AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Cookley, and What to Do Next
One fact matters most once AdBlue is in a diesel tank, and it is if the engine has been started since. If it has not, keep it that way, whether the car is in Cookley itself or out in Broadwaters. Leave the motor and the ignition off then phone 0333 366 0103; it is usually a drain and a thorough flush, done where the car is around Cookley. If it's run, stop as soon as it is safe and switch off. The job is bigger, but the first step is the same.
Find the situation below that matches yours, wherever around Worcestershire it happened.
On a Cookley forecourt with AdBlue in a diesel
Only at this point, bottle yet in hand, you realise that the cap you took off was the wrong one, right at the petrol pump. It could be the Texaco, or the Esso, or a different forecourt in Cookley.
What it means: this is the best place to find out. Only the tank has AdBlue; no part beyond it has taken it in.
Next: avoid the urge to start it just to move away from the petrol pump. Have the staff to help rolling it to a bay, hold on to the receipt, then phone us right there. The equipment is explosion-proof and fine on a busy forecourt, and so a car that can't be pushed clear is emptied right at the pump.
Cookley, at home: AdBlue in your diesel tank
The warning light had been on for days. A bottle bought at the shop, emptied in at the drive — and it was only at the recycling that the cap got a second look. Houses just off Bridge Road get caught out as often as everywhere else.
In short: if your car hasn't been driven since, it's nearly as good as finding out at the forecourt. Diesel and AdBlue stay apart: the AdBlue drops to the base of that tank and remains there, however long the night.
Next: stop any early drive by keeping your keys in the house, then phone us. We drain the car on your driveway, whether that is in Cookley or out in Caunsall. Even at night, the pumps stay quiet enough for a residential street.
On the road around Cookley with AdBlue in a diesel
You filled up, set off, and a mile or two later your motor began to run unevenly, smoke, lose power or light up the dashboard. Maybe driving for Wolverhampton, under 15 miles away, or just along Austcliffe Road.
Meaning? The fuel pump has sucked the AdBlue up. Through the fuel filter, along the lines, and — the further the mileage — on into the high-pressure pump and every injector. Each mile and each restart takes it further.
Your move: stop anywhere safe, then turn the motor off. Exit by the first junction — not the services further along — if you are on the M5, under 10 miles from Cookley. Don't restart the vehicle to see if it has cleared; it will not have. Call us and say how far you travelled.
A hire or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank?
A week ago, it was unknown to you. Unknown to you, the AdBlue and diesel fillers sit next to each other here — not like your own car, which has none or stores it elsewhere. Across Worcestershire, no one is immune.
Meaning? Whatever case above counts here — run or unrun — and one further step. Plenty of rental and fleet contracts need the owner's approval for repairs.
Next: phone the hire company or the fleet manager first, and then us — settling it before our arrival is faster. Stranded near St Peter or outside Kidderminster until someone answers, the vehicle remains switched off the whole time.
AdBlue in your diesel tank? Not sure, around Cookley
At times, "I think so" is the most anyone can honestly say. A faint ammonia smell lingers near the filler, the bottle feels too light, and which cap came off is a blur. It might have been at a friend's driveway in Drakelow, or in a rush by Cookley Sebright Primary School on the school run.
What it means: a little spilled around your filler does no harm to the engine. AdBlue inside your diesel tank does. If there is AdBlue in your tank, starting the car would suck it in, and it would not tell you which either.
Do this: behave as if it got in, and don't start the engine. Call us and explain what you saw; we'd rather check a tank that turns out clean than drain one that has already been run.
Cookley: what each AdBlue drain has in common
Each case has the same opening to the work. Anywhere the car is — The Eagle & Spur's car park, a road beside Cookley Village Hall and Sports Club, a drive, a forecourt — the van arrives and asks for the liquid, the amount, and whether the motor has been run. The price is given over the phone, ahead of anyone setting off, and the answers shape the job.
Draining the tank comes next, followed by a careful flush — more important with urea than after petrol, since crystals and corrosion won't go on their own, however long you wait. The filter is flushed, or replaced where it needs to be; fresh diesel goes in; and the vehicle is tested. If your engine has not run, most jobs take about half an hour once we are there.
Firing it up comes at the end. Our engineers check it runs properly on fresh diesel before we go. Long-term damage is very unusual if it is spotted early, and the entire job is done where the car is. Nothing is paid upfront, settlement happens on the day, and you receive what your insurer asks for: an engineer report and a VAT invoice. Dig out your insurance while we arrive: cover for misfuelling is included in plenty of policies.
About Cookley and where it is
Cookley is a village in Worcestershire, situated on the riverside at an elevation of 59 metres, with semi-detached housing being the predominant type of accommodation. Cookley lies near several other villages, including Caunsall, Blakeshall, and Wolverley, and is approximately 12 miles from Wolverhampton. Cookley has a population of around 1662 residents and is located in the West Midlands region, about 109 miles from London. Cookley's riverside setting provides a distinctive character to the village.
AdBlue drains across Worcestershire, Cookley included
Cookley is a village, and the same vans that cover it work the towns around it too, Blakeshall and Wolverley among them, across the DY postcode area. Telling us a DY10 3 postcode finds you quickest of all.
Central Cookley or a lay-by towards Kingsford Forest Park: either way it is, the vehicle never needs to shift at all for the drain. Draining is done on the spot. Ring and check instead of guessing if you are by Dragon Tree, near a border, or somewhere awkward to pin down.
Your situation, in one line
Not run yet: keep the car off then call. Run already? Pull over, turn off, ring. Petrol in Diesel takes over the remainder whichever it is, in Cookley and Worcestershire, on 0333 366 0103.