AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Canterbury, and What to Do Next
One fact matters above all once AdBlue is in a diesel tank, and that is whether the motor has run since. Out in St Martins or right around Canterbury, an unrun engine must stay that way. Leave your motor and your ignition off and call 0333 366 0103; it's usually a drain and a thorough flush, done where the car is around Canterbury. Already started? Stop when you safely can, then turn it off. A bigger job, then, but the same first move.
Below: the situations we see, wherever in Kent. Choose yours.
Canterbury forecourt: AdBlue in a diesel at the pump
The cap you opened was the wrong one — and you just notice it as you are stood at the pump, bottle or the nozzle in hand. Whether Esso, Morrisons or somewhere else in Canterbury, the case is the same.
Meaning? Finding out on the forecourt is as good as it gets. Nothing has drawn it through, so the AdBlue sits just inside that tank.
Next: resist the temptation to fire it up just to free up the pump. Three jobs: a push into a bay with the attendants helping, the receipt saved, and a ring to us from where you stand. The equipment is explosion-proof and fine on a live forecourt, and so a car that cannot be pushed away gets drained where it is at the pump.
AdBlue in the diesel tank on a Canterbury drive?
Several days had gone by with the warning light on. You bought a bottle, poured it in on the driveway, and only when you put the empty bottle in the recycling did you look once more at the cap. Driveways near Stour Street get it as much as any other street.
What it means: if you haven't driven since, this is nearly as good as the forecourt. AdBlue doesn't mix with diesel; it sinks to the bottom of that tank and waits there. Overnight doesn't change that.
Next: prevent any early-morning move by putting the keys in the house, then phone us. Northgate or Canterbury: whichever your driveway is, that is where it gets emptied. Late-night clears outside a house are fine: the pumps are quiet.
Canterbury: drove off with AdBlue in a diesel?
You filled up, set off, and a mile or two later your motor began to run roughly, smoke, lose power or light up the dashboard. Best Lane, perhaps, or the route to Southend-on-Sea — a trip of under 25 miles.
What it means: the system has drawn the AdBlue in. Distance decides how deep it gets: filter and lines to begin with, then the high-pressure pump and each injector. It travels further with every mile driven and each restart.
Your move: stop anywhere sensible, then switch the engine off. Exit by the next junction — not the services further along — if you're on the M2, under 10 miles from Canterbury. It will not have cleared, so there's no sense restarting to check. Tell us know the distance driven when you ring.
A hire or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank?
You've had the vehicle barely a week. On your own vehicle, AdBlue is missing or somewhere else. On this one, its cap is just next to the diesel cap — a surprise to you. Throughout Kent, no one is immune.
Meaning? Whichever case above counts too — run or not — and one further step. Work on the vehicle often requires the owner's approval under hire or company agreements.
Next: phone the hire company or the fleet manager first, and then us — sorting it before we arrive is quicker. Keep it off as the answer comes, even if you are parked at Canterbury East or close to Geoffrey Chaucer.
Canterbury: unsure whether it was AdBlue in your diesel tank?
Sometimes the fair answer is "I think so". What cap was taken off, you cannot recall; meanwhile the bottle feels less than it ought to, and a whiff of ammonia lingers by your filler. The gates of St Peter's Methodist Primary School in a rush, say, or someone's drive out in Hales Place.
Meaning? Spills outside the filler never reach the motor at all. Once it is inside your diesel tank, though, that changes. Firing up your car will not tell you which, and if there is AdBlue in that tank it will draw it in.
Take it that it got in, and don't turn the engine. Checking a tank that proves clean beats emptying one after it's been run — so ring then tell us what you saw.
Canterbury: what each AdBlue drain has in common
Every case gets the same opening to the job. Forecourt, drive, Cherry Tree's car park or a street beside The Beaney House of Art and Knowledge — our van comes to the car, and three answers come next: what fluid, what amount, and whether it has run. Answers set the job; the quote comes on the call while nobody has set off yet.
Emptying your tank comes first, followed by a full flush — more vital after urea than with petrol, since crystals and corrosion will not clear on their own, however long it sits. Next comes your filter — cleaned, or swapped when needed — followed by fresh diesel, and a test of the car. If your engine has not run, most jobs take about half an hour once we're there.
The last step is firing it up. With fresh diesel in, it runs while our engineers make sure it is running smoothly, and then we leave. Permanent damage is very rare when it's noticed quickly, and the entire job is done where your car is. Payment comes that day, never upfront. For your insurer, there is a VAT invoice plus a written report from the engineer. Plenty of insurance policies include misfuelling cover, and so it's worth checking yours while we're on the way.
About Canterbury and where it is
Canterbury is a city situated in the county of Kent, in the South East region of England, and is located on the River Stour. Canterbury sits at an elevation of 17 metres, with the city's landscape dominated by the river and surrounding countryside. Canterbury has a mix of housing types, but semi-detached homes are particularly prevalent, and the city is close to nearby places such as Northgate, St Dunstans, and St Stephens. Canterbury is also within commuting distance of London, being approximately 54 miles away.
AdBlue drains around Canterbury, and across Kent too
Throughout CT postcodes, the teams covering Canterbury — a cathedral city — reach surrounding places as well, St Dunstans and St Stephens included. Quickest of all: a CT1 2 postcode for your location.
Centre of Canterbury or a lay-by near Three Cities Garden: wherever it is, the vehicle doesn't need to move an inch for us. Where it stands, that's where it gets emptied. If you're somewhere hard to explain, close to Canterbury Library or close to a border, ring and ask instead of guessing.
Your situation, summed up
Not run yet: keep it off and call. Run already: pull over, power down, ring 0333 366 0103. Petrol in Diesel takes over the remainder, within Canterbury or anywhere across Kent.