Adblue - a few questions ...

[GibAvon]

Hi All

Our Fiat van is the first vehicle we have owned that requires Adblue. It has covered 1,800 miles in the past 15 months. A few days ago I checked the Ablue level indicator on the 'digital dashboard' display and it's about three quarters full - picture below. I understand that the capacity of the Adlue tank is 19 litres, so it seems that I need 4 to 5 litres to top up. So, on impulse, I bought a 4 litre container of Redex Adblue from my local supermarket. The container supplied with a small push-on angled spout, which is claimed to prevent spillages when topping up with Adblue.

I've been reading Adblue threads on this forum, but I still have some questions:

1. The FIAT and other websites state that I should wait until the Adlbue warning light comes on, and then I should top up with at least 5 litres. Is there any reason why I cannot top up more regularly with smaller quantities? BTW - The handbook doesn't mention a minimum quantity.

2. I fitted the supplied spout to the Adblue filler pipe on the van. It's quite short, and I assume it doesn't penetrate far enough to open the valve inside. Even 4 litres is heavy to lift up; I don't have a steady hand, and I can't see how I can poke the spout into the filler pipe without spilling Adblue all over the place. And - as for quickly removing the spout to avoid spillages when I've topped the tank - I don't think so!! ... So would filling via a funnel with a long flexible pipe be good enough, or should I buy one of those filling contraptions LINK available online?

Thanks in advance

Les

 

[Bramidan]

Now in Belgium ready for trip to tunnel tomorrow.
Travelled up from Turkey, nearly every service station has had ad blu on pump as well as LPG!
The guy in Turkey took great pride in filling diesel, then did LPG. Finally ushered a car parked by the air pump away so he could check all my tyre pressures, whilst I watched.
Had the same service on the way down through Europe as well.
I wonder where it all went wrong!
Back to the thread, the ad blu warning light came on, frightened me to death, next garage stuck 10 litres in, turned ignition on with trepidation, all was well. Checked the readout now showing 100%.
So despite having to shell out, I’m happy, warning came on at half full and everything worked OK when I restarted engine.
To be perfectly honest I have been sh…..g myself about ad blu having read this thread!
Wife tells me I’ll find something else to worry about!

 

[BikerGraham]

Now in Belgium ready for trip to tunnel tomorrow.
Travelled up from Turkey, nearly every service station has had ad blu on pump as well as LPG!
The guy in Turkey took great pride in filling diesel, then did LPG. Finally ushered a car parked by the air pump away so he could check all my tyre pressures, whilst I watched.
Had the same service on the way down through Europe as well.
I wonder where it all went wrong!
Back to the thread, the ad blu warning light came on, frightened me to death, next garage stuck 10 litres in, turned ignition on with trepidation, all was well. Checked the readout now showing 100%.
So despite having to shell out, I’m happy, warning came on at half full and everything worked OK when I restarted engine.
To be perfectly honest I have been sh…..g myself about ad blu having read this thread!
Wife tells me I’ll find something else to worry about!

After all the problems I had with the Adblue system on my car I also sh** myself when the warning light came on when driving it back from the dealer after just picking it up.
Filled up then and ok afterwards. But always in the back of my mind. The systems are just too problematic

 

[VXman]

I agree. I buy it from the pump at our local Texaco garage. Cheaper and more convenient than buying in containers.

Not sure it is as cheap as this little lot I got from Home Bargains the other week. £1 a litre

 

[andyelbac]

Have always used the expensive containers until reading this thread. Will be using a pump from now on
One basic question, is it ok to use the HGV ad blue pump? As read somewhere the flow rate is higher, is this a myth, or is it something to be wary of?
THANKS

I've never heard of the pressure issue. Admittedly, I'm a newbie as well (about a year running a MH) and have only used AdBlue twice, both at motorway service stations. Interestingly, given your second question, the last time was a few weeks ago at one of the services on the M4. When I pulled up to the adblue pump at the truckers pumping station, I saw a note on the adblue pump saying 'HGV only. All other vehicles purchase adblue at ahop' (presumably in the large containers). I ignored the sign and handed over my credit card (both times when filling up they have refused to turn pump on until a card was handed over beforehand). I expected to be told 'you're not an HGV', but nothing. If they had done so I would have been ready. Our maximum GVW is 4,000kg and any MH at over 3,500kg is classed as a Private HGV on the V5C

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[andyelbac]

Not sure it is as cheap as this little lot I got from Home Bargains the other week. £1 a litreView attachment 761686

Can't beat that!!!

