel at a pump won’t cut out at 13 litres.


Follow my blog: www.au-revoir.eu

The Adblue pumps don’t just serve T6s. Doesn’t the pump tell you how much has been dispensed when you hold the trigger. So just release the trigger when the amount you require has been dispensed.

 

[Eber123]

Thanks for sharing that, Eberhard. I think if ever there was a vehicle where it was imperative to read the manual cover to cover, it is the T6 California Ocean.
Ido.

Well, as DG1 commented, it is important to read and understand the the van's handbook. So, I go to bed now with my good night reading material for the next few nights

Regards,
Eberhard

 

[WelshGas]

Good evening,

To make life a wee bit easier I toy with the idea just to let VW dealer fill up AdBlue. Yes, it cost more than buying it in a bottle and doing it myself, but hey, at least it is done properly - and if it isn't they have to repair it.

I believe that my VW Service Advisor said the refill will cost around EUR 50 - 55. This is expensive, but I might have got it wrong.

What I am not so sure is the tank. During normal day-to-day use my tank will never get that low. But if we are out and about it might go down that low. In general it seems that is not a problem, but the DPF system needs to generate.

Well, may I ask a (stupid) question? What is this famous DPF sytstem actually?

Regards,
Eberhard

https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/emissions/diesel-particulate-filters/

 

[California7]

Very pleased that I happened to log on tonight and saw this thread.

I’ve filled my adblue with reckless abandon in the past, probably got lucky and just happened to pour in a 10L bottle when it was nearly empty.

I’ve always run my cars full to empty diesel tank but due to covering quite a lot of miles it’s never long before it gets filled, hence never had an issue with the dpf light, however I’ll be a bit more careful from now on.

Such a great forum, special thanks to @Vw guru

Tom

 

[Eber123]

https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/emissions/diesel-particulate-filters/

Thank you. Just read through the information. The embarrassing part is that I was aware of that.. .

For almost 6 years I had a Tiguan with a 2 L Diesel engine (the famous 189 engine) and never had any problems for 100 000 km (well, at least not with the engine).

Now I use the van in the same way as the Tiguan on a daily basis. I hope it works well...

Regards,
Eberhard