Thinking of buying a little 4x4, probably a diesel. A few years old low miles. My car is a euro 5 1.5dci but it looks like most diesels after 2018(ish) are Adblue for cleaner emissions. Apart from the extra cost for the additive, are there major pitfalls and issues that make the system something to be avoided? I have read that Mercedes have lots of problems with their Adblue.. but they are not on the radar anyway. Probably be a French car or something from the VW/Audi group.
Have been driving a 2.0 TDI VW Tiguan since 2017. 40,000+miles on the clock thus far, no issues with Adblue. Only costs £12-£15 every 5,000 miles or so to fill the Adblue tank. Dash warns you when there's 1,500 of estimated range left saying car will fail to start if you reach zero. I run it down to 500 miles or so as only then will the dash say you need to add more than 10 litres of the stuff, it generally seems to come in that size.
My bimmer uses it. 26k and still has 2500 miles before the machine tells me it needs a top up. Modern ones are so much better. Don’t try and run dry tho. They really don’t like it!
Some lorries I drive require 35ltr of adblue a week. You should always run the adblue down to as low as possible, you get several warning. Just stick the filled container in your boot because it cystalizes if not drained/emptied out.
Most people in the know will tell you to avoid anything with adblue. the more emissions stuff on a vehicle, the more that goes wrong (and they do). Some of the modern stuff goes through adblue like it’s fuel as well. And if it gets too low like my Range Rover did, it won’t let you start it. dpf’s and egr valves are a pain in the ass. And often expensive to sort out when they shit themselves. They’re now classed as consumable items. A lot of this emissions stuff is a bit of a con. And it strangles the life out of the motors. It used to be that if you did long runs on diesels you’d avoid any issues with the emissions stuff. But these days even on long journeys the systems still get coked up with shit and fail after a while. So it depends how long you’re going to keep it. My transporters fuel economy isn’t that fantastic anyway but when it’s doing a regeneration (which they do fairly frequently) it absolutely monsters through fuel during the cycle. I was told by vw customer service to only run mine on super diesel as it’s got cleaning additives in it and that normal diesel plays Havoc with the dpf, egr and turbo (ive tested it and it does seem to regenerate less on the v power stuff). This was also backed up by a specialist who’s seen dpf’s buggered at 20k miles. a lot of people I know with the modern commercials (vans) get the emissions stuff taken off.
Who are these most people in the know? What do they know? Just about every modern diesel uses it without problem. EGRs and DPFs have been around way before adblue.
Various forms of emission control have been fitted to cars since 2010. AdBlue is being used on most modern diesels to meet the current emission standards. The only thing I’d “warn” about modern diesels, you need to consider your typical journey. If the majority of your driving is local school runs, local supermarket run etc then a modern diesel may not be the best choice. The emission controls on modern diesels need to reach working temp and be driven for a while, to allow systems to self clean. if your average journey is short, ie: 10 miles, then consider a petrol. I had a diesel company car with adBlue, but drive 35k mile a year, mainly motorways. 10ltr adBlue would last 15k miles, no real problems. The choice is not as simple as petrol or diesel, your typical use and journey should be taken into account when choosing.
I used to work full time as a test, development and r&d driver for numerous manufacturers ok top of my race coaching /instructing I did in cars. These days I do the odd few days a year still. Basically spend my life doing laps of millbrook and alike testing everything from handling to durability. Stability - you name it I’m not saying it’s bad by the way. But there is issues with these emissions systems. I’d probably avoid it if I could. But it wouldn’t bother me under warranty either
I run a Vito 119CDI that uses Adblue. I’m unaware of any technical issues with it. I certainly haven’t experienced any. From a costing view it’s pretty much negligible. 10 litres will last a gazillion miles and it’s not particularly expensive. Shell garages sell it at the pump.
Yep, there are plenty of companies offering this service my mate converts vans into camper it’s a popular option for many. It’s around £500 for my van (MBVito) with a re-map, seen plenty of Sprinter blowing out Black smoke so clearly been doctored. Read plenty of horror stories of trying fix the warning lights on vans costing ££££ at dealers for no cure. Quicker and cheaper to doctor these add ones.
Thanks for replies folks. My driving is mixed, lots of little short journeys (but with the hills around here always up to temperature quickly..) also plenty longer where a diesel would come in to its own. Not had a company or personal car that was petrol for over fifteen years, though my wife had a 1.2tsi Seat that went very well, I prefer a tdi of some sort. Especially when looking for a 4wd as they tend to be more thirsty.
Unless your going to buy either a pre E6 engined diesel or Petrol I don’t see how you’ll avoid AdBlu. Not sure of the issues come your MOT in France, it is where you reside unless I’m confusing you with another forum contributor?
Hairy, you seem to forget you’re minted so even if AdBlu were the same price as Champagne per litre it would still be ‘not particularly expensive’ for you.
Confession time. In 2016 I put Adblue in the fuel tank. Drove 200 yards and the car came to an abrupt stop. Audi wanted £8k to replace tank and injectors. Insurance would not pay out on ‘mis fuelling’ I argued Adblue is not a fuel and they paid out. In hindsight probably could have flushed out but was advised not possible removing ad blue from the system as it solidifies. Now switched to petrol
i've seen more DPF and add-blue issues in the last 6months than i have in the 10 years previous. diesels need the shit kicked out of them constantly. if i was doing mostly short and city driving i wouldn't touch one.
I have a Mercedes C250d and have not had any problems with it at all. Adblue use is negligible and does not add much more to the running costs as it is very fuel-efficient. Swings and roundabouts.
