5thGenRams Forums

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

DEF at the pump?

StuartV

Ram Guru
Joined
Jun 27, 2019
Messages
1,087
Reaction score
850
Location
Lexington, SC
I'm wondering where I might expect to find DEF at the pump.

I got it at a Buc-ee's in KY last week. Do all Buc-ee's have pumps with DEF?

I gather I can get it at Love's, Flying J, and Pilot. Do they have it at the car pumps, or only at the big truck pumps?

Are there other brands that generally have DEF available at a pump?

I wish GasBuddy had a search filter that would let me select for stations that have diesel and DEF at the pump. But, I guess that's like wishing for Fuelly to have separate fill-up records for DEF.... probably not gonna happen.

Or maybe this question just shows how new I am to DEF. My last diesel was my last Ford PowerStroke, which I sold in 2009 and which did not use DEF. If I'm only going to need to add DEF when I get oil changes, maybe I don't need to worry about knowing where to get it at the pump, just like I don't worry about maintaining awareness of where I can buy oil...?
 

Aseras

Ram Guru
Joined
Mar 25, 2020
Messages
1,270
Reaction score
855
Truck stops all have it. It's usually only at the big boy pumps though.

You can get the 2.5 gallon jugs of def at any auto parts store or walmart etc. Lots of gas stations carry it, particularly along highways, but it's $$$ there.

The $7 def is the same as the $25 def. def is def. Only difference is it does expire, so you don't want old def.
 

djevox

VP of Creative Thinking
Staff member
Site Supporter
Joined
Aug 27, 2021
Messages
4,209
Reaction score
4,577
Location
MD
Truck stops all have it. It's usually only at the big boy pumps though.

You can get the 2.5 gallon jugs of def at any auto parts store or walmart etc. Lots of gas stations carry it, particularly along highways, but it's $$$ there.

The $7 def is the same as the $25 def. def is def. Only difference is it does expire, so you don't want old def.
Platinum still has additives to prevent buildup, nothing changed with that.
 

Aseras

Ram Guru
Joined
Mar 25, 2020
Messages
1,270
Reaction score
855
It follows ISO-22241-1, so no, it can't have any other additives. It's all marketing.
 

StuartV

Ram Guru
Joined
Jun 27, 2019
Messages
1,087
Reaction score
850
Location
Lexington, SC
It follows ISO-22241-1, so no, it can't have any other additives. It's all marketing.

So, the claims that BlueDEF Platinum has additives in it are purely lies and BlueDEF Regular and Platinum are EXACTLY the same?
 

djevox

VP of Creative Thinking
Staff member
Site Supporter
Joined
Aug 27, 2021
Messages
4,209
Reaction score
4,577
Location
MD
So, the claims that BlueDEF Platinum has additives in it are purely lies and BlueDEF Regular and Platinum are EXACTLY the same?
No one’s swaying his mind, even with reproducible user testing. I’m just throwing it out there.
 

StuartV

Ram Guru
Joined
Jun 27, 2019
Messages
1,087
Reaction score
850
Location
Lexington, SC
No one’s swaying his mind, even with reproducible user testing. I’m just throwing it out there.

Well, if he knows it to be true, he should show us all by suing Peak for false advertising and making some bank. And saving the rest of us a bunch of money.
 

Aseras

Ram Guru
Joined
Mar 25, 2020
Messages
1,270
Reaction score
855
Call 1-800-323-5440 and tell them your cat/dog/kid drank DEF and you need to know what other ingredients are in it. ( they aren't any besides Urea and DI Water and they will claim it is non toxic, non hazardous or flammable ).

Or call poison control and get the same info.

Every single one of these are made by OWI and are exactly the same with just packaging differences.


AdBlue
Alliance DEF
AutoZone DEF
BlueAg
BlueDEF
BlueDEF Platinum
BlueMax
CARQUEST DEF
CNH
Fleetpride OTR
FRAM
High DEF
KleenDEF
NAPA
PRODEF
Race Pro
Road Choice DEF
Shop Pro
Talon
Titan

They also make Supertech ( walmart ) as well as most gas station branded private label def since 2020 Dasco was bought out by OWI.
 
  • Like
Reactions: c3k

djevox

VP of Creative Thinking
Staff member
Site Supporter
Joined
Aug 27, 2021
Messages
4,209
Reaction score
4,577
Location
MD
Call 1-800-323-5440 and tell them your cat/dog/kid drank DEF and you need to know what other ingredients are in it. ( they aren't any besides Urea and DI Water and they will claim it is non toxic, non hazardous or flammable ).

Or call poison control and get the same info.

Every single one of these are made by OWI and are exactly the same with just packaging differences.


AdBlue
Alliance DEF
AutoZone DEF
BlueAg
BlueDEF
BlueDEF Platinum
BlueMax
CARQUEST DEF
CNH
Fleetpride OTR
FRAM
High DEF
KleenDEF
NAPA
PRODEF
Race Pro
Road Choice DEF
Shop Pro
Talon
Titan

They also make Supertech ( walmart ) as well as most gas station branded private label def since 2020 Dasco was bought out by OWI.
So either the additives they claim are in their platinum on their own site is either not required to be on the SDS, or they’re using false advertising? Does that mean the guys who have done 30k mile build up tests are also lying? If that’s true, where are the class action lawsuits over it?
 

