Club Touareg Forum banner
Cancel
Create thread New Garage Forums

V6 TDI AdBlue Service

Jump to Latest
41 - 60 of 76 Posts
#42 ·
X2! Have done 42k mi with adblue top-offs every 5-6k mi. Never had an issue with low-adblue warnings. But always brought an extra gallon as insurance on long roadtrips. :rolleyes:
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
#44 ·
Now that I'm off free maintenance, I'll probably use it myself toward the 45k mi top-off. (When I'm back from the CO Rally at about 47k mi.) According to the label, adblue is good for 2 years from the lot date. My pair of half-gallon bottles were purchased in spring of last year with a lot date of 10/09. So adding them in Aug. should ensure they're used up by 10/11.
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
#45 ·
dtrax said:
Then do you have the dealer use that gallon when they refill you? Someone said that it would go bad from heat/cold/time?
Click to expand...
The Touareg itself goes through heat and cold scenarios so likely the main culpret is time...although I bet if you stored the bottles in a cool place the fluid would out last the expiration date.
 
#46 ·
Mine's consistent with sailing's. I visually confirmed my tank was full on delivery and I've now got 15,000 miles and have added 3 gallons.

Walmart now sells AdBlue for a bit more than good windshield washer fluid and it is just as easy to add.
 
#47 ·
DCC said:
I had the opportunity to speak to a BMW technician today about the X5 Diesel and he mentioned to me that the old AdBlue fluid had to be drained on a periodic basis...
This is the first time I have heard of that maint process...is this the same with the V6 TDI Touaregs?...I alwys thought the Blue fluid (which is actually clear in color) burns off when used...

Any help?
Click to expand...
There is a 2 year drain schedule which I believe is ment to clean and remove any crystalized adblue in the system. Or if you don't power through a tank within 2 years which is the shelf life.
 
#48 ·
Hello, I'm planning on buying a 2011-2012 Touareg or Passat. I live in a very densely populated city, and I go out on a highway once every 5-6 months, and usually the traffic is bumper to bumper. My concern is the adblue system. I read the owner manuals, and it doesn't look good. I have to constantly check the oil level, if the engine is burning oil the particulate filter has to be replaced. Both cars don't have a heater for the adblue, which means problems in the winter. I have to reduce the idling, and go look for a congestion free highway to blow out the particulate filter. I really like diesel economy, especially looking in the future, but this looks too much work for me. What happens if I don't perform the abovementioned things. How much does it cost to replace particulate filter after 80,000 miles. How about the adblue tank, and system cleanup after the warranty. I really like the TDI Jetta, but i can't fit in it. And I'm not interested in the gas VW models. Any help and suggestions will be greatly appreciated
 
#49 ·
deeppurple said:
Hello, I'm planning on buying a 2011-2012 Touareg or Passat. I live in a very densely populated city, and I go out on a highway once every 5-6 months, and usually the traffic is bumper to bumper. My concern is the adblue system. I read the owner manuals, and it doesn't look good. I have to constantly check the oil level, if the engine is burning oil the particulate filter has to be replaced. Both cars don't have a heater for the adblue, which means problems in the winter. I have to reduce the idling, and go look for a congestion free highway to blow out the particulate filter. I really like diesel economy, especially looking in the future, but this looks too much work for me. What happens if I don't perform the abovementioned things. How much does it cost to replace particulate filter after 80,000 miles. How about the adblue tank, and system cleanup after the warranty. I really like the TDI Jetta, but i can't fit in it. And I'm not interested in the gas VW models. Any help and suggestions will be greatly appreciated
Click to expand...
You've thrown so much out there it's hard to put it all to rest.
You don't have to check the oil level any more than any other car. If you break the car in properly (by not babying it) it shouldn't burn oil, same as with any other new car. Who knows on DPF? EPA says they should last 150,000 miles, but they have only been on two model years. The car burns off the soot either by the style of your driving or through what is called regeneration. The soot is burned off and ash is left. At some point the ash needs to be removed, either by cleaning or by buying a new DPF. Long haul trucks have had DPFs for awhile and there are services that clean theirs, why not ours?

Adblue is no sweat. It's cheap and it is no harder to add than windshield washer fluid. A tankful will last roughly 10,000 miles. While the entire tank may not be heated, I have read that the intake from the tank is heated. This is a European car designed for latitudes colder than most of the US.
 
#51 ·
SamTrooper said:
... The vehicle is designed so that it will start even if the urea is frozen and then it allows a certain time for it to thaw out before it starts injecting it.
Click to expand...
That's good to know, that it will run if frozen.

I wonder how cold it has to get to actually freeze the AdBlue more or less "solid". That's what I'd be more concerned about, because if it can get solid, it might start expanding stuff, and breaking things. That would be a bad deal.
 
#52 ·
I am sure VW thought all of that through before they put it on the vehical. I never had a problem with the tank in mine and it gets pretty cold here in UT and especially after a day of skiing in the mountains. No issues at all.
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
#54 ·
SamTrooper said:
it starts to freeze at -11, trust me i've had a frozen tank and it has been no problem.
Click to expand...
That's pretty cold for my part of the woods, and mine never sits outside over nite, and that's the only time that it would ever get that cold.

