Car needs new DEF active tank

Twilight1 · 01-23-2014, 02:36 PM

Car threw a code and it seemed to be down on low end power. Dropped it off at the dealer and they determined that it needs a new tank. It was going to cost $1500, but BMW said if I let them change the brake fluid cabin filter and run complete diagnostic on it for $300, they would take care of the tank.

It seems like a rather odd proposal, but I agreed to it. They also implied, if there is anything else, that would also be goodwilled.

My question is, would the tank being bad somehow affect the low end? Or would that possibly be the DPF being clogged? The car has 39K on it.

Moxie · 01-23-2014, 03:02 PM

I had a similar issue (only passive tank) with our 2010 w/ ~20K miles on it. We only get a two year warranty here regardless if the car is US spec. I threw a SES light, took it in & had to have the passive tank replaced. The bill was ~1800 Euros & I had to pay ~$500. The parts were good willed & I had to pay half labor & 123 Euro for a diagnostic. They had to e-mail pictures of the tank in. I was told the tank was leaking towards the top where the pump fit in.

Poosik · 01-23-2014, 05:10 PM

Recently purchased a CPO 335d with 23kmiles.
20 days and 200mi after ownership, check engine light goes on.
My OBD2 reader sensed code P21A8.
Brought it in to dealer, refused to pay the $53 bucks since I just bought it.
3 days later they installed a new SCR container, several hoses, and topped of DEF but price was not provided.
No loss of power or drop in MPG was noted.
Meanwhile i drove around in a 2013/14? 320xi loaner

I gata say, this does NOT give me any warm and fuzzy feelings about longevity/reliability of the 335d.... but then again it was only a BS "peripheral" component so who knows..

Side note: chatted with the SA kid today, he said " I would NEVER buy a BMW.. they make great cars but incorporate a profit margin by engineering parts to break, its part of business"

At first i was like WTF are u talking about dude?? but driving home it started to kinda make sense...

Puerto Rican 335d · 01-24-2014, 05:09 AM

welcome to the REALM of the urea tank Ive gone thru two in less than a year look in the posts for my ROTTED out urea tank under the Guess What thread (BTW Ive got two Guess What issues), this time pump AGAIN!! and clogged injector. i gather since my car is modded I hardly ever use UREA so I firmly beleive it clogged the injector for lack of use. OOPS LOL

Poosik · 01-25-2014, 02:03 PM

PuertoRican, How many miles do u have the 335D?
I am looking for a OBD2 port plugin that can automatically remove CES/SES lights since my feelings are that they are mostly non$en$e.

FormerRotor · 01-25-2014, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Poosik

PuertoRican, How many miles do u have the 335D?
I am looking for a OBD2 port plugin that can automatically remove CES/SES lights since my feelings are that they are mostly non$en$e.

Burger offers this.

GreekboyD · 01-25-2014, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FormerRotor

Burger offers this.

Yep. I had mine for sale in the local forums here.

Puerto Rican 335d · 01-25-2014, 03:18 PM

I hv 38k and plan to eventually remove all the crap off of it within the next 12k or or whatever comes girst

AzureHaze · 01-27-2014, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Poosik

I gata say, this does NOT give me any warm and fuzzy feelings about longevity/reliability of the 335d.... but then again it was only a BS "peripheral" component so who knows..

Yes, the entire emissions system are entirely BS. How nice would it be if our cars didn't have it? The threads in this diesel subforum would be cut by half. Then again, without it, we'd be giving mother nature the middle finger but there has be a better system than the one we're stuck with now! Unfortunately I can't do a delete because I'm in CA (fail the smog test) and don't ever plan to leave this beautiful yet horrible state.

BB_cuda · 01-27-2014, 05:33 PM

This is probably the wrong place to ask but is there a way to use OBD port with BT or simliar tool to initiate urea injections. The reason I'm asking is if we have the SCR turned off while getting the other things off (EGR and DPF) I'm thinking the tank, pumps, valves and lines will clog up as the urea crystallizes. I would like to put this stuff on the shelf for the day if/when i sell so that out of state buyers don't walk away. I want to be able to restore back to ~OEM down the road (or atleast not intentionally make it impossible). TDI and i were talking in another thread about how to clean out the urea system with distilled water. After cleaning, the system would be emptied. Some guys over in this other thread are talking about putting water/meth mix in the system and using it as the reservior for meth injection of charge pipe.

335dFan · 01-27-2014, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AzureHaze

...don't ever plan to leave this beautiful yet horrible state.

AzureHaze, I grew up in California and feel it is home, so I would use almost the same words as you, but for different reasons. I left at age 21 and have never returned. Oh how I would like to return, but for many reasons I'm not sure I ever will now. One of them, although way down on the list of prioritized reasons, is what to do with this wonderful but flawed car of ours. I had planned to keep it until they take away my car keys, but I don't have the kind of money necessary to keep it running after the warranty runs out, and so I would probably need to live in a state where the emissions testing regime would not limit my modification options with that car. Hate to get mushy, because it is just a vehicle, but I really like the car a lot. But I can't let it drive me to debtors prison.

crazyinp · 01-27-2014, 06:59 PM

I just moved back to Bay Area (NorCal) and to my surprise when I went to get my car smog check, I was told that diesel doesn't require one. So they just did OBD reading and on my I was to DMV.

