DEF Jam V: Running It To Empty - 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.comEdmunds.com Member, Administrator, Moderator Posts: 10,315
edited April 2015 in Ram
imageDEF Jam V: Running It To Empty - 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel Long-Term Road Test

Once again, it's time to add more diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) after our 2014 Ram 1500 Ecodiesel, but this time we ran it down low first.

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Comments

  • yellowbalyellowbal Member Posts: 234
    edited April 2015
    Would it be easier to get DEF at truck stops? They sell it from a pump and last I checked it was $2.59/gallon.
  • gslippygslippy Member Posts: 514
    Good article. As an EV driver, I appreciate the comparison, and I'm glad to see DEF is that easy to deal with.
  • jstrauch81jstrauch81 Member Posts: 64
    Whatever happened to the ticking engine problem?
  • darthbimmerdarthbimmer Member Posts: 606
    If I read this correctly, all the drama around adding DEF was completely staged. An ordinary truck owner could buy DEF in the cost-effective 2.5 gallon packages, keep a spare or two in the garage, and simply add one every time the DEF gauge drops below, say, 50%. Or is there some problem with fluid shelf-life or refilling the truck's tank too soon?
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    The posters over in the What Would It Take for YOU to buy a diesel car? discussion think your math is off by a couple of decimal points @actualsize - try double-checking and see if you wind up with approximately 0.0058 a mile (i.e. a little bit more than one-half cent a mile, not 0.52 cents per mile).
  • jstrauch81jstrauch81 Member Posts: 64

    If I read this correctly, all the drama around adding DEF was completely staged. An ordinary truck owner could buy DEF in the cost-effective 2.5 gallon packages, keep a spare or two in the garage, and simply add one every time the DEF gauge drops below, say, 50%. Or is there some problem with fluid shelf-life or refilling the truck's tank too soon?

    Basically. I would think most owners would keep an extra gallon or two in their truck just in case.

  • cobrysoncobryson Member Posts: 110
    @stever That threw me off at first, but he's correct...read your statement again and you'll see it. A little bit more than one-half cent a mile is the same as 0.52 cents. He didn't say $0.52, he said 0.52 cents.
  • kirkhilles_kirkhilles_ Member Posts: 151
    I dunno. Its not a lot of money and is easy to get the fluid, but its just one MORE THING to add to your automotive checklist. It'd be like saying that its "no big deal" that German cars burn through a quart of oil every month as you can just buy a case and keep it in your garage. Given the additional cost of diesel and the more difficulty in finding diesel gas, freaking out when you lend it to your friend and they fill up your tank with gasoline (happened to my brother in law) and waiting for that gasoline car to move away from the one diesel pump, its not worth it in my book. Going Electric? Yeah, that's worth the hassle. This. No thanks.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Thanks @cobryson - I had three other people in that linked discussion take a look too since I never trust my math. A half cent a mile I could live with (if diesel fumes weren't otherwise an asthma trigger for my wife).

    Easiest thing to do in the real world is to get DEF at a truck stop and just get the amount you need. Not too many Flying J's in Santa Monica though. :)
  • s197gts197gt Member Posts: 486
    should of let it run to 0 to see what happens...

    otherwise excellent write up.

    as someone who would never buy a diesel; it is not the DEF that is the deal breaker but just finding diesel at a gas station. i know i know it wouldn't be that hard and i would eventually get used to to it but i have no desire to add that to my list of things i want/need to think about.
  • grijongrijon Member Posts: 147
    Great post, Dan; thank you.
  • blackecoramblackecoram Member Posts: 6
    I have topped up my DEF 3 times at a truck stop. I did the same thing as you guys on my last tank. The warning was down to 80kms. It took $21.00 to fill it from near empty. So far with 52,000kms on my truck I have spent $61 to keep my DEF topped up.
  • zimtheinvaderzimtheinvader Member Posts: 580
    yellowbal said:

    Would it be easier to get DEF at truck stops? They sell it from a pump and last I checked it was $2.59/gallon.

    No, then they might meet people and have to interact. I find it funny that a group of people that commonly drive way out of their way for the little shop that sells bread or jerky or anything else they can get from a unique local vendor and would likely balk at shopping at a giant shopping mall will automatically flock to the soulless shopping mall of the internet.

  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited April 2015
    Just pay at the pump - no need to go in and talk to the clerks (or buy a Krispy Kreme or Powerball tix).

    No wonder Flying J had to do a bankruptcy reorg. I pay at the pump when I go there and only go in if I need a pit stop. Lots of lost impulse spending. They are putting in pay at the pump in the truck lanes too.
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