Adblue - where are fellow T6 owners getting topped up

[Jabberwocky]

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. 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.

Thanks for info - very useful to know. How much Adblue do you need to put in once you run out to allow the engine to start again? I saw in the thread that you may need to go to a dealer to have some computer element reset - that can't be true, can it?

 

[Amarillo]

Thanks for info - very useful to know. How much Adblue do you need to put in once you run out to allow the engine to start again? I saw in the thread that you may need to go to a dealer to have some computer element reset - that can't be true, can it?

No. If you run out of adblue, next time you turn the ignition off the vehicle will not restart until you refill with adblue.

Before running out of adblue, you will have had 8 add adblue messages over about 500 miles, a further 33 add adblue messages accompanied by 33 warning bleeps, and a constant orange warning light over about 1000 miles and 1 or 2 diesel refuels. To run out of adblue, without a fault in the warning system, could legitimately be described as idiotic. However, I am sure that most, if not all, of us have managed to achieve similar heights of idiocy sometime in the past. Perhaps sometime in the future there will be an unforeseen event such as a global shortage of pigs' wee wee (yes, I know it's not actually made from pigs' urine, but it is a nice alliterative urban myth).

 

[WelshGas]

http://www.truckingtopics.co.uk/adbluefeature.html

You don't have to follow the Purchase options.

 

[Jabberwocky]

No. If you run out of adblue, next time you turn the ignition off the vehicle will not restart until you refill with adblue.

Before running out of adblue, you will have had 8 add adblue messages over about 500 miles, a further 33 add adblue messages accompanied by 33 warning bleeps, and a constant orange warning light over about 1000 miles and 1 or 2 diesel refuels. To run out of adblue, without a fault in the warning system, could legitimately be described as idiotic. However, I am sure that most, if not all, of us have managed to achieve similar heights of idiocy sometime in the past. Perhaps sometime in the future there will be an unforeseen event such as a global shortage of pigs' **** (yes, I know it's not actually made from pigs' urine, but it is a nice alliterative urban myth).

Great extra info. Yes, I have run of petrol once in my life - I will try not to scales those heights again! With all those warnings, bells, whistles, lights and beeps.....should be OK . Thanks again.

 

[Amarillo]

pigs' ****

Fantastic! Was that manually edited by a 3rd party, or is there an auto asterisk function in the software for a certain colloquialism of urine which rhymes with hiss?

 

[Loz]

Thanks for info - very useful to know. How much Adblue do you need to put in once you run out to allow the engine to start again? I saw in the thread that you may need to go to a dealer to have some computer element reset - that can't be true, can it?

There is a minimum amount you need to put in for it to register as being filled plus you have to turn on the ignition and wait for 30 seconds before starting so that it registers.
There were a few teething problems when adblue first came out that needed the dealer to reset it, it happened on Passats and Touareg models but these have since been modified to fix that.

 

[Stoneybroke]

With the AdBlue message giving 1000 miles to top up, I looked up local garages with AdBlue pumps, as it seems this is much better value than buying a container from Halfords or wherever.
The nearest was about 13 miles away, and a short detour from a planned journey.
I pulled into the forecourt of the Shell garage with the pumps, but on placing the dispenser in the AdBlue filler was greeted by the tannoy announcing that the AdBlue pump was only for HGV's....
I went into the kiosk/shop and asked where I could fill up the Cali, "we sell bottles for cars, only HGV's can use the pumps."
"How much are the bottles?" I ask.
"£9.99"
"For how much?"
"One-and-a-half litres" came the reply.
A short discussion followed with what I asked them to justify the difference in the pump price of
69.9 pence per litre
(For HGV's only)
And the cost of
£6.66 per litre for the rest of us.

"Company policy" was the only answer.

I declined their offer of AdBlue at their rip-off price, and made a point of stating that I would not be filling up with diesel either.

I was fuming; ridiculous. The next six-hours of driving planning who to write to, but them wondered, in this world of franchises, whether the company policy was the garage itself out Shell UK generally.

So, fellow Cali owners, any other experiences with AdBlue discrimination?

 

[T6 CFO]

Interesting and especially so with the recommendations I've read on here before about filling up with a good diesel such as shell.
Sounds like we need to flood shell customer services with complaints if this is policy.?

Mike

 

[Stoneybroke]

Interesting and especially so with the recommendations I've read on here before about filling up with a good diesel such as shell.
Sounds like we need to flood shell customer services with complaints if this is policy.?

Mike

Just tweeted @ShellStationsUK.... I'll post the reply.

 

[Stuart]

No issues for me at BP.

Is not just the price which is better at the pump. It's a lot easier and less chance of spillage than trying to pour it from a bottle.

 

[Amarillo]

So, fellow Cali owners, any other experiences with AdBlue discrimination?

I read this a few weeks ago:
===========
The option of a pump or a container

Many AdBlue® pumps are already in place, but are reserved for trucks and heavy goods vehicles. Please note that pumps for cars will be put in place in the near future, to facilitate refilling. You will then fuel up with AdBlue as you fuel up with diesel, in a gas station such as Total. It is not recommended to use the pumps reserved to heavy goods vehicles for your car, because the flow rate is higher and you bear the risk of damaging your car’s bodywork through splashing. Do not attempt to refill your containers with the pumps for trucks. The best option is to use the AdBlue® cans designed for private cars.
===========
http://infodiesel.co.uk/where-to-find-adblue/

 

[WelshGas]

I read this a few weeks ago:
===========
The option of a pump or a container

Many AdBlue® pumps are already in place, but are reserved for trucks and heavy goods vehicles. Please note that pumps for cars will be put in place in the near future, to facilitate refilling. You will then fuel up with AdBlue as you fuel up with diesel, in a gas station such as Total. It is not recommended to use the pumps reserved to heavy goods vehicles for your car, because the flow rate is higher and you bear the risk of damaging your car’s bodywork through splashing. Do not attempt to refill your containers with the pumps for trucks. The best option is to use the AdBlue® cans designed for private cars.
===========
http://infodiesel.co.uk/where-to-find-adblue/

Similar to the Diesel pumps I came across in Sweden/Norway. You had to switch from Truck to Car as the flowrates and cutoff pressures were different for each vehicle type.

