AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Barnfield, and What to Do Next
One thing matters most once AdBlue is in a diesel tank, and it is whether the engine has run since. Anywhere the vehicle stands — St Leonards, Barnfield — don't run a motor that has not been started yet. Usually that is emptying and properly purging it right there around Barnfield — so leave the key and motor off and ring 0333 366 0103. Already run? Stop when safe, then turn it off. It is a larger job, yet stage one does not change.
Below: the cases we see, wherever across Devon. Choose yours.
AdBlue in a diesel on a Barnfield forecourt
The cap you opened was the wrong one — and you only notice it while you're standing at the petrol pump, bottle or the nozzle in your hand. Possibly you're at the Esso, maybe at the Morrisons, perhaps somewhere else around Barnfield.
Meaning? Finding out here is the best it gets. Only the tank holds AdBlue; no component past it has taken any in.
Your move: stay out of the driver's seat, even if the queue needs freeing. Have the attendants to lend a hand rolling it to a bay, save the bottle, then ring us from there. If it can't be shifted, it can be cleared at the petrol pump: the equipment is explosion-proof and safe on a busy forecourt.
AdBlue in the diesel tank on a Barnfield drive?
On your dash, a reminder had shown for days. Only at the recycling bin, the empty bottle in hand, did you look back at the cap you had opened at the driveway. Houses just off Barnfield Road get caught out as much as everywhere else.
Meaning? Provided the car hasn't moved since, it is close to the pump case. At the bottom of the tank sits exactly where AdBlue stays, because it will not blend with diesel — and a night passing makes no difference.
What to do: leave the keys inside the house so no one moves the vehicle in the morning. Then ring. Newtown or Barnfield: whichever your drive is, that is where it gets emptied. The pumps are quiet enough to use outside a house at night.
Set off with AdBlue in a diesel in Barnfield?
Lumpy running, smoke, falling power or a glowing dashboard started a short way after the top-up. Anywhere on Western Way or heading to Exeter — under a mile away.
In short: the AdBlue has been pulled through your fuel system. The high-pressure pump and each injector see it as well on a bigger run, once the fuel filter and pipework have it. Each mile and each restart takes it further.
Next: pick a sensible spot, stop, then switch your motor off. On the M5, under 3 miles from Barnfield, that means the next exit, not the services further on. Don't restart the car to see if it has cleared; it will not have. Roughly how far did it gone? Tell us when you call.
AdBlue in the wrong tank: hire, lease and company motors
You've just driven the car for days. On your own car, AdBlue is absent or somewhere else. On this one, its cap is right next to the diesel inlet — a surprise to you. It can happen to anyone, anywhere around Devon.
In short: one extra step on top of the situations above, which turn on if it has run. Work on the vehicle often requires the owner's approval under hire or fleet agreements.
Next: ring the hire company or your fleet manager first, then us — settling it before our arrival is faster. Waiting for an answer in the car park at Exeter Central, or beside Barnfield Theatre? Keep the car off meanwhile.
Not sure it was AdBlue in your diesel tank, Barnfield?
At times, "I think so" is all you can honestly say. What cap was taken off, you can't recall; meanwhile the bottle weighs less than expected, and a whiff of ammonia hangs by the filler. The gates of Newtown Primary School in a rush, say, or someone's driveway out in St James.
The upshot: your motor isn't hurt by some AdBlue splashed on the filler. The diesel tank with AdBlue in it is a different story. Any AdBlue in your tank will be pulled in by firing up your car, and the start wouldn't settle which it is in any case.
Take it that it went in, and never start the engine. Ring us and explain what you saw; we would rather check a tank that turns out clean than drain one that has already been run.
Barnfield: what each AdBlue drain has in common
No matter the situation, a single start is used. Three questions come once our technicians arrive — at a forecourt, a driveway, a road beside Exeter Combined Court Centre or the car park outside Mount Radford: the liquid, the quantity, and if it has run. Your price is given over the phone, before a van leaves, and those replies set the job.
Then your tank is drained and the system purged thoroughly, which matters 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. Finally are the fuel filter, flushed or renewed as needed; fresh diesel; and a check of the car. Where your motor hasn't been started, expect roughly half an hour on site, for most cases.
Firing it up comes at the end. Our test that it runs correctly on fresh diesel comes before our technicians go. Lasting damage is very unusual when it is caught early, and the entire job is done where the vehicle is. Nothing is taken upfront, settlement is made on the day, and you get what the insurer wants: an engineer report and a VAT invoice. Plenty of policies include misfuelling, so check yours while the van travels.
About Barnfield itself
Barnfield is a suburban area located on the outskirts of Exeter in Devon, sitting at an elevation of around 40 metres near the River Exe. Barnfield is characterized by its predominantly flat housing stock, with many residential buildings in the form of flats. Barnfield benefits from its proximity to Exeter city centre, being only 0.4 miles away, and is close to nearby places such as Newtown and The Quay. Barnfield is home to a population of approximately 9342 people.
AdBlue drains across Devon, Barnfield included
Exeter and The Quay have the identical teams as Barnfield, a residential suburb, plus further places over EX postcodes. A postcode starting EX1 1 is the quickest way to tell us where you are.
Whether your car is on a lay-by on the way to Southernhay Park or in a car park in the middle of Barnfield, it doesn't need to shift. Draining is done on the spot. Assuming doesn't help near Southernhay United Reformed Church, on a border or anywhere hard to pin down; ring and ask.
In one line: your scenario
Where it hasn't started, phone then keep it off. Started by now? Stop, switch off, ring. Petrol in Diesel handles the rest whatever case, across Barnfield and Devon, on 0333 366 0103.