Aseras

Ram Guru
Joined
Mar 25, 2020
Messages
1,270
Reaction score
855
They dont claim its additives it's "technology" ie packaging or process like filtering.
 

tom318

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 9, 2020
Messages
437
Reaction score
334
Location
Northern Illinois
I just filled up at a local Thortons here in Northern IL @ $3.99gal. They recently built a few up here and they all have DEF at the Diesel/truck pumps. Way more convenient than going to the auto parts store, spending double and then spilling it trying to top off the tank.
 

phisch

Active Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2020
Messages
27
Reaction score
18
I fill up DEF at a CirckeK off the interstate in my area. It's they only pump in my city, but not out of the way from where I live. My last ~5gal fill in May was $21. I do remember filling once in 2020 for less than $15, so apparently DEF has been hit by the inflation bug, too. Have the jugs gone up in price this past year, too?
 

n8zcc

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 9, 2021
Messages
372
Reaction score
451
Location
Oakland, Michigan
I fill up DEF at a CirckeK off the interstate in my area. It's they only pump in my city, but not out of the way from where I live. My last ~5gal fill in May was $21. I do remember filling once in 2020 for less than $15, so apparently DEF has been hit by the inflation bug, too. Have the jugs gone up in price this past year, too?
I use to pay 7 to 8 bucks for a 2.5-gallon jug, now it is around $12.

On the BlueDEF Platimum debate, their claim, at almost twice the price of DEF, claims their advanced shield system as an additive (ambiguity anyone) prevents the build-up, with continued use, that causes a clogged system. From what I've read, and it seems credible, is they use a wetting agent that makes the deionized water wetter (common with antifreeze). We all know what the two ingredients of DEF are and we also know there are only two ingredients. So the wetting agent makes sense but it certainly isn't worth the cost. Using the word "platinum" is purely marketing, creating the false sense the product is better when it is just about the same.
 

Andymax

5thGenRams Supporter
Site Supporter
Joined
Feb 6, 2021
Messages
456
Reaction score
347
Location
Columbus, OH area
I ran straight pump DEF in my EcoDiesel Jeep Grand Cherokee for 230K miles with ZERO issues, period. I used a few 2.5 gallon jugs over that time. I ALWAYS bought the cheapest DEF I could find. Never a single issue with DEF quality, freshness, etc etc.

It did get to be pretty fun driving into the big truck lanes with my midsize SUV....I can't count the number of dirty looks, but the funniest ones were when they just looked at me like I was just a plain idiot. Over the course of time I had a few truckers march over intending to tell me that I was pumping DEF into my gas tank. When they got close enough they'd see the Diesel badges...inevitably starting an ultimately pleasant conversation.

Other times, at the regular car pumps I had a number of people try to stop me from putting diesel into my gas engine car. My usual response was "yeah, I heard diesel gets better mileage, so I thought I'd give it a shot" resulting in wide-eyed looks until I told them it was a diesel engine.
 

djevox

VP of Creative Thinking
Staff member
Site Supporter
Joined
Aug 27, 2021
Messages
4,209
Reaction score
4,577
Location
MD
@Andymax @n8zcc Have either of you pulled your injector or check the inside of the pipe for buildup?
 

StuartV

Ram Guru
Joined
Jun 27, 2019
Messages
1,087
Reaction score
850
Location
Lexington, SC
I use to pay 7 to 8 bucks for a 2.5-gallon jug, now it is around $12.

On the BlueDEF Platimum debate, their claim, at almost twice the price of DEF, claims their advanced shield system as an additive (ambiguity anyone) prevents the build-up, with continued use, that causes a clogged system. From what I've read, and it seems credible, is they use a wetting agent that makes the deionized water wetter (common with antifreeze). We all know what the two ingredients of DEF are and we also know there are only two ingredients. So the wetting agent makes sense but it certainly isn't worth the cost. Using the word "platinum" is purely marketing, creating the false sense the product is better when it is just about the same.

I have read two claims about BlueDEF Platinum I don't know how much real data is behind them, though. Not that there isn't. Just that I haven't delved into it.

Claim 1 is that the additive prevents build-up around the DEF injector (or something like that), which will ultimately make it last longer before it eventually clogs and needs to be replaced. The claims I have read on this include some forum posts citing some credible source (another forum user, whom I cannot remember, with a LOT of miles on EcoDiesels) as verifying that this claim is true.

Claim 2 is that regular DEF can/will crystalize (i.e. have crystals form in it) under some conditions. BlueDEF Platinum's additive makes it where it will not crystalize.

Like I said, I have not delved into either claim. They could both be well-substantiated. Or not. I don't know.

But, the BlueDEF Platinum claims about what it does at least pass the sniff test, for me. I find the claims to be believable. That doesn't mean they are true. They just seem, on their face, that they COULD be true.
 

djevox

VP of Creative Thinking
Staff member
Site Supporter
Joined
Aug 27, 2021
Messages
4,209
Reaction score
4,577
Location
MD
Here’s a fun pic of what can happen:
77CED545-86E2-4836-9925-84A387CE29DC.jpeg
 

djevox

VP of Creative Thinking
Staff member
Site Supporter
Joined
Aug 27, 2021
Messages
4,209
Reaction score
4,577
Location
MD
That looks like a 3 foot diameter culvert. What is it really?
It’s a pic a guy on ram1500diesel posted at his job. IIRC, It’s 5” exhaust pipe from a commercial vehicle showing the buildup (crystallization) past the DEF injector.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Top