Adblue Additives – Snake Oil or Otherwise?

[Ayjay]

Knowing that I’ve had my share of Adblue issues (including recently, as reported at Post 74 here: Ad-Blue - 650 mile countdown comes and then goes off), a friend of mine sent me a link to a discussion on the California Forum on the subject which also mentioned using adblue additives and I therefore wondered if anybody on here had done so – TBH, I never even knew that such a thing existed until now. The posts that I read were talking about Wynns specifically but a quick google indicates that there’s a few similar products on the market. This is the Wynns one on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wynns-Crys...s=wynns+adblue+additive&qid=1747645367&sr=8-6
A bit like those on fuel additives, I’m guessing that opinions will be split on this (reviews on Amazon certainly follow that pattern!) but wondered if there was any real world experience from users on here. With VW trying to fix my vans adblue problems via a software update last year and obviously failing as I had a recurrence a couple of weeks ago, I might be in the position where I will grasp at any straw available to me. We’re due to embark on a 6 week trip through Europe at the end of this month and I just know that Adblue will be at the back of my mind all the time. That said, if Imused an additive, I might also be worried about potential warranty issue if I wind up taking it back to VW.
Over to you.

 

[Sasquatch]

An additive for the additive?

The additive wont repair faailty compopnents. Unless your issues have been down to unwanted crystalisation then I can't see that it's liable to be of much help.

 

[Ayjay]

@Sasquatch - Unless I missed it, the advert does NOT claim to repair any faulty components. I'm a long, long way from having any expertise in this stuff but from what I can recall, crystallisation is often mentioned as a potential issue with adblue and if the Wynns stuff can really do anything about that, it might be worth the odd bottle. The real question is can it? Others opinions would be still be appreciated -but I'm still sceptical.

 

[Sasquatch]

Yes, it will reduce the tendency for crystals to form but, as aforementioned, unless the problems you've had thus far have been caused by unwanted crystal formation it is unlikely to be of any help.

We don't know the exact nature of the faults/problems you've suffered so far, so can't advise if it will/would have been likely to help.

It also won't undo any existing deposits, so if you are at the stage where such deposits are causing problems then it's too late.

But youd need to tell us the precise cause of the problem(s) you've been having before it can be determined if it will help. From what what I've read on this hallowed forum about adblue faults that have been accurately identified, such faults aremmost often a component failure, of which an additive would not have been any help.

On the other hand it's unlikely to do any harm, so if it'll help you sleep at night while you're away then go for it.

 

[Bluesman]

The above post reads more like a reply using Chat GPT or another AI tool.

 

[Sasquatch]

I've never used "AI" in my life, and intend never to do so.

You'd also hope AI could type better than I can.

 

[DaveD]

Others opinions would be still be appreciated -but I'm still sceptical.

I was sceptical about Wynns DPF cleaner fuel additive - until I tried in in a Nissan with a partially blocked DPF. It worked exactly as it said it would.
I know you're talking about a different problem, but my point is that Wynns is a reputable brand.
I'd give it a go.

 

[Craig T6]

Hello and apologies for detracting from original thread but didn’t know how to start a thread.

I’m away on holiday atm in Cornwall (300miles driven) and my EML came on . I asked a conversion company guy if he could check my fault codes using his VGDS system and come up with the following 3 faults (shortened text);
33262 Reductant system performance bank 1
P204F 00[0110] - malfunction

31103- SCR NOx catalyst bank 1
P2OEE 00[11101000] efficiency too low

30540-Throttle position sensor (G69)
P0121 00[00100000] implausible signal

The van seems to run ok. No issues with performance, fuel consumption etc.
I’ve read some threads about exhaust emissions and Dpf regens, AdBlu, topping up and the like but getting confused (no other warnings on dash at all other than the orange EML) as to what I should do, keep on holiday or get to VW garage asap?
Any suggestions would be appreciated…thanks

 

[Ayjay]

Just to add (no pun intended!) to this issue, I've posted elsewhere about my Adblue issue Which is supposed to be investigated by VW next week but I also called a local VW / Audi specialist with whom I've had previous dealings and who has a good reputation and had a brief discussion earlier today (IIRC, the boss man is also a T6 camper owner). After giving him some detail, his first question was 'have you tried using any de-crystallisation additive?'. I said no as I had been told, including by VW (and others), that they were unproven and amounted to snake oil. He responded by saying that in their experience, they definitely worked and had solved adblue issues being experienced by some customers. He further advised to put a bit of adblue in while taking care not to overfill and then pour in a bottle of additive but, if problems persist, they would be happy to take a look. I will see how I get on at VW next week but if they can't sort it out, the additive and a quick adblue top up might well be my next step.

 

[manfrotto]

Just reading up on Adblue and read this from Wynns:

AdBlue Crystallisation: What is it and How to Stop it | Wynn's Europe

Learn how Wynn’s Crystal Clean & Protect prevents AdBlue® crystallisation in diesel vehicles, ensuring optimal SCR performance

www.wynns.eu

It says it helps to prevents\ crystalisation, but does not clear any crystalisation that has already occured.

This is also worth a read - Not specific to T6's but pretty interesting:

Adblue DPF Injector Crystallization

I noticed there is some crystallization around the adblue injector into the DPF on my 2.0 MK7 TDI. I was wondering if this is anything to be concerned of or if anyone else is having this happen? picture at: http://i.imgur.com/hgB38Kx.jpg

forums.tdiclub.com

I also wonder about Adblue and its shelf life (6 months to a year), and what happens if past-use-by adblue is used. I suspect many places that sell the stuff wouldn't be aware of the shelf life and be inadvertantly selling old stock. It does say that using past-use-by dated Adblue can cause issues with the SCR (selective Catalytic Reduction) system.

 

[Sasquatch]

On a low mileage vehicle with a large adblje tank the on board supply might not get used for years. Its quite stable, even heat doesn't bother it if not too extreme either way, if not exposed to UV, which is a good reason not to buy it from petrol forecourts where its been displayed outdoors.

 

[Ayjay]

It says it helps to prevents\ crystalisation, but does not clear any crystalisation that has already occured.

Sorry that I"ve not been back to this topic for a few days but I've been away without a laptop. I read that page on Wynns.eu a while ago and unless I missed something, it didn't make any mention of it NOT specifically clearing crystallisation. That said, they seem also seem to be quite careful to avoid saying that it can.
I agree your point (and with @Sasquatch) about the age of adblue etc. which is why I now always use a gas station pump rather than buy a container. That said, I am a fairly low mileage driver in both my van and car and I suspect the fact that that means that the adblue necessarily sits in the tank for extended periods might also be a part of the problem (at least with the van, adblue was deleted from my car a few years ago and I've never looked back!). My van is back (again!) to VW this Friday for them to have another go at sorting the adblue system - I'm not hopeful but only time will tell.