What Now? AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Cole Park
One fact matters above all once AdBlue is in a diesel tank, and it is if the engine has been started since. Anywhere the vehicle is — Strawberry Hill, Cole Park — never run an engine that hasn't been started yet. Keep nothing on, phone 0333 366 0103, then expect a proper flush after a drain, done just where your vehicle stands in Cole Park. Stop the minute it is safe then switch off, if it has been run. Stage one stays unchanged, even though the job is bigger.
Further down: the situations we meet, wherever across Greater London. Choose the one that fits.
At the pump around Cole Park: AdBlue in a diesel
Picture it: stood by the pump, gripping the nozzle, you realise the cap you took off wasn't the correct one. Anywhere in Cole Park, then — Shell, Tesco, or somewhere else close by.
In short: there is no better place to be to spot it. Still in your tank, and nothing drawn onwards: that's where the AdBlue sits.
Do this: stay out of the car, however much the queue wants freeing. Ring us from the forecourt once your car is in a space — the staff will help roll it — and save the receipt. Stuck by the petrol pump? Our explosion-proof equipment makes a live forecourt sensible, so it can be drained in place.
AdBlue in your diesel tank on a Cole Park drive?
Several days had gone by with the warning light on. A bottle bought at the shop, emptied in at the driveway — and it was just by the bin that the cap caught a second look. It happens on driveways just off Richmond Road as frequently as anywhere.
Meaning? As long as the car hasn't been driven since, it is second to the pump case. Being reluctant to blend, AdBlue drops low inside that tank and waits. A night standing changes nothing.
What to do: leave your keys inside the house so nobody moves the vehicle in the morning. Then call. We drain the vehicle on your driveway, whether that's in Cole Park or out in Twickenham. Our pumping kit works quiet enough that it won't wake the street at night.
AdBlue in a diesel and already driving in Cole Park?
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. It might have been heading to Westminster, under 10 miles away, or just down Oak Lane.
What it means: your fuel system has pulled the AdBlue in. Distance decides how deep it goes: filter and pipework to begin with, then the high-pressure pump and each injector. It goes deeper with each mile covered and every restart.
Do this: pull up anywhere sensible, then turn the motor off. Exit by the first junction — not the services further along — if you're on the M4, under 3 miles from Cole Park. No test starts: clearing is not something AdBlue will do. Tell us hear the distance driven when you call.
AdBlue in the wrong tank of a hire, lease or company car
You've only had this vehicle a week. The AdBlue filler is right beside the diesel filler, which you didn't know, since your own vehicle either has no AdBlue or keeps it somewhere else. Across Greater London, no one is safe from it.
The point: just as above, divided by if it ran, only with an added step. Any work on your car frequently needs the owner's approval under rental or fleet terms.
Next: ring the rental company or your fleet manager first, then us — settling it before we arrive is faster. If you're stuck in the car park at Twickenham, or by Eel Pie Island Museum, whilst you wait for an answer, leave the vehicle off.
Cole Park: unsure if it was AdBlue in the diesel tank?
At times the honest answer is "I think so". What cap came off, you can't say; but the bottle feels lighter than it ought to, and a whiff of ammonia lingers by your filler. It might have been at a friend's drive in Ham, or rushing outside St Mary's Church of England Primary School at the school run.
The point: your engine is not harmed by a little AdBlue splashed around the filler. Once it's inside the diesel tank, though, it does. You cannot tell which by turning the key, and doing so would pull in any AdBlue that is in your tank.
Assume it went in, and don't start your engine. Inspecting a tank that proves clean is better than draining one after it's been run — so ring and tell us what you saw.
Each AdBlue drain around Cole Park shares these steps
Whichever situation you are in, the job starts the same way. Anywhere the vehicle is — The Royal Oak's car park, a street by York House, a drive, a forecourt — the van arrives and we ask for the liquid, the amount, plus whether your motor has turned over. On the phone, ahead of anything else, you hear the price, and those answers decide the job too.
AdBlue forms crystals and eats at certain metals used in fuel systems, so it does not wash out unaided; that's why the flush, after the drain, counts far more with AdBlue than with petrol. Then is the filter — flushed, or replaced where needed — then fresh diesel, and a test of your car. If your motor hasn't run, the majority of jobs take about half an hour once we are there.
The last step is firing it up. With new diesel in, it runs while our technicians make sure it is running smoothly, and then we head off. The entire job is done where the car is, and when it's noticed quickly, long-term damage is very rare. 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, and so it is worth checking yours while we are on the way.
About Cole Park
Cole Park is a locality in southwest London, situated on the River Thames at a low elevation of around 10 metres. Cole Park lies within a short distance of central London, approximately 9 miles from Westminster, and is near other notable places such as Twickenham and Eel Pie Island. Cole Park is predominantly composed of flat dwellings, housing a population of around 4735 residents. Cole Park benefits from its riverside setting, with nearby St Margarets also being a part of the local community.
AdBlue drains across Greater London, Cole Park included
Eel Pie Island and St Margarets get the same vans as Cole Park, a small village, along with further places over TW postcodes. Fastest of all: a TW1 3 postcode to show your location.
Whether your car is on a lay-by on the way to York House Gardens or in a car park in the middle of Cole Park, it doesn't need to shift. The van empties it in place. If you are somewhere hard to explain, near London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Civic Centre or close to a border, ring and ask instead of assuming.
Your scenario, in one line
Engine not started: phone, leaving it alone. Run already? Pull over, switch off, ring. Petrol in Diesel handles the rest whichever it is, across Cole Park and Greater London, on 0333 366 0103.