SCR - AdBlue stuff

God knows who will buy this current lot of cars and trucks when they get a few years old. So much of the current technology is so costly and user-unfriendly .. but unreliable, with it, as well.
I was reading about the Audis and Porsches, particularly the Porsche 4WD's, on a Yank forum .. and they were talking about the average service on them, costing $2500 ..

In addition, you just have to admire the "advances" in technology, where the W12 Audi V8 has a serpentine belt at the front, that looks like a black snake that's been run over (count the number of pulleys .. and imagine what stops working, or goes out of sync, when that belt falls off .. : ) .. and the timing chain, is neatly esconced at the REAR of the motor .. thus necessitating complete engine removal, for timing chain replacement .. :

I'd guess, in the exclusive world of Audi and Porsche owners .. if the timing chain gets even slightly loose .. it's time to trade ..

forums.motivemag.com/zerofile/4038/W12fullybuiltup.jpg

forums.motivemag.com/zerofile/4034/W12EngineCutaway.jpg

AdBlue is only Urea .. it's a common fertiliser available for about 300 bucks a tonne. You can guarantee that packaging it in 4L containers and adding a food dye to it, immediately ensures that it's a rare and costly automotive product, that will set you back about 500 times the cost of the bulk product .. :

Neither did they mention that urea is highly reactive to heat .. decomposing and giving off toxic gases .. reacts violently with strong oxidants, nitrites, inorganic chlorides, chlorites and perchlorates, causing explosions .. is highly corrosive .. as well as being a magnet for moisture (hygroscopic - sucks moisture from the air) .. so I wonder what the downsides are, when it gets contaminated with moisture .. gets spilt .. or someone accidentally mixes it with a common household cleaning chemical? (as many of these, contain oxidants and the other chemicals, previously mentioned) ..

The AdBlue SCR systems are particularly susceptible to impurities .. so Joe Blow, in the blue singlet, stubbies and thongs, will be a prime candidate for instant SCR system destruction .. when a handful of dirt falls into the AdBlue container, as he drags it out of the back of the ute .. where it's been rolling around with the loose tools, jacks, and big hammers, for the last 12 months ..

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AdBlue

My thoughts exactly, and I wont be keen to buy a vehicle that drinks it any sooner than I have to. especially at $10 a litre.

Wait till they cotton on that a terrorist can make a bomb out of the stuff, right under their noses. will the trucks be banned?

mammoth,

Try ammonium nitrate, not urea! Ammonium Nitrate is a 5.1 Oxidising Agent - it cannot be used, even in liquid form, near any source of fuel oil ie. diesel!

Joe

My thoughts exactly, and I wont be keen to buy a vehicle that drinks it any sooner than I have to. especially at $10 a litre.

I am paying $1.22 a lt ATM and using about 1500 lts per week across my two depots.

so far no problems but only have 100,000km on one PM will see how we go after 1.2 mill

I was just interviewing a driver who currently operates a B double V8 Scania with AdBlue. He does 6 Sydney to Canberras per week and puts 100litres in each week of AdBlue.

On the other hand we have a subby who has a V8 Actros and since day one he has filled his AdBlue tank straight from the garden hose..............18 months down the track, no problems at all. I have witnessed him doing it. He couldn't be bothered filling it with AdBlue

Somebody is $140 a week better off. Interesting if that advice came from the truck dealer.

You possibly thought I was joking in my earlier AdBlue post, but I when I said that the stuff is 67.5% water, it is. Maybe the Actros man has discovered that the 32.5% urea is not essential ?

Veeery Interesting

Cheers
RS