What Now? AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Didcot
What to do about AdBlue in a diesel tank depends on one thing more than any other: whether your engine has been run since it was put in. Wherever your car is — West Hagbourne, Didcot — never run a motor that has not run yet. Leave your motor and your ignition off and call 0333 366 0103; it is usually a drain and a thorough flush, done where your car is in Didcot. When your motor has been run, stop somewhere safe straight away, then switch the car off. The job is bigger, yet the first step is the same.
Find the scenario below that matches yours, wherever across Oxfordshire it happened.
AdBlue in a diesel on a Didcot forecourt
The cap you opened was the wrong one — and you just notice it while you are stood at the petrol pump, bottle or nozzle in hand. Perhaps you're at the Sainsbury's, possibly at the The Co-operative, maybe somewhere else in Didcot.
Put simply: there is no better place exists to spot it. No pump has pulled it in, and so the AdBlue stays only in that tank.
Next: avoid the temptation to fire it up just to free up the pump. Have the staff to help rolling it to a bay, save the receipt, then ring us from there. If it cannot be moved, it can be cleared at the petrol pump: the equipment is explosion-proof and fine on a working forecourt.
Didcot, at home: AdBlue in the diesel tank
For days the dash had been nagging you. A bottle bought at the garage, tipped in on the drive — and it's just by the recycling that the cap caught your eye. It takes place on driveways just off Broadway as frequently as anywhere.
What it means: if you have not driven since, this is nearly as good as the forecourt. As it is unable to mix, AdBlue settles low inside the tank and waits. One night parked changes nothing.
Your move: keys indoors, and so nobody takes the car anywhere at breakfast. Then, ring. Your driveway is where it is drained, be it in Didcot or East Hagbourne. Even at night, our pumps stay quiet enough for a driveway.
AdBlue in a diesel and already driving in Didcot?
A mile or two beyond topping up, the motor started playing up: rough running, smoke, lost power, lights on the dash. Anywhere along Edinburgh Drive or else on the road towards Oxford — under 15 miles away.
Meaning? The fuel pump has sucked the AdBlue up. The high-pressure pump and every injector see it too on a bigger run, after the filter and pipework have it. It goes deeper with each extra mile driven and each restart.
What to do: pull over where it is safe then switch off. Service stations farther on can wait: from the M4, under 10 miles out of Didcot, take the first junction. Do not restart it to see if it has cleared; it will not have. Let us know the mileage covered when you call.
AdBlue in the wrong tank: hire, lease and company motors
A week back, it was unknown to you. Unbeknown to you, the AdBlue and diesel inlets sit side by side here — not like your own car, which has no AdBlue or keeps it in another spot. It can happen to anyone, anywhere across Oxfordshire.
The upshot: just as above, split by whether it ran, but with one added stage. Many rental and company agreements require the owner's approval for work.
Settling it before we turn up is quicker, and so ring the rental company or your fleet manager, then us. Stranded near King Alfred Drive Community Center or at Didcot Parkway until the firm replies, your vehicle remains switched off the whole time.
Not sure it was AdBlue in your diesel tank, Didcot?
At times, "I think so" is all anyone can truthfully say. Which cap was taken off, you can't say; but the bottle weighs lighter than expected, and a whiff of ammonia hangs by the filler. A hurried top-up by the gates of Willowcroft Community School, or a visit to a friend in Upton: both fits.
What it means: a little spilled round your filler does no damage to the engine. Once it's inside the diesel tank, though, that changes. Any AdBlue in that tank will be pulled in by firing up the car, and the start wouldn't settle which it is in any case.
Assume it got in, and don't turn your key. Inspecting a tank that proves clean is better than emptying one once it has been run — so phone and describe to us what you saw.
Didcot: what every AdBlue drain has in common
Every case gets the same opening to the work. Three questions come once our technicians reach the car — on a forecourt, a driveway, a street beside Cornerstone Arts Centre or the car park at Broadways: the liquid, the amount, and if the motor has been started. Answers shape the work; the quote comes by phone while no one has set off yet.
AdBlue crystallises and is corrosive to some metals used in fuel systems, so it does not rinse out on its own; that is why the flush, after the drain, matters far more with AdBlue than with petrol. Last come your filter, flushed or replaced as needed; fresh diesel; and a check of the vehicle. Not started? In that case about half an hour on site is most jobs.
Firing it up comes at the end. With fresh diesel in, it runs while our engineers confirm it's running correctly, and then we go. Long-term damage is very unusual when it is caught soon, and the whole job is done where the car is. For your insurer: an engineer's report and the VAT invoice. For you: payment that day, no money upfront. Worth knowing: many insurers include misfuelling cover, and so a quick look at your policy while we travel pays.
About Didcot and where it is
Didcot is a town situated in the inland area of Oxfordshire, England, and is known for its strong connection to the railway industry. The town is positioned near several major cities, including Oxford to the north and Reading to the south east. Didcot's history is closely tied to the development of the railway, with the town serving as an important junction point. Its location in South Oxfordshire makes it a notable settlement in the region.
AdBlue drains around Didcot, and across Oxfordshire too
Over OX postcodes, the vans serving Didcot — a town — reach nearby towns as well, Coscote and Tadley included. Telling us your OX11 8 postcode finds you quickest of all.
Central Didcot or a lay-by near Broadway Gardens: either way it sits, the vehicle doesn't need to move at all for us. The van drains it where it stands. Guessing won't help near Cineworld, close to a county line or somewhere awkward to pin down; ring and check.
Your situation, in one line
Not run yet: keep the car off then call. Started by now? Pull over, turn off, phone. Petrol in Diesel takes over the remainder whichever it is, across Didcot and Oxfordshire, on 0333 366 0103.