pedser

I am at my 15k maintenance point, thinking that my def tank is empty or close to it (I did not have the warning) I purchased 2 ea. 2.5 gal of fluid at my local auto parts. I have read that it`s 6.7 or 7 gal container, well I poured the first 2.5 gal container (it must have been close to empty I could hear the fluid splasing in the empty tank), all good so far but, when I started to pour the second 2.5 gal container I was only able to do (at best) 1 gal.

Thinking that I have an active and passive tanks (2014 q5 Tdi) I waited a few days and tried again, .... and you guess what it was full. Of course after reading here I now know that I only have one tank.

I have a vcds cable and understand that there may be a way to read the level of the def tank. If someone know where to look please let me know....

Enjoy,

brutus23079

Hey Pedro, I decided to use your data and try a different approach regarding Adblue. You only got like 3.5 gal in at the 15k point, meaning there was roughly 2.5 gal remaining in the "approximately 6 gal (23 liter)" tank, according to the owner's manual page 229. I bought a single Peak 2.5 gal Blue DEF container and dumped it in at my own 15k point. (No 1500 mi warning yet.) Turned the ignition on for 30+ seconds and off. May need to be driven for a few minutes, but obviously no biggie, as long as the 'puter reads the new level and no further VCDS adaptation is needed. We'll see what happens. Was going to see how far I could go on the dealer's evac and fill-up from the 5000 mi service, but said "**** on it"....so to speak... So now, I'll presumably hit the warning light before 25k miles. Should be close if our average Adblue burn rate is only 3.5 gal/10k mi. If not, it'll be just another 2.5 gal jug again. Trying to minimize the amount of old fluid in there since we're not evacuating old fluid at each service like a dealer does.

To answer Spijun's question earlier in the thread, the concern of two Adblue tanks vs one has to do with (supposed) issues filling up. With our one tank setup, I dropped 2.5 gal in no problem. With the two tank setup, Dutch VanAtlanta reported only being able to get like a gallon in at a time, then go driving, then add another gallon etc etc. Thankfully as Spijun said, we just have the single tank.

Thanks for the data points Pedro. (And no, I still can't get a reliable VCDS data point on Adblue tank levels.) I'll report back how many miles I make it if I do finally get a warning light before the 25k service. Then we can find out if the VCDS Adaptation procedure works, or whether it's still needed, even after the warning lights.

rfa5

Just to give this thread some new life, here is a little experiment I did with my Q5 TDI. Knowing I would be bringing my Q5 in for the 5000 mile service (where they would fill the Ad Blue tank) I decided to fill the tank myself beforehand to see if indeed I can fill it myself. When I purchased my Q5 I was asking the salesman quite a few questions about the AdBlue and getting it refilled, etc. Upon delivery of my Q5, the salesman carries out the half gallon bottle of AdBlue that Audi sells and gives it to me (like it was a bottle of Grey Goose Vodka or something!) So now, right before the first service I figure I'll add this bottle plus any more it will take to fill it up the best I can. I purchased a 2.5 gallon jug of Blue DEF at Walmart for 11 or 12 bucks and now I figure I have enough to give it a fill. The Audi Kruse bottle is nice as it screws right on to the fill and you push down on the bottle to open the spring loaded fill and the AdBlue chugs into the tank. Now take that Audi bottle and use a little muscle and the top screws off...there are plastic teeth that you have to force to open it but it does open pretty easily. Now in a safe place (you don't want to spill this stuff all over as it leaves a crystalized mess) you refill the Audi bottle and screw the top back on and fill your tank once again. Do this until the Q5 stops taking any more. With the Audi bottle nothing is ever spilled as the top is spring loaded and the opening shuts when you release the bottle. As far as "burping" the tank...I refilled on a level surface until it stopped taking AdBlue. I tried refilling again the next day and again the day after that just to see if the level went down at all. It didn't go down at all so I was convinced that I did fill the tank and burping was not necessary on the single tank Q5 setup. When I brought the Q5 in for service, the AdBlue tank was one of the things they check and they asked me if I filled the tank as it was full. That confirmed that you can indeed fill the tank yourself at a far cheaper cost than at the dealer. Is it easy to fill...yes. Is it a pain in the neck to fill...also yes but if you're a DIY type of person or if you want to make sure you're filled up before a long trip. it is do-able! Just wanted to add my experiences with AdBlue filling as it seems to be a big mystery still (and I'm sure a big money maker for Audi)!

brutus23079

Thanks for the feedback rfa5. As this was your first post, welcome! Did you ask the dealer about Adblue shelf-life issues? Audi officially says in their maintenance schedule to only evacuate Adblue if *none* has been added in four years (as in they're not too worried about it). Most other sites I've seen talk about a max shelf life of 2 years before quality begins to degrade. Personally I don't care as long as the 'puter doesn't throw a code for poor DEF quality. Just curious if you have any additional info...

rfa5

Hi Brutus! I didn't ask about the shelf life of AdBlue but I really don't think it's an issue unless it is stored in perhaps a very hot and sunny location. I think the only issue would be evaporation and then you would probably start getting crystallization. I did spill some on the ground when I was filling my AdBlue Kruse bottle and it was quite amazing how fast there is crystallization. I can see an issue on some of the Volkswagens that have the fill in the trunk as that is just looking for trouble if there is a spill while filling. Some of the other forums the posters are saying to cut the Kruse bottle and use it like a funnel, but then you need to be so careful about spills. Refilling the bottle, while it may take a little time, practically eliminates you getting any AdBlue on the vehicle due to the ingenious design of the bottle. I never really kept track of my AdBlue consumption, but it certainly isn't much! On a side note in July I made a road trip from Long Island down to Long Boat Key in Florida with my Q5 and averaged 39.8 MPG. Was quite impressed!

brutus23079

Thanks rfa5. I do recall reading about Adblue degradation in hot climates. On filling, I spilled some initially myself using the plastic hose that came with 2.5 gal Peak jug. ...and I wasn't even trying to fill it to the top. Had the garden hose at the ready so no biggie. Then I switched to using a narrow transmission funnel and dumped it in slowly and that worked fine. If I had the VW trunk location, I would have been *a lot* more careful about spilling, i.e. like at least using the Kruse-bottle-turned-funnel method. I'll try your refill method next time. Bottom line like you said: BIG money maker for the dealer and certainly an easy DIY job.

tekna

Does the free 5K service not cover the cost of the AdBlue?

DennisMitchell

Yes, and AudiCare will cover @ 15K, 25K, 35K, 45K.

My Q5 TDI has 13K on it now and I never had a warning. It was topped off at the 5K service.

brutus23079

Dennis, please do let us know when you get the 1500-mile warning. Would be nice to get more data points on our Adblue range.

Using Pedro's 3.5 gal/10,000 mi burn rate, a 6 gal tank should yield roughly 6/3.5per10000 or 17,000ish miles. If that rate holds for you, you shouldn't see a warning for another (again roughly) 17000mi max - 8000mi so far - 1500mi for first warning = another 7500 miles. Man, if that holds up... TIA.