Adblue - where are fellow T6 owners getting topped up

[Pete Toogood]

Halfords have AdBlue on offer at the moment £15 for 4 litres ( Ha Ha! ) but, more interestingly, £20 for 10 litres ! I expected it to be blue but it is clear ! Must be kosher though from Halfords. Pete

 

[hirsty]

There are some stories of people paying bonkers prices for what's becoming a commodity item now - madness to ask a Dealer to do it for you, no harder to do than screenwash.

Buy just one 10L big bottle from a petrol station forecourt for £12.99 to keep at home - it'll last 4,000 miles - and find an HGV pump somewhere near-ish you can occasionally detour to.

Similar to DM I set off on a 400-mile trip with a 500-mile last week, it's a nagging doubt you can do without on a longer journey.

 

[soulstyledevon]

Wow. So glad I have a T5.1.
Ad blu is messed up. What a sorry state of affairs, utter headache in a touring vehicle

 

[Stuart]

It's really no big deal to keep topped up. Just fill up from the pump at the same time as diesel when it's getting low.

My concern is that it's something else to go wrong.

 

[Digger]

Adblue has been used in hgv's for some time and is both effective and reliable. If you want to buy a diesel now or use in the future you have no option. It is the only diesel engines now allowed to be built or sold new to meet euro6 requirements and would seem to be accepted by the councils looking to ban other diesels. We don't have any choice.

 

[LongBay Beach]

Filled up from a pump at a Shell garage in Sheffield today. Paid 46p per litre. I'm lucky, the garage is only 5 minutes from my work place.

 

[zoki]

I top up each time I fill up with diesel, simples

 

[Stuart]

I top up each time I fill up with diesel, simples

Every time?

 

[daveyboydanger]

Every time?

Yeah that does seem a bit OTT or at the least inconvenient!

 

[Stoneybroke]

I liked the idea of pump filling so used
http://www.findadblue.com
Which usefully tells me the nearest petrol station with an AdBlue pump is 14-miles away and at a motorway junction: premium price? Might still be cheaper than halfords though.?
Funny how the AdBlue MFD reading gives volume in gallons, but sold in litres...

 

[Stoneybroke]

Its a metered system based on the amount the engine is driven. This video gives a good overview, the layout is different but the method is the same.

So 32.5% aqueous solution of urea - £20 for ten litres? Someone is taking the pi$$!

 

[Jabberwocky]

I don't have any experience of topping up Adblue but it seems to me from what I read its a regular check that is needed and if needs be a top up. Is that not the same as tyre pressures, washer bottle, engine oil? I check these things in ANY vehicle on a regular basis (once a month when I wash the car - its like a normal routine, part of ownership) just like all of us should do, so just include Adblue in these level checks and act accordingly. Adblue is widely available and has been used on commercial vehicles for some years now. It can't be that complicated, or am I missing something.

 

[Jabberwocky]

I have filled up Adblue 5 times - it averages around 4000 miles per fill. The cost seems to be around £12 for 10 litres. I did consider larger quantities, but the tank holds 10 lts so it would mean storing it in the garage - not pleasant stuff. Last fill was in Italy and was available at larger petrol stations. In the UK i tend to buy from Shell petrol station when getting low - seems good value. Its worth keeping a funnel in the van as some of the containers dont include one. You should wash the funnel after use as when it drys it goes crispy and you dont want bits of crispy pig pee in your tank.

Funny post! Sorry for late reply. As a matter of information the Adblue tank holds 13 litres according to this web site. http://myadblue.co.uk/adblue-volkswagen/volkswagen-california/

 

[Jabberwocky]

As you will now know it is available from most Fuel Stations now. White plastic cans that have a filling flexi pipe attached, looks like a can of water. Be careful as it is very corrosive so wash any spill off. Euro 5 Trucks have had it for a few years now and is injected into the exhaust to clean out the soot. More bits to go wrong. Trucks go into 'limp' mode if Adblue tank empty, to stop emission system not being used, but I haven't seen if VW's do that as well.

