Adblue not reading level

[DaveB60]

Hi,

Dave here and first time on this forum.

Problem: - engine management light came on so i stopped and phoned the local MB garage. They said i could drive as long as the management light was not flashing or red.

20 miles later, message advising the engine would not be possible to start after 492 miles. I've gone through all of the service systems and Adblue and error message (could not read Adblue level)

I put 10 litres 3 months ago and thought it might need topped up again. Managed to get about 2-3 litres in and the tank is full to the brim.

Has anyone here managed to get a satisfactory explanation or re-set to resolve? I'm waiting on the MB dealer to call me back to book it in.

 

[Blobcat]

Hello and welcome

A few AdBlue issue reported here, usually leading to a new pump and tank as you can’t get the pump separately

 

[sonic]

Welcome, at Blobcat says Ad Blue is becoming an issue. Do a search on this site loads of info.

 

[mioba]

Be ready to get your pants pulled down and wallet emptied.

 

[ssheikh93]

All I can say is, sorry, unless you still have warranty on the vehicle. This is a sign that there is a fault on the ad blue pump and lots of us on here including me have had to get replaced. If you argue well enough with your dealer, they may give you a goodwill gesture.

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

Definitely take the approach with the dealer that the ADBLUE system is not fit for purpose especially if the car is no longer covered by their 3 year warranty. If it isn’t a software issue therefore a mechanical fault expect a £1800 bill for ADBLUE tank and integral pump so hold out for a substantial contribution from MB. I refuse to buy an EU6 diesel for this reason the ADBLUE system is a liability failure which means the car can’t be used - in your situation I’d extend the MB warranty while I owned the car.

 

[Janchee]

Hi,

Dave here and first time on this forum.

Problem: - engine management light came on so i stopped and phoned the local MB garage. They said i could drive as long as the management light was not flashing or red.

20 miles later, message advising the engine would not be possible to start after 492 miles. I've gone through all of the service systems and Adblue and error message (could not read Adblue level)

I put 10 litres 3 months ago and thought it might need topped up again. Managed to get about 2-3 litres in and the tank is full to the brim.

Has anyone here managed to get a satisfactory explanation or re-set to resolve? I'm waiting on the MB dealer to call me back to book it in.

There was one on this forum not long ago, but they repaired it rather than fixing. This is classical signs of a major repair, so best hope the car is under warranty.

 

[EmilysDad]

it seems these Adblue problems are sorted by replacement of both the tank & the pump at great expense. I wonder what the minimum part replacement/repair is need to fix the original fault. If the car is counting down miles to go, despite the addition of Adblue, it would suggest that the car can't see what the Adblue level is at.
From what I've heard, the level is generally monitored via some kind of optical level sensor which gets furred up when the Adblue crystallises. 'Enthusiastic' driving which will slosh the Adblue around the tank is reckoned to help ..... it sounds feasible ;-)

 

[Blobcat]

There was one on this forum not long ago, but they repaired it rather than fixing. This is classical signs of a major repair, so best hope the car is under warranty.

They cleaned the AdBlue injector IIRC.

 

[Blobcat]

Found the thread Adblue problem

 

[mioba]

Sadly thats MB "mechanics" they won't take anything apart to fix. They take apart to replace.
What dissolves the crystalline adblue residue out of internet. Good business there to be had.

 

[EmilysDad]

Sadly thats MB "mechanics" they won't take anything apart to fix. They take apart to replace.
.....

MB's silly labour rates probably makes it cheaper to replace than to dismantle & repair

 

[mioba]

MB's silly labour rates probably makes it cheaper to replace than to dismantle & repair

Haha good point

 

[Blobcat]

MB's silly labour rates probably makes it cheaper to replace the whole car than to dismantle & repair

Fixed that for you...

 

[mioba]

Sadly thats MB "mechanics" they won't take anything apart to fix. They take apart to replace.
What dissolves the crystalline adblue residue out of internet. Good business there to be had.

Sorry I meant interest , not internet

 

[Mike Smith]

It's a ridiculous situation for cars.
Mercedes have been making trucks and buses for years with adblue with very little issues.
However it seems that the cars are a major pain.
Maybe it's because the cars are not driven for hours on end every day that's causing the issue.

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

The problem is with the design concept, the EU in their wisdom dictated that the ADBLUE system became a critical component of the car ie, if it failed the vehicle could no longer be used, instead of it bringing on the EML and being a MOT fail. This was then compounded by the manufacturer designing a urea injection system that is not easy to maintain, so a new £200 pump becomes a £1800 sub assembly replacement etc, etc.....

