What Happens If I Don’t Top Up AdBlue®? | Owners FAQs (2024)

FAQs

What Happens If I Don’t Top Up AdBlue®? | Owners FAQs? ›

If the AdBlue® tank is empty, your car won't restart once the ignition is turned off. This isn't a fault, but part of the system design. The system will need a full top-up before the car can be restarted.

You should never let your car run out of AdBlue. If it does, the engine will go into 'limp' mode, which drastically reduces power to keep NOx emissions within legal limits. If that happens, a warning will appear on the driver's display and you should refill the AdBlue tank as soon as possible.

So, how long can you drive after the AdBlue warning? The answer depends on the make and model of your vehicle. Generally speaking, you should be able to drive for around 500-2000 miles after the warning light comes on.

What happens if your car runs out of AdBlue? If you run out of AdBlue while you're driving, then the engine's power and performance will be reduced to 'limp home' mode to limit its emissions and once the engine has stopped, it won't re-start until the AdBlue tank is refilled.

Without Adblue, many new diesel cars will produce more NOx than the Euro 6 emission regulations. This is a non-toxic liquid, most of which is demineralized water and urea. The industry usually uses this substance as a part of SCR selective catalytic reduction.

Most common problems are: heating failure, freezing of AdBlue and the resulting expansion damage to the system, nozzle failure, NOx sensor failure, pump failure, and failure of AdBlue system control unit.

While diesel trucks can physically run without AdBlue, modern diesel trucks equipped with SCR technology will go into a limp mode or even stop running entirely if the AdBlue tank is empty. This is due to emission regulations compliance.

All AdBlue products meet specific standards, so it is essential that you do not use any other products as they could damage your vehicles SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) system resulting in expensive repairs and warranty violations.

You'll get a warning when the tank has a range of fewer than 1,500 miles. When the level of AdBlue drops so far that the car expects it to run out in the next 560 miles, then your speed will be limited to 60mph. At critically low levels, your speed is limited to 30mph. Once the tank is empty, the car won't start.

The size of AdBlue tanks vary, too, so when you need to top up depends on your driving style, the number of miles you cover, and the size of the tank. A dashboard warning light will let you know when it is time to top up.

Does AdBlue cause engine problems? ›

In the case that you put AdBlue in the tank and start the engine, this can harm the engine severely. As a result, you could end up spending a significant amount of money to repair the entire engine.

Your car needs AdBlue as much as it needs fuel - your car won't run without it! You'll see a dashboard warning light when you have around 1,500 miles of fluid left in your tank. This gives you enough time to get your car to a motorway service station pump or garage or buy a container and fill it up yourself.

Adblue is actually a high purity, chemically manufactured solution of high-purity urea (32.5%) and deionised water (67.5%). As the urea solution is mostly water-based, it poses little risk to humans and is not harmful to the environment in any way, nor is the solution flammable or hazardous.

AdBlue doesn't increase performance, in fact, running out of AdBlue could have the opposite effect – some cars will revert to a limited-performance limp mode if they run out of AdBlue or not start at all.

Poor adblue delete solutions cause DPF regens to stop working, as the two systems are intrinsically linked. If the adblue system is reporting a problem, DPF Regens are stopped. It requires a better software modification as above.

We don't recommend you refill at the AdBlue® pumps that exist in many petrol stations for commercial vehicles like lorries and buses. This is because the flow-rate is too high for a passenger car.

There are several benefits to removing Adblue from your car. One benefit is that it can help to improve your car's fuel economy. Another benefit is that it can reduce wear and tear on your car's engine and emissions. Additionally, removing Adblue can also help increase your car's resale value.