Don't Buy Adblue DEF From Places Like This! Shops & Petrol Stations Storing Adblue Incorrectly

Too many companies are storing adblue incorrectly.
almost every pterol station in the UK are storing adblue containers outside in direct sunlight and at temperatures way above 25°c
it states on there own bottles not to use it if its been in direct sunlight or stored above 25 degrees Celsius
this month has seen temperatures up to 41° with adblue left outside.
some containers showing signs of leaking so not sealed correctly.
some stations I've seen dust covered and sun faded cans that suggest they have been there way past the 12 month shelf life and even had the production or expiry dates removed 😲

[@reverseeltd8064]

ADBLU , saving the planet one plastic container at a time!!!!

[@janjson435]

A lot better than buying an EV. To manufacture each EV battery, you must process 25,000 pounds of brine for the lithium 30,000 pounds of ore for the cobalt 5,000 pounds of ore for the nickel, 25,000 pounds of ore for copper Diging up 500,000 pounds of the earth's crust For just - one - battery

[@kamikazekaos]

You can recycle plastic nit your lungs 😂

[@PM-vb4od]

​@@kamikazekaos Most plastics can't be recycled

[@miranda_imp]

I don’t use Adblue, but this is the first time I’ve heard about this. So well done “O’Rileys Autos” for highlighting something that the rest of the auto trade “and” the relevant authorities should be telling us. 👍

[@sicks6six]

ADBLUE is like one of those things that an old bloke told me about when I started work 50 years back, he said to me "Today's new materials are tomorrow's new problems" he was talking about plastics being used instead of metals but it applies to everything,

[@larrysimon1]

Great advice Jimmy. I bet that 99% of the so called motor trade will not know this !

[@richardhartley7094]

That’s because 99% of the motor trade know it’s this nonsense

[@dominickfagan4050]

Fair play to you Jimmy. Just honest straight forward Irishman. Telling people what is causing the problem even if it is taking work away from you love it.❤❤❤

[@ariantaria2065]

Great advice for all motorists out there 👍 👍, no one take note to read all printing on the label,,another helpful advice 👏

[@calanbennett6817]

In Australia we mix it freshly the day before we top up. I use 6kg of Urea in a 20L plastic Fuel can (~30%) with no issues in last 10yrs. Urea costs me $34 for 20kg, Filtered water is free, ie: cost is about AU$10.20 [51c/Litre] for 20Litres. I get my Urea (98.9% pure) from a Rural Supplier just down the road, they use it for fertilizer.

[@garreysellars5525]

Well done Amazing they tell you it can't be done I won't own any thing that has this Old school fitter in Australia 🇦🇺 Happy Australia Day

[@mohammednabil9792]

Excellent advice and will note for next time 👍

[@bikerrf900]

Thanks for the heads up. Very useful.

[@oladapoaloba]

Well done Jimmy Good honest mechanics like you are absolute gems thanks for calling out these cowboys. Well done my good friend👍

[@ORileysAutos]

Thanks 👍

[@BionicRusty]

Some great advice. Thank you 🙏

[@MrErnogoldfinger]

I was worried that I had put expired adblue in my car. I had a feeling that the date on the container was in fact the date of manufacture... your video is the only thing that cleared it up for me. 😁

[@ORileysAutos]

They should make it more clear but I think prd means production date

[@ciaranmccormack4434]

‘That’s not a good sign’ great technical knowledge there mate… I also like how you provide studies to support your claims and didn’t just use nonsense anecdotal evidence without any proof that storage makes any difference to the performance of the vehicle

[@glennryan4889]

Thanks Jimmy, just got a car with an adblue engine, great tip.

[@maciejb2169]

Thank you for bringing this up. What do you think is better to get adblue from containers or from the pump?

[@123boat]

Great tip. Thanks for posting 👏👍

[@AdrianH1970]

Brilliant advise, thankyou. Just need the retailers to get the message and store it correctly.