While we're on the subject of cold starting, one thing that I've noticed is the glow plug delay on the Treg. I really like the way that VW has done this. You have to put your foot on the brake, you turn the key, and when the glow plugs are done heating things up, the engine turns over and starts.

This beats having the old lights that you have to wait on. Yeah, you get used to that, and it's no big deal.

Our last car was an MB E320, and that didn't have the concept of glow plugs that you had to wait on. You just started it. There was a light that would come on, but it would never be on more than a sec. I started the car one cold day, around 0, just by getting in, and turning the key. Started right up. I don't know how they did it, but it worked good, however they did it.

But, if you have to wait on glow plugs, the way that VW did it is the bomb, I think...
 
#55 ·
What about the urea that can be purchased at truck stops? Has anyone out there used it? Has there been any problems. Sure, I can afford to buy the stuff from the VW dealer, but if there are other options, why not? My wife freaked when I suggested it.
 
#58 ·
Thanx for the replies! The reason I turned to this forum is because the sales people in VW dealers can't answer my questions and concerns. So far I'm sceptical about my near future purchase of Passat or Touareg TDI. Had I lived in the southern states, this would've been a no brainer... But living in the northern frigit winter states, and in one of the most densely populated cities in the world, I may pass on the opportunity of owning either one. I'll be very happy if someone convinces me the opposite with facts. I like diesel, because of the fuel economy, engine long life, and imminent near and long future spikes in the oil price. I,m tall, so I can't fit very well in a Jetta. I would like to keep the Passat or Touareg for more than 6-7 years... But with the adblue system, owning either one would look more like a second job. No adblue tank heater(safety hazard for my kids), particulate filter may have to be constantly replaced if you don't have access to a congestion free highway and that will eat your savings from the fuel economy. Now that I think of it, the future retail value of those cars may be much lower in the northern states. And I didn't see diesel water separator, which improves the burning, in the Passat or the Touareg.
 
#59 ·
It seems to me you're already convinced the diesel is not for your and your simply looking for confirmation. Here are a few facts.

There IS a heater in the adblue tank, it heats the tank after the vehicle has been started. It's designed this way to prevent battery draining.

The resale value of the TDI is often 25-30% higher than a similar gas model after 5 years.Those facts aren't from southern states but from the great canadian north. This include adblue vehicles.
Adding adblue is no diffferent than adding windshield washer fluid, and the system is designed to be fairly foolproof.
A diesel without Adblue is actually 5% less efficient than a diesel with adblue and the cost of adblue is approx 5%-+ of running cost.

If your primarily doing city driving 100% a diesel is probably not for you as your not going to get the most out of the engine especially if your trips are under 10 minutes per day.
 
#60 ·
deeppurple said:
.. Now that I think of it, the future retail value of those cars may be much lower in the northern states. ...
Click to expand...
Have you looked for any Jettas / Passats / Touaregs that are 5-6 years old, and are diesels?

Number 1 - they are hard to find, and I think that's partly because owners hold onto them for a long time

Number 2 - They WILL be higher in price than their gas cousins. ALWAYS. The future retail value of these cars will definitely be higher than their gas cousins. There's no doubt about that.

You also spoke about lack of water separators. I just looked in my Touareg manual, and interestingly, there is no mention of water separation in the manual. HOWEVER, modern day diesels MUST have water separation, because the high pressure pump just doesn't like to compress water. Add to that, that all diesel fuel most likely has a little bit of water in it, and you have to have a way to get it out of there. Apparently, VW has a way to get rid of that water without it being an issue.

I live and breath diesel, but you didn't even mention the worse thing about diesel. The fuel pump. I love the smell of diesel as well, BUT I don't like it on me so much, because once it's on you, you smell like that for days, it seems like. BUT, at the end of the day, there's an easy easy fix for that. Just throw a pair of clothes into the vehicle that stay in there all the time, and then, no matter where you go, and no matter how nasty dirty the pump is (and it will be), you have a pair of gloves that you put on. Diesel on the gloves, and not on you.

Along with SamTrooper, I too think that you've already convinced yourself that a diesel isn't for you. Modern day diesels are just like their gas counterparts. You get in and drive. And, like he said, adding AdBlue is really like adding washer fluid. It's another thing that you have to add occasionally. The car tells you when you need to add it, just like washer fluid. No big deal.

Unfortunately, I think that there a lot of people out there that still associate diesel with the 80's era diesels. Those vehicles really only had one thing going for them: MPG. Beyond that, they were everything that people said they were: loud, stinky, smokey, and slow. Modern diesels are none of those things. They are really no big deal...
 
41 - 60 of 76 Posts
About this Discussion
75 Replies
31 Participants
Last post:
gkord4
Club Touareg Forum
posts
784K
members
105K
Since
2003
Club Touareg Forum is a forum community dedicated to Volkswagen Touareg owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about VW Touareg Sport Utility Vehicles and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
General Maintenance & Repair Australia & New Zealand Brakes, Steering, Suspension, Wheels and Tires Mobile Electronics and In Car Entertainment General Touareg Discussions