I thought those aftermarket DEF heaters were just a money grab

For years, I told guys in the shop that the factory system was fine if you just kept the tank above half in winter (you know, like the book says). Then last January in Duluth, we had a solid week below zero and I had three trucks in a row with frozen lines, even with full tanks. The shop foreman made me install a brand name heater kit on my own service truck as a 'learning experience'. After running it through this past winter, I didn't have a single DEF-related fault, not one. It's made me rethink a lot of the 'just follow the manual' advice for extreme conditions. Has anyone else had a simple add-on fix a problem you thought was overblown?

2 comments

2 Comments

julia8431mo ago

Honestly, that foreman's method of teaching is just brutal. Tbh though, nothing like your own truck freezing solid to make you believe in the magic heater box.

the_sarah1mo ago

Yeah, that "just keep it half full" advice falls apart when it gets truly cold for days on end. Had the same stubborn mindset until my own pickup left me stranded at a job site. Spent way too much time with a heat gun on those plastic lines before I gave in and got a heater. The difference is night and day, no more worrying about it turning into a brick. Sometimes the manual just doesn't cover the real world, especially up north.

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