 

[VXman]

Have always used the expensive containers until reading this thread. Will be using a pump from now on
One basic question, is it ok to use the HGV ad blue pump? As read somewhere the flow rate is higher, is this a myth, or is it something to be wary of?
THANKS

Do check on pumps. It's not always cheaper. I've seen some very expensive adblue in pumps.

 

[Murrays]

Hi,
We have a 2020 camper, and I would like to have your dash board! Mine is the old analogue one and is not great- difficult just to to read in general, and I just rely on the Ad blue warning light telling me I need to fill up, which of course happens the day after we filled up with fuel! I only top up when the warning light has come up. You can still drive easily 250 kms before you must fill, so we always find a garage to buy more, and then we just buy 10 l and put it all in. Have a funnel and a short plastic hose connected to the funnel which penetrates through the filler block mechanism, and I just pour it in. I ask the wife to hold the funnel to ensure no messy accidents! Ad Blue does have an expiry date, shown on the container. I note the price varies considerably if you are in France, from about Euro 20 for 10l up to Eur 45 in the service station shops on the toll roads! I am going to try and use an Ad Blue pump now, it does cost considerably less, but concerned that they are set up for filling trucks! Will try anyway, when I see that the feeder pipe will fit the camper.

Yes, wait for the light to come on, fill at the pump. Much cheaper, the nozzle fits and it auto stops when it's full. Just like buying diesel, why would you do it any other way?!

 

[Mike Rivers]

I’ve answered this before but to reiterate.
AdBlue is nasty stuff if you spill it anywhere. Avoid. Fill it up from forecourt using an AdBlue dispenser. Works out cheaper in long run as you’re only paying for what you use. Secondly there’s no urgency to be filling up regularly. Let it get to about 25% then refill unless you’re planning on a trip to the middle of nowhere!

 

[Andy MacD]

I’m now at 12k miles and van has settled at 200 miles per litre. I can now plan ahead and visit an AdBlu pump (mostly in the truck fuel stations) in good time and no messing with containers. Must I’ve come across you need to park at the pump and go in to the counter with the pump number, leave your card with them and then fill.

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[MarSha]

I purchased a small watering can this worked well on my Motorhome. I have tried other methods in the past but the watering can is the best so far

 

[andyman]

Yes, wait for the light to come on, fill at the pump. Much cheaper, the nozzle fits and it auto stops when it's full. Just like buying diesel, why would you do it any other way?!

What’s the average cost at the pump. Buying in containers seems to vary from about a £1 upto £1.60 a litr.

 

[Nigel L]

What’s the average cost at the pump. Buying in containers seems to vary from about a £1 upto £1.60 a litr.

Screwfix currently selling 10 litres for £20, so £2 per litre. The BP down the road from me currently £1.69 per litre at the pump, not sure how that compares with other pump prices, but still cheaper than buying containers.

 

[Mikeyv60]

Don’t worry if you spill a bit here and there, it’s pretty harmless stuff and easily rinses off when wet or dry. Just don’t let it get into your diesel tank.

Adblue is highly corrosive and can cause irritation to the skin, eyes and lungs. Wear gloves and wash your hands and arms after filling.
Wash off your vehicle immediately, never let it dry

 

[BigPaul]

A guy in Ireland with a handful of trucks got caught running vehicles with the adblue deleted.ended up being done for revenue fraud (mega fine)plus a jail sentence

It’s always someone who ‘heard’ about someone. Has anyone actually had it checked themselves? The adblue deletion isn’t even checked at mot!

