# Mileage warning for urea tank



## 831Doug (Dec 20, 2011)

How accurate is the mileage warning to refill the urea tank on a 2011 335d? Is it base on the type of driving you're doing?

My warning light came on yesterday while I was on a road trip from Santa Barbara to the Monterey Bay area. 

The countdown mileage didn't seem to correspond to the mileage of my commute this morning. I've got a service appointment scheduled for next Tuesday (scheduled prior to tank low warning). I've penciled out the mileage and it will be close.

If I stop by the dealer prior to my service, will they fill it for free?


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## montr (Oct 7, 2006)

831Doug said:


> How accurate is the mileage warning to refill the urea tank on a 2011 335d? Is it base on the type of driving you're doing?
> 
> My warning light came on yesterday while I was on a road trip from Santa Barbara to the Monterey Bay area.
> 
> ...


The dealer may try to charge you for filling it between service. The capacity of the tank and usage of the urea fluid are enough that you should not need refill between service interval (about 13000 miles). Sometime, the urea tank is not fill properly at the port of entry or at the dealer.

If you pay for the dealer to refill the tank, it will cost you a lot more than doing it yourself.

Here in Atlanta, you can get DEF for about $12 for 2.5 gals
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/ac...&fromString=search&itemIdentifier=248484_0_0_


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## bimmerdiesel (Jul 9, 2010)

depends on dealer. I know mine would do it for free. If you are close to oil change then just add some by yourself and you should be good till oil change. Its very easy to add DEF. If you are not close to oil change your dealer should take responsibility for not filling both tanks and do it for free.


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## 831Doug (Dec 20, 2011)

Thanks for the advice. I'm taking my car in for a regular service/oil change next Tuesday. If I don't think I can make it, I'll stop by the dealer later this week. Btw - do you need a special filling nozzle if you buy DEF at an auto parts store?


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## mecodoug (Nov 30, 2007)

I bought the BMW bottle and just refill it. It has the nozzle.


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## mecodoug (Nov 30, 2007)

Also, my experience has been that the warning is accurate in terms of mileage.


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## Flyingman (Sep 13, 2009)

Yes, it goes on at 999 miles left, then it won't let you restart the car.

Mine went off just prior to my scheduled service interval so I just cruised in without a problem. I got like 12k or 13k between service intervals.


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## listerone (Jul 21, 2009)

mecodoug said:


> I bought the BMW bottle and just refill it. It has the nozzle.


My experience is that the easiest/cheapest way to do it is: buy the 1/2 gallon bottle for about $13 at a VW dealership.The DEF *they* sell *is* suitable for BMW,Mercedes,etc.When you've emptied that cut the trimming toward the bottom of the special bottle so that the blue top screws off and back on.Then buy 2.5 or 5 gallon jugs (without special nozzle) for about $5/gallon.Then fill the 1/2 gallon bottle from the larger jugs and voila.Not difficult or time consuming.


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## Snipe656 (Oct 22, 2009)

mecodoug said:


> Also, my experience has been that the warning is accurate in terms of mileage.


Depends on why it went off though. If the car has a leak or consumption issue then the miles do not line up at all. Mine did not line up at all yet they found nothing wrong with the system.


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## Pasa-d (May 7, 2011)

People who don't drive a lot are going to have problems with this type of car. So many things require engine operating time and/or distance to sort themselves out. The larger of the two urea tanks for example needs heat from the exhaust to make sure the urea is liquid so that it can be pumped into the smaller, electrically heated tank to replenish it. This may not apply to the OP but it should be a warning to people who make only short trips around town as their normal driving pattern (not to mention the DPF burnoff issues that will arise from that as well).


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## listerone (Jul 21, 2009)

I think,although I'm far from sure,that there are several "safety" measures built into the system to ensure that ample warning is given before you have a "no start" situation.IIRC one of these measures is that you get one more start *after* you get to zero in order,I assume,to get yourself to a place where DEF is available.Also,I think,the vehicle won't stop dead if you reach zero while driving which is also good.I'm almost certain about these two things but not 100% certain.


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## listerone (Jul 21, 2009)

Pasa-d said:


> People who don't drive a lot are going to have problems with this type of car. So many things require engine operating time and/or distance to sort themselves out....(not to mention the DPF burnoff issues that will arise from that as well).


I think you're right.I believe that diesels,in general,are far better suited to highway cruising than to city "stop & go"...or even suburban 30mph driving.Fortunately about 90% of my miles are Interstate miles at 70MPH.I've read,more than a few times,that incomplete DPF burnoffs can cause serious and expensive problems over time.


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## Snipe656 (Oct 22, 2009)

I don't drive my car much but when I do drive it then it means at least 40 miles before the engine is turned off. Having been through the low DEF warnings I can say someone would have to be blind and death to not notice the alerts and run out of the stuff. The owners manual does detail what happens if you run dry. I thought if you run out that you got one engine start but I could be wrong on that. Also someone could run out of it simply because something is wrong with the system and the alarms mislead them on how long it would last. The stuff is so easy to get though that I find it hard to believe anyone would get to a no start scenario. I was at six auto parts stores this past weekend and they all had DEF up by their front counters and for cheap.


