[taibanl]

Originally Posted by ENINTY

Call 'em as I see 'em. Sorry. A car should be: go to the gas station, get fuel, leave, repeat as necessary. Going to the dealer to get fuel so your car will run is a joke.

actually i gotta agree here. The car is designed to make the scheduled service interval so falling short of that is a problem

[DnA Diesel]

Originally Posted by TotalPower

DEF is used at 2% of your fuel usage. simple equation

Actually it's 2% to 3%, depending on average engine load. Higher load results in higher DEF consumption.

[rogerdiaz]

How do you know how much def to use? Until it starts to overflow?

I will be doing this on my own due to a ridiculous service charge from dealerships in my area.

Im about out of warranty.

[Bme30]

just buy a bottle from the dealer and after its empty modify it to be used with and oem acceptable DEF fluid! no need to pay the stealer.

[smallseafishie]

No real need to buy the BMW branded bottles and pay the BMW tax. I buy the 2.5 Gallon Peak brand ones from autozone for $15. It comes with an attachable nozzle that I use to fill on my x5 35d. Works just like it should with no errors or issues for both the active and passive reservoirs.

[Schumacher62]

ill be needing to refill the def on my own, the first time not having it done under scheduled free maintenance at the dealer.

my question: though i have not looked or tried, how do you remove the caps for the active and passive tanks?

many thanks!

[smallseafishie]

It just twists off like a soda bottle cap.

[floydarogers]

Originally Posted by Schumacher62

ill be needing to refill the def on my own, the first time not having it done under scheduled free maintenance at the dealer.

my question: though i have not looked or tried, how do you remove the caps for the active and passive tanks?

The screwdriver handle in the toolkit (take the shaft out) fits into the inset of the lids, they just unscrew (as mentioned.)

Do it outside, on your lawn, so that any fluid that leaks won't need to be washed off the garage floor. I use rubber gloves; it's not corrosive but kind of nasty.

[Schumacher62]

thank you for the advice all. ill give it a try soon.

[dak970]

2.5 gallon of DEF is like $11 bucks on Amazon or Walmart. You will need 2-3 of these, so $33 bucks.

Top opening is for passive tank, holds 4.5 gallons.
Bottom opening is for active tank, holds 1.5 gallons.

There is a video on YouTube.com showing a guy refilling his.

Both openings can be opened by hand, but you can use a H17 socket to open as well.

I am about to refill mine this week. The question that I have is, when you get the initial warning, of 999 miles left. I would "assume" that that means the passive tank is completely empty (based on the above video I mentioned, as he added over 3 gallons to the top opening) but how much is left in the active tank? He only added 1 quart to the bottom opening (active tank that holds 1.5 gallons).

When the onboard computer alerts of 999 miles left, how much is really left in both tanks? passive=empty, active=maybe a gallon? Not sure about this part.

Thanks,
David
Northern VA
2011 335d E90 LCI

[dak970]

The x5d is different as both tanks (passive & reserve) are found under the hood.

335d is accessed on side panel behind drivers side wheel.

I am not 100% sure if the tank sizes differ from the x5d versus the 335d. (both passive and active tanks).

[dak970]

Last but not least, do NOT over-fill, either tanks. If you do, there could be some potential problems.

There is a video on youtube that shows a person who over-filled his lower tank, (thinking it was the bigger 4.5 gallon tank) - he overfills it, and it started leaking out from some where under the trunk. Then he had to go into the dealership and have stuff repaired.

Just a warning not to overfill these.

[alex sol]

resurrecting an old topic and have quick question.

when refilling the def, do you have to fill the 1.5 gallons active then 4.5 gallons passive? i only put 2.5 gallons in the passive (upper nozzle) and still have the warning and down to 150 miles... yikes...

also, is there a need to 'reset' with a carly or dealer ? i am doing this on my own, buying def from local auto supplier and change my oil every 6,000 miles (10k)

is there also a need to reset when doing oil changes?

[floydarogers]

Originally Posted by alex sol

resurrecting an old topic and have quick question.

when refilling the def, do you have to fill the 1.5 gallons active then 4.5 gallons passive? i only put 2.5 gallons in the passive (upper nozzle) and still have the warning and down to 150 miles... yikes...

also, is there a need to 'reset' with a carly or dealer ? i am doing this on my own, buying def from local auto supplier and change my oil every 6,000 miles (10k)

is there also a need to reset when doing oil changes?

There is no need to do a reset for DEF. Adding 2.5 gallons to the passive tank should work - the transfer pump should move it to the active - of course the active tank's level sensor has been one of the reasons people are having trouble... and that the tank now has a 120K/10Y warranty.