[@dieselbushcraft1299]

Good advice, filling my T6 always puts me on edge as they are so particular about amount and when to top up. Currently mine is saying 2500 miles left and I have a long trip coming up in a couple of months, waiting for it to drop and tell me to top it up which I hope it does it before the trip.

[@ianlaccohee7180]

I try to buy mine from B & Q. They store it inside, & they’re half the price of a gas station. Having said that, I buy a new one as soon as I use the older one, then leave it in the back of my pick up. I obviously need to stop doing this. Thanks for the info. I never knew this.

[@leprechaunshelper]

Top man for sharing this vital info 👍👍👍

[@alanmclaughlin529]

Sound advice, thanks for posting!

[@ORileysAutos]

Glad it was helpful!

[@johndutton2895]

Never gave it any thought before 🤔 great information/advise

[@pauljames970]

The only thing that is wrong Jimmy is, once it's in the vehicles storage tank, it's outside in all weathers and temperatures !

[@nickjohns1875]

Temp might be up there but every tank on a vehicle is underneath and not in a transparent container taking on full sunlight

[@ammass321]

@@nickjohns1875 it's still getting hot down there aint't it? You can measure temprerature if you want.

[@dospalmascb]

great info! thanks. what about buying it from the pumps in certain service stations?

[@larkehoe6716]

more than crystals around filler neck, it can cause crystals on the injector in exhaust aswell and pretty much close it up...

[@nickheppleston5913]

Wondering what your thoughts are on AdBlue from the pump? I’m thinking if it’s used by the HGVs there would be more throughout of the liquid stored - I.e. shorter shelf life?

[@mdr_random]

Another good video - thank you. If you have time a video on the different fluids would be good. Adblue, eolys, FAP, PAT, etc. Can I just put Launch DPF cleaner in the Adblue tank and call it good as they are both water-based :o)? What are the differences, how do I tell what I need and where do I get it from? Keep up the videos! Cheers.

[@wortho4]

I bookmarked this chart a while back showing the importance of temperature during storage of adblue - Prolonged storage above 25 °C will cause hydrolysis to occur, with the consequent formation of ammonia and pressure rise, and will reduce shelf life. The shelf life of AdBlue® is the period of time, starting with the completion of the production of the batch, in which this product, stored under specific conditions, remains within the specifications defined in ISO 22241-1:2006. The shelf life as function of the average product temperature is given in the following table: Average product temperature °C Minimum shelf life Months ≤10 36 ≤25 18 ≤30 12 ≤35 6

[@jonsutyautomotiverepair1993]

I’m often thought this, Halfords near me do it also!

[@phildunne2632]

Fair play. It's not cheap either....I used to buy mine from a local motor factors which stored the drums in a warehouse correctly.

[@marley2319]

Great video. I would have never known about this without your video so thank you for that! So where can or should you buy it from? Cheers.

[@stephenjames59]

Berlingos had a recall on the Adblue filler cap but it is difficult to find information on this and whether you have the upgraded cap fitted.

[@davidwaters5348]

Learn something new everyday !

[@harryjarvis3143]

cheers jim pity you didn't do this video sooner.

[@normanstephens5391]

My Previous Diesel. Ford Bmax didn't use Adblue. Current car is petrol. But will keep it in mind should my next vehicle be a Diesel, needing Adblue. Great Information. Shame on retailers and others who don't correctly follow the manufacturers recommendations. See you in the next one. 👍👍

[@chrishart8548]

Just don't buy a diesel that requires add blue. The stuff is a giant pain.

[@mdsymonds75]

Adblue pump at fuel station is where I go.

[@mickehoe]

100% no issues with NOX exceedance since I started using pump for adblue at large garage. The containers at the garage are sitting in sunlight

[@careyautorepairs]

Interesting tip this. Thank you.

[@jasehigh2746]

Thanks for that bud✌️

[@ORileysAutos]

No problem 👍

[@robertlincoln7312]

Many thanks for your advice.

