# Diesel Exhaust Fluid Warning on 2015 328d



## hoppy13 (Sep 8, 2016)

Had a 2002 in the past and now moved o 328d xdrive. Love it. Hwy mileage 42-45 mpg. However, warning lights are scary. Drivetrain malfunction occurs from time to time and then disappears. Today, while away from home, Diesel Exhaust Fluid warning comes on telling me I've got 1000 miles left before it will not start (and I'm 2000 miles from home) and the internet is filled with scary stories. Any help would be much appreciated.


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## tim330i (Dec 18, 2001)

Welcome! I've moved your question to our BMW diesel forum, you'll get more help in here.

Tim


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## Hoooper (Jun 17, 2013)

1) Read the owners manual, at least just a tiny bit of it
2) Fill the DEF tank


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## Ozer (Sep 17, 2015)

Yeah you could have found the answer in your owners manual.
Its a clean diesel so it uses DEF fluid which you put into the DEP tank, easy job.
You can buy it from most auto part stores, Peak DEP works fine.
Dealer usually tops it off when you go in for an oil change.


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## hoppy13 (Sep 8, 2016)

Thanks for the help. I read about topping it off yourself but the manual suggested this as a last resort. Fortunately I found a dealer in Albuquerque and arranged for the oil change and topping off the DEF. Next time I will know what to do and not freak out.


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## Nulevel (Sep 3, 2015)

Will echo what others have already said: this is a VERY simple fix. Visit your local auto parts store; buy DEF; fill tank. 

Takes me about 5 mins. to do. 

After the tank is filled and the vehicle is driven for a few minutes, the no-start warning will disappear.


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## floydarogers (Oct 11, 2010)

hoppy13 said:


> Thanks for the help. I read about topping it off yourself but the manual suggested this as a last resort. Fortunately I found a dealer in Albuquerque and arranged for the oil change and topping off the DEF. Next time I will know what to do and not freak out.


Once you get out of the free maintenance period you will want to DIY this job: the dealers charge $150-$250 for DEF fills. You can buy 5 gallons almost anywhere for $40 or less.

But you also are getting CEL lights it sounds like. Be sure to have the dealer read the codes (they'll still be there). Could be anything, but there have been known problems with the NOx sensors due to a bad batch in early cars.


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## hoppy13 (Sep 8, 2016)

Thanks everyone. Much appreciated. Dealer topped it off, changed oil, filter, as part of warranty. So warning lights are gone but I will remember the tips I got for the out of warranty period.


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## listerone (Jul 21, 2009)

Low DEF is nothing to panic about.While under "free" maintenance it should be nothing more than a quick trip to a dealer,although I've never gotten a warning in my two Bimmers.I did get one with my Bluetec (no "free" maintenance) and buying a container of DEF from Walmart,converting the 1/2 gallon special container I bought at a VW dealer and then filling the Bluetec up was nothing more than a minor annoyance.


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## ard (Jul 1, 2009)

I want to comment on something you had in your first post...'drivetrain malfunctions occur from time to time and disappear'

WHAT!??!?!?

When this happens you take it to the dealer each and every time, right? And they pulled the codes and fixed whatever the issue is, right??

I sure hope that youve not ignroed this due to 'fear of being car ignorant', or what have you...

"Scary Stories" are not scary when you have a warranty...'scary' is sticking you head in the sand until after the warratny has expired, then all those old issues were nver documented ...and you are SOL. (and would have had coverage had you not ignored it.)

Ask questions here, dont be intimidated.

GL


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## BimmerBahn (Nov 24, 2005)

hoppy13 said:


> Had a 2002 in the past and now moved o 328d xdrive. Love it. Hwy mileage 42-45 mpg. However, warning lights are scary. Drivetrain malfunction occurs from time to time and then disappears. Today, while away from home, Diesel Exhaust Fluid warning comes on telling me I've got 1000 miles left before it will not start (and I'm 2000 miles from home) and the internet is filled with scary stories. Any help would be much appreciated.


I had a similar issue with the drivetrain malfunction popping up on my former 535d. Car never seemed to have any issues, aside from the message popping up on the iDrive. After the second instance when it popped up I had the shop look at it. Ended up being a bad EGR throwing all sorts of errors.

On the DEF issue ---- Right after my 535d re delivery I encountered an issue where the car thought the DEF mixture wasn't right and only let me go a max of 100 miles.... that was fun since I was ~100 miles from home/dealer. That ended up being a bug in the software, but let me tell you I was puckered up hoping to make it home and to the dealer before the clock struck zero (no start).

In general the DEF tank should hold enough fluid to last ~10-12K miles. Aside from the one 100 mile warning, I never in the 3 years had the 1000 mile (no start) message pop up. My 335d started to drink the stuff once it hit 40K... the 535d wasn't nearly as thirsty the entire time I had it.

If you are ever in the situation where you need to add some DEF, it's readily available at most truck stops on the Interstate.... Flying J, Pilot, etc here on the east coast.... whatever ya'll have on the west should have it, too. Just find the blue cap next to your diesel fill cap. Add a gallon or so and be on your way. It's easy-breezy.

