Spud_Racer

Wow, $130 every 10,000 miles sort of kills any sort of fuel efficiency benefit you get from the diesel.

So, 10,000 miles assuming an average 23 mpg = 435 gallons of fuel.

At 4.00/gal, 435 gal = $1,740 in diesel fuel.

At $130 / $1,740 that's a 7.5 % increase in operating cost or about $0.30 cents per gallon.

Or looked at another way, that additional cost is the equivalent of another 35 gallons of fuel. 10,000 miles / 470 gal = 21.27 mpg or a 1.72 mpg penalty (cost wise).

With a higher initial cost for a diesel engine and AdBlue eating away at fuel savings, I'm not seeing a strong argument for the Mercedes Diesel vs their 3.5L gas engine. Mercedes better wise up and stop gouging customers if they want this technology to succeed in North America.

RobertG

It's not just Mercedes, federal law- any diesel engine 2010 and up will have the DEF (diesel exhaust fluid) system.

Spud_Racer

Perhaps I wasn't clear. I'm not arguing against Urea NOx cleaning systems. It's a great innovation. I'm just saying that Mercedes is hurting their chances of taking this technology mainstream when they charge $130 for a fluid service that people can do themselves for $25. At Mercedes price you are add nearly 30 cents/gallon to the cost of operation vs less than 6 cents for the actual fluid. At 30 cents per gallon, you've erased a good portion of the fuel savings that is the primary marketing hook for a "new" alternative to a gasoline engine. That will probably cause them to sell fewer diesels.

johnnydee

My first and last service at my dealership was when I filled the Adblu tank myself with VW blu and told the service adviser not to fill the tank and when I arrived to pick up the truck they had charged me for a complete fill.
When I argued the point with the SA he said and i quote " you don't believe we would charge you and not fill it up do you?"

peterpettigrew

AdBlue is a diesel exhaust fluid used in vehicles with Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology to reduce harmful gases being released into the atmosphere. AdBlue is a 32,5 % solution of high-purity, synthetically manufactured urea in de-mineralized water. It is a safe-to-use fluid.

If you run out of AdBlue while you're driving, then the engine's power and performance will be reduced to limit its emissions. Once you've stopped, you won't be able to restart the engine if the AdBlue tank's empty. The car will give you plenty of warning that the AdBlue tank's running low.

Most cars will display a dashboard warning light when the AdBlue is starting to run low; this usually illuminates when there's around three litres of fluid left, giving you approximately 1200 miles to refill it.

How to reset AdBlue warning?
Fill the tank. Turn the ignition on, don't start the car. Leave ignition on for 30 seconds or so. Warning should clear.

Also, if you are looking to buy AdBlue in South Africa, then you must visit Airnox Pty Ltd., one of the best suppliers of AdBlue in South Africa. <!--td {border: 1px solid #ccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}-->AirNox Pty Ltd is a 100% South African-owned business. AdBlue is used in vehicles with a Selective Catalytic Reduction catalyst, Visit to know more about AdBlue uses.