No doubt some dealers are getting their heads around what can and can‘t be maintained/replaced now at less cost but EU6 cars as they age will be blighted in the same way as SBC cars before them.....

 

[Mike Smith]

Just a heads up for anyone else having this issue.
If you have mobilio cover call them out, once they have been if they can't sort it you can drive straight to your dealer and get it in under recovery breakdown.
This way mobilio will provide you with a hire car for the time yours is in the dealers.
This applies to any mobilio call out that cannot be fixed road side.

 

[Yorkshiretyke]

Hi, just joined the forum to post my experience on this topic.
I purchased car October 2020 with around 35k on the clock - lockdowns meant little driving about so not done 3k miles yet.

Around January 2021 got the engine light on and around same time car reporting adblue re fill required. I promptly filled up - but engine management light remained. Took it to a local garage and they offered to run a diagnostic - but it was inconclusive.

fast forward to about 3 weeks ago when car suddenly informs me that I’ve got 500 miles before no restart.

Contacted local Merc dealership who were - shall we say less than surprised by this and promptly listed 3 possible issues.

1 cheap repair of a wire connection corrosion issue
1 mid cost repair of Nox sensor replacement
1 high cost repair of tank/pump.

This tells me this is common - I was annoyed by this because it’s therefore an obvious defect in manufacturing design.

I then contacted another independent German car centre. again, it was obvious the folks there had seen their fare share of problem and also listed off the scenarios above.

So went back to Mercedes and suggested this should be dealt with at no cost to me - they said maybe we can request a gesture of good will.

Turns out 2 out of 3 mercedes services is not loyal enough - despite me not owning car at point of last service. And despite less than 38k miles on clock.

Cost me over £1400 to replace tank/pump. It was more like £1600 until They gave me 10% off when I kicked off and expressed my disgust.

this is first and likely last merc I will buy. Never have I had to fork out such a repair bill in 30 years of driving / car ownership. Peugeot, toyota, fords, Nissan.

one of which was a nissan import where the fuel gauge failed after 14 years - but it was replaced at no cost to me. That’s what I call customer service.

I like many others thought I was buying quality with Mercedes when in fact it appears I’m just paying for an over priced badge.
I have no doubt this will fail again - hopefully I have 2 years left before I need to consider trade in for a Japanese / Korean brand with decent warranty.

 

[Blobcat]

Hi, just joined the forum to post my experience on this topic.
I purchased car October 2020 with around 35k on the clock - lockdowns meant little driving about so not done 3k miles yet.

Around January 2021 got the engine light on and around same time car reporting adblue re fill required. I promptly filled up - but engine management light remained. Took it to a local garage and they offered to run a diagnostic - but it was inconclusive.

fast forward to about 3 weeks ago when car suddenly informs me that I’ve got 500 miles before no restart.

Contacted local Merc dealership who were - shall we say less than surprised by this and promptly listed 3 possible issues.

1 cheap repair of a wire connection corrosion issue
1 mid cost repair of Nox sensor replacement
1 high cost repair of tank/pump.

This tells me this is common - I was annoyed by this because it’s therefore an obvious defect in manufacturing design.

I then contacted another independent German car centre. again, it was obvious the folks there had seen their fare share of problem and also listed off the scenarios above.

So went back to Mercedes and suggested this should be dealt with at no cost to me - they said maybe we can request a gesture of good will.

Turns out 2 out of 3 mercedes services is not loyal enough - despite me not owning car at point of last service. And despite less than 38k miles on clock.

Cost me over £1400 to replace tank/pump. It was more like £1600 until They gave me 10% off when I kicked off and expressed my disgust.

this is first and likely last merc I will buy. Never have I had to fork out such a repair bill in 30 years of driving / car ownership. Peugeot, toyota, fords, Nissan.

one of which was a nissan import where the fuel gauge failed after 14 years - but it was replaced at no cost to me. That’s what I call customer service.

I like many others thought I was buying quality with Mercedes when in fact it appears I’m just paying for an over priced badge.
I have no doubt this will fail again - hopefully I have 2 years left before I need to consider trade in for a Japanese / Korean brand with decent warranty.

It's not a Mercedes only issue - AdBlue, Nox and DPF issues are common across all Euro-6 Diesels - The engines are grate, it's the emissions rubbish that is bolted on that is the issue.
Lots of issues with AdBlue, especially if they're not being used as the AdBlue crystalises and blocks everything up.