11' X5 diesel exhaust fluid

[12'M3Freak]

How often does the exhaust fluid need to be refilled in the diesel versions?

[Bmw335cic]

Every oil change

[12'M3Freak]

Every year that stuff has to be refilled! Hope it is not expensive or require a special tool or person to do it.

[263464757]

Originally Posted by 09'135iFREAK

Every year that stuff has to be refilled! Hope it is not expensive or require a special tool or person to do it.

I don't have the diesel, but my manual shows .075gal required for refill at the start of the "reserve quantity" display. Bav Auto lists product at $24 for 2.5gal,

I believe you get the tool in your tool kit, so if the fluid doesn't have to be changed just added, seems simple and not expensive.

Do a google search for "BMW diesel exhaust fluid" and you can read what everybody says.

Hope that sheds some light.

[12'M3Freak]

Thanks. I saw the manual stuff, but I was trying to figure out how often it has to be refilled. I am guessing while under warranty they will refill it, but what about after the 4 years. Then how often does it need to be done?

[TurboFan]

It's supposed to last between service intervals, but if you are getting low gas mileage (hills, driving hard, etc.) you'll need to stop in for a refill before service. It's covered under the maint plan according to my dealer, but they requrire you to come in (won't give you a quart to carry).

[leebee]

I just added the first bottle of exhaust fluid to my '11 X5d and the warning light came on at 11,000 miles and the warning said your vehicle will not start in 999 miles, add fluid. It is easy to add. It is a pretty trick, no drip set up. (I like clean) The reservoir is a little larger than the refill bottle so the time between refills might not quite get to 12,000 miles. The dealer should top it off at the 15,000 mile service. This gives you an idea anyway.

[12'M3Freak]

Cool, that was more of what I was looking for. Thanks.

I guess it is a small price to pay for a diesel.

[listerone]

It's drained,flushed and refilled by the dealer at every oil change.I've had two oil changes and I haven't gotten a "low fluid" warning yet.I recently went to the trouble of buying a 1/2 gallon bottle of the fluid at a VW dealership (it comes in a bottle equipped with the special filler spout) and found that it's quick and easy to fill.I did this out of curiosity as to what would happen when "free" maintenence expired or when I needed an emergency fill up.Very easy indeed.

[listerone]

Originally Posted by leebee

I just added the first bottle of exhaust fluid to my '11 X5d and the warning light came on at 11,000 miles and the warning said your vehicle will not start in 999 miles, add fluid.

I would think that top ups would be covered under "free" maintence.I say this for several reasons...one being that I recently got a free top up of my oil.Just drove in,said it needed a quart/litre and I was out in 20 minutes with a full crankcase.

[12'M3Freak]

I guess that is not to bad and looking in the manual it doesn't seem that hard to do either.

[leebee]

Here is a follow up to my original report of adding fluid at 11,000 miles. (apologies to 09 135ifreak) As mentioned; I added 1 BMW bottle (little less than 2 liters) The warning light went out and life was good. At 12,800 miles the add DEF warning light came back on. I started looking into DEF much more thoroughly. Here's the scoop; Today the X5 has 13,100 miles on it and I filled the DEF tank this time. (as opposed to adding 1 two liter bottle as reported in my first reply) To date that means I have used 2 gallons of DEF for a MPG of 6,550. General research into Urea injection has uncovered some useful information. We do not have to buy Urea from BMW. There are many DEF producers (and retailers) that sell ISO 22241 qualified DEF. As long as you put good stuff in the tank the BMW warranty will remain valid. I bought the first 2 L bottle from a BMW dealer for $22.00. I bought a 2 1/2 gallon jug at O'Rielly auto parts for $11.00 today. Many other outlets retail this stuff now that over the road trucks and newer Diesel pick up trucks use DEF. General Urea injection theory adds this standardized Urea formula at 1 to 3% of Diesel fuel consumed. My X5 burned it at +/-0.6% fuel consumed. That is much better than the theoretical usage should be. (yippee!) DEF usage will increase slightly in colder weather. I live in Utah with a good mix of hot and cold weather so my usage should be a pretty accurate average. Cost bottom line: DEF at non dealer prices will cost about a buck per thousand miles. I can do that

[Cdnrockies]

You're paying the $22 for the funky bottle that screws directly onto this specific nozzle....lol.

I was in a scenario where I had to do a high mileage trip at the same time as when my scheduled service was due. I picked up a couple bottles, used one to get me through the trip and am keeping the second one as an emergency back up. The dealership has taken care of previous top ups, but I wasn't able to get to the dealership in this instance.

[listerone]

Originally Posted by leebee

Cost bottom line: DEF at non dealer prices will cost about a buck per thousand miles. I can do that

Living in New England my "d" experiences both hot and cold weather.In 22K miles I've yet to get the "add DEF" warning.About 90% of my miles are Interstate miles...and most of the rest are "suburban" miles.Very few city stop-and-go miles for me.Don't know if the type of driving you do is a factor or not.So far,DEF is a non-issue for me...even at the -35F I ran into last weekend in Quebec.The dealer told me not to be surprised if it froze at that temp but,it seems,it didn't.Everything was fine (surprisingly enough).

[12'M3Freak]

Thanks for all the info and updates. It still is not bad to pay 11-22 bucks for the stuff. Compared to the savings in gas. Mine is still in the production stage and should be here any week now. Can't wait!

[rhdmd]

Leebee, Great. I just bout a 6L jug of DEF also. But how do I refill it without using the $22 screw in bottle. I have the old bottle. Try to use it as a funnel. But there is a tube inside. What should I do to modify this into a funnel.
How did you do the refill with your 2 1/2 Gal. jug?

[DBB888]

Originally Posted by rhdmd

Leebee, Great. I just bout a 6L jug of DEF also. But how do I refill it without using the $22 screw in bottle. I have the old bottle. Try to use it as a funnel. But there is a tube inside. What should I do to modify this into a funnel.
How did you do the refill with your 2 1/2 Gal. jug?

Buy the $22 bottle and use it - then cut the bottom out to use it as a funnel forever-
Make sure you redirect the breather tube back into the bottle with a rubber hose b/c when you plunger it down the refill nozzle some fluid shoots out of the breather tube and you don't want that on your face or clothes.

[CMH75]

Hey guys - I'm just about to hit 65K on my '11 35d. Had to refill the DEF once after the 50k warranty period, now in the past 5K miles (60-65k) I've filled it twice and for a third time my 1,000 mile warning just came on. I don't see evidence of a leak in the reservoir. Anyone else with experiences like this?

[smyles]

How much did you add every time? Have you filled both reservoirs?

[CMH75]

Originally Posted by smyles

How much did you add every time? Have you filled both reservoirs?

Just filling the reservoir on the left under the hood with 1-1.25 gallons each time. Didn't know there was a second reservoir. Where is it and how much should I be refilling each time?

[smyles]

[CMH75]

Originally Posted by smyles

Ha! No joke......thanks for your help!! Clearly, I've been filling the active tank only.......surprised how much it accepts though (1.25 gallons, at least). Disappointed BMW placed the passive tank spout in such a difficult location......hopefully not too challenging to access.