DEF = poor quality DEF left me stranded

Have you ever... ?

I filled up at the truck stop (big chain) full of fuel and filled up Def tank. 200 miles later "check engine light on" and poor quality DEF displayed on the screen.

I parked for the night and next morning "engine de-rated" was on my smartnav along with "limp home mode" which wouldn't let me go over 3rd gear, so I couldn't leave the truck stop. I had to get the truck towed to the Petes' house. After a few tests and computer hook up, Def results came up at 31.. ( I dunno what that means).
so it was poor quality def.

Has this ever ocurred to you?
Where do you go from here?
can you get the truck stop to cover repair/tow/hotel bill?
how about lost wages/downtime?

 

Wish to talk about emission delete. But I can't.

 

I would think that poor quality DEF would fall under same circumstance as water in fuel. I have heard of some truck stops taking care of the bill, of course there were multiple trucks involved in a short time span so it was obvious. I have heard of them saying sorry for your luck too. I guess hope for the best and expect the worse. I would think that more besides yourself were affected but finding them may be another matter as I'm sure the major chain told all employee's to zip it. It may become a small claims deal but really not sure if that would hold up or not. Hopefully they do the right thing

 

that's correct the law only applies to truckers report. all other info sights are exempt.

 

have the evidence you need, purchase time/date e.t.c. breakdown, tow, cost & the shops diagnosis & the cause. then contact the fuel stop & see if they will do anything in your favor & if not post their name & location & your experience & cost for fueling their. let them know of your intention to do this too.

 

I have gone through the similar issue
Fill my DEF tanks from flying j in Mississauga back in last week of January and truck did not consume much of it today I have problem with the dpf pump and volvo dealership informed me that the quality of fluid was poor. They suggested me not to use pump def fluid in winter they said use the canned one . And never fill it all the way . Truck is still in the dealership I hope the warranty will cover my bill. Fingers crossed .

 

Thats odd. Not sure on the newer trucks like yours. But I have 'heard' (just saying) some guys dumping plain tap water into the DEF tank with no ill effects.

Now your truck may have different sensors to detect DEF quality... I guess to prevent people from doing what I mentioned. First I've heard of it. But not surprised.

Hurst

 

DEF is 65% water, ,
if your engine derated you should still be able to drive even with a load.
My ISX derated when I broke a fan belt,,then engine temp went too high before I could find a place to pull over, I was grossing 136,000lbs..for some reason after I installed my spare fan belt and the engine cooled down it was stuck in the derate mode 50% HP,,it was supposed to reset automatically ,, I had to driver 370 miles from Baker,CA to Salina UT to get to a shop to reprogram my ECM,,was not fun pulling mountain at 20MPH that I could usually pull at 35MPH but it still made t down the road..
Of course if you have a Volvo who knows,,Volvos and Freightliners hardly make good boat anchors,

 

Too much plastic that floats!

 

DEF is 32.5% high purity urea and 67.5% deionized water. The 31. is the % detected and that's too low and won't create enough NH3 for the conversion. The computer detected this and crippled the truck.

You can buy a tester for less than $20. on line, looks like an antifreeze tester.

The product you bought obviously had a problem. I would have to hit the books to find out the possibilities like separation , being frozen / overheated etc.

First thought comes to mind is water permeated into storage tank at purchase site and diluted mix. ( Rain, snow melt etc. ) That would dilute the urea content.

JMO