Hi all, My 2013 Duramax has been sitting in my garage since last Oct. Should I be worried about the DEF fluid degrading and possibly causing problems when I hit the road this month? Couldn't find much info about it thus far. They say the shelf life is 2 years but not sure if that applies after it's put in the truck. I've been using Blue Def from Walmart. I think the garage temp briefly got below 30 as the lowest temp.

Thanks it sounds like it'll be okay as long as it hasn't been stored in too hot a temperature. Not sure if it matters if the DEF is in the original container or sitting in the truck tank.

Doesn't matter if stored or in the tank as long as it's not exposed to high temps (as mentioned) or UV light.

Being new to diesels and happened to be at the Dodge dealer for a Jeep part I asked. They said the "life" is more dependant on the temperature and exposure to light than actual age.

wtmtnhiker wrote:Hi all, My 2013 Duramax has been sitting in my garage since last Oct....Diesel fuel prices are the best they've been in a long time! Get out and go for a drive in that puppy! Flex it's muscles! Keep it a happy truck!Since were on diesel DEF, may I hijack a question? I get my DEF from Wall Mart. Been getting one brand only since I bought the truck. I picked some up a couple days ago and noticed a different brand about $5.00 cheaper. I stayed with my original brand, but this got me to thinking? Is DEF... just DEF? Are there difference in different brands. Kind of like an aspirin. The chemical compound in an aspirin the same for every brand of aspirin, so why pay for a name brand when the cheap-o is the exact same stuff. So, is DEF, "DEF" the same, can brands be mixed with no affect? Just wondering.

Def Fluid LIfe | Good Sam Community

43 Replies

Grit_dog
Navigator
Mar 07, 2016
wtmtnhiker wrote:
DutchmenSport wrote:
wtmtnhiker wrote:
Hi all,
My 2013 Duramax has been sitting in my garage since last Oct....

Diesel fuel prices are the best they've been in a long time! Get out and go for a drive in that puppy! Flex it's muscles! Keep it a happy truck!

ha ha I will soon. Never been driven in winter, never seen salt so I'll wait a while yet. Only use it to tow my 5th wheel trailer RV. Thanks for all the feedback, I feel better now

That's awesome for the truck and the next owner of it! However in the meantime, you'll be fine. BUT just like any other vehicle, there are prudent things to do if it's going to be mothballed for a long period of time. DEF is now one of those considerations, and the 6-8 months your truck is sitting is likely not a deal breaker def wise, but in select cases it's going to cause issues if parked for a long time and certain conditions are or aren't met.
The easiest and BEST way to prevent issues is to drive the vehicle.
Like your truck, even though you're treating it with kid gloves, find a dry day and go run the snot out of it. It will make you and the truck feel better!
Bedlam
Moderator
Mar 07, 2016
You will only be able to buy DEF over the counter with ID and will be limited to how much you can purchase at one time.
minnow
Explorer
Mar 07, 2016
boshog wrote:
DutchmenSport wrote:
I wonder if those people who stole the DEF from Wall Mart were looking for new way to make Meth. It seems they are constantly trying new chemical we average people use on a daily basis so they won't get caught in any radar.

Yesterday is was amphetamines, today they tried DEF, who knows? Tomorrow they may try Crest Toothpaste! (I'm just guessing here.)

If the crack-heads did find a use for DEF in their illegal doings, it would be hilarious. What would the government do next so we could get DEF, a fee-based license to buy DEF?

You'd need a prescription from your dealer to buy it and could only get it from Walgreen's.
boshog
Explorer
Mar 07, 2016
DutchmenSport wrote:
I wonder if those people who stole the DEF from Wall Mart were looking for new way to make Meth. It seems they are constantly trying new chemical we average people use on a daily basis so they won't get caught in any radar.

Yesterday is was amphetamines, today they tried DEF, who knows? Tomorrow they may try Crest Toothpaste! (I'm just guessing here.)

If the crack-heads did find a use for DEF in their illegal doings, it would be hilarious. What would the government do next so we could get DEF, a fee-based license to buy DEF?
FishOnOne
Nomad
Mar 06, 2016
Count me as one who prefers to purchase DEF from a container. My truck has 87k miles and no DEF or emission related problem to date.
Claude_B
Explorer
Mar 06, 2016
Well, i'm not surprised at all about DEF jug fill up with water at WM. I did happen to me, not with DEF but with a printer ink cartridge. The box was resealed perfectly (can't tell it has bee open) but the seal of plastic inner container was open and the cartridge empty.

So let me tell you that by now on, I open the box in front of the teller at the cashier every time I purchase a ''new'' cartridge...

And you should do the same about DEF jug. Open the jug and smell it. DEF is DEF.
Huntindog
Explorer
Mar 06, 2016
I just did the math on Bulk vs. sealed jugs from WM at todays prices.
For my truck which has used a little less than a gallon per 1K miles over the last 60K,,,,It works out to less than 60.00 over 100K.

