What Now? AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Chilton Lane
What to do about AdBlue in a diesel tank comes down to one thing more than any other: if your motor has run since it went in. If it hasn't, keep it that way, whether the vehicle is around Chilton Lane itself or out in Chilton. Keep nothing on, call 0333 366 0103, then expect a proper flush after a drain, done right where your car stands around Chilton Lane. When the engine has been run, pull in somewhere safe first, then switch the car off. The job is bigger, but the first step is the same.
Find the situation below that matches yours, wherever around Durham it happened.
Chilton Lane forecourt: AdBlue in a diesel at the pump
You're 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. Anywhere in Chilton Lane, then — BP, JET, or anywhere else close by.
Meaning? Finding out on the forecourt is as good as it can be. Nothing has pulled it through, so the AdBlue sits just inside that tank.
What to do: do not get back in and start it to clear the petrol pump. Three things: a push into a bay with the attendants helping, the receipt kept, and a ring to us from where you stand. If it cannot be moved, it can be cleared at the petrol pump: the equipment is explosion-proof and fine on a working forecourt.
AdBlue in the diesel tank on a Chilton Lane drive?
For days the dashboard had been warning you. Only by the recycling, the empty container in your hand, did you look back at the cap you'd used on the driveway. It occurs on driveways just off Mainsforth Rise as often as anywhere.
In short: if the car hasn't moved since, it's almost as good as spotting it at the forecourt. AdBlue does not mix with diesel; it sinks to the bottom of your tank and waits there. Overnight doesn't change that.
Next: prevent any early move by keeping your keys in the house, then phone us. Our engineers drain the car on your driveway, whether that's in Chilton Lane or out in Ferryhill Station. Late-night empties beside a house are no problem: the pumps are low-noise.
Chilton Lane: set off with AdBlue in a diesel?
You filled up, set off, and a mile or two later the motor began to run roughly, smoke, lose power or light up the dashboard. Maybe heading to Durham, under 10 miles away, or just down Commercial Street.
What it means: the fuel system has drawn the AdBlue in. Distance decides how far it goes: filter and pipework first, then the injection pump and every injector. Each restart, like every mile, carries it on.
Stop somewhere safe — that is the next step — then switch it off. Service stations farther along can wait: from the A1(M), under 3 miles out of Chilton Lane, take the first junction. Restarting it to check achieves nothing — AdBlue doesn't clear on its own. About what distance had it gone? Say so when you call.
Hire, lease or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank
You have had the vehicle hardly a week. The AdBlue filler is right alongside the diesel filler, which you did not know, because your own car either has no AdBlue or keeps it somewhere else. Wherever you happen to be around Durham, any driver could be caught.
Meaning? Whatever applies above applies here — run or not — and one extra step. Plenty of hire and company agreements need the owner's sign-off before repairs.
Sorting it before the van arrives is quicker, so phone the rental company or your fleet manager, then us. Stuck near Mainsforth Colliery 1972-1968 or outside Newton Aycliffe until someone answers, your car remains switched off the whole time.
Unsure about AdBlue in the diesel tank around Chilton Lane?
At times the honest answer is "I think so". The bottle is lighter than it should be, there's a faint smell of ammonia round the filler, and you cannot remember which cap you took off. Perhaps it happened in a hurry at the school gates at Ferryhill Station Primary School, or on a friend's drive in Dean Bank.
What it means: a little spilled round your filler does no harm to your engine. The diesel tank with AdBlue inside is a different matter. You cannot tell which by turning the key, and doing so would suck in any AdBlue that is in that tank.
Next: assume it got in, then keep your engine off. Phone and give what you saw: we'd rather find a clean tank than drain one once the motor has run.
Each AdBlue drain around Chilton Lane shares these stages
The work begins the same way, whichever the case. Wherever your car is — Surtees Arms's car park, a road by Mainsforth Community Centre, a drive, a filling station — the van arrives and we ask about the fluid, the quantity, and whether your motor has been run. Those answers determine this work, and you get the quote on the phone, before anyone heads out.
Then your tank is cleared and the system cleaned thoroughly, which matters more with AdBlue than with petrol: AdBlue crystallises and is corrosive to some of the metals in a fuel system, so it doesn't rinse out on its own. Then comes the filter — cleaned, or replaced where necessary — then clean diesel, and a test of your car. Where the engine has not run, expect about half an hour once we arrive, in most jobs.
The final step is starting the car. Before we go, it is checked to confirm it runs correctly on new diesel. Our technicians do the whole job where the vehicle is, and long-term damage is very uncommon when it has been caught early. Nothing is taken upfront, payment is made on the day, and you receive what the insurer wants: an engineer report plus a VAT invoice. Dig out your insurance while we arrive: cover for misfuelling comes built into many policies.
About Chilton Lane and where it is
Chilton Lane is a suburban area in County Durham, situated approximately 7 miles from the city of Durham, and comprising predominantly terraced housing. Chilton Lane sits inland, at an elevation of around 93 metres, and is located near to Ferryhill Station and the village of Great Chilton. Chilton Lane is a relatively small community, with a population of around 934 residents, and is part of the wider Durham urban area. Chilton Lane is also close to Mainsforth, and is connected to the regional road network.
AdBlue drains across Durham, Chilton Lane included
Chilton Lane is a residential suburb, and the same vans that cover it work the towns near it too, Great Chilton and Mainsforth among them, across the DL postcode area. Giving us a DL17 0 postcode pins you quickest of all.
Whether your car is on a lay-by on the way to Mainsforth Wood or in a car park in the middle of Chilton Lane, it does not need to move. Our van empties it where it stands. Ring and check rather than guess if you are close to Ferryhill Sport & Education Centre, on a border, or anywhere tricky to explain.
Your situation, in one line
Still unrun? Leave it that way then phone. Run already: stop, switch down, phone 0333 366 0103. Petrol in Diesel takes over the remainder, in Chilton Lane or wherever in Durham.