Adblue - 20 litre for 6000 mile - 2015 C7.5 A6 2.0 tdi Ultra
Discussion
Hello
My friend has recently bought this A6. We were talking about it today and he said he has put in 4 bottles of Ablue already and it is asking for more. He has only do about 6 or 7000 miles. Bearing in mind we dont know how much was in there when he bought it. This feels excessive to me.
My friend has recently bought this A6. We were talking about it today and he said he has put in 4 bottles of Ablue already and it is asking for more. He has only do about 6 or 7000 miles. Bearing in mind we dont know how much was in there when he bought it. This feels excessive to me.
There's usually a requirement to add a minimum amount when it asks for a top up, otherwise it won't recognise that you've done it. Best bet is find a station that dispenses via a pump and fill it up. You'll know where you're at then and can monitor how often it asks for it. Don't let it run out - it'll de-rate the engine and then fail to start.
Modern Euro 6 engines will typically need an AdBlue fill up every 3-4 tanks of diesel.
As said above, usage will depend on driving/usage style. More long runs will mean AdBlue lasts longer. Short trips/cold starts/hard acceleration, will all drive AdBlue consumption up (it's injected into an SCR cat in the exhaust to deal with NOx emissions)
Modern Euro 6 engines will typically need an AdBlue fill up every 3-4 tanks of diesel.
As said above, usage will depend on driving/usage style. More long runs will mean AdBlue lasts longer. Short trips/cold starts/hard acceleration, will all drive AdBlue consumption up (it's injected into an SCR cat in the exhaust to deal with NOx emissions)
Sheepshanks said:
Are you sure they're 5 litre bottles? The standard bottle is 1.89 litres. Of course you can get 5, 10 etc litre containers of it too.
AdBlue use is related to diesel used so low MPG means more AdBlue used. Wife's Tiguan does about 500 miles per litre (at 38MPG).
He is buying these from CostcoAdBlue use is related to diesel used so low MPG means more AdBlue used. Wife's Tiguan does about 500 miles per litre (at 38MPG).
ATM said:
Are these common?
Is it cheaper via a pump?
Becoming more common - depends on site space and demand - for those with a filler for AdBlue alongside the diesel tank it's just a lot less faffing about. It's definitely cheaper than buying in small quantities, but can't comment if cheaper than CostCo - just less messing about trying to get it in.Is it cheaper via a pump?
Sheepshanks said:
It’s about every dozen tanks in wife’s car - and it only holds 12 litres of AdBlue.
That's probably an earlier Euro 6 with an NEDC approval, rather than WLTC. Doesn't dose anywhere near as heavily. Depends on relative tank sizes as well, of course. On many cars already in production, when AdBlue requirement came in, manufacturers just shrank the fuel tank and located the AdBlue tank next to it - so you ended up with a double whammy of reduced cruising range as well as needing to fill up with AdBlue!I leased a 2.0 TDI q saloon in Aug 2017 and it took just under 20 litres of adblue in the 12,000 miles I had it for, which was excessive in my opinion. It certainly comes down the how the car is used. At a week old I took it to Nuremberg and back which probably helped it not ask for any until about 4,000 miles.
Regarding filling up at the pump. This is what I do. Service stations are your best bet, pretty much all have them for trucks. I pay around 94p a litre for it.
As mentioned, as my filler cap is next to the diesel cap it's no harder than filling fuel and I think at 94p works out cheaper than buying the bottles, and a lot less hassle.
As mentioned, as my filler cap is next to the diesel cap it's no harder than filling fuel and I think at 94p works out cheaper than buying the bottles, and a lot less hassle.
ATM said:
Hello
Bearing in mind we dont know how much was in there when he bought it. This feels excessive to me.
Well you are just using guesswork then. Until he brims it, uses a proportion, then brims it again, you haven't actually got a clue as to how much adblue it's actually using.Bearing in mind we dont know how much was in there when he bought it. This feels excessive to me.
Matt_E_Mulsion said:
ATM said:
Hello
Bearing in mind we dont know how much was in there when he bought it. This feels excessive to me.
Well you are just using guesswork then. Until he brims it, uses a proportion, then brims it again, you haven't actually got a clue as to how much adblue it's actually using.Bearing in mind we dont know how much was in there when he bought it. This feels excessive to me.
