Thanks for the info. My car is due end of Jan so I won't have to bother with this stuff, not that it help you guys :-(

DUH! I finally read the DEF tank drawing labels carefully. It clear shows that the active tank has both a Max and "Min sensor". The "Min sensor" includes the notation "(start of remaining distance in display)". The 'Min sensor' is shown as being located below 1/2 full.

Funf Dreisig

i'm wondering if the truth is that the dealers just dont know how the hell to refill this fluid!
the SA looked at me like i had 5 heads when i told him my car had the "no start" warning.

WTF.

BMW 'Master Certified' Mechanics?

Not one guy at a number of $20 million dealerships was trained to correctly refill a fluid tank?

Stories of X5's possibly left Spartansburg with incorrect levels? BMW center of excellence in US.....

I hope my wheels don't fall off next.:p:

this car is gone if this DEF proves to be a continuing issue. makes me wonder what i'll be dealing with when the car has 100k miles on it, not just 14k.
it's more than the price of the fill up and the time it takes to do so every four months. its just not right.

DEF is actually pretty cheap if you don't buy it from BMW. And it will get cheaper as more diesels are required to use it. Any decent shade tree mechanic can fill the two tanks correctly with a funnel and a modicum of skill/patience. So as long as the sensors, pumps and plumping are working OK this is not a big issue long term (AKA post warranty).

The big issue is the apparent incompetence of at least some BMW dealer technicians in filling BOTH tanks correctly during the warranty period. Obviously some BMW Dealer techs can, and have, filled both DEF tanks correctly (e.g. Craig's dealer). Other BMW Dealer techs seem to have trouble knowing about, finding or correctly filling BOTH tanks. This is almost certainly why some members have reported having DEF issues only after the first refill. IOW they made it to their first oil change OK then started having to top up the DEF very frequently after the dealer techs 'replenished' the DEF. And then there are the few members who have reported DEF sensor/tank issues which led to warranty replacements.

FWIW when our 35d requires it's first DEF 'fix' I will be spending the day at the dealer drinking lattes and eating cookies. I will require a conference with the tech about the details of exactly how the DEF was 'replenished' and how much DEF was used. I won't sign off on the warranty repair until the answer is at least 6 gals of DEF and the use of both fill orifices which I will have previously marked to assure that BOTH have at least been opened :)

Funf Dreisig

yeah and if i do opt for the cheaper fluid and something goes wrong i'm SURE i will have just waved goodbye to my warranty as well.

Just curious, are you running your car hard or towing? I've read, you will use more fluid in both cases. If not, something isn't right with your vehicle. I've had mine for a year and didn't need any fluid before my one year oil change.

Craig

:iagree:
As I posted above, the issue is getting proper DEF maintenance DURING warranty, if your BMW dealer's techs are not competent, err.... adequately trained.

My proposed solution is to use the info in this thread to hold a dealer's feet to the fire. But that is fairly easy for me. I'm retired, have the time, mechanical skill and inclination to force a result to my satisfaction while drinking lattes and eating pastries :D

Funf Dreisig

I suspect, if two people per dealership would force this issue then it would essentially be resolved. Pioneer's get the arrows and settlers get the land...