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## 831Doug (Dec 20, 2011)

I rolled into the dealer for my regular service today with about 250 miles to spare. They filled the urea tank, changed the oil, did a full inspection and installed some new wiper blades per my request. 

I'll probably jinx it, but I have to say my 335d has been flawless so far. I bought the car with 15K miles on it and now has 24K miles. My commute is about 70 freeway miles round trip each day during the week, so I'm loving the great mileage combined with the performance.


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## bayoucity (Jun 11, 2010)

I witness 1st ever mileage warning since delivery last July. I rolled into the dealer for my regular service today with about 1500 miles to spare. They both filled the urea tank & changed the oil free of charge.


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## Flyingman (Sep 13, 2009)

Bayou, why would you roll in with 1500 miles to spare?:dunno:

BMW won't service the car prior to being due, except for the DEF if you have the warning light, and that has been debated by some dealers.


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## bayoucity (Jun 11, 2010)

Flying,

When I contacted my CA this morning regarding milage warning & I told him my vehicle still had 1500 miles til next oil change. He offerred to kill 2 birds with 1 stone. Since this will save me another trip to the dealership, I didn't bother to suggest otherwise.


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## Snipe656 (Oct 22, 2009)

Yeah, they can do an oil change early. I think it has to be within a month due but someone on here will know the exact amount.


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## 831Doug (Dec 20, 2011)

God only knows what BMW is monitoring with these cars. The dealer that I bought my car car from called me to schedule a service appointment a couple of days before my car told me it was due (guessing that there's some transmission to the Mothership). The mileage was at something like 1,400 miles until the service was due. Since this was my first service, I wasn't even thinking about the urea tank, so I pushed the service out until after the Holidays. Next time I'll go in sooner than later. ;-)


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## floydarogers (Oct 11, 2010)

831Doug said:


> God only knows what BMW is monitoring with these cars. The dealer that I bought my car car from called me to schedule a service appointment a couple of days before my car told me it was due (guessing that there's some transmission to the Mothership). ...


If you have BMW Assist, the car has a GPS and cell phone built-in. The car reports service needs to BMWNA, which routes the info to the dealer. They seem to get notified early (>1000 miles).


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## Penguin (Aug 31, 2003)

Flyingman said:


> Bayou, why would you roll in with 1500 miles to spare?:dunno:
> 
> BMW won't service the car prior to being due, except for the DEF if you have the warning light, and that has been debated by some dealers.


BMW policy is to service the vehicle on request if it is within 2,000 miles of the indicated service.

I suspect this is because of the limited number of BMW dealers in the US, e.g., none at all in Montana or North Dakota. When I take a trip to the West for camping, I often drive 700 miles a day. Getting to a dealer close to the indicated service mileage would be a real inconvenience without their 2K policy. I hesitated to mention this on the forum, as if everyone brought their vehicle in for service 2,000 miles before it is due they might decide to change the policy.


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## Flyingman (Sep 13, 2009)

Penguin said:


> BMW policy is to service the vehicle on request if it is within 2,000 miles of the indicated service.
> 
> I suspect this is because of the limited number of BMW dealers in the US, e.g., none at all in Montana or North Dakota. When I take a trip to the West for camping, I often drive 700 miles a day. Getting to a dealer close to the indicated service mileage would be a real inconvenience without their 2K policy. I hesitated to mention this on the forum, as if everyone brought their vehicle in for service 2,000 miles before it is due they might decide to change the policy.


Completely contrary to what my S/A specifically stated to me, and what others have posted on here. S/A said even if there are two miles till due, they would not do the service as BMW (Corporate) makes the dealer eat the cost vs what is covered under the 50k maintenance. I thought that was very stupid but that is exactly what he said. He went so far as to say I could go drive the additional two miles just to be sure the odometer met the requirement.

Is he BS ing me?


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## Snipe656 (Oct 22, 2009)

Flyingman said:


> Completely contrary to what my S/A specifically stated to me, and what others have posted on here. S/A said even if there are two miles till due, they would not do the service as BMW (Corporate) makes the dealer eat the cost vs what is covered under the 50k maintenance. I thought that was very stupid but that is exactly what he said. He went so far as to say I could go drive the additional two miles just to be sure the odometer met the requirement.
> 
> Is he BS ing me?


They did an early oil change on my car which is how I knew it can be done. Mine was not even down to 2k miles but instead down to X amount of months. My changes have always been time related instead of mileage. When they did it I thought another service was due in upcoming months and asked if they would do it too. He said that one was too far away. Later I noticed that other service was due a VERY long time from that date and I was confused about that.


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## Penguin (Aug 31, 2003)

Flyingman said:


> Completely contrary to what my S/A specifically stated to me... Is he BS ing me?


He is lying to you.


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## Snipe656 (Oct 22, 2009)

Penguin said:


> He is lying to you.


Or unknowingly passing on lies


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## Penguin (Aug 31, 2003)

Snipe656 said:


> Or unknowingly passing on lies


Correct. Although I find it exceedingly hard to believe an SA could be so completely ignorant or misinformed that he/she does not know the mileage policy of BMW NA. That would seem to be rather basic knowledge for an SA.


