Pteam:

Yes, DEF is all the same. I think I saw them using a brand called "Peak" at the dealership. I did the first fill myself and I found it very difficult to see the level of DEF in the Adblue tank once my funnel was in the filler neck. As a result, some of the DEF ran over. Others have said that they could see the level, maybe they had better lighting. The problem with DEF is that it is corrosive to metals. It isn't any more toxic than diesel fuel but it will corrode wires quickly. There is a wire harness that goes into the top of the DEF tank. If you get DEF on it, you will be replacing your entire tank. I would recommend you follow the link in the post above (post #19) and buy your mechanic a half gallon DEF bottle as outlined in the post and have him rinse and reuse it for subsequent fillings. A good rinse with water will clean up any spills. Also, if you are filling at 10,000 miles, you should only need around 5 gallons unless you've done a lot of towing.

 

And Mobil I ESP 5W40 Formula M is the correct oil - 9 qts will do it but if you buy 2 cases (12 qts) you have some for topping up later if necessary.

 

Ok I bought the Blue Def from walmart in the 2.5 Gallon containers. I'm right at 10,000 miles. So since I'm at 10k miles, I could completely fill a 2.5 gallon container of Blue Def into the tank without it being too full and spilling over? Since you say: "Also, if you are filling at 10,000 miles, you should only need around 5 gallons unless you've done a lot of towing."

Its way too hard to tell how full the tank is. I shined a 900 lumen p7 flashlight in there and you cant tell how full the tank is. So I definately dont want to over fill it.

Also can I just use the container with the little tube that comes with the container of Blue Def from walmart or should I use that plus a funnel just to be safe?

 

I would just take it easy once you've put about one and a half of those 2.5 gallon containers in the tank. Just pour slowly. Honestly, I think you have to be real sloppy to get the urea on the wire harness. If you do, just close the Adblue tank and rinse the top of the tank of with plenty of water.

I watched a MB tech do the fill on my GL at my 30,000 mile service and he wasn't too concerned about the wire harness and quite frankly hadn't heard of anyone having any problems (although there was another tech on here that said that he had). He splashed the DEF all over the place and just wiped it up with a rag. It isn't acid, it just corrodes bare metals. So rinse it off it that occurs. I had some on my bumper and I just rinsed it off the next day, no big deal.

 

I just want to put ONE of the 2.5 gallon containers in the tank at this point. I didnt even get the low adblue warning. I'll put another 2.5 gallon container in 6 months later or something. So with that being said I'm gonna go put in one 2.5 gallon container with a funnel AND gloves on and be SUPER careful UNLIKE all the mercedes techs LOL Thanks for your help!

 

Ok all done!

Couple of tips for a fellow members filling their adblue in the future.

If you buy the stuff from walmart dont try to use that little filler tube that comes with it, its junk and it leaks.

Use a funnel it that fits right in. This will also prevent spillage, and spillage on the wire sensors in there. Pour slowly right into the middle of the funnel.

If you think you need 3 or 5 gallons just put in 2.5 gallons for the time being. You don't want to overfill this stuff.

Do this and its a piece of cake. Why take this to the dealer and pay them $220!?!?!

 

VW sells the half gallon with screw on lock, will that fit the GL tank? I was thinking of using the container as a spout. Thanks

 

There is no magic to getting the AdBlue tank full - it does the job whether it is full or not. Want to be cautious? Wait 'till teh AdBlue light comes on, then, at the next fuel stop (or at home), get out the funnel and the 2.5 gal jug of AdBlue and put all 2.5 gal in. Cannot get too full that way.
The danger of the urea on metal is caused by the way it attacks copper. If ANY gets near a connector it should be rinsed off immediately. And I mean the INSIDE of the connector.

 

On two occasions, when the light came on I added two 2.5 gallons and did not over flow. The car is at 30K miles, I have added a total of 10 gallons. I guess its safe to add 5 gallons when the light comes on.

 

Yes, the tall volkswagen container screws right on to the gl350, it works great and prevents spills. You screw on and push down until it stops accepting more.

I was able to unscrew the top and refill it from the bigger 2.5 gallon container and reuse.

 

That's my plan $19.99 for the 2.5 gallon here in Canada and about $12 for the 1/2 gallon with screw on.
Thanks!

 

No problem. Just put in another gallon today to stop the annoying sloshing sound from a less than full tank.

 

How do you get rid of the AdBlue warning? I read somewhere that it was supposed to go away after a couple miles of driving.....i did more than 10 miles and warning is still there. Also the warning came up at 2800 miles which seem awfully low.

 

Yours is new - take it to a dealer, under warranty. You should NOT be getting a warning at 2800mi in the first place. After the AdBlu is filled, no reset of the warning should be required.

