What Now? AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Crockerhill
What to do about AdBlue in a diesel tank comes down to one thing more than any other: if the motor has run since it was put in. Not started so far? Then leave the car like that, whether the vehicle is — Crockerhill or Aldingbourne. Ring 0333 366 0103 with your ignition and motor still off. Across Crockerhill, that is generally emptied and flushed where it stands. If it's run, stop as soon as it is safe then switch off. It's a larger job, though stage one does not change.
Further down: the cases our technicians meet, wherever across West Sussex. Pick the one that fits.
Crockerhill forecourt: AdBlue in a diesel at the pump
Picture it: standing by the pump, gripping the nozzle, you realise the cap you opened wasn't the right one. Possibly you're at the Esso, perhaps at the another forecourt nearby, perhaps somewhere else around Crockerhill.
Put simply: there is no better place to be to spot it. No pump has drawn it in, so the AdBlue sits only in your tank.
Clearing the pump is no reason to run it — and so do not get back in. Ring us from the forecourt after the car is in a space — the attendants will help roll it — and keep the receipt. Draining it right at the petrol pump is fine if it can't be shifted, since the equipment is explosion-proof.
At home around Crockerhill with AdBlue in your diesel tank
On the dash, a reminder had shown all week. You bought a bottle, poured it in on the drive, and only when you put the empty bottle in the recycling did you look once more at the cap. Just off Aldingbourne Drive is not less likely from anywhere.
What it means: if you haven't driven since, this is nearly as good as the forecourt. AdBlue does not mix with diesel; it sinks to the bottom of the tank and waits there. Overnight doesn't change that.
Your move: the keys in the house, so nobody drives your car off first thing. Then, ring. East Hampnett or Crockerhill: wherever your driveway is, that is where it is cleared. Even at night, our pumps are quiet enough for a driveway.
Set off with AdBlue in a diesel in Crockerhill?
A short way after filling up, the engine started playing up: rough running, smoke, lost power, warnings on the dash. Maybe it was on Nyton Road, perhaps on the way out towards Chichester, under 5 miles away.
Meaning? The fuel pump has taken the AdBlue up. Past the filter, along the pipework, and — the more the distance — on into the injection pump and each injector. Each mile and each restart takes it further.
What to do: pull over where it is safe to do so then switch off. On the Waterlooville Bypass, under 15 miles from Crockerhill, that means the next junction, not the services further on. It won't have cleared, and so there's no point starting it again to check. Call us and say how far you went.
Hire, lease or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank
A week back, it was new to you. On your own vehicle, AdBlue is missing or somewhere else. On this one, its cap is just by the diesel inlet — a surprise to you. Anyone, wherever in West Sussex, could do it.
Meaning? Whichever case above counts too — run or unrun — plus one further step. Many hire and company agreements want the owner to approve work on the car.
Next: ring the hire company or the fleet manager first, and then us — sorting it before our arrival is quicker. Stranded near Gospel Hall or outside Barnham till the firm replies, your car remains turned off the whole time.
Crockerhill: unsure if it was AdBlue in your diesel tank?
At times the honest answer is "I think so". A faint ammonia smell hangs near your filler, the bottle feels too light, and the cap you took off is hard to recall. It might have been at a friend's driveway in Halnaker, or rushing by Tangmere Primary Academy on the school run.
Meaning? Drips outside the inlet don't touch the motor at all. AdBlue inside the diesel tank does. Any AdBlue in that tank would be pulled in by turning on the vehicle, and the start would not settle which it is in any case.
Take it that it got in, and never start your engine. Checking a tank that turns out free of AdBlue beats emptying one once it's been run — so phone and tell us what you saw.
What every AdBlue drain in Crockerhill has in common
The job opens identically, whichever your situation. Forecourt, drive, the pub in the village's car park or a street beside Boxgrove Priory — our van comes to your car, and three questions come next: which liquid, which amount, and if it ran. Those answers determine the work, and you get the quote on the phone, before anybody sets off.
AdBlue forms crystals and is corrosive to certain metals used in fuel systems, so it does not rinse out on its own; that's why the flush, after the drain, matters much more with AdBlue than with petrol. Next comes the fuel filter — flushed, or replaced where necessary — followed by clean diesel, and a test of the vehicle. The majority of unrun cars are a half-hour visit after the moment we turn up.
The last step is starting it. Our test that it runs properly on fresh diesel comes before we leave. Our engineers do the entire job where your car is, and permanent damage is very uncommon when it has been caught quickly. You pay on the day, with nothing upfront, and get a VAT invoice and an engineer report for your insurer. Plenty of policies include misfuelling, so look at yours as we head over.
About Crockerhill
Crockerhill is a small hamlet situated on the riverside in West Sussex, with an elevation of 26 metres above sea level. Crockerhill lies close to the city of Chichester, approximately 4.1 miles away, and is surrounded by nearby places such as East Hampnett, Norton, and Boxgrove. Crockerhill has a population of around 531 residents, who mostly live in semi-detached housing. Crockerhill is located within the South East region of England, about 51.2 miles from London.
AdBlue drains across West Sussex, Crockerhill included
As a rural hamlet, Crockerhill shares its vans with the surrounding towns — Boxgrove, Norton — right across PO postcodes. Telling us your PO18 0 postcode finds you fastest of all.
Parked heading to Smith's Copse, or right in the heart of Crockerhill, the car stays put — there is no need to shift it at all. Draining is done on the spot. Tricky to pin down? Close to Boxgrove Priory. or a county line? Asking beats guessing, and so ring.
In one line: your situation
If it has not started, ring and keep it off. Already run: stop, switch off and ring. Either way, Petrol in Diesel takes it from there in Crockerhill and anywhere around West Sussex on 0333 366 0103.