AdBlue. Any tips?

two things....

firstly, the Fiat Ducato does not need AdBlue, Fiat engines acheive Euro 6 without this. however, you may be driving a Peugeot or Citroen based van, which looks pretty much identical to the Fiat but will have PSA engines which DO use AdBlue.

secondly, i looked up the 'duration' of a tank of AdBlue for my dad who has a new Peugeot vehicle.....around 12k miles...

for many MHers, this will be around 3-4 years mileage.

suggest you leave the topping up till service time.

good luck. 

Thanks for your reply BoleroBoy, but it is a Fiat Ducato, it's a 2017 150 MultiJet engine and it does use AdBlue.

From the FiatProfessional website....

"Sixth generation FIAT Professional Ducato and fourth generation FIAT Professional Doblò now be available with Euro 6 engines

FIAT Professional Ducato Euro 6 diesel engine range uses two technologies: Low Pressure Exhaust Gas Recirculation (LPEGR) and Selective Catalyst Reduction (SCR)
LPEGR avoids the need for NOx-reducing additives by channelling exhaust gasses away after the DPF, cooling them in a low-pressure EGR cooler and recirculating them ahead of the turbo charger
SCR is currently fitted to people carrier versions and uses AdBlue to convert NOx to non-harmful gases
New entry-level 2.0-litre MultiJet II 115hp LPEGR engine offers improved efficiency and performance joins the current 2.3 MultiJet 11 130hp and 150hp engines - both with LPEGR
New 180hp 2.3 MultiJet II tops the FIAT Professional Ducato engine range - a significant downsize in capacity, if not performance, compared to outgoing 3.0-litre version
FIAT Professional Doblò range benefits from a new top-of-the-range 1.6-litre MultiJet II 120hp
EcoJet versions of the FIAT Professional Doblò help improve fuel efficiency by 12 percent on the 1.3-litre MultiJet II and 15 percent on the 1.6-litre MultiJet II"

interesting as the above states that only people carrier versions of the latest Ducato get SCR (which needs Adblue) whereas the rest of the range (MHs presumably) use LPEGR technology which has no need for Adblue.

what MH do you have?

all reviewsfrom mainstream converters have confirmed the advantage of the Ducato over most other Euro 6 MH of the non requirement for additives (weight, complexity, etc).

its certainly the only one ive ever seen mentioned withAdBlue, now im very curious.....

BB is right. Fiat Ducato engines do not use AdBlue and never have. The Iveco engine range does. Peugeot based motorhomes do. 

https://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/motorhomes/news/fiat-launches-euro-vi-engines-for-ducato

If your engine is not a Fiat and uses AdBlue, the only thing you need to worry about is putting adblue into the fuel tank or vice versa. Make sure you fill the right tank. AdBlue is available in most garages. If you motorhome say 6,000 miles a year, you should not run out of AdBlue although you should replace every year.

Thanks for your replies BB and Aspenshaw but I really wasn't asking whether our Fiat Ducato Hobby T60H uses AdBlue, because I know that it does. It has a tank with a filler cap next to the diesel filler cap and it tells us all about it in the owners handbook and everything!

Does anyone have any practical advice for me because driving an engine that uses AdBlue is new to me?

Camperval, I don't know if the following may help but here goes.

AdBlue will give a cleaner exhaust but will have no effect on the vehicle's operation unless it runs out in which case the engine will stop. This is to prevent the vehicle being driven contrary to its emission rating.

A tank full of AdBlue will normally last for at least the recommended service intervals for your vehicle. Of course, this depends on the size of the tank.

The warning light for the AdBlue tank should illuminate well before it runs out and your handbook should tell you how long a warning you will get.

Always believe your handbook or instructions, or do your own research from reliable authenticated sources.

I have no knowledge of what happens with M/H's but when at work a large part of our fleet of buses had Ad blue systems fitted to B&C series Cummins engines, (as fitted in many USA large RV's)  running out did not stop the engine from running but did put the MIL light on (Malfunction Indicator Lamp) which is an amber warning on the dash display. 

A refill and after something like six ignition on / off cycles would result it the warning lamp then switching off again. There  was the odd case where we needed to read the DTC's with the diagnostic tools and reset them, but no damage can occur from running out of Ad Blue, you are simply not meeting your vehicles legal emissions requirements.  Hope this is the sort of answer you are looking for.

As a foot note, I think what has been said about your engine will stop is possibly incorrect, I would have thought it would be more the case that it wouldn't restart after being switched off if the Ad Blue has run out if that is what the manufacture has programmed in to the system? 

Hi Camperval, AdBlue is a urea based additive to reduce emissions and like you my vehicle will not start if it runs out. I know from experience, due to a defective system, that this does happen. As said most supermarkets now sell it on the filling station forecourt, often in 10 litre size, and my vehicle countdown starts at 1500 miles so you will hopefully have plenty of warning. If you venture abroad it is more widely available than here so no problems on that front.

When I got my fist vehicle with it the salesman couldn't even tell me what it was! As for how long it will last that entirely depends on driving style but most systems should last the stated mileage recommended between services.

Thanks everyone, I think I can relax about it now! Our main worry was availability and if we would get stuck if it ran out, but the manual states that the warning light should come on when we have 1200km range. I must say have never noticed it at service stations but then I had no knowledge of its existence until I saw the filler cap next to the diesel filler cap when we filled up with diesel for the first time! Our salesman didn't mention it to us when we picked up our new motorhome, so it's been a steep learning curve for us. (There were a few things he didn't explain actually!)

What I have learned is that you should read the owner's handbook, and the motorhome handbook, tedious as they are.

Talking of handbooks, ours states that the first service is at 30,000miles which seems rather long. I imagine the AdBlue won't last that long. Any thoughts?

Thanks again and happy camping!

It proves the worth of that old saying "If all else fails, read the instructions". 

Enjoy your van.