You have DEF splashed while re-filling, and it froze. Same happened to me. Crappy job by technician!

The passenger side is the smaller secondary tank filling point (there are two tanks to fill). The larger, primary DEF tank fill is on the Drivers side. It is a long tube going to the primary tank located under the vehicle, so, just like the occasional splash-back when filling a fuel tank, you can get it projected quite a ways when it backs up the tube. Being harder to reach and long, spills and/or splashbacks are not that unexpected on that side.

As for the passenger side, the only residue seems to be in the cup area, which is there for the purpose of catching slight spills. It would be nice if they cleaned it, but frankly, that residue in in the splashover cup of the passenger side wouldn't bother me a bit.

The mess on the driver's side is another story....

Personally, I wouldn't let anyone near the engine compartment with a powerwash wand. I would either wipe it down myself with a damp rag and a bucket of clean water, or insist that the dealer do it by hand as well.

If you're wondering why two DEF tanks, the smaller secondary tank is heated to prevent the DEF from freezing in very cold weather. Keeping the entire DEF supply liquid would take more power and battery drain.

I want to get me oneadem dash cams. Mind PMing me your make/model, OP? Sorry to veer off topic.

Did you have an ammonia smell?

The solvent in DEF is demineralized/deionized water. It is clear. Once the solvent is evaporated off, you are left with a white powder.

Do NOT powerwash the engine compartment! Use a hose with a steady stream of room temperature water and a long bristle brush.

Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) is an aqueous urea solution blended with 32.5% high purity urea and 67.5% deionized water. DEF solution is used in Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) to lower NOx concentration in the exhaust emissions of diesel engines.

Selective catalytic reduction is used to reduce the amount of NOx released into the air using DEF. Diesel exhaust fluid (from the DEF tank located in the engine compartment) is injected into the exhaust as it moves through the engine where it vaporizes and decomposes to form ammonia and carbon dioxide. With the SCR catalyst, the NOx are catalytically reduced by the ammonia (NH3) into water (H2O) and nitrogen (N2), which are both harmless and are released through the exhaust.

SCR systems are sensitive to potential chemical impurities in the urea solution, therefore the solvent is demineralized water. The solution is clear, non-toxic and safe to handle.

However, it can corrode some metals and so must be stored and transported carefully.

DEF is stored in a tank on board the vehicle, and injected into the exhaust stream by a metering system at a rate of 2% of diesel consumption volume (4-6% in Europe). This low dosing rate ensures long fluid refill intervals and minimizes the tank's obtrusion into vehicle packaging space.

This site is glitchy, half the replies aren't displaying

Okay, so a quick update.

Haven't heard back from the SA since it's Sunday but frankly I don't care anymore. I don't even want to go back to the dealership for anything anymore.

I cleaned up the engine bay with a damp towel this morning. I lightly hosed the bottom parts under the alternator-- parts that my hand simply can't reach. Seems mostly clean now. Drove it around for a couple minutes, checked the engine again. Engine was still clean, so it probably was DEF as you guys suggested. Will be keeping an eye on it for the next week or so. Thanks for all your help, guys.

http://imageshack.us/a/img694/3438/photo1zr.jpg



Also, I noticed a crap ton of engine oil on the foam near where the oil filter housing under the engine cover. Whoever the tech was working on my car, is really bad at what he does.

http://imageshack.us/a/img29/377/photofqe.jpg

Furthermore, the radiator coolant was under the "MIN" line, so I poured in one and a half bottle of water to get it between the MIN & MAX lines. So much for multi-point inspection.

Eh. Could've been worse.

I guess next time, I'll ask for a jug of DEF so I can fill it up myself.

Glad to hear everything's under control, i understand your frustration many BMW dealership treated their costumers like shit once they have your money. All that count's selling another car.

Looks good cleaned up :) Yeah sometimes the techs are lazy or in a hurry and in some cases they really don't catch it and hopefull that is what happened in this case.

It happens but I would just let them know they need to be more careful next time. No need to spend an hour or two at the dealership just to get it cleaned up. No one is going to care about your car more than you.

I use Scrubbing Bubbles to clean up my bay from time to time and it works like a charm. Been doing it for years on other cars as well. Engine bay is nice and clean. I spray on dry. Walk away for a few mins and come back and rinse. Hardly any brushing.

Glad you got it sorted out WWONG. I would also like info on your dashboard camera if you wouldn't mind sending me a PM or posting the info here.

it is nice to have an onboard camera... I have been contemplating one for some tme now, just have been too lazy to actually venture into it... For the power source i would consider the wake-on-LAN power source, something that comes on whan the car wakes up, and shuts off, when the car goes to sleep after 16 minutes... For that, the power consumpition will need to be calculated to avoid battery drain...

As far as DEF... being derived from UREA, I wonder if one would have problems at an airport security checks with DEF residue on the hands - it will probably hit on TNT on the TSA scanners... try to explain that - "but officer, my car is using this chemical to protect the environment!!!" hahaha