What Now? AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Achan Tobhair
What to do about AdBlue in a diesel tank depends on one thing more than any other: whether the motor has run since it got in. Anywhere the vehicle is — Fort William, Achan Tobhair — don't start an engine that hasn't been started yet. Leave the motor and your ignition off then ring 0333 366 0103; it's generally a drain and a thorough flush, done where the car is in Achan Tobhair. When the motor has run, stop safely first, then turn it off. The job is bigger, but the first step is the same.
Match your case to one of the list below, anywhere across Highland you are.
At the petrol pump around Achan Tobhair: AdBlue in a diesel
Just now, nozzle yet in your hand, it dawns on you that the cap you took off was the wrong one, right at the petrol pump. Be it Morrisons, Gleaner or anywhere else in Achan Tobhair, the case is the same.
What it means: this is the best spot to find out. Only your tank holds AdBlue; no part past it has drawn any in.
Next: avoid the urge to fire it up only to move away from the petrol pump. Ring us from the forecourt once the car sits in a bay — the attendants will help roll it — then save the receipt. Can't move the car beside the pump? Our explosion-proof equipment makes a live forecourt sensible, and so it can be drained in place.
AdBlue in your diesel tank on a Achan Tobhair drive?
The warning light had been on for days. Bought a container, tipped it in outside the house, recycled the empty — and only then looked at the cap a second time, after the fact. Drives near Lochview Drive see it as much as any other street.
Put simply: if the car hasn't been driven since, it's almost as good as finding out at the pump. Diesel and AdBlue stay separate: the AdBlue settles to the floor of your tank and stays there, however long the night.
What to do: leave the keys inside the house so no one moves the vehicle in the morning. Then call. Your drive is where it is drained, be it in Achan Tobhair or Upper Auchintore. The equipment works quiet enough not to disturb the neighbours at night.
Drove off with AdBlue in a diesel in Achan Tobhair?
Filled up, drove away, and soon the engine was turning unevenly, smoking, down on power, or flashing up your dash. Possibly it was on Lundavra Road, maybe on the way out towards Inverness, over 50 miles away.
Put simply: the AdBlue has been pulled through the system. Distance sets how far it gets: filter and pipework to begin with, then the high-pressure pump and each injector. It travels deeper with each extra mile driven and each restart.
Next: find a sensible spot, pull in, and turn the motor off. Service stations further along are too far: on the M9, over 50 miles out of Achan Tobhair, take the first junction. Restarting it to test achieves nothing — AdBlue never clears itself. Tell us hear the mileage covered when you call.
AdBlue in the wrong tank: hire, lease and company motors
Seven days ago, the car was new to you. On your own car, AdBlue is missing or elsewhere. On this one, its inlet is right next to the diesel inlet — news to you. Any driver, anywhere in Highland, might make it.
Meaning? Whichever applies above applies too — run or unrun — plus one further stage. Many hire and fleet contracts require the owner's sign-off for repairs.
Your move: hire firm or your fleet manager first, us next, since settling it early saves time. Waiting for an answer at the car park at Fort William, or beside Fort William Sheriff Court? Keep the engine off throughout.
Unsure about AdBlue in the diesel tank in Achan Tobhair?
"I think so" is often the most honest answer there is. A slight ammonia whiff hangs near your filler, the bottle feels too light, and the cap you took off is hard to recall. It might have been on a friend's driveway in Stronchreggan, or rushing outside the local primary school on the school run.
In short: a spill near the filler does your engine unharmed. Inside the diesel tank, however, AdBlue harms it. If there is AdBlue in the tank, firing up your car would suck it in, and it wouldn't tell you which either.
What to do: treat it as if it got in. Do not crank it. Ring us and explain what you saw; we'd rather check a tank that turns out clean than drain one that has already been run.
What every AdBlue drain around Achan Tobhair has in common
Whichever scenario you are in, the job starts the same way. Anywhere your car is — Black Isle Bar - Fort William's car park, a road beside HMS St Christopher Memorial, a driveway, a filling station — the van gets there and we ask about the liquid, the quantity, and if your engine has been run. Replies shape the work; the quote follows on the call while no one has set off yet.
Then your tank is cleared and your system flushed thoroughly, which counts more with AdBlue than with petrol: AdBlue crystallises and is corrosive to some of the metals in a fuel system, so it doesn't rinse out on its own. The fuel filter is cleaned, or replaced where it needs to be; fresh diesel goes in; and your car is tested. If the motor has not run, the majority of jobs take about half an hour once we are there.
The final step is starting it. Before we go, it's tested to make sure it runs smoothly on new diesel. We do the entire job where the vehicle is, and long-term damage is very uncommon if it has been caught quickly. For your insurer: the engineer's report and the VAT invoice. For you: payment that day, no money upfront. Dig out your insurance while we arrive: misfuelling cover comes built into plenty of policies.
About Achan Tobhair, briefly
Achan Tobhair is a coastal locality in the Highland council area, situated near the shores of the Moray Firth. Achan Tobhair sits at an elevation of around 100 metres, with nearby settlements including Upper Auchintore and Trislaig. Achan Tobhair is characterised by its detached housing stock and relatively small population of around 530 residents. Achan Tobhair is located approximately 57 miles from Inverness, the nearest city.
AdBlue drains round Achan Tobhair and across Highland
Being a coastal area, Achan Tobhair shares its vans with the nearby places — Druimarbin, Trislaig — right across PH postcodes. A postcode starting PH33 6 is the quickest way to tell us where you are.
Parked heading to Parade Gardens, or bang in the centre of Achan Tobhair, your car remains put — there is no need to move it anywhere. Wherever it sits, that's where it is drained. Phone and check instead of guessing when you are by Well-earned rest, near a border, or somewhere awkward to explain.
Your situation, summed up
Unstarted? Leave the car that way and ring. Whatever line fits, Petrol in Diesel takes over from there on 0333 366 0103, across Highland and within Achan Tobhair — after you stop, switch off and ring, if it's run.