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Old 05-15-2016, 12:11 PM   #1
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DEF not topped off

Just thought I would give a heads up regarding Def fluid and our experience.
We had our sprinter drop shipped to sportsmobile north last year (wow, its been a year ago), we bought it at a local dealer to us and they arranged the drop ship. Because of that the pre delivery inspection was done in sportsmobiles lot. Unbeknown to us the DEF wasnt filled at that time. We found out the hard way that there is no gauge or any way to know when it is getting low until lights flash or it shuts itself down! Wnen you are driving your new van and it starts flashing at you out in the boondocks it is rather disconcerting! We figured it out and took care of the problem but just thought I would throw it out as a word or caution for fellow diesel drivers.

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Old 05-15-2016, 09:48 PM   #2
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There's no gauge or light? All of our work trucks have one. Weird.


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Old 05-17-2016, 08:03 AM   #3
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def not topped off

No! I told the dealer that it is definitely a design flaw on the part of mercedes! The only way to tell is when a strange icon comes up on the dash, even when you fill it there is no way to tell how full it is until it overflows! UGH!
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Old 05-17-2016, 09:48 PM   #4
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That's crazy. Kind of like the newer BMWs with no oil dipstick. What's the world coming to?


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Old 05-17-2016, 11:22 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by 86Scotty View Post
That's crazy. Kind of like the newer BMWs with no oil dipstick. What's the world coming to?
Always wondered about our no-dipstick 2012 BMW: Only way to check the oil is to start the engine. But what if there is no oil in the engine? Do the techs at BMW regularly destroy engines when they get distracted during oil changes and forget to put the oil back in?

One of the few upsides with my 6.0: I'll never get stranded out in the boonies by not having a jug of DEF on hand. Small comfort, though.

Is there not a "limp-home" mode on the Mercs that run out of DEF? Or does it just completely shut down? I'd prefer temporarily polluting more just to get to a gas station more than getting stuck in the middle of BFE.
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Old 05-18-2016, 07:39 AM   #6
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I doubt there's a limp mode home, that would probably be an EPA violation

Just for comparison, our newest trucks at work also have the dreaded DEF of course, but at least a gauge, anyway, they have now put a pressure switch in the cooling system that will completely shut down the truck if it starts to lose coolant. In my experience, that's what a temperature gauge and a warning light are for, but I guess the fools building vehicles these days don't consider the fact that you might need to get out of the roadway? I mean the truck will simply shut down. Seems absolutely stupid to me to have these 'safe' minders built in to our vehicles.
Another thanks to our lawsuit happy brethren here I guess.
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