[@ORileysAutos]

You are welcome!

[@ronniec5643]

Good shout. Bought mine at a shell garage near Carlisle. Cost me £500 at Jaguar dealer to have it fixed after DEF came on. Properly rinsed yet again by Jag.

[@ORileysAutos]

Thanks for sharing

[@davegavin7914]

Thank you I had no idea 👍🏻😉👏👏👏👏

[@ORileysAutos]

No problem 👍

[@billysmart24830732]

Love your videos Jimmy, I regularly post your links to mechanic forums.

[@karlsanderson8127]

I think I'll be getting it out the pump from now on

[@JohnSmith-mk4nf]

Fair play to you, i never knew.

[@johnmcbride4706]

Great advice, thanks.

[@ORileysAutos]

Glad it was helpful!

[@londonjacks8371]

Good advice thanks 👍🍻

[@ORileysAutos]

No problem 👍

[@bobby5634]

Is it best to use a filter with mesh when pouring it into your vehicle?

[@mathew8749]

Jimmy is the man 😎

[@LegioXXVV]

Adblue is primarily urea or CO(NH2)2, which breaks down to ammonia (NH3). It is the ammonia that is the main reactant that neutralizes NOx. The fact you can smell ammonia is an indicator that the product contains the primary reactant, if you can't smell ammonia then then the product contains far too much water.

[@the_retired_mechanic]

Well I knew it had a temp storage range but didn't know it only had about 12 months shelf life. Every day is a school day

[@wortho4]

I've seen a chart where the shelf life drops to under 6 months @

[@xxwookey]

Container I've just bought says 18 months. Usually these shelf lives are quite conservative, but it does seem that temps over 25C may make it degrade faster. It should be easy enough to measure if the fluid is still within spec.

[@jamescollins2798]

Crazy that garages are so stupid with storage.

[@miketherefurbisher8000]

Great as ever Jimmy!! I saw a documentary on this some while ago, and please correct me if I am wrong but ADBLUE IS diluted urea which is plain old urine!! so it's bound to crystallize if left in extreme temperatures. Thanks Jimmy

[@ORileysAutos]

Never knew there was a documentary. Do you know how to find it? I've heard it's made from urine lol but never really looked into it

[@miketherefurbisher8000]

Yes it was just something I saw one night, I can't remember if it was on the box, or on KZbin! One thing's for sure it's the people like us that buy theses vehicles that are the real guinea pigs. Steady with that Jack 💗your channel Thanks.

[@jamesstephenellison]

it's not urine, it's made from ammonia from a bi product of gas processing@@ORileysAutos The Air1 in your video was filled in my factory in Stoke.

[@kevinpalmer7452]

Well said👍

[@errolmagill1611]

It is very hard to fnd good information about adblue. Begs the question as to if it goes off in the vehicle tank too; I took no chances recently and drained my tank (vehicle idle for over a year) and refilled with fresh stuff from a motorfactors.

[@ryanh3285]

I keep an extra spout in my van to make it easier to fill cleaned my van out yesterday and the crap that came out of just the spout was unbelievable i won't buy a car that uses it I can't see how its anything but trouble

[@geraldj2062]

You need to adjust your camera settings, as image when you're in cab is MIRRORED!

[@MePeterNicholls]

I get mine from pump now. Cheaper too

[@aib0160]

For those of us not doing a high mileage I would suggest that the adblue in the car tank will be there for more than 12 months and if not garaged will regularly see temperatures well above 25C in summer and well below 0C in winter. Surely if it were that temperature and time sensitive they'd not do that?

[@mistsmogguru8378]

You should be ok with the heat as the tank isn't in direct sunlight. It's surprising how cool it stays. Yes it can 'drop out' over time. Having said that, we had a customer who did little mileage and never had any issues with it.