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## Snipe656 (Oct 22, 2009)

I have dealt with some real bone head SAs across brands and some are really just too stupid to be doing the job.


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## Flyingman (Sep 13, 2009)

Should I spank :spank:him as well?


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## Snipe656 (Oct 22, 2009)

Flyingman said:


> Should I spank :spank:him as well?


Bring a paddle


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## János (Jun 19, 2010)

Flyingman said:


> Should I spank :spank:him as well?


Flyingman, you've mentioned spanking a few times lately. Do you have paddle shifters?


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## Flyingman (Sep 13, 2009)

Most certainly do, and I'll use them!:thumbs::spank:


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## Dpcom (Dec 27, 2012)

*Annual free maint vs mileage based free maint*

1-4-13, my 335d is due for its annual free oil change maint nominally 15,000miles but my mileage is half that at 6,500, several dealers have argued that BMW NA will not reimburse them so don't want to honor the 50k 4 year free maint program. These dealer opinions are based on the opinion of a so called warranty clerk that who typically is some young female that rough tough mech types listen too. I have no such addictions to nor am I that easily led by the nose so its Been a real struggle to get the service that is due my 2011 BMW 335d. At this point I wish I never heard of bmw or been influenced to buy, by the free maint program...there is a real disconnect between BMW and its dealers and customers covering this program...Plus the lying going on at every level I.e. the sales manager of one big dealer told me his son has had no issue with his diesel and it has a similar mileage and time issue. Of course I mentioned maybe its the bosses son which generated his free service. I hinted around that I thought he was exaggerating beyond my capability of believing his story. I am so tired of sitting in a dealership manger office repeatedly asking them to show me in writing where the diesel is exempted from the free service under all circumstances, the gas engines do get the servive though... They tell me. my 335d is due for its annual maint but not enough mileage to qualify according to the dealers how is one suppose to plan to use exactly the mileage required at the exact time require. Finding more cooperative dealer seems at this point impossible. Needless to say every time I read on this blog of someone who had no trouble with getting this free service including the many posts that claim they also got additional services including free windshield wipers or free brake pads stretches the imaginations of skeptics like me, I don't get it what's to be gained by bragging of all free stuff you got from BMW when we all know or should know it a pack of lies. It's just sad. Americans forgot how to tell the truth at all levels..


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## KarlB (Nov 21, 2004)

sorry you're having problems but having owned several BMWs over the last decade and a half, I have never had a problem getting the maint. done including things such as brake pads when needed without any cost to me. so either find a better dealer or sell your car and go to another brand but please dont call the rest of us liars just because you are having a bad experience.


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## bimmerdiesel (Jul 9, 2010)

Dpcom said:


> I don't get it what's to be gained by bragging of all free stuff you got from BMW when we all know or should know it a pack of lies. It's just sad. Americans forgot how to tell the truth at all levels..


It is just sad you are incompetent to find a dealer who can work with you. And then you call us pack of lies.


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## Snipe656 (Oct 22, 2009)

I have had zero trouble getting my annual low mileage oil changes. But my cars computer had always said it was time for an oil change. I think in the past year they changed the length of time on oil changes. Meaning this month or next when I get around to pulling my car out of storage for its oil change that I thinking the computer will have a much later date than Jan-2014. Bottom line though if your car says it is time for an oil change then you need to find a different dealer but if your car is not saying time for an oil change then good luck with arguing with the dealerships. Also in the three years of ownership none of my oil changes had a 15k mile interval, I think it was 13k.


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## UncleJ (May 7, 2006)

+1! Weird-my SA was very happy to do the service at 750 miles out without even raising an eyebrow when the car was in for another matter (seat heater). Someone is blowing smoke methinks!:tsk:


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## Pasa-d (May 7, 2011)

obvious troll


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## Flyingman (Sep 13, 2009)

Dpcom said:


> 1-4-13, my 335d is due for its annual free oil change maint nominally 15,000miles but my mileage is half that at 6,500, several dealers have argued that BMW NA will not reimburse them so don't want to honor the 50k 4 year free maint program. These dealer opinions are based on the opinion of a so called warranty ....who had no trouble with getting this free service including the many posts that claim they also got additional services including free windshield wipers or free brake pads stretches the imaginations of skeptics like me, I don't get it what's to be gained by bragging of all free stuff you got from BMW when we all know or should know it a pack of lies. It's just sad. Americans forgot how to tell the truth at all levels..


Uh, maybe they are just telling the truth???:dunno:

Let's see, I have 48,500 miles on my 2010 and to the best of my recollection I have yet to pay for anything related to maintenance of my 335D. All scheduled oil services, DEF refills, including a premature fill, new wiper blades, replaced one burned out turn signal and one fog light. Don't think my brake pads have reached wear limit yet. Have had several visits to address SES lights. They even replaced a wheel bearing free of charge after I struck a curb with my right rear wheel. They did charge to straighten out my wheel though.

Of course maybe I'm just making this all up!

Actually, I think they did change their policy on the annual oil change, it is now every 2 years or 13k miles (not 15k).


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