For me. It's a no brainer. WM is close to me, and they are everywhere on the road, and the jugs are sealed with date/production codes on them.
I wouldn't know where to go in town to buy it in bulk... Probably have to drive a ways just to get it.
Everyone looks at risk differently. Sooo.

YMMV.
Huntindog
Explorer
Mar 05, 2016
Grit dog wrote:
Huntindog wrote:
ACZL wrote:
Pilot/Flying J's have it in bulk at semi fuel pumps. Here in Syracuse, I think it was around $3/gallon at Pilot. Can fill the pick up here, but not the VW. Have to fill jug up at pump, pour into another bottle and then into VW's tank. Bit of a pain, but far cheaper than VW dealer.

The last DEF I bought at WM was 8-9.00 for 2.5 gallons. Considering the LOW consumption rate our TVs have, the money saved by buying at a bulk station isn't much.

Our DEF systems are designed to quit if there is something wrong with the DEF. This will result in the TV going into limp mode at a minimum. Then a trip to the dealer, and possibly some very expensive repairs.. There is no drain in the DEF tanks. It has to be removed to dispose of bad DEF.

There are many things that can do wrong in a bulk purchase.
I prefer to use the sealed jugs that have production/dste codes.

IMO, the risk reward ratio is just not favorable enough for buying in bulk.

Meh, do you buy the sealed cans of premix gas by the qt for $8.99 for your weed whipper, or do you dump some 2s oil in a gas can and hit the local Kum n Go for a gallon of "bulk" gas?
Same concept. LOTS of big rigs burnin up tons of def and refilling every day.
Yes buying sealed, fresh def is pretty much a sure thing, but stopping at the def pump at a flying J is too!
I'm the guy that buys the freshest milk in the fridge, but if I get a gallon that's 2 days older I still drink it!

The risk reward of screwing up a 200.00 weed whacker vs. a 60K truck isn't even in the same universe.
Huntindog
Explorer
Mar 05, 2016
ACZL wrote:
Huntindog wrote:
ACZL wrote:
Pilot/Flying J's have it in bulk at semi fuel pumps. Here in Syracuse, I think it was around $3/gallon at Pilot. Can fill the pick up here, but not the VW. Have to fill jug up at pump, pour into another bottle and then into VW's tank. Bit of a pain, but far cheaper than VW dealer.

The last DEF I bought at WM was 8-9.00 for 2.5 gallons. Considering the LOW consumption rate our TVs have, the money saved by buying at a bulk station isn't much.

Our DEF systems are designed to quit if there is something wrong with the DEF. This will result in the TV going into limp mode at a minimum. Then a trip to the dealer, and possibly some very expensive repairs.. There is no drain in the DEF tanks. It has to be removed to dispose of bad DEF.

There are many things that can do wrong in a bulk purchase.
I prefer to use the sealed jugs that have production/dste codes.

IMO, the risk reward ratio is just not favorable enough for buying in bulk.

What things specifically can go wrong? Semis get DEF at fuel pumps. We have bulk DEF at work for our semis. Handle clicks off when full just like a fuel handle does. All the truck stops turn over DEF at a good clip and I'm willing to bet they don't want any complaints w/ their set up, so they keep things in good shape. Is bulk DEF for everyone? No. It's more of a convience thing if possible. But I'd like to know what problems exist w/ getting DEF at truck stops.

Semis use a LOT more DEF than our trucks. So the dollar savings is a lot more, and it's just not practical to fill those large tanks with DEF from jugs... Time is money for them.
Our trucks DEF systems are not equipped with any filters, or any way to drain bad DEF that may find it's way into the tank. I am pretty sure that the big rigs systems are different in this regard.. I do know for a fact that their DPFs are seviceable... Ours are not.
Buying in bulk, you really don't know anything about what you are getting. Did they have an old tank sitting around that didn't get rotated? It happens. They won't take the loss. They will sell it. The big rigs will use it so fast that it won't be a problem... Some of our trucks may have that DEF in the tank for over a year... When it goes bad, then what? A tow to the dealer and an expensive bill.

Handling can be a problem at bulk stations. An employee may accidently get some dirt etc. into the bulk tank when switching lines.. The public pump handle may have been dropped in a puddle by a previous user etc.
With no filtration system in our trucks.. Cleanliness is next to Godliness.

As for money savings... It's peanuts. A few years ago I figured it out at about 150.00 over 100K miles. One instance of contaiminated DEF can cost many times that.

And the price differnce has shrunk quite a bit since then.
Grit_dog
Navigator
Mar 05, 2016
Searching_Ut wrote:
For my 2015 Ram, shelf life of the DEF doesn't seem to be an issue. The truck goes through it so fast there is no way it will ever get Old, especially when you don't want to fill the tank all the way in the winter because of freezing issues.

One good thing about the Rams is you don't have to worry about busting the def tank if you freeze a full tank of it. They have enough expansion room.
Fords otoh WILL bust the tank if full and it freezes hard.
Had a fleet of all big 3 diesels in the Arctic last year and the above theory was proven multiple times up there with daily hard freeze thaw cycles on the def for months on end.

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