[@aib0160]

@@mistsmogguru8378 If it's scorchio then it stands to reason that all fluids will see the same temperature just like your washer fluid freezes in winter. When they say its 30C outside that's in the shade, not full sun.

[@JayGee6996]

@@aib0160it doesn’t freeze in the washer bottle it freezes in the tiny nozzles/tubes that are very close to the bonnet which are affected much more by ambient temperatures

[@aib0160]

@@JayGee6996 Trust me, fresh water freezes at below temperatures of 0C irrespective of where it is.

[@JayGee6996]

@@aib0160 only if it’s exposed for long enough which is why the nozzles and tubes are always the first to go; it’s also why the surface of a lake freezes but not necessarily the entire body of water.

[@user-xe5gy7zv6s]

What is happening to ad Blue in a car’s ad Blue tank parked or driven in Australia in summer when temperatures hit over 35 degrees for day or weeks during our hot summers? I just got my new Fiat Ducao motor home,it will be parked in open space in direct sunlight? I wonder?

[@pjgardenservices7805]

I am having issues with my adblue system. Why dose the 497 refill message, not change, when I drive my van for 100 miles, the same message is on dashboard 497 to refill. I would appreciate your feedback and advice. Thanks

[@rmc5278]

I would never touch it without gloves too 👌

[@stevem856]

I know some might not agree but motorist are getting ripped off left right a centre, when I took my peugeot 3008 2016 for it's last MOT to my trusted go to garage he showed me a car who's adblue had major problems and cost a fortune to put right , we talked about adblue delete which I decided to have done , I had the delete done with a stage two map for fuel economy, been done for over a year now no problems what so ever and no future adblue problems.

[@discodave2733]

All the guys i know with vans got rid of the ad blue system and guess what they stopped having problems

[@user-ov2zz4sk2v]

Hello, I have a 2019 sprinter, ad blue consumes it slowly, i.e. I have driven 2000 kilometers and in the adblue calculator, 400 kilometers have been reduced. Is this normal or is it some kind of defect ?

[@Emmnoyhl]

So if isn't good enough what's the problem using it?

[@malcolm6951]

Never have been a fan of diesel engines in cars, had four over a period of 16 years when they were supplied as part of my job. It made sense then as it saved many £'s on income tax, also they were before the advent of pdf's & adblue. HM Government did a great job of conning, IMHO, the general car buying public in to buying diesels as they were 'clean'. My experience from the last two cars that covered lowish mileage and a lot of stop-start city driving is they were not suited to that type of use, giving very poor fuel consumption. From the videos Jimmy has posted I am certain that I would have needed his services by now if I had gone for diesel, probably after some very expensive 'repairs' done elsewhere. Current car is 7 years old 2L petrol with turbo, no issues at all with fuel/ignition/exhaust system, mileage not high at 43,000.

[@garreysellars5525]

Add blue in Australia is $1.74 per litre More POULITION to make the One time use container than what it saves

[@xxwookey]

They are different sorts of pollution so you can't just net them out like that. The plastic container can be recycled. NOx ends up in the atmosphere, making smog and doing harm to people (and animals), if it's not treated. The embedded emissions in the plastic tub will be tiny.

[@garreysellars5525]

@@xxwookey You think

[@xxwookey]

@@garreysellars5525 LDPE has embodied emissions of about 1Kg/Kg. So 10l adblue tub will be ~0.3Kg CO2e. That's the same as driving about 2km in an average car. NOx (which adblue removes) is not a global warming gas, so again, one can't just net one sort of pollution against another as they are apples and oranges.

[@dmitchell1713]

Just subscribed, nice👍

[@ORileysAutos]

Thanks for the sub!

[@dmitchell1713]

@@ORileysAutos thank you for your content

[@horacesawyer2487]

See my question on Adblue quality and introducing very hot water into an empty DEF tank. Attack on the crystalizing !

