spospe Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 (edited) If I buy a second-hand 'van and it uses Ad-Blue, how do I know the 'freshness' of the Ad-Blue? A worst case could be buying a 'van that was already a year old at first registration, has then been used and sold again (and again) before ending up on the forecourt to be bought yet again as a 2-3 year old vehicle with the same Ad-Blue in the tank as when it was first converted to a motorhome. What is best practice, change the Ad-Blue before use, just top-up as required, or ignore the problem? How easy is it to drain an Ad-Blue tank anyway? To date I have not had a vehicle affected by this issue, but soon will and am curious as to best practice. Edited February 1 by spospe spelling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onecal Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 Hi Yes have it changed before use , why take a chance if your unsure considering the damage that may be done to your SCR system by maybe out of date contaminated AdBlue. The cost can be significant as many Motorhomers and fleet operators will verify. You can go on smell , take a sample etc' , look for deposits of crystallization formation , but again if unsure why take that chance ? Just replenish the fluid. Answering your question re draining . Some are difficult to drain others are not , Just as some vehicles are difficult to do an oil drain and others are not . Depending on how the manufacture has built them, Change it as you would do for any operating fluid in your vehicle be it oil /coolant/brake fluid etc' that may have been containment or outside is serviceable timeframe. I really think just ignoring the problem (as you say) really is a big NO/No , again just like vehicle maintenance changing the oil in your vehicle, one just doesn't ignore it ,if it needs to be changed, You change it ,or have it changed no matter how difficult it may be to do as part of the vehicle maintenance I can assure you I would never take a chance on old fluids in a vehicle and I am not just reading or looking up some of the nonsense some say they have so called "Got away with" on the WWW and some of the other outrageous statements been made regarding fluid management . Where will they be if others make the mistake of following their quotes and it all goes wrong ???? No where to be found I am afraid . I deal with the issues every week . Why would anyone take a chance , considering the amount of money you pay initially for your vehicle to skimp on incorrect AdBlue fluid maintenance of not replacing it if you have any fear it's contaminated or past it's working life Hope this helps to answer your question Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 Draining a motorhome's AdBlue reservoir was discussed here (briefly) in 2021. https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/topic/53037-adblue/ There are a few YouTube 'How to drain AdBlue' videos, but (if one can get a tube fully into the AdBlue reservoir) presumably an inexpensive 12V fluid-transfer pump could be used to suck out the AdBlue. (Sample advert here) https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/256387776605?hash=item3bb1e7005d:g:OMEAAOSw2sdhuJAu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spospe Posted February 2 Author Share Posted February 2 Thanks for the suggestions, it's a shame that we have to ask each other about this and the information not be readily available in the handbook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John52 Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 17 hours ago, onecal said: Hi Yes have it changed before use , why take a chance if your unsure considering the damage that may be done to your SCR system by maybe out of date contaminated AdBlue. The cost can be significant as many Motorhomers and fleet operators will verify. You can go on smell , take a sample etc' , look for deposits of crystallization formation , but again if unsure why take that chance ? Just replenish the fluid. Answering your question re draining . Some are difficult to drain others are not , Just as some vehicles are difficult to do an oil drain and others are not . Depending on how the manufacture has built them, Change it as you would do for any operating fluid in your vehicle be it oil /coolant/brake fluid etc' that may have been containment or outside is serviceable timeframe. I really think just ignoring the problem (as you say) really is a big NO/No , again just like vehicle maintenance changing the oil in your vehicle, one just doesn't ignore it ,if it needs to be changed, You change it ,or have it changed no matter how difficult it may be to do as part of the vehicle maintenance I can assure you I would never take a chance on old fluids in a vehicle and I am not just reading or looking up some of the nonsense some say they have so called "Got away with" on the WWW and some of the other outrageous statements been made regarding fluid management . Where will they be if others make the mistake of following their quotes and it all goes wrong ???? No where to be found I am afraid . I deal with the issues every week . Why would anyone take a chance , considering the amount of money you pay initially for your vehicle to skimp on incorrect AdBlue fluid maintenance of not replacing it if you have any fear it's contaminated or past it's working life Hope this helps to answer your question Where is your evidence that out of date AdBlue causes these issues? I have used AdBlue 3 years out of date with no issues at all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John52 Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 1 minute ago, spospe said: Thanks for the suggestions, it's a shame that we have to ask each other about this and the information not be readily available in the handbook. Yes, funny that isn't it. If it was necessary to change the AdBlue you would have thought Fiat would have said so. And put a drain plug in the tank like the engine and gearbox Maybe onecal can advise them how to tell the Age of AdBlue by sniffing it 😂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John52 Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 I have heard of the vent hole in the AdBlue tank being blocked by dried out AdBlue Like all the other issues this apparently happened when the AdBlue was still in date code. I have never seen any evidence of issues caused by the age of the AdBlue Every time I ask onecal he is like a politician who ignores the question he is asked, and answers the question he wanted to be asked. It appears the size of the vent hole is more suitable for fuel or oil that does not dry out and block it like AdBlue does So I drilled the vent hole in my AdBlue cap sllightly larger and clear it with a bent paper clip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onecal Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 Hi Spospe Yes I agree it is a shame some manufacture s do not put all the details in their hand books and in full detail.Maybe they need to be contacted re same But AdBlue is a service item and is not a fill leave it for years and forget item and lead people to believe it will be OK , Just as leaving Diesel or Petrol in your tank for years Sadly again a lot of owners manuals do not impart this knowledge, why I have no idea For those that want to continue arguing and telling everyone how great they are to get away with it and they know more than the manufacture of the product? Again where will they be if it goes wrong..... and you end up with an expensive bill . which so many have, due to contaminated and out or date AdBlue Again I am not ignoring any questions but I really have no need to play silly games ,lol or continue with why this why that , they are not going to listen anyway .I am giving you honest answers from what I deal with from day to day , Not something I just pick up from YouTube or the WWW It's your choice if you believe , the misinformation out there, (some not all thankfully), but again that is your choice for whatever reason be it skimping on servicing , if one does make sure your AdBlue like any service liquid in your vehicle should be fresh ? Common sense really. I would advise you contact the people who deal with servicing these vehicles and who have had to repair many SCR systems faults and ask them what they would recommend if left in a tank for years within the SCR system been maintained and what damage to the SCR system without proper the service of Adblue outside and contaminated it useful life can cause , Surly they are trying to help and repair your vehicle, and if they are not (as some of the argumentative people portray) just ripping you off , they won't be in business too long. Don't forget they service your vehicle and have to stand over their work unlike the keyboard warriors lol that are not to be found if it all goes wrong . AdBlue should be replaced and not left for any prolonged period in your AdBlue tank Contact the manufacture for their details . Hope this help answering your question Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 This YouTube video describes replacement of the AdBlue tank of a 2018-plate Peugeot Boxer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIzgxL00lq4 There is a passing reference to the tank having some sort of drain in its side, but this isn't shown. There seems to be minimal protective shielding for this vehicle's tank, but I believe it was highlighted here that the AdBlue tank of the latest Ducatos is protected by large metal shield. I believe John52 and onecal have fully exhausted this subject (and exhausted my patience) so if you want to continue your arguing, please use the forum's PM system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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