Diesel Owners and DEF

FireRob

OK so I am doing the dreaded new truck shopping and am just learning about DEF (Diesel Exhaust Fluid). My previous diesel did not have this. Tell me what you know about this stuff. In the meantime if I get a chance I’ll see what google can teach me. Really I want to know, those that have a truck that uses it, are you happy or is it more of a pain in the butt????

0patience

I work on heavy trucks and pickups that use DEF.
It's an added expense that you have to deal with, if you want a diesel.
It's hard to store DEF, because the shelf life is pretty limited and it gels at a fairly high temp.
Plus, if you store it in bulk, figure anything it touches will have crystals growing on it.

If you live in an area that has freezing temps quite a bit, you'll want to get the optional heater for the tank.
Some manufacturers have talked about making the heater standard, but most of our light trucks don't have them and it can be a pain during the winter.
If you run the DEF tank low, the computer will derate the engine and allow you to get to a service station.
If you don't have a pump to pump it into the DEF tank on the truck and are using the 2.5 gallon jugs, figure on spilling a lot or get some good funnels that will fit it. Most the ones we've ran into that fit into the filler back up and spill anyways, which is why we buy 55 gallon drums with a nozzle and pump set up.
Figure that 2.5 gallons will get your roughly 800 miles, give or take depending on the manufacturer.
I'm short on time at the moment, but that is what I can think of off the top of my head.

FireRob

Thanks Tony. Guess its just a fact of life with new diesel engines and a matter of either dealing with it or go with gas...

still want to hear what anyone else has to say on the subject.