[T6] AdBlue - All Parts & Cost to replace ?

[nodecentral]

Having had the AdBlue mapped out, I’m toying with the idea of getting it all replaced if I sell the van later on, or if a check for it gets added to MOTs in the future.

At the time the garage said they had no way of knowing when it last successfully ran, and due to crystallisation, they recommend having the tank, sensor, injector replaced if I wanted it to be switched back on. Ball park for parts alone was £1k, so labour was going to add £3-400 more.

Has anyone had the full AdBlue set up replaced?
How much did it cost ?

There are a number of posts on this forum, referring to bits and pieces, but is there a recognised parts list for it all, which can be used as a reference point ?

@Pauly had mentioned in another post that the VW T6 has two tank variants..

7E0131877H - RRP £594.28 + vat - PR Code 7MM
7E0131877J - RRP £594.28 + vat - PR Code 4BF/4BH/7CS (this unit part number supercedes to 7E0131877K)

 

[Bamboo Green]

I'm im a similar situation. Have an adblue fault which no one seems to be able to guarantee a fix. I'm thinking of having it mapped out until I can get either the parts replaced or reconditioned. I only have 250miles until no start but sure it can be fixed but want to move the part but still use my bus. The alternative I've been wondering is if anyone can just remove the possibility of the no start? Have you had any progress on this yourself?

 

[nodecentral]

Hi @Bamboo Green, the garage I took mine to advised me to get it mapped out so I could continue to use it and also not worry about the AdBlue countdown / cost until later (they charged me £200 for that).

A lot of people I’ve spoken to, or read about online seem to just get it mapped out and then just don’t worry about it at all. I’d personally much rather be fully road compliant and eco-friendly too and get it all properly done/fixed, but at around £1.3k, coupled with the fact they didn’t give me the 100% confidence that that would fix everything ! :-( It seems multiple parts involved. It not just the tank, it’s the injector, and then there is a sensor that needs to work too..

The garage didn’t tell me at the time that getting it mapping out would cost that much, I assumed it would be a VCDS type thing they could simply turn on/off. If they had I would have considered putting that £200 towards the overall fix, but hey it’s done now so not much I can do about it.

I’m going to use the time this mapping has giving me to find others out there that can do the work, ideally with more guarantees and hopefully a better price.

if you’re unsure and/or money is tight then mapping it out sounds like the way to go to give you time to properly think about it.

Have you had any quotes yet to get all the AdBlue stuff done ?

 

[Bamboo Green]

Thanks @nodecentral, I'm the same re getting it mapped out. I'd like it to run properly and if I were to sell my bus...which atm isnt likely, I'd like to sell it on knowing that everything to the best of my knowledge is as good as possible. But there's not much else can be done to guarantee it can be fixed. The sensor, I believe, is in the tank. The injector apparently is a fairly easy clean as gets removed from the exhaust by the looks of it. Thay may be blocked. Theres a control unit one company said often goes wrong but they said its not a guarantee its that. I've been quoted £250 to get it mapped out for the mo. I've done some searching for parts too. I'd prefer all brand new. I've had a new nox sensor which was like the avalanche there after. My brother in law had a brand new Nissan thay had the same problems and would have to have an oil change as soon as his level got to 3000 of adblue left Nissan had no idea why this would cause this but worked on his van. I've been told that my bus has a gen 1 system similarly used on some Fords and should rest itself after 100 or so miles...I've done 350 and nothing as yet. So only got 250miles left until no start. So my plan is to change the oil. Drop the adblue injector and check it, drain a little of the adblue. I've got a syphon which may work. It has a bottle of forte cleaner in it to try and help decrystalize any blockages. And then run for about 50miles and see if it clears. The odd thing is its not showing any error messages on the garages box of tricks or even on my carista. Other than eml thing thay comes on occasionally which says its 'bank 1' of something. I forget now. But basically pointing at the nox sensors which is a bosch brand new one.

If this all fails, its gotta be mapped put as haven't used it properly for months. If you get any further or if I get any further please let me know and I do the same!!

Does you van run with the delete atm? I think its exceptionally poor thay even VW cant offer a guaranteed fix

 

[nodecentral]

Hey @Bamboo Green , yep mine is running with it mapped out at the moment..

I had put about 10L in the AdBlue tank a while back when the warning first came up, but when it was not registering, I then tried adding some anti-crystallisation stuff - but it soon got down to about 350 miles left - and as I was taking it in for an MOT, that seemed like a good time to give it a full service and a proper look over too.

At the time the garage said there was a lot of carbon (at least I think that is what they said) around it all , which they needed to cleanup - but nothing they did with it could confirm the AdBlue was working. It might be the tank/sensor, or the injector etc. The best thing to do they said would be to replace them both...

