Another thumb up for BMW Free Maintenance

JakeN5 · 01-08-2010, 08:58 PM

But this could also affect long-term resale value of and demand for used/CPO 335d.

Just read it on autoblog today http://www.autoblog.com/page/2/, but the source of the story is Consumer Reports. Here it goes:

Consumer Reports pays $32.20/gallon to fill up on AdBlue
by John Neff (RSS feed) on Jan 8th, 2010 at 1:01PM

Some of us are big fans of diesel engines. Huge fans even. We love the slow-revving grunt. We love the incredibly long time it takes them to run through a tank of fuel. We love lazily cruising at 70 mph while turning over less than 2,000 rpm. There's even more to love, but we have to admit, none of us currently own a vehicle powered by a modern diesel engine that requires AdBlue, a urea-based solution that breaks down nitrogen oxide in exhaust gases that's required for some diesel-powered vehicle to meet strict emissions standards. If we did, we might be a little irked like Tom Mutchler over at Consumer Reports.

Mutchler recently took the publication's diesel-powered Mercedes-Benz GL320 BluTec to a dealer because a warning light indicated that the SUV was low on AdBlue. The total bill for a refill? $316.99! The GL gulped 7.5 gallons of this costly solution, which accounted for $241.50 of the total bill. For those who don't do math, that's $32.20/gallon. Labor and tax accounted for the remainder, which is also shocking considering the only labor involved was twisting a cap and pouring.

It took CR about 16,566 miles to run low on AdBlue, which means they'll be spending $1,457.80 on the stuff over 100,000 miles. Sure, that may not be a lot of money for someone who just purchased a $67,000 SUV, but Mutchler makes a good point reminding us that BMW covers that cost for its diesel-powered vehicles up to 50,000 miles.

[Source: Consumer Reports]

chromisdesigns · 01-08-2010, 10:44 PM

that's a bit over 1.4 cents per mile, don't know what they are complaining about, really! If you assume they got 30 MPG overall (pretty good for an SUV), then at CA diesel prices, they would have paid about 11.7 cents per mile for fuel, so they are still doing good vs. what a gas SUV would cost per mile.

Nice that BMW covers it, but they still shouldn't be complaining at that cost, IMHO.

jemanner · 01-10-2010, 08:53 PM

This begs the question, is all AdBlue basically the same formula? Have not confirmed pricing, but noticed a post that VW AdBlue is under $15 for 2.5 gallons at the dealerships, and a bit cheaper via 3rd party firms marketing OEM VW parts. Soon truck fueling centers across the USA will be selling generic AdBlue. Will it meet specs for the 335d?

01-08-2010, 08:58 PM	#1
JakeN5 Second Lieutenant 6 Rep 257 Posts Drives: e90 328i LCI Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: SoCal iTrader: (0)	Another thumb up for BMW Free Maintenance But this could also affect long-term resale value of and demand for used/CPO 335d. Just read it on autoblog today http://www.autoblog.com/page/2/, but the source of the story is Consumer Reports. Here it goes: Consumer Reports pays $32.20/gallon to fill up on AdBlue by John Neff (RSS feed) on Jan 8th, 2010 at 1:01PM Some of us are big fans of diesel engines. Huge fans even. We love the slow-revving grunt. We love the incredibly long time it takes them to run through a tank of fuel. We love lazily cruising at 70 mph while turning over less than 2,000 rpm. There's even more to love, but we have to admit, none of us currently own a vehicle powered by a modern diesel engine that requires AdBlue, a urea-based solution that breaks down nitrogen oxide in exhaust gases that's required for some diesel-powered vehicle to meet strict emissions standards. If we did, we might be a little irked like Tom Mutchler over at Consumer Reports. Mutchler recently took the publication's diesel-powered Mercedes-Benz GL320 BluTec to a dealer because a warning light indicated that the SUV was low on AdBlue. The total bill for a refill? $316.99! The GL gulped 7.5 gallons of this costly solution, which accounted for $241.50 of the total bill. For those who don't do math, that's $32.20/gallon. Labor and tax accounted for the remainder, which is also shocking considering the only labor involved was twisting a cap and pouring. It took CR about 16,566 miles to run low on AdBlue, which means they'll be spending $1,457.80 on the stuff over 100,000 miles. Sure, that may not be a lot of money for someone who just purchased a $67,000 SUV, but Mutchler makes a good point reminding us that BMW covers that cost for its diesel-powered vehicles up to 50,000 miles. [Source: Consumer Reports]
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01-08-2010, 10:44 PM	#2
chromisdesigns Lieutenant Colonel 47 Rep 1,753 Posts Drives: 2008 BMW 335i sedan Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: San Francisco iTrader: (0)	that's a bit over 1.4 cents per mile, don't know what they are complaining about, really! If you assume they got 30 MPG overall (pretty good for an SUV), then at CA diesel prices, they would have paid about 11.7 cents per mile for fuel, so they are still doing good vs. what a gas SUV would cost per mile. Nice that BMW covers it, but they still shouldn't be complaining at that cost, IMHO.
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01-10-2010, 08:53 PM	#3
jemanner New Member 1 Rep 15 Posts Drives: 2010 335d Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Panaca, NV iTrader: (0)	This begs the question, is all AdBlue basically the same formula? Have not confirmed pricing, but noticed a post that VW AdBlue is under $15 for 2.5 gallons at the dealerships, and a bit cheaper via 3rd party firms marketing OEM VW parts. Soon truck fueling centers across the USA will be selling generic AdBlue. Will it meet specs for the 335d?
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