What Now? AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Compton Martin
What to do about AdBlue in a diesel tank depends on one thing more than any other: whether the motor has been run since it went in. If it has not, keep it that way, whether the vehicle is in Compton Martin itself or out in Ubley Sideling. Normally that is emptying and thoroughly flushing it on the spot around Compton Martin — so leave the key and engine off then call 0333 366 0103. Already started? Stop once you safely can, then turn everything off. It is a bigger job, though step one doesn't change.
Find the scenario below that matches yours, wherever across Somerset it happened.
On a Compton Martin forecourt with AdBlue in a diesel
Just at this point, bottle yet in hand, you realise that the cap you opened was the wrong one, right at the petrol pump. Anywhere around Compton Martin, then — Pace, Esso, or somewhere else close by.
Meaning? Spotting it on the forecourt is the best it can be. Nothing has pulled it in, and so the AdBlue stays only in the tank.
Freeing the pump is no reason to run it — and so don't get back in. A few jobs: a shove into a space with the staff assisting, the bottle kept, and a ring to us from where you stand. If it cannot be shifted, it can be cleared at the petrol pump: the equipment is explosion-proof and safe on a working forecourt.
Compton Martin, at home: AdBlue in the diesel tank
The warning light had been on for days. Bought a bottle, poured it in at home, recycled the empty — and at that point checked the cap a second time, after the fact. It occurs on driveways just off Undertown as often as anywhere.
The point: zero miles since makes it nearly equal to finding it at the pump. Diesel and AdBlue keep separate: the AdBlue drops to the base of your tank and remains there, no matter how long the night.
Put the keys in the house tonight — or someone may take it away first thing — then phone us. Our engineers drain the vehicle on your drive, whether that is in Compton Martin or out in The Wrangle. Late-night clears beside a house are no problem: the pumps are low-noise.
On the road around Compton Martin with AdBlue in a diesel
Rough running, smoke, lost power or a glowing dashboard arrived a mile or two after the top-up. Undertown Lane, perhaps, or the way to Wells — a run of under 10 miles.
What it means: the fuel system has pulled the AdBlue in. The injection pump and each injector get it too on a bigger run, after your filter and lines have it. Each restart, like every mile, pushes it on.
What to do: pull over where it is safe and switch off. Compton Martin sits under 10 miles from the M5; there, come off at the first junction instead of pushing on to the services. It will not have cleared, and so there's no sense starting it again to check. Roughly what distance had it go? Say so when you phone.
AdBlue in the wrong tank of a hire, lease or company car
It's a car you have had for a week. Unknown to you, the two inlets sit side by side here — not like your own car, which has none or keeps it in another spot. It can happen to anyone, anywhere in Somerset.
The upshot: just as above, divided by whether it ran, only with one added step. The owner frequently has to sign off any work, under plenty of rental and fleet contracts.
Next: ring the rental company or the fleet manager first, then us — settling it before our arrival is faster. Hanging on for an answer at the car park outside Nailsea & Backwell, or beside St Michael The Archangel? Keep your engine off meanwhile.
Not sure it was AdBlue in your diesel tank, Compton Martin?
"I think so" is often as honest as it gets. Lighter, the bottle; a hint of ammonia near your filler; no clear memory of the cap. Sound familiar? The gates of Ubley Church of England Primary School in a hurry, say, or someone's driveway out in Ubley.
Meaning? Spills around the filler never touch your motor at all. Inside your diesel tank, by contrast, AdBlue damages it. Any AdBlue in that tank would be sucked in by starting the vehicle, and the start would not settle which it is in any case.
Next: act as though it got in, and keep the engine off. Call us and explain what you saw; we would rather check a tank that turns out free of AdBlue than drain one that has already been run.
Every AdBlue drain in Compton Martin shares these steps
Whatever the case, one start applies. We come to your car, whether it's on a forecourt, a driveway, the car park at Ring O' Bells or a side street close to Compton Martin Village Hall, and ask three things: what was put in, about how much, and whether your motor has run. Answers shape the work; the quote follows on the call while no one has left yet.
Then your tank is cleared and your system rinsed thoroughly, which counts more with AdBlue than with petrol: AdBlue crystallises and is corrosive to some of the metals in a fuel system, and so it does not rinse out on its own. The filter is flushed, or replaced where it needs to be; clean diesel goes in; and the car is tested. Not started? Then roughly half an hour on site is most jobs.
The final step is firing it up. With clean diesel in, it runs while our engineers make sure it's running correctly, and then we leave. When it is spotted quickly, the vehicle very rarely has lasting damage, and the whole job takes place where it is. For your insurer: the engineer's report and the VAT invoice. For you: payment that day, no money upfront. It is worth remembering: many insurers include misfuelling cover, so a quick look at your policy as we travel pays.
About Compton Martin
Compton Martin is a village in Somerset, situated on the banks of the River Yeo at an elevation of around 89 metres. Compton Martin lies near the Mendip Hills, close to the cities of Wells and Bristol, and is surrounded by other small villages such as West Harptree and The Wrangle. Compton Martin has a population of approximately 554 people, predominantly living in detached houses. Compton Martin is located about 109.8 miles west of London, making it a rural community in the South West of England.
AdBlue drains across Somerset, Compton Martin included
Ridge and West Harptree get the same teams as Compton Martin, a village, along with other places over BS postcodes. A postcode starting BS40 6 is the quickest way to tell us where you are.
Whether the vehicle is on a lay-by on the way to Long Wood or in a car park in the middle of Compton Martin, it does not need to shift. Draining happens on the spot. Phone and ask rather than guess when you're close to ROC Post West Harptree, near a border, or somewhere awkward to explain.
The one-line version
Unstarted? Leave the vehicle off and ring. Whichever case applies, Petrol in Diesel takes over from there on 0333 366 0103, across Somerset and in Compton Martin — after you pull over, turn off then ring, if it's run.