There is an oil reset proceedure. iDrive or the stalk...

[alex sol]

i have the oil reset procedure. filled the active and passive. could only get half gallon into active and total 3 gallons into the passive. still have error code no start in 200 kms.

[hartwa]

Sorry guys if this is out there somewhere but I cannot find the procedure for refilling my 2011 335d DEF. I picked up 5 gallon at Walmart. Do I fill up both tubes or just the bottom one?

I read the bottom tank only holds 1.5 gallons.... I tried to squeeze some of the fluid in both of them and it doesn't go in. I rigged up a small tube and was able to get maybe a half a gallon between both the top and the bottom tanks. after that it seemed it wouldn't take any more. What's the deal?

[hartwa]

Do I need that screw on bottle from the dealer?

[floydarogers]

Originally Posted by hartwa

Do I need that screw on bottle from the dealer?

You shouldn't *need* it, but it definitely works better, and is easier to get more in.

[hartwa]

Thanks. ..I have no local bmw dealer but there is a vw audio dealer. I heard it is the same bottle.

Do I put a 1.5 gal in bottom and 4.5 in top?

[floydarogers]

Originally Posted by hartwa

Thanks. ..I have no local bmw dealer but there is a vw audio dealer. I heard it is the same bottle.

Do I put a 1.5 gal in bottom and 4.5 in top?

Yeah, the VW bottle is exactly the same. That's what I use because it's way cheaper than BMW's.

Look for the DIY on converting it to be refilled.
Not sure on the volumes - just plug it in until no more goes out.

[Adieu]

VW bottle works

You force its cap open (it will put up a fight but you'll win) and refill it with Walmart/Autozone

[silverseal99]

Okay, a low DEF warning appears on your dashboard. What to do?

Buy a 1 Liter DEF bottle from a suitable source—you can find them ranging from a little over $5 on the web to $80 at the stealership. I am told that a VW DEF bottle will work as well on a bimmer. Also buy a 2.5 gal bulk DEF from a suitable source. I have used Super Tech DEF from Walmart successfully for over 100K miles on two 335d cars without issue.

For the 335d, the DEF fill ports are accessible through a removable panel just behind the rear wheel well on the driver’s side of the vehicle. For the X series cars, it’s under the hood but that’s about all I know.

For the 335d:
o Push in on the forward portion of the removable panel until the rear “pops” out, then let it hang out of the way (it’s on a tether).

o Remove the dust caps from the fill ports and the 1 Liter DEF bottle and set them aside. A suitable screwdriver handle or 17 mm Allen head socket will work nicely to loosen the fill port caps on the car.

o Screw the DEF bottle into the lower (active) fill port until it is snug. With a Magic Marker, mark a spot at the 12 o’clock position on side of the DEF bottle about 3 inches up from the base—you will be cutting a hole here later.

o With your palm, firmly press the base of the bottle firmly the car until the DEF flows and empty the bottle into the filler neck.

o Remove the DEF bottle and make a 1" hole in the side at the mark you made earlier. I recommend a 1” hole saw, being careful that no plastic cuttings go into the bottle. Rinse thoroughly with water inside and out when done to make sure.

o Screw the DEF bottle back into the lower filler neck until snug--the hole you made should be at the 12 o'clock (up) position.

o Refill the DEF bottle from the bulk DEF container. Both the plastic and the cardboard 2.5 gal bulk DEF containers have a detachable hose to permit this function.

o Repeat until no more DEF flows into the lower DEF tank.

o Cover the hole in the side of the DEF bottle with a piece of duct tape and unscrew the bottle. If there is DEF remaining in the bottle, the tape should keep it from spilling out while you move the bottle.

o Repeat the fill procedure for the upper (passive) DEF tank on the car.

o When both tanks are full, cover the hole in the DEF bottle with duct tape, remove the bottle from the car, pour any remaining DEF back into the bulk DEF container (I use a funnel made from a 1.5 liter soda bottle) or discard it in the sink--it's not hazardous.

o Replace the covers on the DEF fill ports on the car and rinse any spilled DEF off with fresh water. Reseat the trim cover over the DEF fill ports.

o Rinse the DEF bottle and soda bottle funnel thoroughly with fresh water.

o Put the caps back on the DEF bottle and the soda bottle funnel, cover the fill hole in the DEF bottle with duct tape, turn the soda bottle funnel upside down and place it over the neck of the DEF bottle for storage (keeps the dust out). Retain for future use (you will get about 10,000 miles on a complete refill.

Even though I only did a partial refill, the DEF warning reset after several start/stop cycles and a brief drive—be patient.