Diesel exhaust fluid is one of those products most diesel owners would rather not spend much time thinking about. Buy a jug, pour it into the DEF tank, and move on. Hot Shot’s Secret believes the fluid can be doing considerably more while it’s there.
The Ohio-based performance chemical company has introduced Ultra Premium DEF, a new ready-to-use diesel exhaust fluid formulated with patent-pending additive technology designed to stabilize the fluid, combat crystal formation, clean existing deposits, and protect components throughout the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system. The product will begin rolling out through O’Reilly Auto Parts stores nationwide.
What makes the introduction interesting isn’t simply that Hot Shot’s Secret has entered the DEF market. Plenty of companies sell DEF. Instead, the company is attempting to turn what is normally a commodity maintenance fluid into an active part of SCR-system maintenance.
More Than Another Jug Of DEF
At its most basic level, DEF has a straightforward job. Conventional DEF is a 32.5-percent solution of technically pure urea in purified water. It is injected into the exhaust stream as part of the SCR process, helping convert harmful nitrogen oxides into nitrogen and water vapor.
Ultra Premium DEF still performs that fundamental job. According to Hot Shot’s Secret, the fluid is API certified, conforms to ISO 22241-1 requirements, uses high-grade synthetic urea, and is triple-filtered for purity. It can be used in diesel-powered vehicles and equipment equipped with SCR systems, including pickups, cars, vans, semi-trucks, agricultural machinery, construction equipment, and industrial applications.
The difference is the addition of Hot Shot’s Secret’s patent-pending Premium DEFender technology directly into the fluid. Premium DEFender is also available separately as a DEF treatment, but incorporating the chemistry into Ultra Premium DEF eliminates the additional dosing step.
“Innovation has always been at the heart of Hot Shot’s Secret, and we had no interest in bringing another commodity DEF to market,” says Hot Shot’s Secret Brand Manager Josh Steinmetz. “Our team saw an opportunity to do something better. By incorporating our patent-pending Premium DEFender technology directly into the fluid, we created a product designed to help protect the SCR system while supporting long-term performance and reliability.”
Tackling DEF Crystal Buildup
Anyone who has spent enough time around late-model diesels has probably encountered the telltale white deposits associated with DEF crystallization. Those deposits aren’t simply cosmetic.
As DEF moves through the tank, pump, lines, injector, decomposition tube, mixer, and SCR system, urea-derived deposits can accumulate on components. Hot Shot’s Secret says this buildup can restrict flow, alter the DEF injector’s spray pattern, reduce SCR efficiency, and contribute to diagnostic trouble codes.
Ultra Premium DEF is formulated to reduce the accumulation of new deposits while helping dissolve existing crystal buildup. According to Hot Shot’s Secret, its chemistry wets the surface of existing crystals and helps dissolve the material back into the DEF solution. Keeping those deposits under control is intended to maintain proper DEF delivery and injector performance while supporting SCR efficiency.
That could potentially benefit considerably more than the injector. Crystal deposits can form throughout the system, including inside the DEF tank and around the sending unit, heater assembly, pump, lines, decomposition tube, and mixer assembly.
Can It Help Clear Trouble Codes?
One of the more intriguing claims surrounding Ultra Premium DEF involves diagnostic trouble codes.
Hot Shot’s Secret says continued use can help restore SCR-system performance and resolve several common DEF- and SCR-related OBD codes when the underlying problem is related to conditions the fluid can address. The company specifically lists P20EE, P20EF, P204F, P207F, P20E8, and P218F.
There’s an important distinction here. Ultra Premium DEF isn’t a cure for every SCR failure. Modern diesel aftertreatment systems incorporate pumps, heaters, sensors, injectors, catalysts, wiring, and electronics, and no fluid can repair a failed component.
Where the concept becomes interesting is when crystallization contributes to poor DEF delivery, an impaired injector spray pattern, or reduced SCR efficiency. In those situations, gradually cleaning affected components while preventing additional buildup could potentially address the underlying problem.
That matters because SCR faults can mean more than an illuminated check-engine light. Depending on the vehicle and severity of the problem, emissions-system faults can eventually trigger operating restrictions or derate conditions. For commercial operators, that can quickly turn into costly downtime.
Turning DEF Into Preventive Maintenance
“While most know Hot Shot’s Secret for fuel and oil additives, we actually develop a broad range of products – oils, specialty products, greases, and maintenance solutions,” says Lubrication Specialties President Brett Tennar. “This expertise gives us a unique understanding of diesel systems and why we’ve earned the reputation as ‘The Diesel Experts.’”
For a newer truck with a healthy aftertreatment system, Ultra Premium DEF’s appeal is primarily preventative: reduce crystal formation and help keep the DEF delivery system clean. For higher-mileage trucks or equipment beginning to experience deposit-related problems, its cleaning properties may be the bigger draw.
It’s also worth keeping expectations realistic. Ultra Premium DEF won’t make a failed pump, sensor, heater, injector, or catalyst healthy again. What it attempts to address is one very real contributor to SCR problems: DEF-derived deposits.
And that’s what makes this product noteworthy. Instead of asking diesel owners to perform another maintenance procedure, Hot Shot’s Secret has incorporated its treatment chemistry into a fluid SCR-equipped diesels already consume. If the technology performs as intended over the long haul, that could turn an unavoidable diesel consumable into another line of defense against an increasingly common emissions-system headache.
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