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[ronboyracer]

Prefer to pump it in from a garage forecourt much cheaper and tend to get less on my shoes! I am surprised though at how much the Ducato 2.3 manages to munch through compared to my BMW 330d. German vs Italian engineering?
Yes the larger containers are a bit like trying to pour fluid out of a set of bagpipes!

Your quite right the ad blue is a pain to fill, I get my ad blue from aldi it's a big container but it does have a built in filler pipe which once inserted allows you lift the rather large container and fill up , I find the smaller flexible bags a pain , what price euro 6 regards Ron

 

[Graham Mew]

Hi All

Our Fiat van is the first vehicle we have owned that requires Adblue. It has covered 1,800 miles in the past 15 months. A few days ago I checked the Ablue level indicator on the 'digital dashboard' display and it's about three quarters full - picture below. I understand that the capacity of the Adlue tank is 19 litres, so it seems that I need 4 to 5 litres to top up. So, on impulse, I bought a 4 litre container of Redex Adblue from my local supermarket. The container supplied with a small push-on angled spout, which is claimed to prevent spillages when topping up with Adblue.

I've been reading Adblue threads on this forum, but I still have some questions:

1. The FIAT and other websites state that I should wait until the Adlbue warning light comes on, and then I should top up with at least 5 litres. Is there any reason why I cannot top up more regularly with smaller quantities? BTW - The handbook doesn't mention a minimum quantity.

2. I fitted the supplied spout to the Adblue filler pipe on the van. It's quite short, and I assume it doesn't penetrate far enough to open the valve inside. Even 4 litres is heavy to lift up; I don't have a steady hand, and I can't see how I can poke the spout into the filler pipe without spilling Adblue all over the place. And - as for quickly removing the spout to avoid spillages when I've topped the tank - I don't think so!! ... So would filling via a funnel with a long flexible pipe be good enough, or should I buy one of those filling contraptions LINK available online?

Thanks in advance

Les

View attachment 749038

I’ve been advised to use up as much before adding more due to age. Look on the container for manufacturing date and sale by date. I wait till it ask me to add the minimum of 8L or the maximum of 12L I then add a full 10 L container in.

 

[Daffy64]

AdBlue pump nozzles are a std size for both HGV and Passenger cars unlike diesel pumps - saying that I have filled my 2022 Ducato at the HGV pump so it can be done.

The reason that services don’t want you filling on the truck pumps is that you only buy a small amount of diesel compared to the pumps and they don’t want a truck driving through without filling as we are on the pumps. I doubt you will ever get refused though as it’s more a deterrent than a ban.

Be careful filling with other cans such as a watering can as stated above, make sure it is clean and dry - you don’t want water contamination.

I’ve just done 5,000 miles in mine and filled for the second time although mine seems to put the light on when it’s about 1/2 full so my 19ltr tank takes about 10K to to full - just filled in france @ 0.85€ per ltr.

 

[Apacheman]

Found there’s not much difference in price between filling at a garage Adblue pump or buying in 10L containers. It’s easier to use the garage pumps are they are designed to open the flap and cut off when full. Garage at the mo £1.95L Screwfix 10L £20.47. Sometimes ALDI do it £16.99 10L.

 

[Mikeyv60]

Really, i paid £1.09 a lt when filled up a few weeks ago?

Found there’s not much difference in price between filling at a garage Adblue pump or buying in 10L containers. It’s easier to use the garage pumps are they are designed to open the flap and cut off when full. Garage at the mo £1.95L Screwfix 10L £20.47. Sometimes ALDI do it £16.99 10L.

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[poisondwarf]

Really, i paid £1.09 a lt when filled up a few weeks ago?

Where was that please?

 

[Apacheman]

In Wakefield. Not seen it as cheap as £1.09 since Spain. Where do you get it at that price?

