What Now? AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Criccieth
What to do about AdBlue in a diesel tank depends on one thing more than any other: if the engine has run since it got in. If it has not, keep it that way, whether your car is in Criccieth itself or out in Rhosgyll. Keep nothing on, call 0333 366 0103, then count on a proper flush after a drain, carried out just where your car stands in Criccieth. If it's run, stop as soon as it is safe and switch off. Stage one stays unchanged, even though the job grows.
Match your case to one of the list below, wherever around Gwynedd you are.
Criccieth forecourt: AdBlue in a diesel at the pump
The cap you opened was the wrong one — and you just spot it as you're stood at the petrol pump, bottle or the nozzle in your hand. Be it Gulf, Essar or anywhere else around Criccieth, the situation is identical.
The upshot: of every spot to find out, this is the best. No pump has drawn it in, so the AdBlue stays just in that tank.
Next: resist the temptation to fire it up only to free up the petrol pump. Three jobs: a push into a space with the attendants helping, the receipt kept, and a ring to us from where you stand. If it can't be moved, it can be emptied at the pump: the equipment is explosion-proof and fine on a working forecourt.
AdBlue in your diesel tank at home in Criccieth
On the dash, a warning had shown for days. Only by the recycling, the empty bottle in hand, did you glance back at the cap you had used on the drive. Drives close to Gorseddfa see it as much as anywhere.
What it means: if you have not driven since, this is almost as good as the forecourt. AdBlue doesn't mix with diesel; it sinks to the bottom of the tank and waits there. Overnight doesn't change that.
Your move: the keys indoors, so nobody takes the car off first thing. After that, phone. Our technicians drain it on your driveway, whether that's around Criccieth or out in Llanystumdwy. Night-time clears beside a house are fine: the pumps are low-noise.
On the road around Criccieth with AdBlue in a diesel
A mile or two beyond topping up, the engine began playing up: rough running, smoke, less power, lights on your dash. Perhaps it was on Penaber, maybe on the way out towards Bangor, under 25 miles away.
What it means: your fuel system has drawn the AdBlue in. The high-pressure pump and every injector get it as well on a longer trip, once your filter and pipework have it. Each restart, like each mile, pushes it deeper.
Next: find a safe spot, pull in, and switch the motor off. Leave by the next junction — not the services further along — if you are on the Moreton Spur, over 50 miles from Criccieth. Starting it again to test gets nothing — AdBlue never clears on its own. Phone, saying how far your car went.
A hire or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank?
It is a car you have had for a week. Unknown to you, the two fillers sit next to each other here — unlike your own vehicle, which has no AdBlue or keeps it in another spot. Anyone, anywhere across Gwynedd, could make it.
The upshot: exactly as above, divided by if it ran, but with an added step. Many rental and company contracts need the owner's sign-off before work.
Do this: hire firm or fleet manager first, us second, because settling it beforehand saves time. Hanging on for a reply in the car park at the nearest station, or near Criccieth Library? Leave your engine off throughout.
Unsure about AdBlue in your diesel tank around Criccieth?
Occasionally the honest answer is "I think so". Which cap was taken off, you cannot say; but the bottle weighs lighter than it ought to, and ammonia lingers by the filler. Maybe at a friend's drive in Morfa Bychan, or in a rush by the local primary school on the school run.
The upshot: the engine isn't harmed by some AdBlue spilled around the filler. AdBlue inside the diesel tank does. You cannot tell which by turning the ignition, and doing so will draw in any AdBlue that is in your tank.
What to do: treat it as if it got in. Do not crank it. Ring and give the details: we'd sooner find a tank free of AdBlue than empty one once your engine has run.
What each AdBlue drain around Criccieth has in common
The job opens identically, whatever your case. Wherever your vehicle is — Y Castell's car park, a road by Peace Statue, a driveway, a forecourt — our van gets there and we ask for the liquid, the amount, and if the engine has turned over. The price is given on the call, ahead of anyone setting off, and the answers set the work.
A thorough flush follows this drain. With petrol it's standard; with AdBlue it's essential, because deposits build up and some metals are attacked, and none of that washes out unaided. Then is the filter — cleaned, or swapped where necessary — then clean diesel, and a test of your vehicle. If the engine has not run, the majority of jobs take about half an hour once we are there.
The last step is firing it up. Our engineers make sure it runs smoothly on new diesel before we leave. If it's caught quickly, the vehicle very rarely has permanent damage, and the entire job happens where it is. For your insurer: the engineer's report and the VAT invoice. For you: payment that day, no money upfront. Many policies include misfuelling, so check yours as we head over.
About Criccieth
Criccieth is a small coastal town in northwest Wales, situated on the southern coast of the Llyn Peninsula at an elevation of 29 metres. Criccieth has a population of approximately 1737 people and is characterised by predominantly detached housing. Criccieth is located near several smaller communities, including Llanystumdwy, Pentrefelin, and Rhoslan, and is within commuting distance of Bangor, the nearest city. Criccieth sits on the Cardigan Bay coast, looking out towards the Irish Sea.
AdBlue drains round Criccieth and across Gwynedd
Pentrefelin and Rhoslan get the identical teams as Criccieth, a coastal town, plus further places over LL postcodes. A postcode starting LL52 0 is the quickest way to tell us where you are.
Stopped heading to Criccieth Multi Golf, or bang in the heart of Criccieth, your vehicle stays put — there is no need to shift it at all. The van drains it where it stands. Phone and ask instead of guessing if you're close to Chapel of Rest, on a border, or somewhere tricky to pin down.
The one-line version
If it has not run, phone then keep it off. Run already: stop, power down, ring 0333 366 0103. Petrol in Diesel takes over the remainder, in Criccieth or anywhere in Gwynedd.