The removal of AdBlue can be a controversial step. The whole purpose of adding the substance to exhausts is to meet Euro 6 emissions rules, but there are ways you can remove it, benefit from doing so and not face any penalty.
Most diesel engines in the UK are now set up to use AdBlue. This mix of water and urea is added to exhausts to work with a selective catalytic reduction system to reduce nitrous oxide emissions. This works through a chemical reaction that turns the nitrous oxide into a benign substance.
When the car is set up to use AdBlue, this becomes integral to the engine system, to the extent that trying to do without it will leave you unable to run the car.
As the RAC notes, diesel vehicles designed to use AdBlue are fitted with sensors that will not only turn on a warning light when it is running out, but depletes the performance of the engine. Moreover, once it is turned off it won’t start again until the AdBlue tank is topped up.
This may beg the question: why would any motorist want to undergo AdBlue removal? The problem is that while it may be good news on the emissions front, it adds extra costs for motorists.
Among the extra expenses cited are around £50 a month for the AdBlue fluid itself and a ten per cent reduction in engine performance, while the AdBlue tank itself takes up extra space that could be used for something else.
The AdBlue removal work will ensure that the system is disabled, so that you will no longer have sensors that detect the lack of AdBlue and diminish your vehicle’s performance, or prevent the engine from starting.
Bringing a vehicle into a garage to have AdBlue removed will, therefore, have some evident benefits. But the question is when it is beneficial to do it – and when it is not.
The answer is that those who will gain are those using a diesel vehicle, such as a Land Rover, for off-roading. This is a very different situation to the scenario faced by those wanting to continue to use the vehicle on the road.
In the latter case, the problem is that it would make the vehicle illegal to use on the road, as it would contravene the Road Traffic Act 1988.
This stipulates that disabling any catalytic system designed to reduce emissions makes it illegal to drive such a vehicle on the road. The consequences of heavy fines for failing legal emissions limits and a failed MOT mean this is not a great idea.
However, the law specifies the use of these vehicles on the road. That means it does not cover off-roading. Therefore, if you want to use your vehicle specifically for this purpose, you can do so while enjoying the advantages of performance, cost and storage that going without AdBlue will convey.
If you do want AdBlue removed, therefore, it is important to have a very clear purpose in mind for the vehicle in question and keep it in the fields and green lanes.