When did the Jetta start using DEF?

jesus_man

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 9, 2005
Location
PNW
TDI
2005 Jetta (gone), 2002 Passat (gone), 2009 JSW (VW bought), 2010 JSW
I am getting mixed information. I see in some places that a 2009+ started using DEF, but I am 99.9% sure my '10 does not use it. Lets just say I've owned it for a year and put 22k miles on it and have not filled it myself. And it has not been to a dealer during that time.

I am contemplating getting into a lower mile tdi, but I am not sure I want to deal with the hassles of a DEF system.

Thanks!
 

1854sailor

Resident Curmudgeon
Joined
Aug 10, 2004
Location
Westerly, RI
TDI
2015 Golf SE SportWagen, 2015 Golf SE Hatch Back.
2015 is the first year for DEF in Jettas and Golfs as far as I know.
 

MichaelB

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2009
Location
SE Wisconsin
TDI
2014 Passat SE DSG
I am contemplating getting into a lower mile tdi, but I am not sure I want to deal with the hassles of a DEF system.

Thanks!
DEF is really no hassel. Just fill with 2.5 gals every oil change and be on your way. It is probably a bigger hassel to change the oil on a 2015 than add DEF.
 

jesus_man

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 9, 2005
Location
PNW
TDI
2005 Jetta (gone), 2002 Passat (gone), 2009 JSW (VW bought), 2010 JSW
I not concerned with the DEF specifically. I am more concerned with the system that requires it. I have two other vehicles that burn it and the older one has been a flawless car, save for some fairly major issues with the DEF system. So far those have been covered under warranty. But that won't last forever.
 

MichaelB

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2009
Location
SE Wisconsin
TDI
2014 Passat SE DSG
I not concerned with the DEF specifically. I am more concerned with the system that requires it. I have two other vehicles that burn it and the older one has been a flawless car, save for some fairly major issues with the DEF system. So far those have been covered under warranty. But that won't last forever.
What other cars that you own utilize DEF are you referring to? Your sig shows a 2005Jetta, 2002 Passat, and a 2009 Sportwagen.......none of those require or utilize DEF.
 
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jesus_man

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 9, 2005
Location
PNW
TDI
2005 Jetta (gone), 2002 Passat (gone), 2009 JSW (VW bought), 2010 JSW
Indeed.
2012 BMW X5 3.5d
2017 F-350 - been flawless too, but it doesn't get driven much. 10k miles in 2+ years. Hence the love for a commuter TDI. I am in a position vehicularly (?) now that I have been striving for a long time. Wife's car, diesel. Commuter car, diesel. Truck, diesel! Now if I could afford to put an oil burner in my 1973 bronco... Anyone have an R2.8 they want to donate?
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
BMW Adblue issues were often caused by incorrect dealer service. They tended to over-fill the tank, causing Adblue to get into the vents and crystallize. That blocked the vents and caused the tank to fail. Correct maintenance prevents that.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
I was a fan of SCR simply because it allowed a diesel to do what a diesel does best: run lean and use less fuel.

However, the system does add a layer of complexity that can cause a lot of headaches, many of which are pretty expensive. Pumps, heaters, sensors, injectors, lines, etc. Plus, when the system has an issue, in most cases you cannot even start or drive the car normally because it puts in some sort of failsafe mode.

So as long is it is working, it is mostly a non-issue. Some vehicles have some really dumb places for filling the tank, like the T'reg that requires the spare tire be pulled up. Even the sedans that have you fill it through the trunk are a pain to try and not make a mess.

But the ones that have it OUTSIDE where spills can be easily washed off with a hose, or under the hood, are not as bad to deal with for me.
 

