What Now? AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Boxted Cross
What to do about AdBlue in a diesel tank depends on one thing more than any other: whether the engine has run since it was put in. Out in Hornestreet or right around Boxted Cross, an unstarted motor should remain that way. Normally that is draining and properly flushing it right there in Boxted Cross — and so keep the ignition and motor off then call 0333 366 0103. When your motor has been run, pull in safely first, then turn the car off. Step one remains unchanged, even if the work grows.
Below: the situations we see, anywhere in Essex. Choose the one that fits.
At the pump around Boxted Cross: AdBlue in a diesel
Picture it: stood by the pump, holding the bottle, you realise the cap you opened was not the correct one. Whether Shell, BP or anywhere else around Boxted Cross, the case is the same.
The upshot: of every spot to notice, this is the best. Just the tank holds AdBlue; no component beyond it has drawn any in.
Do this: stay out of the car, however much the queue needs clearing. Get the attendants to help rolling it into a space, save the bottle, then ring us from there. Stuck beside the petrol pump? Our explosion-proof equipment makes a busy forecourt sensible, and so it can be drained in place.
AdBlue in the diesel tank at home around Boxted Cross
For days the dash had been nagging you. Bought a container, tipped it in outside the house, binned the empty — and only then checked the cap a second time, after the fact. Houses just off Boxted Straight Road are caught out as much as anywhere else.
Meaning? As long as your vehicle has not moved since, it's close to the forecourt case. 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 no one takes the car anywhere at breakfast. After that, ring. We drain the vehicle on your drive, whether that is in Boxted Cross or out in Boxted. Night-time drains outside a house are no problem: the pumps are quiet.
AdBlue in a diesel and already driving in Boxted Cross?
Topped up, pulled away, and before long the engine was turning roughly, smoking, losing power, or lighting up your dash. Dedham Road, perhaps, or the way to Colchester — a trip of under 5 miles.
The point: the system has pulled AdBlue through by now. It's been through the filter and the fuel lines and, the further you went, into the high-pressure pump and the injectors. Each mile and each restart takes it further.
What to do: pull over where it is safe to do so and switch off. Service stations farther along can wait: on the M11, under 50 miles out of Boxted Cross, take the next junction. No test restarts: clearing itself isn't something AdBlue does. Phone, and say how far your car was driven.
AdBlue in the wrong tank: hire, lease and company cars
You've had this vehicle hardly a week. The AdBlue filler sits right alongside the diesel filler, which you didn't know, because your own motor either has no AdBlue or keeps it somewhere else. It can happen to anyone, anywhere in Essex.
The point: just as above, divided by if it ran, only with an added step. Any work on the car frequently needs the owner's approval under hire or company terms.
Settling it before we turn up is faster, so phone the rental company or your fleet manager, then us. Stranded by Boxted Cross Village Sign or outside Colchester until someone replies, the vehicle remains switched off the whole time.
Unsure about AdBlue in the diesel tank in Boxted Cross?
"I think so" is sometimes as honest as it gets. What cap was taken off, you can't say; meanwhile the bottle feels lighter than it ought to, and a whiff of ammonia lingers by the filler. A rushed stop by the gates of Boxted St Peter's Church of England School, or a call to a friend in Langham: either fit.
Meaning? Drips outside the inlet don't touch the engine at all. In the diesel tank, by contrast, AdBlue damages it. You cannot tell which by turning the ignition, and doing so would suck in any AdBlue that is in that tank.
Assume it went in, and don't start your engine. Call us and explain what you saw; we'd rather check a tank that turns out clean than drain one that has already been run.
Boxted Cross: what each AdBlue drain has in common
No matter the situation, a single opening applies. Wherever the car stands — The Shepherd & Dog's car park, a road by Boxted Village Hall, a drive, a filling station — the van gets there and we ask about the fluid, the amount, and whether your engine has turned over. Those replies determine this work, and you get our quote on the phone, before anyone sets off.
AdBlue crystallises and eats at some metals in fuel systems, and so it won't wash out on its own; that is why the flush, after this drain, counts far more here than with petrol. Fresh diesel is put in after the fuel filter has been cleaned or changed, and your car is finally tested. Where your motor has not been started, allow roughly half an hour once we arrive, for most cases.
We fire it up at the end. Our engineers make sure it runs smoothly on fresh diesel before we go. If it is caught early, the vehicle very rarely has long-term damage, and the whole job happens where it is. Nothing is paid upfront, payment happens on the day, and you get what the insurer asks for: an engineer report and a VAT invoice. Plenty of insurance policies include misfuelling cover, and so it's worth checking yours while we're on the way.
About Boxted Cross
Boxted Cross is a village in Essex, situated near the River Colne and close to the nearby villages of Boxted and Langham Moor. Boxted Cross sits at an elevation of 47 metres, with detached housing being the predominant type of accommodation in the area. Boxted Cross is located near Colchester, which is approximately 4.5 miles away, and is around 54.4 miles from London.
Boxted Cross and Essex: AdBlue drains across the area
Workhouse Hill and Langham Moor get the same teams as Boxted Cross, a village, along with further places throughout CO postcodes. Telling us a CO4 5 postcode pins you quickest of all.
Parked heading to King George's Field, or bang in the centre of Boxted Cross, your car remains where it is — there's no need to move it anywhere. Where it sits, that's where it gets drained. Ring and check rather than guess when you are close to Saint Peters, Boxted, near a boundary, or somewhere awkward to pin down.
Your situation, in one line
Not run yet: keep it off and ring. Run already: stop, power down, ring 0333 366 0103. Petrol in Diesel takes over the remainder, in Boxted Cross or anywhere in Essex.