AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Boscastle, and What to Do Next
One thing counts most when AdBlue is in a diesel tank, and it is if the motor has run afterwards. If it has not, keep it that way, whether your car is in Boscastle itself or out in Trevalga. Switch nothing on, call 0333 366 0103, then expect a thorough flush plus a drain, done right where your car stands in Boscastle. Pull over the minute you safely can then switch off, if it has already run. It's a larger job, yet stage one does not change.
Anywhere across Cornwall it happened, one of the situations below fits yours.
At the petrol pump around Boscastle: AdBlue in a diesel
Imagine it: standing by the pump, holding the bottle, you spot the cap you took off wasn't the right one. It could be the Gulf, or the Valley Truckle Filling Station, or another forecourt around Boscastle.
Meaning? Spotting it on the forecourt is the best it gets. Just that tank has AdBlue; no part past it has taken any in.
Next: resist the temptation to start it just to move away from the pump. Three jobs: a push into a space with the attendants helping, the bottle kept, and a ring to us from the forecourt. Our equipment is explosion-proof and fine on a live forecourt, so a vehicle that cannot be pushed away is cleared right at the petrol pump.
AdBlue in your diesel tank on a Boscastle drive?
On the dash, a warning had been lit for days. Bought a bottle, poured it in at home, binned the empty — and only then looked at the cap again, too late. It happens on driveways just off B3266 as frequently as anywhere.
Put simply: if your vehicle has not moved since, it is almost equal to spotting it at the pump. AdBlue does not mix with diesel; it sinks to the bottom of the tank and waits there. Overnight does not change that.
Next: keys in the house, so nobody takes your vehicle anywhere first thing. After that, ring. Out in Forrabury or right here in Boscastle, the draining is done at your drive. Even at night, our pumps are quiet enough for a driveway.
AdBlue in a diesel and already driving in Boscastle?
You filled up, set off, and a mile or two later the engine began to run roughly, smoke, lose power or light up the dashboard. It might have been heading for Plymouth, under 50 miles away, or simply along High Street.
Meaning? The fuel pump has sucked the AdBlue in. Past the filter, along the lines, and — the further the distance — deeper into the high-pressure pump and every injector. Each mile and each restart takes it further.
Next: pick a safe place, stop, and turn your engine off. Boscastle lies over 50 miles from the M5; on it, pull off at the first junction instead of pushing on for the services. Restarting it to test achieves nothing — AdBlue never clears on its own. Roughly how far did it gone? Tell us when you call.
Hire, lease or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank
A week ago, it was new to you. The AdBlue filler is right next to the diesel filler, which you did not know, because your own vehicle either has no AdBlue or keeps it somewhere else. Anywhere you happen to be in Cornwall, every motorist could slip up.
Meaning? Whatever applies above applies too — run or unrun — plus one further step. Many hire and company contracts want the owner to approve work on the vehicle.
Sorting it before the van arrives is faster, and so phone the rental company or your fleet manager, and then us. Keep the car off as the reply arrives, whether you're parked at the nearest station or close to Boscastle Methodist Church.
Not sure it was AdBlue in your diesel tank, Boscastle?
Occasionally the fair answer is "I think so". The bottle is lighter than it should be, there is a faint smell of ammonia round your filler, and you cannot remember which cap you took off. Maybe it happened in a hurry at the school gates at Boscastle Community Primary School, or on a friend's drive in Beeny.
In short: a spill near the filler leaves the engine no harm. A diesel tank with AdBlue in it is a different story. Any AdBlue in that tank would be sucked in by turning on your car, and the start wouldn't settle which it is in any case.
Assume it got in, and don't start your engine. Inspecting a tank that turns out free of AdBlue beats draining one after it has been run — so ring then describe to us what you saw.
What every AdBlue drain around Boscastle has in common
The job begins the same way, whichever your case. Our technicians come to your car, whether it's on a forecourt, a driveway, the car park outside Wellington Hotel or a side street close to Bottereaux Castle Site, and ask three things: what was put in, about how much, and if your motor has been run. The price is given over the phone, before a van leaves, and those answers shape the job.
Emptying that tank comes next, followed by a careful flush — more important after urea than with petrol, because crystals and corrosion won't go by themselves, no matter how long it sits. Next is the fuel filter — flushed, or replaced where needed — followed by fresh diesel, and a test of your vehicle. Where your motor hasn't been started, allow roughly half an hour on site, in most cases.
Starting it comes last. We check it runs correctly on clean diesel before leaving. The entire job is done where the car is, and when it's caught quickly, permanent damage is very unusual. For your insurer: the engineer's report and the VAT invoice. For you: payment that day, nothing in advance. It is worth knowing: lots of insurers include misfuelling cover, so a quick look at your policy as you wait is worthwhile.
About Boscastle
Boscastle is a small coastal village in Cornwall, situated on the north coast of the region, with a population of around 706 people. Boscastle sits at an elevation of 94 metres, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, and is characterised by its predominantly detached housing stock. Boscastle is located near several other small settlements, including Forrabury, Welltown, and Treworld, and is approximately 32 miles from Plymouth. Boscastle remains a quiet, rural community with a strong sense of local identity.
AdBlue drains around Boscastle, and across Cornwall too
As a coastal village, Boscastle shares its vans with the surrounding places — Treworld, Welltown — all the way through PL postcodes. Fastest of all: a PL35 0 postcode to show your location.
Parked heading to Helsett Wood, or bang in the centre of Boscastle, the vehicle remains where it is — there's no need to move it anywhere. Wherever it stands, that's where it is drained. Ring and check rather than guess if you're close to St Symphorian, on a border, or anywhere tricky to explain.
Your situation, summed up
Where it has not run, ring and keep it off. Whichever line fits, Petrol in Diesel handles from there on 0333 366 0103, throughout Cornwall and in Boscastle — once you pull over, turn off and phone, if it's run.