AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Cote, and What to Do Next
What to do about AdBlue in a diesel tank depends on one thing more than any other: whether the motor has run since it was put in. Wherever the car stands — Salvington, Cote — never start an engine that hasn't run yet. Normally that is emptying and properly purging it right there in Cote — and so keep your ignition and motor off and phone 0333 366 0103. Already run? Pull over once safe, then switch everything off. It is a bigger job, though stage one doesn't change.
Further down: the situations we meet, wherever around West Sussex. Pick the one that fits.
AdBlue in a diesel on a Cote forecourt
The cap you unscrewed was the wrong one — and you only notice it while you are standing at the petrol pump, bottle or the nozzle in hand. Possibly you are at the Esso, perhaps at the Tesco, maybe somewhere else in Cote.
In short: there is no better spot to be to spot it. Still inside that tank, with nothing drawn through: that's where the AdBlue sits.
What to do: don't get back in and crank it to clear the pump. Ring us from the forecourt after your car is in a bay — the attendants will lend a hand to roll it — and keep the receipt. Emptying it right at the petrol pump is possible when it can't be shifted, because the equipment is explosion-proof.
AdBlue in the diesel tank at home around Cote
On your dash, a reminder had been lit all week. Only at the recycling bin, the empty bottle in your hand, did you look back at the cap you had used on the drive. Right off Arundel Road is not different from any other place.
In short: if the car has not been driven since, it is nearly as good as spotting it at the forecourt. AdBlue does not mix with diesel; it sinks to the bottom of that tank and waits there. Overnight does not change that.
Next: keys indoors, so no one takes the vehicle off at breakfast. After that, phone. Your drive is where it gets emptied, be it in Cote or High Salvington. The pumping kit works quietly enough that it won't wake the street at night.
AdBlue in a diesel and already driving in Cote?
Topped up, pulled away, and before long the engine was turning roughly, blowing smoke, losing power, or lighting up your dash. Anywhere along Hollyacres or else heading towards Brighton and Hove — under 15 miles away.
Meaning? The pump has taken the AdBlue up. Past the filter, through the pipework, and — the more the distance — on into the high-pressure pump and each injector. Each mile and each restart takes it further.
Stop safely — that is the next step — then switch it off. On the M23, under 25 miles from Cote, that means the next junction, not the services further on. It won't have cleared, so there's no sense restarting to find out. Phone us and say how far you drove.
AdBlue in the wrong tank: hire, lease and company motors
You've had the car barely a week. The AdBlue filler is right beside the diesel one, which you did not know, because your own car either has no AdBlue or keeps it somewhere else. Any driver, wherever in West Sussex, might make it.
Meaning? Whatever applies above counts too — run or not — plus one extra stage. The owner frequently needs to approve any work, under many rental and company agreements.
Next: ring the rental company or the fleet manager first, then us — settling it before our arrival is faster. Stuck by St Symphorian's or at Durrington-On-Sea till the firm answers, your car remains turned off the whole time.
AdBlue in your diesel tank? Not sure, in Cote
At times the fair answer is "I think so". What cap was taken off, you can't say; but the bottle weighs lighter than it ought to, and ammonia lingers by the filler. A rushed stop by the gates of Durrington Junior School, or a call to a friend in Clapham: both fits.
What it means: a little spilled around the filler does no harm to the motor. The diesel tank with AdBlue in it is a different story. Any AdBlue in that tank would be drawn in by starting the car, and the start wouldn't settle which it is in any case.
Do this: behave as if it did, and don't start your engine. Call us and describe what you saw; we would rather check a tank that turns out clean than drain one that has already been run.
Cote: what every AdBlue drain has in common
The work opens identically, whichever the case. Wherever the vehicle is — The Coach & Horses's car park, a street beside St Michael's, a drive, a forecourt — the van gets there and asks for the fluid, the quantity, and whether the motor has turned over. Those answers decide this work, and you hear our quote by phone, before anyone heads out.
Draining that tank comes first, followed by a careful flush — more vital with urea than with petrol, because crystals and corrosion won't go by themselves, no matter how long you wait. The filter is cleaned, or replaced where it needs to be; fresh diesel goes in; and your car is tested. Never started? In that case roughly half an hour once we are there is most jobs.
Our engineers start the engine last. Our test that it runs correctly on new diesel comes before we go. The entire job is done where your car is, and when it is caught early, lasting damage is very unusual. For your insurer: an engineer's report and the VAT invoice. For you: payment on the day, no money in advance. Dig out your insurance while we arrive: cover for misfuelling is included in plenty of policies.
About Cote, for a moment
Cote is a small hamlet on the South Coast of England, situated near the city of Brighton and Hove in West Sussex. Cote sits at an elevation of 79 metres, overlooking the surrounding countryside and the English Channel. Cote is characterised by its predominantly detached housing stock and is located near other local places such as High Salvington and Findon Valley.
AdBlue drains across West Sussex, Cote included
West Durrington and Findon Valley have the identical teams as Cote, a rural hamlet, along with further places over BN postcodes. Telling us your BN13 3 postcode finds you quickest of all.
Central Cote or a lay-by near Honeysuckle Lane Open Space: wherever it is, your vehicle never needs to move an inch for us. Wherever it sits, that is where it is cleared. Guessing won't help near St Peter, on a county line or somewhere awkward to describe; phone and ask.
Your situation, in one line
Engine not started: phone, leaving it alone. Run already: stop, power down, phone 0333 366 0103. Petrol in Diesel handles the rest, in Cote or wherever in West Sussex.