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What Brand DEF are you using? Peak brand trips check engine...

67561 Views 74 Replies 36 Participants Last post by  dea49
I have tried using peak Blue DEF (purchased at autozone)in my Grand Cherokee and the check engine light comes on saying I am using the wrong DEF. I noticed others on the forum buying the same DEF and was trying to determine if there are others with the same issue. Please let me know what brand you are using and if you have any issues

Thanks
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I purchased 5 gal of Peak Blue DEF from Amazon prime..... It's in my shed and I haven't used any yet. But I'm comfortable enough to proceed and am thinking there is something unique about your situation. How did you fix the problem?
I have tried using peak Blue DEF (purchased at autozone)in my Grand Cherokee and the check engine light comes on saying I am using the wrong DEF. I noticed others on the forum buying the same DEF and was trying to determine if there are others with the same issue. Please let me know what brand you are using and if you have any issues

Thanks
Not sure my situation is unique, that's why I am asking to see if people have used it with no issues. I need data to bring to the dealer to get it fixed. Right now I am getting a message telling me the vehicle will not start in 200 miles. Their solution so far is use the mopar DEF at $11. / gal. compared to $12.50 for 2.5 gal of Peak.
I have been using this
BLUE DEF Diesel Exhaust Fluid - Walmart.com in my 2013 MERCEDES sprinter and now in my GC. No problems to date.
I am interest as I am sure other members are, in how this is resolved.......Please keep us posted.
Not sure my situation is unique, that's why I am asking to see if people have used it with no issues. I need data to bring to the dealer to get it fixed. Right now I am getting a message telling me the vehicle will not start in 200 miles. Their solution so far is use the mopar DEF at $11. / gal. compared to $12.50 for 2.5 gal of Peak.
I have been using this
BLUE DEF Diesel Exhaust Fluid - Walmart.com in my 2013 MERCEDES sprinter and now in my GC. No problems to date.
I have been using the same one in my GC since I purchased it in Nov. I had a check engine light come on but when I took it in they just said it needed a software update. Nothing since and I filled it right after I had the check engine light fixed.
Not sure my situation is unique, that's why I am asking to see if people have used it with no issues. I need data to bring to the dealer to get it fixed. Right now I am getting a message telling me the vehicle will not start in 200 miles. Their solution so far is use the mopar DEF at $11. / gal. compared to $12.50 for 2.5 gal of Peak.
I put 2 1/2 gal of peak blue DEF in today and took it for a spin..... Seems O.K. So far. But I still had about 2 1/2 gal of original so it's a 50/50 mix.
I just recently added 2.5G of Peak Blue Def and so far no issues. How long after adding it, did the check engine light come on?

Don
Thanks for the replies I will post the resolution, here is an update. The first time I got the check engine light they did the software update. The dealer put in 2 gallons of the mopar DEF. They gave me the bottle so I could compare, bought the Peak blue as it looked to be the same. After adding 2.5 gal I got another light the next day. Hoping to get it in for service today will bring the container with me so they can see it's the same ratings as the mopar brand. I talked to a buddy that is a diesel mechanic and he said they are all the same and I may have a plugged nozzle in the exhaust injector. Maybe a battle with the dealer as they just want to blame the Def.
I just put in 7.5 gallons of Peak Blue 2 weeks ago after going down to almost empty.. runs fine and no lights so I wouldn't think its the Peak Blue product.
UPDATE - Last trip to the dealer they found a clogged DEF injector. I brought the box of Peak with me to prove it had the same rating as the Mopar brand. I also talked with a buddy who is a diesel mechanic and he thought it was a clogged injector so it pays to go to the dealer informed. The dealer just wanted to blame the Brand because it wasn't Mopar. Apparently some of the def crystallized. They cleaned the injector and tested the DEF and it passed. Drove the GC home and the light came on again the next day but went off a day later. I checked with a scan tool and the code was secondary exhaust emissions out of tolerance. I did not reset the CE light. I am going to drive it and if the Check Engine light comes back on bring it back to the dealer. Not sure if I got a bad batch of DEF that wasn't stored right or if the GC came from the dealer with crystallization in the tank. It seems every time I add DEF to the tank I trip the CE light. This problem started once I added DEF after the first tank was low. If this continues I think the next step is to drain the DEF tank, clean it out, clean injectors and start fresh. If that is the case I am not sure the dealer will see that as a warranty item and may try to charge me. So far everything has been covered by the warranty.

