AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Brooklands, and What to Do Next
Everything turns on one detail: if your engine has been run after the AdBlue went in — more than anything else. Wherever the car stands — Wilmington, Brooklands — don't start an engine that hasn't been started yet. Normally this is emptying and thoroughly cleaning it right there in Brooklands — so keep the key and engine off and call 0333 366 0103. Stop the moment it is safe then switch off, if it has already run. It's a bigger job, yet stage one doesn't change.
Further down: the cases our technicians see, anywhere in Kent. Choose the one that fits.
On a Brooklands forecourt with AdBlue in a diesel
The cap you opened was the wrong one — and you only spot it as you're standing at the pump, bottle or nozzle in hand. It might be the Shell, or the BP, or a different forecourt in Brooklands.
What it means: this is the best location to find out. Still in your tank, with no fuel drawn onwards: that's where the AdBlue sits.
Next: resist the urge to start it only to move away from the pump. Ask the staff to help you push your car into a parking spot, keep the receipt or the bottle, and phone us from the forecourt. If it can't be shifted, it can be emptied at the petrol pump: the equipment is explosion-proof and safe on a working forecourt.
At home in Brooklands with AdBlue in the diesel tank
Several days had gone by with the warning light on. A bottle from the shop, emptied in on the driveway — and it's only at the bin that the cap got a second look. Driveways close to Avery Way see it as much as any other street.
In short: if your vehicle hasn't been driven since, it's nearly as good as spotting it at the forecourt. On the bottom of that tank sits where AdBlue waits, because it will not blend with diesel — and a night passing makes nothing of the difference.
What to do: leave the keys inside the house so nobody moves the vehicle in the morning. Then ring. Out in Fleet-Downs or right here around Brooklands, the draining happens on your drive. Late-night drains beside a house are no problem: the pumps are quiet.
Brooklands: set off with AdBlue in a diesel?
A short way after topping up, your engine started playing up: roughness, smoke, less power, lights on your dash. Maybe it was on Pearson Way, perhaps on the way out towards London, under 15 miles away.
Put simply: the AdBlue has been pulled through your fuel system. The injection pump and each injector get it too on a bigger trip, after the filter and pipework have had it. It goes deeper with every mile covered and each restart.
Do this: pull up somewhere sensible, then switch your motor off. On the M25, under a mile from Brooklands, that means the next exit, not the services further on. No trial restarts: clearing itself is not something AdBlue will do. Roughly what distance did it gone? Tell us as you call.
AdBlue in the wrong tank: hire, lease and company cars
It's a motor you have had for a week. Unknown to you, the AdBlue and diesel inlets sit next to each other here — not like your own vehicle, which has none or stores it elsewhere. It can happen to anyone, anywhere around Kent.
What it means: the same as the situations above, depending on whether it has run, with one more stage. Plenty of hire and company agreements want the owner to approve work on the car.
Your move: rental firm or fleet manager first, us second, since sorting it early saves time. Keep the vehicle switched off as the reply arrives, whether you are parked at Dartford or near David Lloyd Clubs Dartford.
Unsure about AdBlue in your diesel tank around Brooklands?
"I think so" is often the most honest answer there is. The bottle is lighter than it should be, there is a faint smell of ammonia around your filler, and you cannot remember which cap you took off. The gates of Oakfield Primary Academy in a hurry, perhaps, or someone's driveway out in Darenth.
In short: spillage near the filler does the motor no harm. The diesel tank with AdBlue in it is a different matter. If there is AdBlue in that tank, starting your car will pull it in, and it would not tell you which either.
Take it that it got in, and don't turn the engine. Describe what you saw on your phone. A clear tank checked counts as a happier result than an already-run one emptied.
Every AdBlue drain in Brooklands shares these steps
The work opens the same way, whatever the case. Three questions come when our engineers reach your car — at a forecourt, a drive, a road beside Princes Park or the car park outside Cressy Arms: the fluid, the amount, and whether it has been started. Your price comes on the call, before a van leaves, and those replies set the job.
Draining that tank comes next, followed by a careful flush — more vital after urea than with petrol, because crystals and corrosion will not go by themselves, no matter how long you wait. Last are the filter, flushed or renewed as needed; fresh diesel; and a check of your vehicle. Most unrun vehicles are a half-hour job after the moment we turn up.
Firing it up comes last. Our test that it runs smoothly on fresh diesel comes before our technicians go. Our engineers do the entire job where the vehicle is, and long-term damage is very unusual when it has been caught quickly. Paying comes on the day, never upfront. For the insurer, you get a VAT invoice plus a written report from the engineer. Check your insurance while we arrive: cover for misfuelling is built into many policies.
About Brooklands
Brooklands is a suburban area in Kent, situated on the riverside at a low elevation of around 11 metres. Brooklands is located near several other communities, including Fleet-Downs, Hawley, and New Town, and is characterized by its predominantly terraced housing. Brooklands is also relatively close to London, at a distance of approximately 16 miles, making it a commuter-friendly location.
AdBlue drains around Brooklands, and across Kent too
As a residential suburb, Brooklands shares its vans with the nearby places — New Town, Hawley — all the way through DA postcodes. Telling us a DA1 1 postcode finds you fastest of all.
No towing is required, be it stopped in the centre of Brooklands or in a lay-by heading to Brooklands Lakes, so keep it put. The van drains it where it stands. If you're somewhere hard to explain, near Goals Soccer Centre or close to a boundary, ring and ask instead of assuming.
In one line: your situation
Where it has not run, phone then leave it that way. Run already: pull over, power down, phone 0333 366 0103. Petrol in Diesel takes over the remainder, in Brooklands or anywhere in Kent.