As mentioned by Ard -- don't let these things fester....use the warranty!

Cheers,


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## Fast Eddy (Oct 19, 2015)

Greetings-- does anyone know the actual capacity of the DEF tank that is accessible next to the fuel fill on a M/Y 2015 328dx SportsWagon, or how much DEF is required at the 1,000 mile remaining point? That information doesn't seem to be in the manual or on the car's information system.

Another question if I may, I had my oil changed at the dealership at 5,000 miles, in part because at that time the vehicle was about one year old from its build date. The service invoice from the dealer didn't indicate the amount of DEF fluid that was added, just 2 units. I'm wondering if I were to self fill that before my next service if there is a possibility of overflow?


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## floydarogers (Oct 11, 2010)

Fast Eddy said:


> Greetings-- does anyone know the actual capacity of the DEF tank that is accessible next to the fuel fill on a M/Y 2015 328dx SportsWagon, or how much DEF is required at the 1,000 mile remaining point? That information doesn't seem to be in the manual or on the car's information system.
> 
> Another question if I may, I had my oil changed at the dealership at 5,000 miles, in part because at that time the vehicle was about one year old from its build date. The service invoice from the dealer didn't indicate the amount of DEF fluid that was added, just 2 units. I'm wondering if I were to self fill that before my next service if there is a possibility of overflow?


Not absolutely for sure, but it should be about 5 gallons (x5d and 335d had 6+ gallon tanks for their larger engines.) There are actually two tanks - passive and active. You fill the passive, it pumps to the active. The active tank is heated, btw. If you get a 2.5 gallon jug from an auto parts store, you'll probably be able to put the whole thing in without over-flowing.

5 gallons should last over 10K miles, so about 2 quarts/liters left when 1000 mile no-start happens.


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## Fast Eddy (Oct 19, 2015)

Thanks for the reply. I don't mean to hijack this thread, but am curious if anyone has actually seen these tanks? Where are they located?


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## floydarogers (Oct 11, 2010)

Fast Eddy said:


> Thanks for the reply. I don't mean to hijack this thread, but am curious if anyone has actually seen these tanks? Where are they located?


Behind the rear wheels, in the fender area IIRC. http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/partgrp?id=3D53-USA-04-2014-F30-BMW-328dX&mg=16

The x5 has them in the engine compartment, and the older E90 335d had them under the trunk.


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## Doug Huffman (Apr 25, 2015)

floydarogers said:


> Behind the rear wheels, in the fender area IIRC. http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/partgrp?id=3D53-USA-04-2014-F30-BMW-328dX&mg=16
> 
> The x5 has them in the engine compartment, and the older E90 335d had them under the trunk.


My X5 active tank is in the right/passenger fender front, of which I remind myself every time I see a deer crossing the road. I believe that my X5 passive tank is under the driver's seat.


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## Danc1957 (Oct 22, 2020)

listerone said:


> Low DEF is nothing to panic about.While under "free" maintenance it should be nothing more than a quick trip to a dealer,although I've never gotten a warning in my two Bimmers.I did get one with my Bluetec (no "free" maintenance) and buying a container of DEF from Walmart,converting the 1/2 gallon special container I bought at a VW dealer and then filling the Bluetec up was nothing more than a minor annoyance.





listerone said:


> Low DEF is nothing to panic about.While under "free" maintenance it should be nothing more than a quick trip to a dealer,although I've never gotten a warning in my two Bimmers.I did get one with my Bluetec (no "free" maintenance) and buying a container of DEF from Walmart,converting the 1/2 gallon special container I bought at a VW dealer and then filling the Bluetec up was nothing more than a minor annoyance.


Wow! Sounds like my 2014 mineral gray 328d!


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## Vwrenn42 (10 mo ago)

After the tank is filled and the vehicle is driven for a few minutes, the no-start warning will disappear.
[/QUOTE]

What if the No start warning doesnt disappear? I do this regularly. This is the first time however that the warning has remained after filling the bluedef tank.


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## LakeCitySkyRoad (May 24, 2017)

Fast Eddy said:


> Greetings-- does anyone know the actual capacity of the DEF tank that is accessible next to the fuel fill on a M/Y 2015 328dx SportsWagon, or how much DEF is required at the 1,000 mile remaining point? That information doesn't seem to be in the manual or on the car's information system.
> 
> Another question if I may, I had my oil changed at the dealership at 5,000 miles, in part because at that time the vehicle was about one year old from its build date. The service invoice from the dealer didn't indicate the amount of DEF fluid that was added, just 2 units. I'm wondering if I were to self fill that before my next service if there is a possibility of overflow?


 From my 2014 328dx Wagon.
View attachment 1063048

From my 2014 328dx wagon; so, capacity of each tank is about 10 liters but are to be filled to 9. When the 1000 mile warning comes on, the tanks are empty enough to hold a full 2.5 gallon DEF container's worth of fluid and you should be fine then for another 10k miles. Trickle fill the tanks as I have seen where it splashes back before being full.


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