What Now? AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Dedworth
What to do about AdBlue in a diesel tank comes down to one thing more than any other: if your engine has run since it went in. Over in Clewer New Town or right in Dedworth, an unstarted engine must stay unrun. Call 0333 366 0103 with the ignition and motor still off. In Dedworth, such a case is generally emptied and flushed where it stands. Pull over the minute you safely can then turn off, if it has been run. It is a larger job, yet step one does not change.
Below: the situations our technicians meet, anywhere across Berkshire. Pick the one that fits.
Dedworth forecourt: AdBlue in a diesel at the pump
Imagine it: standing by the petrol pump, gripping the nozzle, you spot the cap you opened wasn't the correct one. Be it Esso, Shell or somewhere else in Dedworth, the case is identical.
Put simply: no better spot exists to spot it. Only the tank has AdBlue; no component past it has drawn it in.
Next: resist the temptation to fire it up just to move away from the petrol pump. Ask the attendants to help you push the car into a parking bay, keep the till receipt or the bottle, then ring us from the forecourt. If it can't be moved, it can be cleared at the pump: the equipment is explosion-proof and safe on a working forecourt.
AdBlue in your diesel tank at home in Dedworth
For days the dashboard had been nagging you. Picked up a container, tipped it in at home, binned the empty — and at that point checked the cap again, after the fact. Just off Testwood Road is not different from any other place.
In short: if your vehicle has not been driven since, it is almost equal to spotting it at the forecourt. AdBlue doesn't mix with diesel; it sinks to the bottom of your tank and waits there. Overnight does not change that.
Next: keys in the house, and so no one drives your vehicle off at breakfast. Then, phone. Your drive is where it is emptied, whether in Dedworth or Boveney. The pumps are quiet enough to use outside a house after dark.
Drove off with AdBlue in a diesel in Dedworth?
Topped up, pulled away, and soon the motor was running roughly, blowing smoke, losing power, or lighting up the dash. Withey Close, say, or the route towards Westminster — a run of under 25 miles.
The upshot: your system has drawn AdBlue in already. It's been through the filter and the lines and, the further you went, into your high-pressure pump and the injectors. Each restart, like every mile, carries it on.
What to do: pull over where it is safe and switch off. Exit at the first junction — not the services further along — if you're on the M4, under 3 miles from Dedworth. Restarting it to check gets nothing — AdBlue doesn't clear on its own. Tell us know the distance driven when you call.
AdBlue in the wrong tank of a hire, lease or company car
You've had this car barely a week. On your own car, AdBlue is absent or elsewhere. On this one, the cap is right next to your diesel inlet — a surprise to you. It can happen to anyone, anywhere around Berkshire.
In short: one extra stage on top of the situations above, which depend on if it's run. Any work on your car often requires the owner's approval under rental or fleet terms.
Settling it before the van arrives is quicker, so ring the hire company or your fleet manager, and then us. If you're stuck in the car park at Windsor & Eton Central, or by Dedworth Library, while you wait for an answer, leave your car off.
AdBlue in the diesel tank? Not sure, in Dedworth
"I think so" is sometimes the most honest as it gets. The bottle is lighter than it should be, there is a faint smell of ammonia about your filler, and you can't remember which cap you took off. A hurried top-up by the gates of Homer First School and Nursery, or a visit to a friend in Clewer Village: either fit.
What it means: a little spilled round the filler does no harm to your engine. Inside the diesel tank, however, AdBlue damages it. Turning on the car will not tell you which, and if there is AdBlue in the tank it would pull it in.
Next: act as though it got in, and leave the motor off. Inspecting a tank that proves clean beats draining one once it's been run — so ring and tell us what you noticed.
Every AdBlue drain in Dedworth shares these steps
Every situation gets the same start to the work. Forecourt, driveway, The Black Horse's car park or a road by Dedworth Baptist Church — the van comes to your car, and three questions follow: which liquid, what amount, and whether it ran. Your price is given over the phone, before a van leaves, and the replies set the job.
Draining that tank comes next, followed by a full flush — more important with urea than after petrol, since crystals and corrosion won't go by themselves, no matter how long you wait. Then comes the filter — cleaned, or swapped where needed — followed by clean diesel, and a test of the car. Not started? In that case about half an hour on site covers most jobs.
Our engineers fire it up at the end. Our test that it runs smoothly on fresh diesel comes before we leave. Our engineers do the entire job where the vehicle is, and long-term damage is very rare if it has been spotted early. For your insurer: an engineer's report and the VAT invoice. For you: payment on the day, nothing upfront. Worth remembering: many insurers include misfuelling cover, and so a check of your policy while you wait is worthwhile.
About Dedworth
Dedworth is a suburban area in Berkshire, situated lakeside at an elevation of around 25 metres, with Dedworth being close to several nearby places including Boveney, Oakley Green, and Clewer Green. Dedworth has a population of approximately 5982 residents, with Dedworth predominantly consisting of semi-detached housing. Dedworth is located near the River Thames, with Dedworth being about 22 miles from central London.
AdBlue drains around Dedworth, and across Berkshire too
Over SL postcodes, the teams covering Dedworth — a residential suburb — reach nearby towns as well, Oakley Green and Clewer Green among them. A postcode starting SL4 5 is the quickest way to tell us where you are.
Stopped heading to Sutherland Grange, or right in the heart of Dedworth, the vehicle remains where it is — there's no need to move it anywhere. Draining is done on the spot. Assuming won't help near St Mark, on a border or somewhere awkward to describe; phone and check.
Your scenario, summed up
Where it hasn't started, phone and keep it off. Started by now? Stop, turn off, ring. Petrol in Diesel handles the rest whatever it is, across Dedworth and Berkshire, on 0333 366 0103.