Timujin · 09-01-2014, 05:40 AM

I got a p21a8 code yesterday @ 45k miles! So glad this didn't happen post warranty. I'm taking the car into dealership first thing Tuesday. I don't think I will get it back same day though.

I cleared the code twice and it returned upon moderate throttle application.

I might have to buy the Hendrick Autoguard for $2771 for 48 months/40k miles. Either way I need an extended warranty if I am keeping this 335d.

Timujin · 09-06-2014, 08:41 PM

Car drooped off Tuesday morning and picked up Thursday evening. New DEF tank. Thanks Boris Said.

GreekboyD · 09-07-2014, 06:49 AM

Will be interesting to see what people start to do when this work has to be done out of warranty.

Timujin · 09-07-2014, 07:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreekboyD

Will be interesting to see what people start to do when this work has to be done out of warranty.

I am looking at an extended warranty for $2771 for 48months or 40k miles, but will have to drive the car a lot less than I am now. I don't want to pay out of pocket for any repairs on this vehicle.

GreekboyD · 09-07-2014, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Timujin

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreekboyD

Will be interesting to see what people start to do when this work has to be done out of warranty.

I am looking at an extended warranty for $2771 for 48months or 40k miles, but will have to drive the car a lot less than I am now. I don't want to pay out of pocket for any repairs on this vehicle.

Might as well just spend the money on the deletes and scrap the warranty money if you intend to keep the car beyond that.

SwaggyP · 03-28-2015, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Twilight1

Car threw a code and it seemed to be down on low end power. Dropped it off at the dealer and they determined that it needs a new tank. It was going to cost $1500, but BMW said if I let them change the brake fluid cabin filter and run complete diagnostic on it for $300, they would take care of the tank.

It seems like a rather odd proposal, but I agreed to it. They also implied, if there is anything else, that would also be goodwilled.

My question is, would the tank being bad somehow affect the low end? Or would that possibly be the DPF being clogged? The car has 39K on it.

Hello,
I just had my 2011 USA spec 335d throw the code P21A8 as well. I also experienced a huge drop in throttle response and power. How would the DEF tank cause these symptoms? I was so happy when the light came on because I thought for sure it was CBU. My car currently has 43k and at 30k it had the throttle body replaced due to CBU. I want CBU to speed up so I can have her destroying the streets again. Since I purchased the car I can definitely notice a loss of power. Back to my original question... if I am experiencing the code P21A8 why would I have loss of power?

335ddd · 03-28-2015, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SwaggyP

Hello,
I just had my 2011 USA spec 335d throw the code P21A8 as well. I also experienced a huge drop in throttle response and power. How would the DEF tank cause these symptoms? I was so happy when the light came on because I thought for sure it was CBU. My car currently has 43k and at 30k it had the throttle body replaced due to CBU. I want CBU to speed up so I can have her destroying the streets again. Since I purchased the car I can definitely notice a loss of power. Back to my original question... if I am experiencing the code P21A8 why would I have loss of power?

my guess would be that the DEF tank would affect urea injector workflow which would affect Nox sensors which would adjust engine power. i am probably wrong but i had bad urea injector which affected my power. if your DEF tank is not working right maybe injector is running in some reduced more or something. again just a guess

