AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Craigerne: What Now?
What to do about AdBlue in a diesel tank depends on one thing more than any other: if your motor has been run since it went in. Wherever your vehicle is — Craigerne Cottage, Craigerne — never run a motor that has not run yet. Keep nothing on, phone 0333 366 0103, and expect a thorough flush plus a drain, carried out just where the car stands in Craigerne. Already run? Stop when safe, then switch everything off. It is a larger job, though stage one does not change.
Anywhere across Scottish Borders it took place, one of the cases below matches yours.
Craigerne forecourt: AdBlue in a diesel at the pump
Picture it: stood by the pump, gripping the nozzle, you realise the filler you opened wasn't the right one. It might be the BP, or the Esso, or another forecourt around Craigerne.
The upshot: of all places to notice, this is the best. Only that tank holds AdBlue; not one component beyond it has drawn it in.
What to do: don't get back in and crank it to clear the pump. Have the staff to help pushing it to a space, save the bottle, then ring us right there. The equipment is explosion-proof and fine on a live forecourt, and so a car that cannot be pushed away is drained right at the petrol pump.
AdBlue in the diesel tank on a Craigerne drive?
On the dash, a reminder had shown all week. A bottle from the garage, tipped in at the driveway — and it was just by the recycling that the cap caught a second look. Driveways near Glen Road see it as much as anywhere.
The upshot: zero miles since makes it almost equal to spotting it at the pump. AdBlue does not mix with diesel; it sinks to the bottom of your tank and waits there. Overnight does not change that.
Next: prevent any early drive by keeping your keys indoors, then phone us. We drain the vehicle on your driveway, whether that is around Craigerne or out in Kings Meadows. Even at night, our pumps are quiet enough for a residential street.
AdBlue in a diesel and already driving in Craigerne?
Filled up, drove away, and soon your engine was running unevenly, smoking, losing power, or lighting up your dash. Possibly it was on Forest View, possibly on the way out towards Edinburgh, under 25 miles away.
In short: the AdBlue has been pulled into the system. The injection pump and each injector see it too on a bigger run, after the fuel filter and pipework have it. Each mile and each restart takes it further.
What to do: pull over where it's safe to do so then switch off. On the M8, under 25 miles from Craigerne, that means the next exit, not the services further on. Do not restart it to see if it has cleared; it will not have. Roughly what distance had it gone? Say so when you call.
AdBlue in the wrong tank of a hire, lease or company car
It is a motor you have had for a week. The AdBlue filler sits right beside the diesel filler, which you did not know, since your own vehicle either has no AdBlue or keeps it somewhere else. It can happen to anyone, anywhere around Scottish Borders.
Meaning? Whatever case above counts too — run or unrun — plus one extra step. The owner often has to approve the work, under plenty of hire and fleet contracts.
Your move: rental firm or fleet manager to begin with, us second, because settling it early saves time. If you are stranded in the car park outside the nearest station, or by Kings Meadows Fort, while you wait for an answer, leave the vehicle off.
AdBlue in your diesel tank? Not sure, in Craigerne
Sometimes the fair answer is "I think so". Which cap was taken off, you can't say; but the bottle weighs lighter than it ought to, and a whiff of ammonia hangs by the filler. A rushed stop by the gates of the local primary school, or a call to a friend in Peebles: either fits.
The upshot: your motor isn't harmed by some AdBlue spilled around the outside. Inside your diesel tank, however, AdBlue harms it. If there is AdBlue in the tank, turning on your car will draw it in, and it wouldn't tell you which either.
Your move: behave as if it got in, and never start your motor. Call us and explain what you saw; we'd rather check a tank that turns out free of AdBlue than drain one that has already been run.
The common ground in each Craigerne AdBlue drain
Each case gets the same start to the job. Three questions are asked once our engineers reach the car — at a forecourt, a drive, a road beside Peebles High School Games Hall or the car park outside County Inn: the liquid, the amount, and whether it has run. Those replies determine the work, and you get the price on the phone, before anybody sets off.
Then your tank is emptied and the system cleaned 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 doesn't rinse out on its own. The fuel filter is flushed, or replaced where it needs to be; clean diesel goes in; and the vehicle is tested. Most unstarted vehicles are a half-hour job from the moment we get there.
The last step is starting it. Our technicians confirm it runs correctly on new diesel before we leave. When it's spotted quickly, the car very rarely has long-term damage, and the whole job happens where it is. For your insurer: an engineer's report and the VAT invoice. For you: payment that day, nothing in advance. It is worth remembering: lots of insurers offer misfuelling cover, so a check of your policy as we travel is worthwhile.
About Craigerne
Craigerne is a locality situated in a riverside setting in the Scottish Borders, with an elevation of 174 metres. Craigerne lies near several other small communities, including Kings Meadows and Kings Muir, and is located approximately 21 miles from Edinburgh. Craigerne has a mix of housing types, but terraced housing is predominant in the area. Craigerne is relatively small, with a population of around 1986 people.
AdBlue drains round Craigerne and across Scottish Borders
Throughout EH postcodes, the teams covering Craigerne — a small village — reach nearby places too, Kings Muir and Frankscroft included. Giving us your EH45 9 postcode pins you fastest of all.
No towing is needed, be it parked in the centre of Craigerne or on a layby heading to Jubilee Wood, so leave it put. Wherever it stands, that is where it gets emptied. If you're somewhere hard to explain, close to Gytes Leisure Centre or close to a boundary, ring and ask rather than guessing.
The one-line version
Unstarted? Leave it off then ring. Already run: stop, switch off then call. Either way, Petrol in Diesel takes it from there around Craigerne and anywhere across Scottish Borders on 0333 366 0103.