Adblue

66Beetle

A2OC Donor
I know it has nothing to do with any A2 but can anyone tell me about topping up this Adblue stuff please ?

Just changed our other car for the first one we have had that is on Adblue. I thought I could just get a small container of Adblue and pour it in when the light came on saying it needed topping up.

Asked Local VW Dealer Parts Dept by email. They said I would need the Dispenser Kit as well. How does it work please. I can not see any Pump on the Dispenser Kit. It just looks like some Nylon Pipe with end fittings of some sort.
 
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We've got the dispenser kit. It is as you say just a nylon pipe and uses gravity. It just allows you to fill up with no risk of spilling (adblue is very bad news for paintwork).


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So do you mean you have to put the 10 Litre Container of Adblue on the Roof of the Car or something please ?

It's sounding like I might not be bothering and just let my ( un ) friendly local Audi Dealer do it for me. Seems they have a nationally Agreed price of £1.50 per litre for topping up. There is a video on the Audi website showing you how to Top Up using the 1.89 litre VAG container which has a connector to fit the inlet valve on the Adblue tank. You just twist the container on and it goes in. But it tells you not to Top Up by less than 5.7 litres otherwise the Top Up Warning will not reset. That's not very helpful as 3 x 1.89 only = 5.67 ! That and cheapest I have seen it is £6.73 inc VAT per 1.89 litre container. That's from vwmotorparts.com who I have always found to be cheapest for Quantum Gold Longlife Oil, VAG Screenwash etc
 
FYI

Although it’s non-toxic, AdBlue is corrosive and can cause irritation to your skin, eyes and lungs, so do wash your hands after filling. Be sure to rinse any spills from the car’s bodywork too, because AdBlue can damage paintwork


Should I keep some extra AdBlue in my boot?

While at first it might seem sensible to keep a few extra litres of AdBlue in the boot, this isn’t something we recommend, as any spills or leaks are likely to damage your car’s interior. Do also note that you can’t keep a half-empty container of AdBlue in your garage if you have some left over after topping up, as airborne contaminants can affect the chemical composition of AdBlue
 
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I know it has nothing to do with any A2 but can anyone tell me about topping up this Adblue stuff please ?

Just changed our other car for the first one we have had that is on Adblue. I thought I could just get a small container of Adblue and pour it in when the light came on saying it needed topping up.

Asked Local VW Dealer Parts Dept by email. They said I would need the Dispenser Kit as well. How does it work please. I can not see any Pump on the Dispenser Kit. It just looks like some Nylon Pipe with end fittings of some sort.

Don't know which current VAG model you have but we have one with a 24l AdBlue onboard tank and when i get the warning message (fill up with at least 6 l as your range is now only 1600 miles) i empty a 10 l container in through the Dispenser kit. Simply hold the container above the the filler point and it empties in about 3-4 mins. Cost from Audi dealer in 10 l containers works out at about £1.20 per l inc VAT and the dispenser was about £8.50, so might be cheaper from TPS. Only problem I can see is that there is no apparent means of assessing the amount remaining in the onboard tank at any point.
 
OK Thank you for that. Checked on vwmotorparts.com They charge £13.03 for the 10 Litre. Add a Dispenser makes it £20.64 Dispenser on it's own £8.26 All inc vat. They are my nearest VW Dealer - Lancaster Volkswagen - so Carriage charges do not apply.

Maybe I'll just be friendly with the Audi Dealers at £1.50 a litre then if they spill it it's their problem !
 
My vans use it ( euro 6 customs ) and we use 10liter per 10k miles and I just buy a 10 lt when needed and pour it in with a funnel and wash any off . It goes off apparently if stored for ant length of time
 
Oh well. The AdBlue 1,500 Miles to go Warning came on at just under 4,000 Miles from new ! Took it to Lake District Audi yesterday. It took 14 Litres at £1.50 per litre inc Labour. Not too bad but all the info reckons it should last maybe 9,000 Miles. Got them to plug it in for Diagnosis. They say there is nothing wrong with the car !
 
Oh well. The AdBlue 1,500 Miles to go Warning came on at just under 4,000 Miles from new ! Took it to Lake District Audi yesterday. It took 14 Litres at £1.50 per litre inc Labour. Not too bad but all the info reckons it should last maybe 9,000 Miles. Got them to plug it in for Diagnosis. They say there is nothing wrong with the car !
It is mildly annoying not knowing what volume is left in the Adblue tank, but I am finding that when the warning comes on I can get 20 l in without any overflow on our Q7 etron which is supposed to have a 24l tank.
 
Business/dealers etc are making a fortune out of adblue, we buy it for about 30 pence per litre, that is a 1,000 litres a time, but a massive mark up for the smaller quantities.
 
It is mildly annoying not knowing what volume is left in the Adblue tank, but I am finding that when the warning comes on I can get 20 l in without any overflow on our Q7 etron which is supposed to have a 24l tank.

Thats normal, our coaches/buses have a 24litre tank and a label says only 20litres are available. no idea why....
 
Thats normal, our coaches/buses have a 24litre tank and a label says only 20litres are available. no idea why....

Presumably it gives a warning at 4L because you don't want to empty it completely and 20L won't overfill it?

RAB
 
Presumably it gives a warning at 4L because you don't want to empty it completely and 20L won't overfill it?

RAB

We get a flashing light as a warning, then if you ignor that the engine will derate. overfilling just means you spill it. Ours get topped up everyday/other day so should never get near running out.
 
My other car ( not A2 ) is a 2017 A6 Avant Quattro S-Tronic 2.0 TDI Ultra 190 Black Edition. Says the Adblue Tank is 17 Litres. As I said, they put ( or charged for ) 14 Litres to fill it up yesterday. But should that have been needed at only 4,000 Miles from new ? Should I be struggling to get close to 40 mpg out of it, when all my driving is ExtraUrban and they claim something like 58.9 mpg for the “ ExtraUrban cycle “ ? Think Audi must have got that figure on a Bicycle. Not an “ ExtraUrban Cycle “ ?
 
Adblue is a mixture of 32.5% urea (or carbamide) and 67.5% deionised water, for anyone interested.

RAB
 
I used to work in heavy haulage and our trucks used adblue but in larger quantity tanks. Adblue does decompose over time but should also not be left out in direct sunlight. It will corrode paint as well as stainless steel!!! When spilt it also dries to leave a very nasty looking residue that you would not want in/on your car.
 
Interestingly, a colleague of mine had his new Q7 Diesel tell him it needed AdBlue after only 2000 Miles. Took it back to Preston Audi. They filled the AdBlue Tank Free of Charge and said it should be OK for another 10,000 Miles. Explanation being that it can not have been Full on Delivery, as it should have been !

Who is supposed to fill it ? Factory or Dealer ?

He reckons that’s the same reason my new A6 needed topping up by 14 Litres at only 3,900 Miles !

Bit the bullet and topped it up again myself before a trip to Cornwall. Just got a 10 Litre container and poured some in via a funnel. No problem. Won’t be getting an Audi Dealer do it again !
 
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