 

[Amarillo]

Similar to the Diesel pumps I came across in Sweden/Norway. You had to switch from Truck to Car as the flowrates and cutoff pressures were different for each vehicle type.

A simple solution. I wonder why UK franchisees don't do the same for adblue pumps..

 

[Stoneybroke]

A simple solution. I wonder why UK franchisees don't do the same for adblue pumps..

Little incentive when they can inflate the price by 10-times if they sell it in piddling little bottles...

 

[Amarillo]

They can inflate the price by 10-times if they sell it in piddling little bottles?

Short term only. As soon as the first garages start offering adblue pumps for cars at 69p/litre, the bottom will fall out of the bottled market other than for emergency refills for those with broken adblue gauges.

 

[Meoncoast]

http://www.ajdor.co.uk/secondary/Adblue.htm

 

[Jabberwocky]

With the AdBlue message giving 1000 miles to top up, I looked up local garages with AdBlue pumps, as it seems this is much better value than buying a container from Halfords or wherever.
The nearest was about 13 miles away, and a short detour from a planned journey.
I pulled into the forecourt of the Shell garage with the pumps, but on placing the dispenser in the AdBlue filler was greeted by the tannoy announcing that the AdBlue pump was only for HGV's....
I went into the kiosk/shop and asked where I could fill up the Cali, "we sell bottles for cars, only HGV's can use the pumps."
"How much are the bottles?" I ask.
"£9.99"
"For how much?"
"One-and-a-half litres" came the reply.
A short discussion followed with what I asked them to justify the difference in the pump price of
69.9 pence per litre
(For HGV's only)
And the cost of
£6.66 per litre for the rest of us.

"Company policy" was the only answer.

I declined their offer of AdBlue at their rip-off price, and made a point of stating that I would not be filling up with diesel either.

I was fuming; ridiculous. The next six-hours of driving planning who to write to, but them wondered, in this world of franchises, whether the company policy was the garage itself out Shell UK generally.

So, fellow Cali owners, any other experiences with AdBlue discrimination?

I have a feeling they are breaking European law not allowing you to fill up at the "HGV" station.

 

[T6 CFO]

I read this a few weeks ago:
===========
The option of a pump or a container

Many AdBlue pumps are already in place, but are reserved for trucks and heavy goods vehicles. Please note that pumps for cars will be put in place in the near future, to facilitate refilling. You will then fuel up with AdBlue as you fuel up with diesel, in a gas station such as Total. It is not recommended to use the pumps reserved to heavy goods vehicles for your car, because the flow rate is higher and you bear the risk of damaging your car’s bodywork through splashing. Do not attempt to refill your containers with the pumps for trucks. The best option is to use the AdBlue cans designed for private cars.
===========
http://infodiesel.co.uk/where-to-find-adblue/

That CF makes sense.
Hopefully the law of demand and supply will kick

Mike

 

[Stuart]

I read this a few weeks ago:
===========
The option of a pump or a container

Many AdBlue® pumps are already in place, but are reserved for trucks and heavy goods vehicles. Please note that pumps for cars will be put in place in the near future, to facilitate refilling. You will then fuel up with AdBlue as you fuel up with diesel, in a gas station such as Total. It is not recommended to use the pumps reserved to heavy goods vehicles for your car, because the flow rate is higher and you bear the risk of damaging your car’s bodywork through splashing. Do not attempt to refill your containers with the pumps for trucks. The best option is to use the AdBlue® cans designed for private cars.
===========
http://infodiesel.co.uk/where-to-find-adblue/

I've filled up twice. Once from a bottle and once from a pump. The bottle leaked a bit and ran down the side of the van, whereas the pump worked perfectly.

 

[Stoneybroke]

I have a feeling they are breaking European law not allowing you to fill up at the "HGV" station.

I'd like to think so, but can't seem to find anything... I bet they quote Health & Safety as a reason for not using HGV pumps/lanes!

 

[LongBay Beach]

So, fellow Cali owners, any other experiences with AdBlue discrimination?

I've used the HGV Adblue pump at my local Shell garage in Sheffield twice now without any problems, both occasions the garage didn't flinch at me using it. Filled the tank, and the pump cut off just like any normal diesel fill up.

 

[Jabberwocky]

I've used the HGV Adblue pump at my local Shell garage in Sheffield twice now without any problems, both occasions the garage didn't flinch at me using it. Filled the tank, and the pump cut off just like any normal diesel fill up.

How much did you pay/litre?

 

[LongBay Beach]

Paid £5 for just under 11 litres, so about 46p per litre. Was told about it by a guy from work who fills his Passat up there. There's a few people I know now who use it to fill their cars up, despite it being on the same stand as the HGV diesel pump.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Paid £5 for just under 11 litres, so about 46p per litre. Was told about it by a guy from work who fills his Passat up there. There's a few people I know now who use it to fill their cars up, despite it being on the same stand as the HGV diesel pump.

Excellent! Thanks LongBay.

 

[LongBay Beach]

In case anyone lives or passes close to Sheffield (it is about 5 minutes from J34 of the M1, near to Meadowhall).