AVM62

Active member
Joined
Apr 25, 2010
Location
Washington, DC
TDI
2015 Passat TDI SE 6 speed manual
The main Issue I have with DEF fluid, is if somebody spills it. DEF fluid makes quite a mess with it crystallizing. My car has the DEF fill in the trunk. Whoever thought to put it in there, should be fired. I haven’t had any other issues with it. I have over 60,000 miles and almost four years of ownership and I personally have not had to add any DEF fluid. It gets added when I get a oil change every 10,000 miles.
 

Jetta_Pilot

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 14, 2005
Location
West Hill, Ont.
TDI
2015 Passat Highline TDI Candy White (SEL Premium) long gone 2002 Jetta TDI
The main Issue I have with DEF fluid, is if somebody spills it. DEF fluid makes quite a mess with it crystallizing. My car has the DEF fill in the trunk. Whoever thought to put it in there, should be fired. I haven’t had any other issues with it. I have over 60,000 miles and almost four years of ownership and I personally have not had to add any DEF fluid. It gets added when I get a oil change every 10,000 miles.
I'd be interested to know what you are being charged by the dealer to add DEF.?
I'm sure it isn't free!
I buy DEF at truck stops for around $ 2.79 gal.
Take a black garbage bag, stuff part in the opening where the DEF fill is and the rest covers the trunk.
 

jesus_man

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 9, 2005
Location
PNW
TDI
2005 Jetta (gone), 2002 Passat (gone), 2009 JSW (VW bought), 2010 JSW
It does make a mess! I have many times, had to wash off my wife's X5 after I spilled it when the system burped on me. BMW also has less than desirable locations for their filling points. The only time it was a real issue was when it was well below freezing out and I have to try and uncoil a frozen hose to get enough length over to the car to rinse it. Then drain the hose and attempt to roll it back up. not to mention the ice slick that is now covering my gently sloped driveway...

The truck fill is right where it should be...next to the fuel fill cap.
 

Mark_J

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2003
Location
Deer Park, Washington
TDI
2015 TDI Passat SEL Premium, 2017 Fiat Spider, 2017 Ford F350 6.7 Diesel crew cab PU, 2016 Harley Trike, 2016 Tesla Model X P90D (I know went to the dark side)
Buy one VW DEF fill bottle and re-fill it and use it to fill the DEF. It screws onto the fitting in the trunk and you push down on the bottle which opens a valve in the bottle, and it fills the DEF tank and you won't spill a drop. Have been doing this for 5 years and it works great.
 

akjdouglass

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 3, 2013
Location
Jefferson City, Missouri
TDI
2012 Jetta w/premium (sold to VW); 2014 Jetta Value Edition; 2015 Jetta SEL; 2003 Jetta GL
Buy one VW DEF fill bottle and re-fill it and use it to fill the DEF. It screws onto the fitting in the trunk and you push down on the bottle which opens a valve in the bottle, and it fills the DEF tank and you won't spill a drop. Have been doing this for 5 years and it works great.
+1. I refill and reuse the VW push bottle and haven't spilled a drop. There's a greater chance spilling DEF when I refill the bottle (far away from the car) with a funnel than there is when adding it to the tank. Just as a precaution, I do line the area around the tank with rags before I add DEF.
 

MichaelB

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2009
Location
SE Wisconsin
TDI
2014 Passat SE DSG
Bought me one of thesehttps://www.amazon.com/Filling-hose-adblue-solution-000012499/dp/B01AS75V76
One of these which I refill at the fueling station.https://www.vwpartsvortex.com/oem-parts/volkswagen-urea-gus052910a3.
No muss no fuss every oil change for me is only once a year or so depending on the distance traveled that year. I say easy peasy. Now that being said yes SCR adds to another system to fail that a non-SCR car doesn't have. In my case, there were no NMS Passats available without SCR so I guess I just live with the latest tech at the time the car was built. I don't look for the car that is older than mine just to avoid SCR.
 

Datalore

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 13, 2008
Location
Cincinnati,OH
TDI
2006 Jetta TDI- SOLD, 2000 VW Beetle ALH- SOLD, 2015 Golf Sportwagen SE DSG
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