 

[poisondwarf]

In Wakefield. Not seen it as cheap as £1.09 since Spain. Where do you get it at that price?

I m in North Manchester, near Bury.
I've never seen adblue that cheap from a pump.

I remember buying it from Screwfix at roughly £11.00 for 10 litres only a couple of years ago.

As you will appreciate, that was before the price of everything rocketed!

 

[RYHALLRED]

Wait until you can install a large quantity thus using up the old for it has a self life. Check before purchase the expiry date on the container.

AdBlue has a shelf life because it degrades over time & this happens faster in hot conditions, it is also degrading whilst its in your vehicles tank. So the best thing to do is try use up as much as possible before you replenish the tank. Apparently if you do few miles per year, you should be draining down the fluid & replacing it. Lots of info here https://azurechemical.com/blog/the-shelf-life-of-adblue/

 

[Apacheman]

Really, i paid £1.09 a lt when filled up a few weeks

Really, i paid £1.09 a lt when filled up a few weeks ago?

Hi Mikeyv60. Can you let us know where you get Adblue at £1.09pl. If passing or nearby might be worth calling.

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[Tony50]

AdBlue has a shelf life because it degrades over time & this happens faster in hot conditions, it is also degrading whilst its in your vehicles tank. So the best thing to do is try use up as much as possible before you replenish the tank. Apparently if you do few miles per year, you should be draining down the fluid & replacing it. Lots of info here https://azurechemical.com/blog/the-shelf-life-of-adblue/

Thanks for info, very interesting

 

[therealvicz]

Adblue is highly corrosive and can cause irritation to the skin, eyes and lungs. Wear gloves and wash your hands and arms after filling.
Wash off your vehicle immediately, never let it dry

You are wrong. Ad blue is a dilute urea solution and is mostly harmless to people and the environment, though I wouldn’t recommend drinking it. If spills dry on your car the residue easily just washes off.

 

[Mikeyv60]

You are wrong. Ad blue is a dilute urea solution and is mostly harmless to people and the environment, though I wouldn’t recommend drinking it. If spills dry on your car the residue easily just washes off.

I always find that facts from the professionals are the best to relate to

AdBlue Fluid: The Facts, the Myths & its Usage

What is AdBlue fluid, how does it reduce greenhouse gas emissions and what happens if you fail to use it? Click to learn more.

www.nationwidefuels.co.uk

 

[RYHALLRED]

You are wrong. Ad blue is a dilute urea solution and is mostly harmless to people and the environment, though I wouldn’t recommend drinking it. If spills dry on your car the residue easily just washes off.

7.1. Precautions for safe handling Usage precautions Avoid contact with skin and eyes. Provide adequate ventilation.

Skin contact Product can produce inflammation of the skin following prolonged contact or immersion. Skin contact is not thought to have harmful health effects, the material may still produce adverse effects following entry through wounds, lesions or abrasions, where a stinging sensation will be felt. Eye contact Although the material is not classed as an irritant, direct contact with the eye may produce transient discomfort characterised by tearing or conjectival redness.

https://cleanairblue.com/wp-content/uploads/SDS-CleanAirBlue%C2%AE-AdBlue%C2%AE-4303.pdf

 

[Dorwyn]

Are they taking the p...

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[therealvicz]

7.1. Precautions for safe handling Usage precautions Avoid contact with skin and eyes. Provide adequate ventilation.

Skin contact Product can produce inflammation of the skin following prolonged contact or immersion. Skin contact is not thought to have harmful health effects, the material may still produce adverse effects following entry through wounds, lesions or abrasions, where a stinging sensation will be felt. Eye contact Although the material is not classed as an irritant, direct contact with the eye may produce transient discomfort characterised by tearing or conjectival redness.

https://cleanairblue.com/wp-content/uploads/SDS-CleanAirBlue%C2%AE-AdBlue%C2%AE-4303.pdf

As I said, mostly harmless, no need to panic…