[@daraocadhain2835]

Any idea if the Adblue additives help? (Like Wynns Crystal Clear and Protect, or any other you may recommend) Just got a new car, adblue fault, in getting fixed as I type. My parents car had an adblue fault twice, new tank, new sensor and €2,000 lighter.

[@zhqiu1597]

did you try that and is it works?

[@sweetvuvuzela4634]

Would you recommend using the ad blue pumps instead of using gallons

[@ORileysAutos]

Yes definitely

[@anesdj4282]

There is an anti-crystallization fluid that can be added 25ml per 10l of AdBlue.

[@davemcnish4235]

Have you a name for it ?

[@anesdj4282]

@@davemcnish4235 3RG, eventually my AdBlue pump on my Peugeot 308 collapsed, whole reservoir had to be replaced (1400 Eur) so I deactivated that shi* electronically.

[@horacesawyer2487]

Have you had success with the anti crystalizing fluid for Adblue? What is the name, do you know? Any help appreciated. Wondering if it will unclog a clogged DEF injector also. That would be marvelous extraordinaire!

[@anesdj4282]

@@horacesawyer2487 in Poland they recommend Tunap for that purpose. Unfortunately in my case the pump stopped working, and since it’s costly to replace it with the whole AdBlue tank, I had to switch this shit off.

[@jazzonismo802]

I had a little from last summer that I stored in my shed so not in direct sunlight. We've had a very cold winter...Will it be OK to use?

[@ORileysAutos]

Safer to use a fresh one

[@DPF123]

Just wondering what if I top up the ad blue tank with DPF cleaner, rather than spray it in the ad blue injector place

[@IvanIvanov-lc5gk]

Idea

[@jamietaylor5204]

ad blue is for use with the SCR Cat not the DPF. its normally after the DPF and also most adblue systems on modern vehicles have a quality sensor in the system so will shut down the system bring a management light on and possibly put you in a reduced power/limp mode.

[@horacesawyer2487]

DPF: what about super hot water in the tank to clean the DEF nozzles? Empty the tank first then hot water, run it, repeat. Maybe add some solvent - as you suggest - but what? I'm thinking DPF cleaner may be too strong for the wimpy adblue injection system. Did you try this? Please share. I'm looking at having to play with the tank and injector on an RR Sport 2017 US ver.

[@ryanh3285]

Also seems to have doubled in price since it first come out

[@ORileysAutos]

2 years ago £8 now £36 near me

[@stephen2304]

B&Q/screwfix/wolseley plumbers merchants to name a few are selling this …around £16 for 10 litres and it’s kept inside the building… that’s where I get mine and never had a problem, half the price of the mainstream garages..😉

[@ryanh3285]

@@stephen2304 Thanks mate its for my work van I can only get it on fuel card from bp luckily the one i get it from seems to sell alot and it isn't stored incorrectly for to long if that makes a difference.

[@jamboreeband]

A garage near me has adblue in a pump like petrol or diesel the use a lot of it they have 25 trucks. would that be alright to use this in my mercedes

[@ORileysAutos]

Yes it would be ok

[@Ian20232]

It’s the new rip off for diesel drivers. When I first started using it it was about £8 for a big tub but now it’s more in the region of £25-£30

[@ORileysAutos]

£36 at my local petrol station 😮

[@FromMetayou]

​@@ORileysAutosgo to b and q

[@horacesawyer2487]

The message on LRs for 'incorrect Adblue quality' is a mystery to me. What is the 'quality' that fails ? Does this really mean that the nozzles injecting it are clogged and there is a sensor that can tell not enough of the chemical is finding it's way into the exhaust? Perhaps the reading from NoX sensor that is referenced quite often? What is it Jimmy, do you think? Query: what about draining the tank of all the old fluid and putting a gallon of very hot water, start the car and let it pump hot water through the crystallized injector? Seems like that would melt away the salt crystals and then you're back in business. You've already got the error code, so let that inject for a few minutes, perhaps repeat with more hot water - I mean it would have to get super hot to act quickly in my estimation. Do that 2 or 3 or 4 times, then add the good stuff. Reset your codes. Anybody try this? I'm looking at a 2017 US ver. Range Rover sport with this message, need to tackle it.

