AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Charlesworth: What Now?
Has your engine turned over since the AdBlue was put in? That single question decides nearly everything about what comes next. Not run so far? Then leave it that way, wherever the vehicle sits — Charlesworth or Woodseats. Call 0333 366 0103 with the key and engine both off. In Charlesworth, such a case is typically emptied and flushed on the spot. Already run? Stop when you safely can, then switch it off. It is a bigger job, yet stage one does not change.
Anywhere around Derbyshire it happened, one of the situations below matches yours.
Charlesworth forecourt: AdBlue in a diesel at the pump
You are at the pump, the nozzle or the bottle still in your hand, and you have just noticed the cap you opened was the wrong one. Perhaps you are at the BP, perhaps at the another forecourt nearby, perhaps somewhere else in Charlesworth.
Meaning? Spotting it here is as good as it gets. Just your tank holds AdBlue; not one part beyond it has taken any in.
Next: resist the temptation to start it just to move away from the pump. Three things: a shove into a bay with the staff assisting, the bottle saved, and a ring to us from where you stand. Emptying it there at the pump is fine when it cannot be shifted, because the equipment is explosion-proof.
AdBlue in the diesel tank at home around Charlesworth
The warning light had been on for days. You bought a bottle, poured it in on the drive, and only when you put the empty bottle in the recycling did you look again at the cap. It happens on driveways just off Marple Road as often as anywhere.
Meaning? As long as the vehicle hasn't been driven since, it is close to the forecourt case. Diesel and AdBlue keep apart: the AdBlue settles to the floor of that tank and stays there, no matter how long the night.
Put the keys indoors overnight — otherwise someone may drive it off first thing — and phone us. Your drive is where it is drained, whether around Charlesworth or Lee Head. The pumps are quiet enough to use outside a house at night.
AdBlue in a diesel and already driving around Charlesworth?
A mile or two after filling up, your motor started misbehaving: rough running, smoke, less power, warnings on the dash. Glossop Road, perhaps, or the way to Manchester — a trip of under 15 miles.
Meaning? The pump has sucked the AdBlue in. Mileage sets how far it goes: filter and lines first, then the high-pressure pump and every injector. Each restart, like every mile, pushes it deeper.
What to do: pull over where it is safe to do so then switch off. Services further along are too far: from the M67, under 3 miles out of Charlesworth, use the next junction. No trial restarts: clearing isn't something AdBlue does. Call, saying how far the car was driven.
A hire or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank?
A week back, it was unknown to you. The AdBlue filler sits right alongside the diesel one, which you didn't know, since your own motor either has no AdBlue or keeps it somewhere else. It can happen to anyone, anywhere across Derbyshire.
The upshot: exactly as above, divided by if it ran, only with an added stage. The owner frequently needs to sign off the work, under many rental and company contracts.
What to do: call the hire firm or your fleet manager first, then us. That's faster settled before our engineers arrive than after. If you're stuck in the car park outside Broadbottom, or by Charlesworth War Memorial, whilst you wait for an answer, leave the car off.
Not sure it was AdBlue in the diesel tank, Charlesworth?
Truthfully, the only answer might be that you think so. Too light, the bottle; a hint of ammonia near your filler; no clear memory of the cap. Sound familiar? A hurried stop by the gates of Charlesworth Voluntary Controlled Primary School, or a visit to a friend in Hargate Hill: both fits.
In short: a spill round the filler does your engine unharmed. Once it's inside your diesel tank, though, it does. You cannot tell which by turning the key, and doing so will draw in any AdBlue that is in the tank.
Assume it was put in, and don't start your engine. Inspecting a tank that proves free of AdBlue is better than emptying one after it has been run — so ring then describe to us what you saw.
What each AdBlue drain around Charlesworth has in common
Each situation gets the same start to the work. Three things come when we reach the car — on a filling station, a drive, a street beside St John the Evangelist or the car park outside George and Dragon: the liquid, the amount, and if it has been started. The price is given on the call, before a van leaves, and the replies shape the work.
Emptying the tank comes next, followed by a careful flush — more important with urea than after petrol, because crystals and corrosion won't go by themselves, no matter how long you wait. Next comes the filter — flushed, or replaced where needed — followed by clean diesel, and a test of your car. If the motor hasn't run, most jobs take about half an hour once we are there.
The last step is starting it. We confirm it runs properly on new diesel before we go. If it is caught early, the car very rarely has lasting damage, and the entire job takes place where it is. You pay on the day, with nothing upfront, and get a VAT invoice and an engineer report for your insurer. Plenty of insurance policies include misfuelling cover, so it's worth checking yours while we are on the way.
About Charlesworth, for a moment
Charlesworth is a small village in Derbyshire, situated inland at an elevation of 202 metres, with semi-detached housing being the predominant type of accommodation. Charlesworth lies near the edge of the Peak District National Park, close to nearby places such as Lee Head, Higher Gamesley, and Bankwood Gate. Charlesworth is located approximately 10.9 miles from Manchester, making it a commuter village for those working in the city. Charlesworth has a population of around 735 residents, who enjoy the scenic countryside and rural setting.
Charlesworth and Derbyshire: AdBlue drains across the area
Higher Gamesley and Bankwood Gate have the same vans as Charlesworth, a rural village, plus further places over SK postcodes. Giving us your SK13 5 postcode pins you quickest of all.
No moving is needed, be it stopped centrally in Charlesworth or in a layby heading to Glossop RUFC, so keep it where it is. Our engineers drain the car where it sits. If you are somewhere hard to describe, close to Charlesworth Independent Chapel or close to a boundary, ring and ask instead of guessing.
In one line: your situation
If it has not run, phone and leave it off. Whatever line fits, Petrol in Diesel takes over from there on 0333 366 0103, across Derbyshire and within Charlesworth — after you pull over, switch off and ring, if it's run.