What Now? AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Broom Hill
What to do about AdBlue in a diesel tank depends on one thing more than any other: if your engine has run since it went in. Not started yet? Then keep the vehicle that way, wherever the car is — Broom Hill or St Mary Cray. Switch nothing on, call 0333 366 0103, then count on a thorough flush plus a drain, done just where the car sits around Broom Hill. When the motor has been run, stop safely first, then turn the car off. Stage one stays the same, even though the work is bigger.
Further down: the situations our engineers see, wherever across Greater London. Pick the one that fits.
Broom Hill forecourt: AdBlue in a diesel at the pump
Picture it: stood by the pump, holding the nozzle, you realise the filler you took off wasn't the right one. Maybe you are at the Texaco, possibly at the Shell, maybe somewhere else around Broom Hill.
The upshot: of every spot to notice, the forecourt is the best. Just the tank holds AdBlue; no part past it has taken any in.
Next: avoid the temptation to start it just to move away from the petrol pump. Ring us from the forecourt after your vehicle sits in a space — the attendants will help push it — and keep the receipt. Stuck by the pump? Our explosion-proof kit keeps a busy forecourt sensible, and so it can be drained where it is.
Broom Hill, at home: AdBlue in the diesel tank
The warning light had been on for days. A bottle bought at the shop, tipped in on the drive — and it was only by the recycling that the cap got your eye. It occurs on driveways just off Novar Close as commonly as anywhere.
Meaning? Provided the car has not moved since, it is second to the forecourt case. Diesel and AdBlue keep separate: the AdBlue drops to the base of the tank and stays put, however long it waits.
Keep your keys indoors overnight — or a person may take it away first thing — and phone us. Our technicians drain it on your driveway, whether that's in Broom Hill or out in Orpington. The pumps are quiet enough to use outside a house at night.
AdBlue in a diesel and already driving in Broom Hill?
A short way beyond filling up, your engine began misbehaving: rough running, smoke, lost power, warnings on your dash. It might have been driving for London, under 15 miles away, or just down Sequoia Gardens.
Meaning? Your pump has taken the AdBlue in. Mileage sets how far it goes: filter and pipework first, then the high-pressure pump and each injector. More miles, more restarts: further it travels.
Do this: pull up somewhere sensible, then switch the motor off. Leave by the next junction — not the services further along — if you are on the M25, under 3 miles from Broom Hill. Do not restart the car to see if it has cleared; it will not have. Phone us and say how far you travelled.
AdBlue in the wrong tank of a hire, lease or company car
You have just driven the vehicle a week. Unbeknown to you, the AdBlue and diesel fillers sit next to each other here — not like your own vehicle, which has no AdBlue or stores it in another spot. It can happen to anyone, anywhere in Greater London.
The upshot: exactly as above, split by if it ran, but with an added step. Work on your vehicle frequently requires the owner's go-ahead under rental or company agreements.
Next: ring the hire company or your fleet manager first, then us — sorting it before our arrival is quicker. If you are stuck in the car park outside Orpington, or by Knoll Orpington Lawn Tennis, while you wait for an answer, leave the car off.
Unsure about AdBlue in the diesel tank around Broom Hill?
"I think so" is often as honest answer there is. The bottle is lighter than it should be, there's a faint smell of ammonia round the filler, and you can't remember which cap you took off. A hurried stop by the gates of Perry Hall Primary School, or a visit to a friend in Goddington: both fit.
The point: your engine isn't harmed by a little AdBlue splashed around the filler. AdBlue inside the diesel tank does. Any AdBlue in the tank would be sucked in by starting your car, and the start would not settle which it is in any case.
Next: act as though it got in, and leave the motor off. Phone and give what you saw: we'd sooner find a tank free of AdBlue than empty one after your engine has run.
The common ground in every Broom Hill AdBlue drain
Whichever situation you are in, the job starts the same way. Three things come once our technicians arrive — on a forecourt, a drive, a street by St John’s United Reformed Church, Orpington or the car park outside The Cricketers: the fluid, the amount, and whether the motor has been started. Over the phone, ahead of dispatch, you are told our quote, and those replies decide the work too.
Draining that tank comes next, followed by a careful flush — more vital with urea than after petrol, since crystals and corrosion won't go on their own, no matter how long you wait. Last are the filter, flushed or renewed if necessary; clean diesel; and a test of the vehicle. Never started? In that case about half an hour on site covers most jobs.
Starting it comes last. Our engineers make sure it runs properly on clean diesel before leaving. The whole job is done where the vehicle is, and if it's noticed quickly, long-term damage is very uncommon. You pay on the day, with nothing upfront, and get a VAT invoice and an engineer report for your insurer. Check your insurance before we arrive: misfuelling cover comes included in many policies.
About Broom Hill, for a moment
Broom Hill is a suburban area in Greater London, situated near the River Thames and close to Orpington, Crofton, and Poverest. Broom Hill sits at an elevation of around 78 metres, with detached housing being the predominant type of accommodation. Broom Hill is located approximately 13 miles from central London, making it a commuter-friendly location. Broom Hill has a population of around 5918 residents, according to recent estimates.
AdBlue drains across Greater London, Broom Hill included
Crofton and Poverest have the same teams as Broom Hill, a residential suburb, along with other towns over BR postcodes. A postcode starting BR6 0 is the quickest way to tell us where you are.
Central Broom Hill or a layby towards Broxbourne Gardens: wherever it is, the vehicle doesn't need to move at all for this drain. Our technicians drain the vehicle where it is. If you're somewhere hard to explain, near Odeon or close to a border, ring and ask rather than guessing.
In one line: your situation
Not run yet: keep it off then ring. Run already? Pull over, turn off, phone. Petrol in Diesel takes over the rest whatever case, across Broom Hill and Greater London, on 0333 366 0103.