He has just bought it and is concerned about the usage therefore I thought I'd ask the PH massive. Seems its probably right and the car is fine. Feels excessive to me but appears normal comparing to other cars. When people talk about the better mpg of a diesel no one seems to factor in the miles per gallon of adblue.
ATM said:
Yes
He has just bought it and is concerned about the usage therefore I thought I'd ask the PH massive. Seems its probably right and the car is fine. Feels excessive to me but appears normal comparing to other cars. When people talk about the better mpg of a diesel no one seems to factor in the miles per gallon of adblue.
Principally because it's a very recent change, and people like your friend are the first batch of drivers who are finding out through experience. Earlier SCR systems barely dosed, which means the tank only needed filling rarely (like at a service). Less inconvenient for drivers (although they tended to stick the filler somewhere inaccessible like under the bonnet or boot floor!) but didn't do anything much for NOx emissions in the real world.He has just bought it and is concerned about the usage therefore I thought I'd ask the PH massive. Seems its probably right and the car is fine. Feels excessive to me but appears normal comparing to other cars. When people talk about the better mpg of a diesel no one seems to factor in the miles per gallon of adblue.
Truck drivers have been filling up with AdBlue for years, as the emissions standards have been much stricter in terms of what an HGV can pump out in actual use, rather than just on an engine dyno due to the way they're tested.
As an aside, diesel fuel economy has been getting worse for years, as manufacturers attempt to reduce NVH reaching the cabin, particularly on cold start. The days of drivers being prepared to operate a hand throttle in order to smooth out a heavily vibrating stone cold 4 cylinder diesel are long gone! Our then-new J plate Passat 1.6D had such a device (and it took forever to warm up!) and if you didn't use it the whole steering column and throttle pedal vibrated like crazy....
ATM said:
Matt_E_Mulsion said:
ATM said:
Hello
Bearing in mind we dont know how much was in there when he bought it. This feels excessive to me.
Well you are just using guesswork then. Until he brims it, uses a proportion, then brims it again, you haven't actually got a clue as to how much adblue it's actually using.Bearing in mind we dont know how much was in there when he bought it. This feels excessive to me.
He has just bought it and is concerned about the usage therefore I thought I'd ask the PH massive. Seems its probably right and the car is fine. Feels excessive to me but appears normal comparing to other cars. When people talk about the better mpg of a diesel no one seems to factor in the miles per gallon of adblue.
What MPG is he getting from the car?
Adrian E said:
Earlier SCR systems barely dosed, which means the tank only needed filling rarely (like at a service)..
That was very early systems - Audi were noted as not dosing at cruising speed but I think that was only on cars sold in the US, where they had SCR systems before they were fitted in Europe.Wife's Tiguan was one of the first to arrive at the dealer with AdBlue and they didn't know much about it, and the VW information was changing everytime we looked. Her car is one of the last of the mk1 Tiguans, where they banged in the EU6 engine at the end of its life - like you said earlier, with a small tank and it also has an awkward filler under the boot floor.
The latest Tiguan has the same engine and, as far as I can gather from frequent forum posts about it, the same AdBlue consumption. I think it even has the same size tank, but the filler is now under the fuel flap.
Due to rumours VW will point at "wrong AdBlue" if there's an issue with the SCR system I've been buying VW AdBlue in 5 litre containers for about a fiver from TPS and just dropping them in when convenient (ie when the boot is empty!). I've only needed to do that a couple of times per year. However I tried to buy more the other day and they don't do the 5 litre size anymore and sold me their Quantum brand in 10L size for £6.
Adrian E said:
The days of drivers being prepared to operate a hand throttle in order to smooth out a heavily vibrating stone cold 4 cylinder diesel are long gone! Our then-new J plate Passat 1.6D had such a device (and it took forever to warm up!) and if you didn't use it the whole steering column and throttle pedal vibrated like crazy....
My dad told me about 50 years ago people used to light a fire below the diesel tank of a truck to defrost the diesel because it used to sludge up. Them were the days.Sheepshanks said:
If he's put 20 litres in and it's asking for more then I'd say the usage is on the high side. If you bear in mind it'll have some in when he got the car then that makes it worse. Although note that "asking for more" starts to happen at 1500 miles left so at the rate he seems to be using it, he could still have 5-6 litres left.
What MPG is he getting from the car?
AFAIK - the tank is 14 litres, frustratingly (Halfords AdBlue containers are 10L) What MPG is he getting from the car?
The tank needs filling to make the sensor function properly.
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