[cadtdi]

Hello, all!

I bought a jug of OReilly DEF three weeks ago and added it to the tank. This DEF had just been delivered to my local store.

Last week, headed to Gulf Shores for a few days. Got about 100 miles into the drive when I got an "AbBlue 200 miles to No Start" warning. Thankfully there was a VW dealer about 30 miles away, they got me right in.

Diagnosed the code as "low quality DEF". The fix was to empty the tank and refill. Three hours later and $800 lighter in the wallet we were back on the road and the next 1000 miles we have put on the Treg were perfect.

From all that I have read about DEF, it is all the same....32.5% urea and deionized water so I suppose I just got a bad jug of DEF...but I have to admit I am wary of adding non-VW branded DEF after this eventhough my chances of getting a bad jug a second time are very slim. Maybe I should have purchased Peak DEF...I had it in my hand when the OReilly rep told me they had just gotten a delivery....

I love the way the Treg drives and rides but boy, the repair bills are high! My wife really likes it, too, but says one more like the last two (algae in the fuel tank, $1400) and she votes to trade in for a Tiggy. Tiggys aren't bad but they are NOT a Touareg.

Not whining or venting really, just relaying what happened to me.

cadtdi

 

[New2Tregs]

Hello, all!

I bought a jug of OReilly DEF three weeks ago and added it to the tank. This DEF had just been delivered to my local store.

Last week, headed to Gulf Shores for a few days. Got about 100 miles into the drive when I got an "AbBlue 200 miles to No Start" warning. Thankfully there was a VW dealer about 30 miles away, they got me right in.

Diagnosed the code as "low quality DEF". The fix was to empty the tank and refill. Three hours later and $800 lighter in the wallet we were back on the road and the next 1000 miles we have put on the Treg were perfect.

From all that I have read about DEF, it is all the same....32.5% urea and deionized water so I suppose I just got a bad jug of DEF...but I have to admit I am wary of adding non-VW branded DEF after this eventhough my chances of getting a bad jug a second time are very slim. Maybe I should have purchased Peak DEF...I had it in my hand when the OReilly rep told me they had just gotten a delivery....

I love the way the Treg drives and rides but boy, the repair bills are high! My wife really likes it, too, but says one more like the last two (algae in the fuel tank, $1400) and she votes to trade in for a Tiggy. Tiggys aren't bad but they are NOT a Touareg.

Not whining or venting really, just relaying what happened to me.

cadtdi

Damn $800 to drain and refill the DEF tank?
Was a Gasser Treg not an option or was there a reason for going with a TDI such as towing often or mpg?

 

[Black Grouse]

Hello, all!

I bought a jug of OReilly DEF three weeks ago and added it to the tank. This DEF had just been delivered to my local store.

Last week, headed to Gulf Shores for a few days. Got about 100 miles into the drive when I got an "AbBlue 200 miles to No Start" warning. Thankfully there was a VW dealer about 30 miles away, they got me right in.

Diagnosed the code as "low quality DEF". The fix was to empty the tank and refill. Three hours later and $800 lighter in the wallet we were back on the road and the next 1000 miles we have put on the Treg were perfect.

From all that I have read about DEF, it is all the same....32.5% urea and deionized water so I suppose I just got a bad jug of DEF...but I have to admit I am wary of adding non-VW branded DEF after this eventhough my chances of getting a bad jug a second time are very slim. Maybe I should have purchased Peak DEF...I had it in my hand when the OReilly rep told me they had just gotten a delivery....

I love the way the Treg drives and rides but boy, the repair bills are high! My wife really likes it, too, but says one more like the last two (algae in the fuel tank, $1400) and she votes to trade in for a Tiggy. Tiggys aren't bad but they are NOT a Touareg.

Not whining or venting really, just relaying what happened to me.

cadtdi

Algae in the fuel tank is nothing to do with Touareg, or VW - it's to do with the variable quality of fuel in North America for which the answer is to use an appropriate additive (or move to Europe!).

If the Adblue/DEF poor quality was the cause of your recent expense then that again is down to variable quality in North America.

 

[SaVAGeSoot]

OUCH

 

[SaVAGeSoot]

Did you check the expiry date on the jug prior to using it? It's got a shelf life!

 

[SaVAGeSoot]

Also, the fact that you received THAT warning, indicates that you either didn't add sufficient DEF to the tank and\or you didn't do the reset procedure.... you should've been greeted with the first "low DEF" warning that's the 1000 mile mark or whatever you guys have on that side of the border.

Mine warns me first when I'm down to 1600kms left....

 

[C-ya]

The one and only warning I got from the DEF system was 100 miles until no start. I had owned the vehicle for about 10 months at that point and had driven about 5K miles. I topped the tank off within a few days of purchase so I would have a baseline. Weird that I got no other warnings.

 

[SaVAGeSoot]

On this side of the fence, even your gen had plenty of warning....

See pg 3 if you wish

https://alumag.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/AdblueCanadianDriverDEFAdBlueSCRVWTouaregDieselTest.pdf

 

[cadtdi]

Hello, all -

I bought the Treg about 4 months ago, had never added DEF. I added the jug in part to see how much it was down (it took the whole container).

Yes I did the reset procedure as specified in the manual. Again, I had not received any messages that DEF was needed. The VW tech at my local VW shop suggested that I not wait for the mileage warning, that it was best to add DEF every couple of fill ups. I know adding DEF every few fill ups has been discussed here and I supposed there are pros and cons to both approaches.

