Darite: AdBlue in the Diesel Tank? Find Your Situation
All of it turns on one detail: whether the motor has been run after the AdBlue went in — far more than anything else. Out in Lower Tremar or here in Darite, an unrun motor must remain unrun. Normally this means draining and thoroughly flushing it right there in Darite — so leave your ignition and engine off and phone 0333 366 0103. Already started? Pull over when you safely can, then switch everything off. A larger job, then, yet the same first step.
Anywhere across Cornwall it happened, one of the cases below fits yours.
On a Darite forecourt with AdBlue in a diesel
Picture it: stood by the pump, holding the bottle, you realise the filler you opened wasn't the correct one. It might be the BP, or the Morrisons, or another station around Darite.
The upshot: of all places to find out, this is the best. No pump has pulled it through, and so the AdBlue sits only in your tank.
Next: resist the urge to fire it up only to move away from the petrol pump. Phone us from the forecourt once your car is in a bay — the staff will lend a hand to roll it — and keep the receipt. If it cannot be shifted, it can be drained at the petrol pump: the equipment is explosion-proof and fine on a busy forecourt.
Darite, at home: AdBlue in your diesel tank
The warning light had been on for days. Only at the recycling bin, the empty bottle in hand, did you look back at the cap you'd used at the drive. Right off Hendra Close is no less likely from anywhere.
Meaning? Provided the car hasn't been driven since, it's second to the forecourt case. On the floor of the tank sits exactly where AdBlue waits, because it won't mix with diesel — and a night passing changes no difference.
What to do: leave the keys inside the house so no one moves your car in the morning. Then ring. Crows Nest or Darite: wherever your drive is, that is where it is cleared. The pumps are quiet enough to use outside a house at night.
On the road in Darite with AdBlue in a diesel
You filled up, set off, and a mile or two later the engine began to run unevenly, smoke, lose power or light up the dashboard. Polwrath Close, perhaps, or the way to Plymouth — a trip of under 25 miles.
In short: the AdBlue has been sucked through your fuel system. Past the fuel filter, along the pipework, and — the more the mileage — on into the injection pump and each injector. Each mile and each restart takes it further.
Next: find a safe place, stop, then switch your motor off. On the M5, under 50 miles from Darite, that means the next junction, not the services further on. Don't restart it to see if it has cleared; it will not have. Roughly how far had it go? Tell us as you call.
AdBlue in the wrong tank of a hire, lease or company car
Seven days ago, the car was unknown to you. The AdBlue filler sits right next to the diesel one, which you didn't know, because your own vehicle either has no AdBlue or keeps it somewhere else. It can happen to anyone, anywhere in Cornwall.
The upshot: just as above, split by if it ran, only with one added stage. Work on your vehicle often requires the owner's approval under hire or company agreements.
Next: phone the hire company or your fleet manager first, then us — sorting it before our arrival is quicker. Hanging on for a reply at the car park at Liskeard, or near Darite Village Hall? Keep your engine off meanwhile.
Unsure about AdBlue in the diesel tank in Darite?
At times, "I think so" is all you can truthfully say. A slight ammonia-like whiff lingers around the filler, the bottle feels too light, and which cap came off is hard to recall. The gates of Darite Primary Academy in a hurry, perhaps, or someone's drive out in Tremar.
What it means: a little spilled about the filler does no damage to the engine. In your diesel tank, however, AdBlue damages it. Firing up the vehicle won't tell you which, and if there is AdBlue in the tank it would pull it in.
Your move: behave as if it did, and never start the engine. Phone and give the details: we'd sooner confirm a clean tank than empty one once the motor has run.
The common ground in each Darite AdBlue drain
Every situation has the same start to the work. Wherever your car stands — Crow's Nest Inn's car park, a street beside Trethevy Quoit, a driveway, a filling station — our van arrives and asks about the liquid, the quantity, and if the engine has been run. Those replies decide this work, and you get our quote by phone, before anyone sets off.
A thorough flush comes after this drain. With petrol it is routine; with AdBlue it is essential, because crystals build up and some metals are attacked, and none of that rinses out unaided. Last are the filter, flushed or replaced if necessary; clean diesel; and a check of the car. The majority of unrun vehicles are a half-hour job after the moment our engineers turn up.
Firing it up comes last. With new diesel in, it runs while our technicians confirm it is running correctly, and then we go. Our technicians do the whole job where the vehicle is, and long-term damage is very unusual when it has been spotted soon. Paying comes that day, never upfront. For your insurer, there is a VAT invoice and a written report from the engineer. It is worth knowing: lots of insurers include misfuelling cover, so a check of your documents while you wait pays.
About Darite and where it is
Darite is a village in Cornwall, situated on the banks of a river at an elevation of 221 metres. Darite has a population of around 642 people, with a predominance of detached housing. Darite is located near several other small settlements, including Crows Nest, Higher Tremarcoombe, and Tremar Coombe. Darite is approximately 16.5 miles from Plymouth and 200.8 miles from London.
Darite and Cornwall: AdBlue drains across the area
Higher Tremarcoombe and Tremar Coombe have the same teams as Darite, a village, along with further places over PL postcodes. Fastest of all: a PL14 5 postcode to show your location.
Central Darite or a lay-by towards St Cleer Memorial Park: wherever it sits, the car never needs to move an inch for us. The van empties it where it stands. Ring and ask rather than guess if you're by Chimney, on a boundary, or somewhere tricky to pin down.
Your scenario, in one line
Still unrun? Leave the car that way then ring. Run already: stop, switch down, phone 0333 366 0103. Petrol in Diesel takes over the rest, in Darite or anywhere in Cornwall.