 

My owners manual states that you just drive over 10 mph and the indicator warning will go off. I added the 2.5 gallons at 14,500 miles when my warning indicator came on using a funnel with a long fill neck. No spills. I did place rags around the filler neck to catch any spills but didn't have any. If you spill a little, just use a wet rag to wipe it off. It will crystalize when it dries. I paid $11.99 at Autozone. I only bought one because they only had one and said it would be a week before the next load came in. They sell DEF (diesel exhaust fluid).
Anyway, my warning indicator did not go off until I drove it the second time and it had gone off.

Also, the owners manual states that you CAN fill it yourself and gives the specs for the type of DEF to use.

 

I really hope the AdBlue tank wasn't full when they delivered my ML350, otherwise i do have a problem with filling DEF at every 3k miles. I did fill it myself with 2.5 gallons and drove well over 10 miles (close to 30 by now) with at least 10 starts. I also called mbrace to get some info from them, even though it didn't sound like the rep. was knowledgeable he also said that warning light supposed to go away after refuleling DEF. I wonder if there is a reset procedure for it similar to reseting Service A,B,etc. notifications?

 

You have a problem. Take it to the dealership so that they can diagnose it.

 

took it to the dealer today, after looking into the problem for 2 hours, as i was waiting for it, dealer said that i have to bring the car back it probably leave it for the day. As i was driving away the "AdBlue warning" went away but on the next start it did come up again. Some weird sh$t.....

 

I wouldn't wait for the Adblue light to come on. I did that recently and it cost me.

I had let a 10K service interval go by with only 2.5 gallons added to the DEF tank. I know from prior calculations that a full tank lasts about 14,000 miles, so it was no surprise that the "Adblue Low" warning came on one day.

I made a note to get a couple of 2.5 gallon jugs and refill. But before I could do that, on the very next start, the "Check Engine" light went on.

I immediately added 5 gallons of Adblue but both warnings stayed on. A few starts later, the car started counting down "Starts Remaining ..."

Got to the dealer with 17 starts remaining and they added another couple of gallons of their expensive Adblue. Both warnings remained on. Then they reset the Check Engine code. Dealer bill: $220. (Car is out of warranty with 55k miles, and extended warranty does not cover running out of fluid.)

I asked why this happened, and they said (basically), "It just does. Don't let it get low enough to trigger the warning, or it will happen again." Once the Check Engine light is set for this condition, the dealer has to clear the code -- it won't clear itself.

So now my strategy is different. Every 10k, just as recommended, I will FILL the tank using 2.5 gallon jugs to refill one of the special no-spill 1/2 gallon jugs sold by the dealer. I'm using the "cut out the bottom" trick described earlier.

It makes perfect sense to follow the maintenance recommendation, and so it's my fault it ran out, but the owner's manual is incorrect that you can just add some fluid and drive on without consequence. I pointed this out to the dealer and was told that the manual is wrong. Not sure I believe that, but in any case the penalty for setting the Check Engine light is enough to keep me from letting the DEF tank run dry again ...

 

IridiumRoad, i get what you are saying but why are the common users have to jump trhough the hoops with this BS, it honestly pissing me off! I can understand if it got to the point when countdown finished and you car won't start....... we don't have to go to the dealer to reset "low gasoline" light neither low tires..... I really don't think that have to do the calculations of when DEF is about to run out.... It should be as simple as it is with gas refueling, low AdBlu light came up, add it in a day or two and keep on drivng stress free!!!

 

IBUN - You can thank your favorite EPA regulator - they approved the design of the Urea additive system, including the limp mode that penalizes you for not keeping the system working. Just think how much NOx you MIGHT make - AND PUT INTO THE AIR - if they allowed you to 'let it go'!! MY goodness, it might get almost as bad as air bag that was turned off!
sarcasm intended

 

I think the real problem is the Mercedes dealer charging $220 for 10 minutes worth of work and $15 worth of fluid. If the dealers didn't screw us so badly, maybe we would just let them refil the AdBlue and not have to deal with the headaches. But that's part of the reason they engineer the warning lights to be such a pain in the *** - so you will have to go to the dealer to turn it off and get get screwed out of more $$$

 

so i guess the question is if someone knows how to reset AdBlue warning light? i'm guessing it has to be something similar as reseting service A,B,etc. notifications.

 

Honestly my warning indicator went off after adding 2.5 gallons of DEF and then driving one time, shutting off and then restarting. However the first time the warning light came on, I added the DEF.
I agree the dealers are ripping us off for adding the fluid and resetting the computer. That is a total joke.

 

Just picked up the car from the dealer after leaving it there for 2 days. Dealer says there is a glitch in 2012 ML350 BTC software and they are waiting for a new release to clear adBlue warning malfunction. Dealer says release supposedly has to come out in a week or so.....