DEF, is one brand better that another?

[Rustymayes]

In the past I have filled up the DEF tank at the Chevron travel center just outside of town on the freeway since it is available at the diesel pump. Today I de=id not need to top off the diesel for this weekends trip but I was getting low on the DEF so I just picked up a couple of 2.5 gallon boxes at O'Reiley's on the way home for m work. They have three brands, two of the names escape me now but they have a house brand that was 47 less than a fancy labeled box and $5 less than the one in between. I could not decern any difference form reading the labels. Has anyone any knowledge that supports one brand of DEF as being better than another?
Rusty Mayes

 

[Rich W.]

Yes and no. i don’t buy into the fancy $21.95 extra super platinum additive brands, nor do I risk it with the $9.99 cheapest Walmart ones. Blue Def is middle of the road on price and has always been dependable. There are several reasons I don’t put pump def in my coach (for my trucks it’s fine) and I wont go into that, but I’ve driven a little over 50k miles on box DEF, mainly Blue DEF but also Chevron’s brand, in my coach and it hasn’t let me down.

 

[Rich W.]

Also I get around 300 mpg of DEF so with that figure I can plan ahead and usually carry enough DEF purchased locally. When purchasing while traveling I go to the higher volume stores (Walmart, Tractor Supply, etc) that move enough product to have relatively fresh DEF on the shelf and more controlled storage practices. You don’t want old DEF or DEF that has been stored in higher temps. But I also don’t worry too much about price. A lot of truck stops and gas stations charge $20-$25 and if I need it I buy it. I just try to plan around this and purchase it before I heed it.

 

[Joe Hogan]

Does anyone carry a tester to verify quality?

Amazon product ASIN B07DLDZBS8

 

[Richpatty]

Does anyone carry a tester to verify quality?

Amazon product ASIN B07DLDZBS8

I do…. Have not found any bad DEF yet. And don’t expect to….

 

[team bradfield]

I do…. Have not found any bad DEF yet. And don’t expect to….

same here, all good tests so far

 

[Rich W.]

Yup but I’m at the point that I only test off brands or DEF I know has been sitting over a few months. If I bought pump DEF I’d test it every time, but after two bad experiences (de-rate and repair shop - fortunately no tow) shortly after buying pump DEF I wont put that in my coach unless I have no other options, which should be never. I use pump DEF in my truck though (single source from a local chevron card lock) with no issues.

 

[J&JD]

I do test all my jug/box DEF. No matter if I buy the cheapest Walmart or the most expensive box, the have all tested the same. Never a bad container. I do buy at busy truck stops from time to time and don’t test their product. With literally thousands of trucks using their product each week I cannot imagine there being a problem with the truck stop DEF.
If you’re worried about the truck stop product, carry a couple of empty containers and fill them. That way you can test the product at your leisure before putting it in your tank.

 

[flyboy013]

I almost exclusively buy Walmart Supertech DEF. I have 57K miles. I test each jug with a refractometer, but have never found a bad jug

 

[Rich W.]

I almost exclusively buy Walmart Supertech DEF. I have 57K miles. I test each jug with a refractometer, but have never found a bad jug

One of the early problems with Walmart box DEF (and probably others) was from people buying the DEF, using it, and then filling the containers with water and returning them for a refund where they ended up back on the shelves. I think this has been curtailed in recent years and is no longer a problem. But it was mentioned enough that I believe it happened. I was also interested to find Canadian DEF, in gallon jugs, had no seal under the cap which made me a bit nervous. But so far in all my testing I haven’t actually discovered any faulty product.

 

[flyboy013]

I've hear all the same stories about Walmart DEF being purchased and then returned with water. Not one of the posts I read was from someone who actually experienced this issue. I check the jug seals when I put them in the cart and test the fluid before adding it to the tank. I always keep one spare jug in the basement just in case I have issues finding a Walmart (or other store) with DEF. Many stores were sold out a few years ago, but I haven't experienced any issues recently.

 

[Richpatty]

I've hear all the same stories about Walmart DEF being purchased and then returned with water. Not one of the posts I read was from someone who actually experienced this issue. I check the jug seals when I put them in the cart and test the fluid before adding it to the tank. I always keep one spare jug in the basement just in case I have issues finding a Walmart (or other store) with DEF. Many stores were sold out a few years ago, but I haven't experienced any issues recently.

100 % agree.

I kinda feel it was an urban legend…

 

[J&JD]

100 % agree.

I kinda feel it was an urban legend…

X2!

 

[jagpot]

Does anyone carry a tester to verify quality?

Amazon product ASIN B07DLDZBS8

yes. I do. A refractometer. 32.5 is optimal.

 

[Rich W.]

I've hear all the same stories about Walmart DEF being purchased and then returned with water. Not one of the posts I read was from someone who actually experienced this issue. I check the jug seals when I put them in the cart and test the fluid before adding it to the tank. I always keep one spare jug in the basement just in case I have issues finding a Walmart (or other store) with DEF. Many stores were sold out a few years ago, but I haven't experienced any issues recently.

Could very well be urban folklore and its hard to imagine someone going to that much trouble to save 12 bucks, but then there are people like that out there and if any point of sale was likely to be to source of these stories, Walmart would a likely suspect. I don’t worry about it but I do check the seals.