AdBlue distributors and commercial vehicle manufacturers have launched a campaign called 'AdBlue. Add Care.', to promote correct handling procedures for AdBlue.
The group held a press conference on Friday (18 February, 2011) to launch the campagn, detailing concerns over the handling of the product, which is highly susceptible to contamination, and the problem of imitation products in the market place.
Manfred Schuckert, company strategist at Daimler, told the conference: "We created an ISO standard to ensure the quality of AdBlue. The issues that are coming up are to do with contamination of the fluid. This can cause issues with the catalysts, damage the vehicle and be expensive to fix."
The campaign gives several pointers to vehicle operators and owners to help prevent contamination, including:
- Don't fill your AdBlue tank with anything other than AdBlue. There is no substitute for AdBlue. Use of impure AdBlue or other liquids like water may cause gradual degrading and subsequent clogging of the catalyst resulting in costly replacement of parts, reduced efficiency and lost time.
- Keep AdBlue equipment clean and free of dirt and dust. If equipment needs be cleaned or rinsed internally, use demineralised water or AdBlue - don't use tap water!
- Only use dedicated AdBlue equipment for storage and dispensing.
Eystein Leren, technical manager at Yara, warned drivers of the problem of inferior quality product in the market place, recommending users make sure they buy product from licensed suppliers.
The campaign is supported by the seven European commercial vehicle manufacturers and six major AdBlue suppliers.