I was told that if the tank becomes empty on a Cali the engine will not start - is that correct?

 

[Jabberwocky]

I hope you didn't buy any diesel it's 1.27/L at Gloucester that would have wiped out your saving

Loz, I know you recently took delivery of your new Cali - did you get a full tank of Adblue? Or just a token amount?

Cheers JB (Rik)

 

[WelshGas]

I was told that if the tank becomes empty on a Cali the engine will not start - is that correct?

Correct. No Adblue No Engine, to protect the environment.

I'm not even sure if you get into this situation that just putting Adblue in the tank allows the engine to start. You might need an EMU reset. Maybe someone with a T6 has read the manual on this section.

 

[Stoneybroke]

Loz, I know you recently took delivery of your new Cali - did you get a full tank of Adblue? Or just a token amount?

Cheers JB (Rik)

I got a full(ish) one - said 4500 miles to fill-up; done 3000, still says 2000 to go. I think it depends on the dealer...

 

[Loz]

Loz, I know you recently took delivery of your new Cali - did you get a full tank of Adblue? Or just a token amount?

Cheers JB (Rik)

Can't really tell how full but the adblue range read 4000 miles, have now done 800 miles and adblue range is 3500 miles.

 

[Stoneybroke]

So 32.5% aqueous solution of urea - £20 for ten litres? Someone is taking the pi$$!

No other chemists out there?
Urea is a chemical that the body excretes via urine...
I don't recommend trying that as a substitute for AdBlue though!

 

[WelshGas]

No other chemists out there?
Urea is a chemical that the body excretes via urine...
I don't recommend trying that as a substitute for AdBlue though!

Not concentrated enough.

 

[Trailertrash]

When the World was short of butter then butter was bad for you. When the World was short of Eggs they were bad for you. Suddenly because there are mountains of butter and gazillions of eggs they are fabulously good for you. Somebody somewhere has a gazillion gallons of adblue probably as a biproduct and suddenly yipeee you must have adblue. I just cannot wait for gin to become good for you again.

 

[Amarillo]

I don't have any experience of topping up Adblue but it seems to me from what I read its a regular check that is needed and if needs be a top up. Is that not the same as tyre pressures, washer bottle, engine oil? I check these things in ANY vehicle on a regular basis (once a month when I wash the car - its like a normal routine, part of ownership) just like all of us should do, so just include Adblue in these level checks and act accordingly. Adblue is widely available and has been used on commercial vehicles for some years now. It can't be that complicated, or am I missing something.

As far as I understand it, the Cali's adblue range is about 6,500 miles, and a message indicated every 60 miles when about 1,500 miles remains in the tank, this increases to a message, warning light and bleep every 30 miles at 1000 miles or less. Once the tank is empty, the engine stops [edit] *will not restart once the ignition has been turned off*. 1L of adblue is good for about 500 miles. If you wait for the first message, you should have about 3L of adblue in the tank, and can then fill up with 10L, the most economical size to buy (Unipart adblue + £9.99). The 13L tank and message at 1,500 miles is there for a very good reason, it is not a warning, just a message, 500 miles from a warning, so no shame in waiting for the message to appear.

This seems to be about the easiest, cheapest and most convenient way to top up:
https://goo.gl/maps/soazKiTfpEL2
What I do not know is if it is for HGVs only, or if any vehicle can top up here.

 

[Richardmk]

There are a few BP garages in Leeds now with Adblue pumps - most expensive is 69p per litre. Definitely for cars, and shares the island with a diesel pump so can top up both tanks in one stop


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[daveyboydanger]

Not concentrated enough.

Surely if you have to wee into the tank you'll have concentrated enough!?!

 

[Teejay]

Surely if you have to wee into the tank you'll have concentrated enough!?!

That's the next generation euro 7 AdYellow!