Below is a summary of the operation of the AdBlue system and how the indicators work.

Basically, if the consumption (whole of life) is higher than about 9L/1000km, the AdBlue light will most likely be on all the time. There is no method to reset the whole of life consumption nor will the factory amend the inception point, (1500km) at this point in time.

Big fibre glass body motorhomes are mostly affected, because of their size (wind resistance) and weight. It is not uncommon for vehicles here in Australia to experience consumption levels higher than 10L/1000km.

For us, it is an education process for customers as to what to expect and how the system works. The biggest thing to remember is that the system is trying to predict when the tank will be low, and it is not reflecting the actual capacity of the tank.

We advise customers to only refill the tank when the 600km to go message appears. If they have not refilled when the mileage counter gets to 0, it will prevent the vehicle from being restarted once they turn it off. (Refer to your Owners Manual)

We also recommend to our customers, that they always carry 5L on board, just in case.

The information provided by Stellantis is as follows:

With the introduction of AdBlue into Ducato Series 7 there is the occasional enquiry from users regarding AdBlue level light on the instrument cluster and AdBlue usage. The guidelines are generic and just like fuel consumption can vary considerably and does not take into consideration individual driving styles. Also, unlike fuel consumption, AdBlue usage typically goes up with highway running. Usage can also vary with ambient temperature and humidity.

Although the Owner’s Manual is not clear, the AdBlue inducement warning light is illuminated based on distance to empty and is initiated at approximately 1,500 kms to empty.

Based on AdBlue usage at the higher end of expectations (due to high frontal area and high average highway speeds) and a 19 litre AdBlue tank, the illumination of the inducement light will initiate even when the tank still has a considerable volume of AdBlue. This is due to the conservative nature of the software. The activation of the inducement light should not be taken as being low on AdBlue and/or abnormally high usage for the application.

The AdBlue warnings start at 600 kilometres to empty. 

Evidently, these values may be strongly influenced by the type of route (urban/extra urban/highway/mountain roads), but also driving style, load, and environmental conditions. At high speed (e.g., 100km/h, speed allowed on some motorways) or transients at full load, consumption may increase even more than that shown in the table.

An urban driving mission characterized by sudden accelerations, for example, would require more work by the system to abate pollutants with consequent increase in urea consumption with respect to the values given above.

Additional considerations

• Some customers who already had E6b vehicles with a urea injection system could complain of excessive consumption in comparison with the previous emissions standard.

• The appearance of the message on the panel (“inducement”) is initially only a warning and does not indicate the residual range of urea. When the customer has only the message, the range is between 600 and 1500km (depending on when the message appeared the first time).

As the range decreases, the residual kilometres appear that, once driven, prevent the vehicle from being started. The message is not related to the effective quantity of urea in the reservoir, but the estimate of the residual kilometre range.

High urea consumption due to the combination of high speed/particular versions can lead to the message (“inducement” without the indication of kilometres) appearing on the panel also after filling up the reservoir completely.

• The system can diagnose abnormal urea consumption related to a possible malfunction, displaying the suitable error code. If there is no error code, the message on the panel is related to the estimate of the residual kilometre range and not to malfunctions; therefore no components require replacement. The average urea consumption from the beginning of life car can be calculated using the diagnostic too.