As things stand today - I will admit to being on the fence now about replacing it all (spending £1.3k) , especially as it feels like many people out there afre running with it mapped out, plus it seems this will inevitably fail for the vast majority of owners at some point too - so every owner will have the quandary we have here.…

 

[Sasquatch]

plus it seems this will inevitably fail for the vast majority of owners at some point too - so every owner will have the quandary we have here.…

Thats a bit alarmist, to say the least. Click on the link in my signature for a look-see about who's had problems.

 

[Alster]

This may be easier said than done, but what you really need is to find a good mechanic who can diagnose the problem and repair it without guesswork or throwing parts at it.

 

[Alster]

I do wonder if some of the perceived unreliability is due to a lack of skilled/experienced mechanics who know how to use error codes to assist in correct diagnoses rather than fitting parts till it works!

 

[Bamboo Green]

Hey @Bamboo Green , yep mine is running with it mapped out at the moment..

I had put about 10L in the AdBlue tank a while back when the warning first came up, but when it was not registering, I then tried adding some anti-crystallisation stuff - but it soon got down to about 350 miles left - and as I was taking it in for an MOT, that seemed like a good time to give it a full service and a proper look over too.

At the time the garage said there was a lot of carbon (at least I think that is what they said) around it all , which they needed to cleanup - but nothing they did with it could confirm the AdBlue was working. It might be the tank/sensor, or the injector etc. The best thing to do they said would be to replace them both...

As things stand today - I will admit to being on the fence now about replacing it all (spending £1.3k) , especially as it feels like many people out there afre running with it mapped out, plus it seems this will inevitably fail for the vast majority of owners at some point too - so every owner will have the quandary we have here.…

I have had numerous works done on mine inc a carbon clean last year via a proper machine. She run unbelievably well after. On Carista it has a soot levels check, and mine is exceptionally clean too. So everything should be working as it should but somewhere its like something no longer likes working. I had something like 4g of soot on last check and tbh haven't driven her since! Sourcing the parts ie the pump, tank, possible injector etc etc other than main dealer seems a bit more scarce than I'd hoped, but at the moment shes a land achor!!
I've got some question for the mapping people too, so will pop in and see them and go from there.

I did read that one person had gone to a company called VEE W in Brostol, and had success with them diagnosing and fixing the problem. However...156miles from me and I'm down to 250!! So a bit of a do I dont I moment really!! Hence I did think get it mapped out and later on get it to someone that can guarantee a fix.

 

[Bamboo Green]

I do wonder if some of the perceived unreliability is due to a lack of skilled/experienced mechanics who know how to use error codes to assist in correct diagnoses rather than fitting parts till it works!

I have wondered the same tbh, but even those that have access to with mates that work for vw, and I have a mate that used to be a service manager for them, it still seems like a bit of guess work. I'm wondering if at manufacturer its just a way for a vehicle to become pretty much redundant and lead you up the trade in route further down the line. Technically I also wonder if there other factors programmed in to the system that if it gets slightly upset it'll flag up multiple other issues and lead you down the wrong paths. Ie if some further up the line is the actual issue and therefore flaggin up faults elsewhere that dont actually exist. I'm really not sure, all people want, is a proper diagnostic and a positive repair. A sort of, go in, get it diagnosed to component 'x y or replace, and go on your way. That's all we really want!! (ps mine under test is showing no faults on the garages equipment only on my dashboard!!)

 

[nodecentral]

Thats a bit alarmist, to say the least. Click on the link in my signature for a look-see about who's had problems.

Hi @Sasquatch. That comment was based on looking at the numerous posts out there (not just here but across other forums too). Whether that’s then taken as being alarming/alarmist, I have to defer to the reader’s perspective.

For me, the whole AdBlue system/set up seems to be a bit of a minefield and seeing as it’s an aspect of the vehicle that open to wear and tear, I felt confident to suggests that the vast majority of people will likely have to make some sort of AdBlue maintenance / repair decision in their vehicle’s life. I also read somewhere, that an AdBlue tank’s life expectancy alone is 7/8 years, so for me on a 2018 T6 I’m right in that zone..

The focus for me with this thread is on doing the repair, learning what to expect, what parts are invoked and what it will likely cost etc.. In an ideal world there really should not be any uncertainty, yet it seems there is, id love to be able to ask for a “full AdBlue replacement package” and see that clearly define the set of parts and instructions for someone to follow. But their seems to be a gap in knowledge/experience out there, plus the act of “mapping it out”, looks to be the cheapest route and the one that removes any uncertainties and ultimately hides the issue for good.

Please correct me if you see something different , but from what I could tell, when faced with a significant AdBlue issue “, the majority of comments I’ve seen seem to go down the mapping it out route; either by choice or necessity.

