# BMW 335d Truck Stop DEF Refill



## KeithS (Dec 30, 2001)

craignucks said:


> The overflow came from sticking the truck stop nozzle into the 1.89L/½ gallon bottle and pulling the trigger, similar to the effect of using a firehose to fill a water jug.


Now it makes sense. Lesson learned for all of us. Thanks.


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## ScottFM (Nov 24, 2013)

Having moved from a VW Jette that had no urea injection to the 328d I am very surprised to see that these chemical additions can be such a PITA! 

I looked at the 328d and the DEF nozzle is next to the fuel intake and the owner's manual mentions that it holds 3 gal. No mention of a passive tank or anything. When refilling the 328d is it just add the 3 gals to that one entry with the special bottle? Or is there more to it, like on the 335d and X5d?


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## KeithS (Dec 30, 2001)

ScottFM said:


> Having moved from a VW Jette that had no urea injection to the 328d I am very surprised to see that these chemical additions can be such a PITA!
> 
> I looked at the 328d and the DEF nozzle is next to the fuel intake and the owner's manual mentions that it holds 3 gal. No mention of a passive tank or anything. When refilling the 328d is it just add the 3 gals to that one entry with the special bottle? Or is there more to it, like on the 335d and X5d?


I'm guessing on this design they just went with a single larger active tank. With better MPG than the 335D and the new 10,000 mile oil change intervals, the 3 gallons should make it to the next oil change. So when it needs to be filled it should take one 2.5 gallon container nicely. Someone will have to open the filler and see if it is a special screw port, or a simple hole that can be filled directly from the hose attached to the 2.5 gallon containers.


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## mattebury (Feb 2, 2014)

KeithS said:


> Someone will have to open the filler and see if it is a special screw port, or a simple hole that can be filled directly from the hose attached to the 2.5 gallon containers.


I have a 328d and it looks like a simple hole that you can use the hose for the 2.5 gallon bottle or even put in the nozzle from the bulk DEF pump. I was hoping that someone might have already had to fill their 328d. With as little as I have been driving recently, it'll take me a while to go through 150 gallons of diesel to need a refill, assuming 2% DEF to diesel.


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## KeithS (Dec 30, 2001)

Believe the ratio is closer to 1.5%.


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## floydarogers (Oct 11, 2010)

KeithS said:


> I'm guessing on this design they just went with a single larger active tank. ..


No, there are both active and passive tanks. They are behind the wheels, I believe.
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=3D33&mospid=55822&btnr=16_0914&hg=16&fg=05


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## KeithS (Dec 30, 2001)

Interesting, thanks for sharing. I see several important/interesting design features. First the active tank is at the bottom of the filler pipe with the passive off the side. This means when filling the fluid will first go to the active and into the passive only after the active is filled. Second is the vent system is combined with the fill manifold. No screens to plug up. I expect there is some kind of atmospheric vent in the cap to let air in as DEF is consumed. Lastly the transfer line actually works up through the fill manifold. This will help keep things clear and free of crystallization.


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## FredoinSF (Nov 29, 2009)

ScottFM said:


> Having moved from a VW Jette that had no urea injection to the 328d I am very surprised to see that these chemical additions can be such a PITA!
> 
> I looked at the 328d and the DEF nozzle is next to the fuel intake and the owner's manual mentions that it holds 3 gal. No mention of a passive tank or anything. When refilling the 328d is it just add the 3 gals to that one entry with the special bottle? Or is there more to it, like on the 335d and X5d?


Again, filling DEF on the X5 is a lot easier than the 335d. On the X5, the filler necks are under the hood. If you are skilled enough to fill windshield washer fluid, you can fill DEF on the X5.


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## F32Fleet (Jul 14, 2010)

ScottFM said:


> Having moved from a VW Jette that had no urea injection to the 328d I am very surprised to see that these chemical additions can be such a PITA!
> 
> I looked at the 328d and the DEF nozzle is next to the fuel intake and the owner's manual mentions that it holds 3 gal. No mention of a passive tank or anything. When refilling the 328d is it just add the 3 gals to that one entry with the special bottle? Or is there more to it, like on the 335d and X5d?


Unlike your vehicle the E90 does not seem to have been designed with Urea Injection in mind so a work around was required. Another issue is owners unnecessarily topping off and refusing to invest in an appropriate connector.


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## wkahn1961 (Apr 13, 2010)

Question: To remove the DEF tank caps, do you need a special tool? Or can you unscrew the caps by hand?


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## craignucks (Nov 14, 2013)

wkahn1961 said:


> Question: To remove the DEF tank caps, do you need a special tool? Or can you unscrew the caps by hand?


Unscrew 'em by hand. They're pretty easy to get on/off on the 335d.


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## KeithS (Dec 30, 2001)

Included with the car are tools, like 1 or 2 (nothing like use to be included). But the plastic handle of the screwdriver fits into the DEF caps to unscrew them.


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## Tomnavigator (Sep 4, 2014)

I recently purchased a 2010 335D. I purchased over 7 gallons of DEF from a truck stop by putting it in two plastic 5 gallon diesel containers previously used for diesel fuel. I cleaned out the containers first. The 335D sat on the dealer lot for 9 months before I bought it so I drained both DEF tanks and refilled them. I refilled the DEF tanks by placing the nozzle from the diesel container in the DEF fill port. The nozzle fit snugly and there was very little leakage. The fill operation took about 5 minutes. I still have about 1 gallon of DEF in my diesel container. Total cost $20.
Note: The active tank did not have air bubbles coming out of the fill port during filling and the only indication of filling was that the DEF level in my diesel container was significantly less than when I started (with no spillage on the ground).


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## DaveN007 (Oct 4, 2013)

Tomnavigator said:


> I recently purchased a 2010 335D. I purchased over 7 gallons of DEF from a truck stop by putting it in two plastic 5 gallon diesel containers previously used for diesel fuel. I cleaned out the containers first. The 335D sat on the dealer lot for 9 months before I bought it so I drained both DEF tanks and refilled them. I refilled the DEF tanks by placing the nozzle from the diesel container in the DEF fill port. The nozzle fit snugly and there was very little leakage. The fill operation took about 5 minutes. I still have about 1 gallon of DEF in my diesel container. Total cost $20.
> Note: The active tank did not have air bubbles coming out of the fill port during filling and the only indication of filling was that the DEF level in my diesel container was significantly less than when I started (with no spillage on the ground).


This was my first thought. Fill containers at the pump. Transfer contents via sacrificial BMW container. Avoid gouge.


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## Flyingman (Sep 13, 2009)

Tomnavigator said:


> I recently purchased a 2010 335D. I purchased over 7 gallons of DEF from a truck stop by putting it in two plastic 5 gallon diesel containers previously used for diesel fuel. I cleaned out the containers first. The 335D sat on the dealer lot for 9 months before I bought it so I drained both DEF tanks and refilled them. I refilled the DEF tanks by placing the nozzle from the diesel container in the DEF fill port. The nozzle fit snugly and there was very little leakage. The fill operation took about 5 minutes. I still have about 1 gallon of DEF in my diesel container. Total cost $20.
> Note: The active tank did not have air bubbles coming out of the fill port during filling and the only indication of filling was that the DEF level in my diesel container was significantly less than when I started (with no spillage on the ground).


I beleive the tanks hold 6 gallons so if you bought 7 and still have 1 leftover, you didn't spill any!:thumbup:


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