01-23-2014, 02:36 PM	#1
Twilight1 First Lieutenant 25 Rep 363 Posts Drives: Tuned SHO Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: MI iTrader: (0)	Car needs new DEF active tank Car threw a code and it seemed to be down on low end power. Dropped it off at the dealer and they determined that it needs a new tank. It was going to cost $1500, but BMW said if I let them change the brake fluid cabin filter and run complete diagnostic on it for $300, they would take care of the tank. It seems like a rather odd proposal, but I agreed to it. They also implied, if there is anything else, that would also be goodwilled. My question is, would the tank being bad somehow affect the low end? Or would that possibly be the DPF being clogged? The car has 39K on it. Last edited by Twilight1; 01-23-2014 at 03:03 PM..
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01-23-2014, 03:02 PM	#2
Moxie Lieutenant Colonel 67 Rep 1,895 Posts Drives: AW 328d Touring/SG 335d Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: North Carolina iTrader: (12)	Car needs new DEF Passive tank I had a similar issue (only passive tank) with our 2010 w/ ~20K miles on it. We only get a two year warranty here regardless if the car is US spec. I threw a SES light, took it in & had to have the passive tank replaced. The bill was ~1800 Euros & I had to pay ~$500. The parts were good willed & I had to pay half labor & 123 Euro for a diagnostic. They had to e-mail pictures of the tank in. I was told the tank was leaking towards the top where the pump fit in.
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01-23-2014, 05:10 PM	#3
Poosik Private First Class 23 Rep 133 Posts Drives: BMW 335D Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Connecticut iTrader: (0)	Recently purchased a CPO 335d with 23kmiles. 20 days and 200mi after ownership, check engine light goes on. My OBD2 reader sensed code P21A8. Brought it in to dealer, refused to pay the $53 bucks since I just bought it. 3 days later they installed a new SCR container, several hoses, and topped of DEF but price was not provided. No loss of power or drop in MPG was noted. Meanwhile i drove around in a 2013/14? 320xi loaner I gata say, this does NOT give me any warm and fuzzy feelings about longevity/reliability of the 335d.... but then again it was only a BS "peripheral" component so who knows.. Side note: chatted with the SA kid today, he said " I would NEVER buy a BMW.. they make great cars but incorporate a profit margin by engineering parts to break, its part of business" At first i was like WTF are u talking about dude?? but driving home it started to kinda make sense...
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01-24-2014, 05:09 AM	#4
Puerto Rican 335d Brigadier General 229 Rep 3,489 Posts Drives: Montego Blue 335d Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Puerto Rico(Dominican Republic 03/2017) iTrader: (0)	welcome to the REALM of the urea tank Ive gone thru two in less than a year look in the posts for my ROTTED out urea tank under the Guess What thread (BTW Ive got two Guess What issues), this time pump AGAIN!! and clogged injector. i gather since my car is modded I hardly ever use UREA so I firmly beleive it clogged the injector for lack of use. OOPS LOL __________________ RENNtech Flash(Lenny Wu)/WAGNER IC Enkei Rajin 18"/Execuhitch Hitch/Koni FSD Soft Ride Bike Rack/Brava Synthetic Motor Oil(Made in Puerto Rico)/Meth(in the works)/CBU done w Andrew EGR Race Pipe (whoa! what an animal it is now)
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01-25-2014, 02:03 PM	#5
Poosik Private First Class 23 Rep 133 Posts Drives: BMW 335D Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Connecticut iTrader: (0)	PuertoRican, How many miles do u have the 335D? I am looking for a OBD2 port plugin that can automatically remove CES/SES lights since my feelings are that they are mostly non$en$e.
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01-25-2014, 03:18 PM	#8
Puerto Rican 335d Brigadier General 229 Rep 3,489 Posts Drives: Montego Blue 335d Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Puerto Rico(Dominican Republic 03/2017) iTrader: (0)	I hv 38k and plan to eventually remove all the crap off of it within the next 12k or or whatever comes girst
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01-27-2014, 05:33 PM	#10
BB_cuda Brigadier General 765 Rep 3,557 Posts Drives: 2011 335D Msport, 2013 X5D Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Clear Lake, Texas iTrader: (0)	This is probably the wrong place to ask but is there a way to use OBD port with BT or simliar tool to initiate urea injections. The reason I'm asking is if we have the SCR turned off while getting the other things off (EGR and DPF) I'm thinking the tank, pumps, valves and lines will clog up as the urea crystallizes. I would like to put this stuff on the shelf for the day if/when i sell so that out of state buyers don't walk away. I want to be able to restore back to ~OEM down the road (or atleast not intentionally make it impossible). TDI and i were talking in another thread about how to clean out the urea system with distilled water. After cleaning, the system would be emptied. Some guys over in this other thread are talking about putting water/meth mix in the system and using it as the reservior for meth injection of charge pipe. Last edited by BB_cuda; 01-27-2014 at 05:34 PM.. Reason: typos/corrections
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01-27-2014, 06:59 PM	#12
crazyinp Major 299 Rep 1,245 Posts Drives: BMW Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Bay Area iTrader: (5) Garage List 2022 BMW X5e [0.00] 2023 BMW X5M [0.00]	I just moved back to Bay Area (NorCal) and to my surprise when I went to get my car smog check, I was told that diesel doesn't require one. So they just did OBD reading and on my I was to DMV.
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09-01-2014, 05:40 AM	#13
Timujin Major 353 Rep 1,005 Posts Drives: GMC Sierra Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: California iTrader: (9) Garage List 2010 BMW M3 [0.00]	I got a p21a8 code yesterday @ 45k miles! So glad this didn't happen post warranty. I'm taking the car into dealership first thing Tuesday. I don't think I will get it back same day though. I cleared the code twice and it returned upon moderate throttle application. I might have to buy the Hendrick Autoguard for $2771 for 48 months/40k miles. Either way I need an extended warranty if I am keeping this 335d. __________________ We grow food to feed the animals so we can eat the animals
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09-06-2014, 08:41 PM	#14
Timujin Major 353 Rep 1,005 Posts Drives: GMC Sierra Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: California iTrader: (9) Garage List 2010 BMW M3 [0.00]	Car drooped off Tuesday morning and picked up Thursday evening. New DEF tank. Thanks Boris Said. __________________ We grow food to feed the animals so we can eat the animals
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09-07-2014, 06:49 AM	#15
GreekboyD Brigadier General 411 Rep 3,049 Posts Drives: 2009 BMW 335d Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Toronto, ON, Canada iTrader: (0) Garage List 2009 BMW 335d [8.00]	Will be interesting to see what people start to do when this work has to be done out of warranty.
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