 

[Bamboo Green]

I hadn't seen the age for an adblue tank expectancy being 7 / 8 years!! Mine is a 2017 so again falls bang in line with that age. I feel its the tank ultrasonic but I'd only be guessing. I've got to run my bus today as realised its been 4 weeks. Plus I need to code the new battery in, as along with the nox sensor replacement, I had a new battery (I supplied it Yuasa) but the make didnt come up on their box of tricks to program in either. The one they removed for me, however, hadn't been coded in either as that was a different brand to what the bus was saying too. And that was fitted by VW!! Hence why I bought a Carista. Even though it said online Yuasa is on their system, it doesnt seem to be, plus finding the serial number???...couldn't find that on the battery either!! I have wondered if because the new battery is slightly "punchier" whether it coincides with upsetting my bus too, as its all happend within 24hours!! What a polava!! I think for now anyway its a trip to the mappers and use it for the time being!!

 

[nodecentral]

Don’t quote me on the age/life expectancy as I can’t find the place I saw that - I think it was one of the sites promoting mapping services..

As for your issue, I have recently changed my battery too (interestingly that’s another aspect of thew van that wears out after about 7/8 years) - but my AdBlue issues occurred before I changed mine.

You like me, are going down the mapping route more by necessity than choice..

 

[Stay Frosty]

There really is some scare mongering nonsense on the internet, how is a plastic adblu tank going to die after a certain age, plastic rust?
I've had my 650 mile countdown of doom pee on my chips twice and each time the bloody thing resets before getting to zero.
The first time I did take it to a dealer and was told the adblu tank was only a quarter full and they had simply topped it up and did a normal owners reset.
The second time in France on holiday it let me down but after adding over 10 litres of supermarket adblu and driving homewards for 80 Kms the bloody thing resets and we're back in the game.
The common denominator was me being a numpty and assuming that the remaining adblu mileage shown on the dashboard display was correct when honestly I couldn't remember the last time I had topped up the tank.
My campers a 2017 model.

 

[nodecentral]

Ha-ha - not having enough AdBlue in the tank is an entirely different situation

As for the tank, I’m not sure if the posts I saw were specific talking about to the plastic, but i know crystallisation is an issue with AdBlue so that might be a factor, plus if there is a sensor or something built in then perhaps that’s part of it too. Either way various post online talk about replacing the tank to fix issues.

 

[Sasquatch]

Hi @Sasquatch. That comment was based on looking at the numerous posts out there (not just here but across other forums too). Whether that’s then taken as being alarming/alarmist, I have to defer to the reader’s perspective.

Whichever perspective you personally choose, the demonstrable reality is 180° away from your statement.

 

[nodecentral]

Not disagreeing with you, but all those people whose AdBlue set up is fine (ticked-boo) are not in scope here, plus they would not be reading this thread - hence you’re losing me with your comments.

I only came to look this up and eventually post here because I have an issue, and my post is about understanding the effort and cost of doing a repair.

Now it’s clear mapping it out is an option, but the goal here is for people to share details if they have undertaken a AdBlue repair and what that entailed/cost..

 

[Ayjay]

I recognise that the survey covers only a fairly small sample but, personally, I don't think that nearly 12%% of owners with potentially expensive problems on what are expensive new vans is good enough. That said, I would also like to suggest that it's not only about how many owners have had problems with their vans but the ability / willingness VW Van Centres to fix issues when they arise. I know there are good ones out there but having now tried 4 of them over my 6 years of ownership and not found a good one, I have to say that they are the worst that I've come across in my over 50 years of owning cars. I reckon the average VW technician spends as much time learning how to scratch their heads in puzzlement as they do actually diagnosing (and fixing) problems.

 

[Sasquatch]

12% is roughly 1/8th. You'd certainly want better.

But of that 1/8th, how many are adblue issues? Not many. Of 153 current respondents only 2 had reported Adblue problems which required attention, thats about 1.5% of owners.

One further repondent reported an intermittent AdBlue dash warning that clears itself.

Yes, it's the best one can manage with a fairly simple survey, definitely far from an empirical result. But then suggesting that it's pretty much inevitable that we'll all suffer adblue pain at some point goes well past merely empirical and beyond the horizon into the realms of fantasy.

Without any actual evidence to the contrary, as opposed to mere anecdote, 1.5% isnt a terrible hit rate for AdBlue. 100% reliability would be nice, but we live in the real world where machines wear, break, and users don't always follow instructions.

If folk out there havent completed the poll and left a comment, please do. Obviously, the more that help out the better the idea we have what's going on.

 

[nodecentral]

Hi all - in the absence of any of us having any empirical data, lets put the likelihood of people having an AdBlue issue to bed, I cannot substantiate my ‘vast majority will at some point comment’ so my-bad. Lets focus back on the goal of the post and why we have forums like this...

I’m happy to shift some of the attention to the topic @Alster and @Ayjay raised, if people feel strongly that it’s difficult for garages to easily pinpoint the cause/fix around AdBlue and thus they’re very likely will propose replacing it...

Overall - I’d really love to hear from people who either know exactly what needs to be repaired replaced when you have such an issue; or from people who have had it done and they share (a) what was involved, parts, time/effort wise and (b) what should people look to pay..