Thanks everyone for the help, I will keep the thread updated if I trip the CE light again.
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UPDATE - Last trip to the dealer they found a clogged DEF injector. I brought the box of Peak with me to prove it had the same rating as the Mopar brand. I also talked with a buddy who is a diesel mechanic and he thought it was a clogged injector so it pays to go to the dealer informed. The dealer just wanted to blame the Brand because it wasn't Mopar. Apparently some of the def crystallized. They cleaned the injector and tested the DEF and it passed. Drove the GC home and the light came on again the next day but went off a day later. I checked with a scan tool and the code was secondary exhaust emissions out of tolerance. I did not reset the CE light. I am going to drive it and if the Check Engine light comes back on bring it back to the dealer. Not sure if I got a bad batch of DEF that wasn't stored right or if the GC came from the dealer with crystallization in the tank. It seems every time I add DEF to the tank I trip the CE light. This problem started once I added DEF after the first tank was low. If this continues I think the next step is to drain the DEF tank, clean it out, clean injectors and start fresh. If that is the case I am not sure the dealer will see that as a warranty item and may try to charge me. So far everything has been covered by the warranty.

Thanks everyone for the help, I will keep the thread updated if I trip the CE light again.
Thank you for keeping us posted.
Diesel is very to me and I am by no means a mechanic.
I'm at the dealer today for LOF, nitrogen in tires, repair led light issue, etc.
We have 4550 miles, 7% oil life and "engine will not restart in 430 miles" warning.
Service manager could not find total capacity of DEF tank...I located it on the forum of 8 gallons.
IF this tank was full from manufacturer/dealer...then I have to expect to replenish 8 gallons of DEF per 5-6000 miles?
AT $14.00 per gallon for MOPAR brand, this is a very expensive maintenance item.
Does this seem correct? Or is it just possible the tank was not full?

Not sure if this effects my oil life or DEF usage...but we are towing an RV/trailer weighing about 6,000 pounds in the flat lands of south FL about 5-8% of the time...so not that much.
I doubt if your DEF tank was filled by the dealer prior to sale. They have a dealership TSB to not do that. They're worried about freeze expansion in colder climates. Being in FL it obviously is nothing you need to worry about but your dealer may have followed the directions anyway.
This came from DieselPowerMag website when the did a recent article on the 2014 JGC Diesel:

"Conveniently, the diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) tank holds 8 gallons of fluid and is accessed through the fuel door, not the interior, as in some of the European competition. Also, the expected 10,000-mile range of the urea tank was designed to coincide with the 10,000-mile service interval of the engine, making the transition of adding another maintenance fluid easier on the consumer."

Read more: 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel - Diesel Power Magazine
Yes, in a perfect world. I've been on other Jeep diesel sites and I don't recall reading any owners reporting they're getting anywhere near 10K miles out of a full tank of DEF. They've been reporting more along the lines of what you're seeing on yours. The people that seem to be getting the worst DEF economy are the ones doing a lot of short trips or a lot of stop-n-go city driving. I'd have to imagine that towing would increase DEF usage as well.
Some interesting factoids on DEF here... FAQ Diesel Exhaust Fluid including average DEF consumption rates.
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that was interesting...bit of a learning curve with this new diesel.
AT the dealer, LOF, oil filter about $40-50, DEF refill will be near $200.00???
If you go to Home - discover Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF), you can see where there are DEF pumps (a lot of Pilot Flying J truck stops). I've filled up there, and it's around $2.79/gal. Now, my jeep is in the shop probably because they put the wrong oil in it when I got my first oil change, but we'll find out if it was the DEF or not, I heard from one of the mechanics that that has been a problem.
that was interesting...bit of a learning curve with this new diesel.
AT the dealer, LOF, oil filter about $40-50, DEF refill will be near $200.00???

Yes, that seems to be around the average cost owners have been reporting when getting service at the dealership.
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