[@SqueekyBums]

Over 25c, in the UK, good one 😂

[@mosh78]

😂 he mentioned 40 n 41!! 😂 can't be UK...

[@russellthomas9391]

Does the adblue tank need removal to clean it ?

[@jonesy66691]

No you just pay the manufacturer for a new one.

[@Jim-fw4rx]

So are you telling me that in places like the South of France adblue needs to be stored in temperature controlled environments?

[@ORileysAutos]

Indeed

[@Jim-fw4rx]

@@ORileysAutos I can somewhat understand the rise in price then.

[@nickryder9669]

What about when it’s in your car ? -o c. or + 25 c ?

[@xxwookey]

Cold does not degrade the fluid. Heat does. So yes total lifetime goes down with higher storage temp (36 months under 10C, 18 months under 25C, 6 months under 35C). Same will be true under the car. It's not going to be over 25C much of the year in the UK, so the combined time in the tub and in the adblue tank will be fine up to about 18 months. In practice it'll be OK longer than than - exactly how much longer is hard to say.

[@fuglyucker6238]

ZHah, I have been saying this for years, as a Mercedes specialist garage I have seen problems with Adblue systems and the cheaper the Adblue, the faster, more expensive to fix it gets,,,,, customers don't care, until it kicks them hard in the wallet

[@dwhit247]

Top man ta.

[@iangrice329]

So are we supposed to keep it in the fridge in the summer???

[@xxwookey]

it will last longer if you do.

[@SteveN-pw4dj]

Can't you just put distilled water in instead of adblue? Just curious 🤔

[@michaelparker5072]

No

[@jagmarc]

now that's an idea...., dilute with DI water a bit at a time until get first warning code and compare ratio with other makes

[@stu176mmm]

And they are also ripping you off, adblue is more expensive than fuel!

[@jagmarc]

Why can't we just use [edit filtered] diluted piss with blue dye added for free 😂

[@julesviolin]

⚠️Even better advice. Don't buy vehicles requiring Adblue. Crazy concept

[@waynec8894]

Just turn off ad blue then you not have to buy it any way

[@stevekelly5166]

I know, let's add piss to lower emissions. Don't call it piss though or they won't fall for it.

[@rigamortice]

So the answer is, DON'T BUY A CAR THAT NEEDS ADBLUE

[@PumpTheRod]

...........Why is water and piss so expensive? .....................................................................................

[@mickclay-vx1sx]

Better still , don’t buy add blue, screw the climate

[@blowduke]

Someone is making a fortune selling that crap

[@peterwilkinson2998]

MINT

[@pluffer96]

But all it is, is Pig urine?

[@ORileysAutos]

No

[@jagmarc]

Which urine is it then

[@Son-Of-Gillean]

Ad Blue is a 32% solution of urea and mineral water. Urea is a compound naturally found in urine, but the urea in Ad Blue is lab made.

[@jagmarc]

Cool! what urine is it lab-made from?

[@Son-Of-Gillean]

@@jagmarc Urea in the lab is made by reacting carbon dioxide and ammonia, then it goes through some other processes to produce a salt end product. There is no urine involved in the formation of lab made urea. When injected into exhaust gas, the urea reacts with NOx and converts it into Nitrogen, water and carbon dioxide.

[@pbsalyid5323]

Your intro music is upsetting

[@markemarkpsv1]

Propaganda Jimmy, 41°C in the UK…? Where, a UK territory island near the Caribbean? The max temperature the UK has seen this year is just over 33°C. It’s been the wettest year since 2012, the wettest month being July 2023. USA and Canada have also been really wet too, affecting crops like here in the UK. Crops love the rain in summer, but too much like we’ve had is also detrimental.