I did not check the expiry date as they had just received a pallet. DEF should last 2+ years under normal conditions. I am going to have to contact OReilly to figure out how to decode what is stamped on the jug, there is nothing at all on the box other than the barcode.

cadtdi
.

 

[SaVAGeSoot]

Read your owner's manual.
When you get a warning, there's a "minimum" top up amount that you need to add.
You don't need to randomly add as per "your tech"..... you just need to do it correctly and with sufficient (and good) DEF
For what it's worth, I have never added without being prompted by the system in my 4 years of ownership.

 

[cadtdi]

Well what is printed on the OReilly jug is a just a plain old date - 0916221449....that would be Sept 16, 2022 2:49 PM. I called OReilly and they pulled a jug and that is how they read the date as well.

So if that date I read is correct, this was fresh DEF but my guess is that it was contaminated.

.cadtdi
.

 

[C-ya]

For what it's worth, I have never added without being prompted by the system in my 4 years of ownership.

I have eschewed that approach since I was only given "100 miles". I top off twice a year.

 

[SaVAGeSoot]

I wonder if it's a coding and\or software thing... would be worth looking into as that kind of warning is NFG for sure.

 

[cadtdi]

I did consult the manual - and there is no reason that DEF cannot be added prior to the 1500 mile warning. If you take your TDI in for service VW is supposed to add AdBlue as part of the service according to the settlement (at least this is my understanding). I do not think they do that if I am honest or I would never have been able to put in 2.5 gallons. The manual recommends putting in at least 1.5 gallons once the warning is displayed.

The problem was not caused by adding DEF, it appears that the DEF that was added was poor quality/contaminated.

Here is the thing about 'good' DEF....there is absolutely no way that any of us know the DEF is "good" until we find out it is NOT good. Of course the VW dealer strongly suggested that I should only be using VW DEF, but unless VW has some specific spec for their VW-branded DEF it should be like any other DEF available out there.

Since I added 2.5 gallons I would say I did not randomly add fluid. Granted I did not wait for the warning, but since the tank took 2.5 gallons it was at least 1/2 empty.

I love VWs, I have had 3 TDIs and 3 gassers - but I have to say having a tank that requires DEF with no way to check the DEF level is just crazy. I have heard that Mercedes diesels are very sensitive to what DEF is used (read that on a forum somewhere), maybe my Treg has a sensitive stomach.....

cadtdi

 

[volkswagens-for-life]

Every single one of these threads I see, the result is someone using off brand crap def. Just saying. Peeps here will argue me. That's fine. My personal experience (hundreds of these exact thread). For what it's worth, first time I used non Ford def on my 6.7 I had everlasting emissions problems too.

"But def is def".

 

[cadtdi]

I may buy VW DEF as needed after this, at least for a while. Should I decide to try something else after a while, it will probably be Peak...that seems to be everywhere.

 

[volkswagens-for-life]

I may buy VW DEF as needed after this, at least for a while. Should I decide to try something else after a while, it will probably be Peak...that seems to be everywhere.

Peak same story. Many on here and the forums with botched def systems with peak.

 

[SaVAGeSoot]

Diagnosed the code as "low quality DEF". The fix was to empty the tank and refill. Three hours later and $800

The problem was your dealer and their greed. It wouldn't take anywhere near that time or cost to do the above IF that was the actual issue. You got ripped off, because you were in a jam and didn't have options.

But if you believe that using a certain brand or "OEM spec" DEF will give you protection, by all means, go for it.
$800 buys you a lot of VW DEF

Personally, I don't believe your DEF was the issue, and I'd be willing to bet the just reset the system without draining\replacing anything... but that's just me.

 

[nickyt]

VW connected to the car computer and reset the def system level. There was a software fix that was issued for this as the original car software was defective in computing the correct system level.

If you had the old software, the system should have updated you while it was connected to the VW mother-ship, or is that the VW mother-shop?

Anyway, it sounds like the old VW def level bug. The dealer finds it easier to say "Bad Def" then to explain to you that the original software was defective but since you are years past the free fix date, that the fix is no longer free.

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[Solandri]

FYI, if you're in the U.S., as part of the dieselgate fix and lesser-known Adblue heater fix, VW agreed to refill the DEF on all TDIs for free for 100k 120k miles or 10 years since first purchase, or 48k miles or 4 years since the fix (thanks to SaVAGeSoot for the exact info). I don't recall if that's base mileage, or miles since the TDI fix. Most people should still be within those limits, so they can just take their car to the dealer for a free DEF fillup.

I've only bought my own DEF when I was on a vacation trip and couldn't leave the vehicle at a dealer for a day. I learned my lesson and schedule a DEF top-off before any long trips now.

"But def is def".

DEF is DEF. It's just urea and water at a certain concentration. The problem is urea breaks down over time, so it has a shelf life. You need to take the expire date seriously. (I've heard but can't confirm that the breakdown is due to being light-sensitive. If you're storing leftover DEF, you may want to keep it in a dark place.)

The DEF sold at truck stop pumps is cheaper and easier to fill (and newer since it's sold more quickly). But I didn't feel like unloading a rear full of suitcases at a truck stop, when I could do it at a hotel after the suitcases were in our room. Really wish VW had put the Adblue fill valve in a more convenient spot.