AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Brigstock: What Now?
One fact matters above all once AdBlue is in a diesel tank, and that is if the engine has run afterwards. Anywhere the car stands — Little Oakley, Brigstock — don't start an engine that hasn't run yet. Normally this is draining and properly cleaning it on the spot in Brigstock — so leave your key and engine off and call 0333 366 0103. Where the motor has been run, stop safely straight away, then turn it off. It is a bigger job, yet step one doesn't change.
Wherever in Northamptonshire it took place, one of the situations below matches yours.
On a Brigstock forecourt with AdBlue in a diesel
Only at this point, nozzle still in hand, it dawns on you that the cap you opened was the wrong one, right at the pump. Whether Jet, BP or somewhere else in Brigstock, the case is identical.
Put simply: no better place to be to spot it. The AdBlue is in your tank and nowhere else. Nothing has drawn it in.
Next: avoid the urge to start it just to move away from the petrol pump. Ring us from the forecourt after your vehicle is in a bay — the staff will lend a hand to push it — and save the bottle. Our equipment is explosion-proof and safe on a busy forecourt, so a car that can't be pushed clear is cleared right at the petrol pump.
At home around Brigstock with AdBlue in the diesel tank
The warning light had been on for days. Bought a bottle, poured it in outside the house, binned the empty — and only then checked the cap a second time, after the fact. Driveways close to Bridge Street see it as much as anywhere.
The upshot: zero driving since makes this nearly equal to spotting it at the petrol pump. As it is reluctant to blend, AdBlue drops low in your tank and stays. One night standing changes none of that.
What to do: leave your keys inside the house so nobody moves the vehicle in the morning. Then call. Your drive is where it is drained, whether in Brigstock or Stanion. Even at night, the pumps are quiet enough for a driveway.
Drove off with AdBlue in a diesel in Brigstock?
Filled up, pulled away, and soon the engine was turning unevenly, blowing smoke, down on power, or lighting up the dash. Back Lane, perhaps, or the route to Peterborough — a run of under 25 miles.
The point: your system has drawn AdBlue in by now. Mileage sets how far it gets: filter and pipework to begin with, then the injection pump and every injector. It goes further with every extra mile covered and each restart.
Stop somewhere safe — that's the next job — then turn it off. Services further along can wait: on the Great North Road, under 15 miles out of Brigstock, use the next junction. Do not restart the car to see if it has cleared; it will not have. Phone us and say how far you travelled.
A hire or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank?
Seven days ago, it was new to you. On your own car, AdBlue is missing or elsewhere. On this one, the inlet is right by your diesel inlet — news to you. Anywhere you are around Northamptonshire, any motorist could be caught.
The point: just as above, divided by if it ran, but with one added stage. Any work on the car often needs the owner's approval under rental or company terms.
Next: phone the rental company or the fleet manager first, then us — settling it before our arrival is quicker. Leave it off while the reply arrives, even if you are parked outside Corby or close to The Village Hall Brigstock.
Brigstock: unsure whether it was AdBlue in the diesel tank?
Honestly, the best answer might be that you think it did. The bottle is lighter than it should be, there is a faint smell of ammonia about your filler, and you can't remember which cap you took off. A rushed stop by the gates of Brigstock Latham's Church of England Primary School, or a call to a friend in Upper Benefield: either fits.
The point: the engine is not harmed by a little AdBlue splashed around the outside. In your diesel tank, however, AdBlue damages it. Starting your car will not tell you which, and if there is AdBlue in your tank it will pull it in.
Next: assume it got in, and keep the engine off. Phone with what you saw: we would rather find a clean tank than empty one after your motor has been run.
Brigstock: what every AdBlue drain has in common
The work begins identically, whichever your situation. Anywhere your car stands — The Olde Three Cocks's car park, a road by Brigstock United Reformed Church, a driveway, a filling station — our van gets there and asks about the liquid, the amount, plus whether the engine has been run. The price is given on the call, before a van leaves, and those answers set the job.
Draining your tank comes next, followed by a careful flush — more vital after urea than with petrol, since crystals and corrosion won't clear by themselves, no matter how long it sits. Clean diesel is put in after your filter is flushed or changed, and the car is finally checked. Most unrun cars are a half-hour job from the moment we get there.
Last, our technicians start it. Before we go, it's tested to confirm it runs correctly on new diesel. The whole job is done where the vehicle is, and when it is caught quickly, long-term damage is very rare. For your insurer: the engineer's report and the VAT invoice. For you: payment that day, nothing upfront. It is worth knowing: lots of insurers offer misfuelling cover, so a quick look at your documents as you wait is worthwhile.
About Brigstock itself
Brigstock is a village in Northamptonshire, situated on the banks of the River Nene at an elevation of around 64 metres. Brigstock lies within the East Midlands region, approximately 68.9 miles north of London and 17.3 miles south of Peterborough. Brigstock has a mix of housing types, but detached homes are predominant, and the village is surrounded by nearby places such as Stanion, Sudborough, and Weldon.
Brigstock and Northamptonshire: AdBlue drains across the area
Brigstock is a village, and the same vans that cover it work the places around it too, Sudborough and Weldon among them, across the NN postcode area. Quickest of all: a NN14 3 postcode to show your location.
Centre of Brigstock or a layby near Brigstock Pocket Park: either way it sits, your car never needs to shift an inch for the drain. We drain the car where it sits. Ring and ask rather than guess when you're by Saint Andrew, near a boundary, or somewhere awkward to explain.
Your scenario, in one line
If it hasn't started, ring and keep it that way. Run already: stop, power down, ring 0333 366 0103. Petrol in Diesel handles the remainder, within Brigstock or wherever in Northamptonshire.