AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Dipton: What Now?
What to do about AdBlue in a diesel tank comes down to one thing more than any other: if your motor has run since it went in. Out in Catchgate or right in Dipton, an unrun engine must remain that way. Phone 0333 366 0103 with the ignition and motor still off. In Dipton, that is generally drained and flushed where it stands. If it's run, stop as soon as it is safe and switch off. It's a bigger job, though stage one does not change.
Wherever across Durham it took place, one of the situations below fits yours.
At the petrol pump around Dipton: AdBlue in a diesel
Only now, nozzle still in hand, it dawns on you that the cap you took off was the wrong one, right at the petrol pump. Whether Esso, Texaco or anywhere else in Dipton, the situation is identical.
The point: of every spot to find out, the forecourt is the best. Only your tank has AdBlue; no part beyond it has drawn it in.
Clearing the pump is no reason to run it — and so don't get back in. Ring us from the forecourt once your car sits in a space — the staff will help roll it — and keep the bottle. Emptying it there at the pump is possible when it can't be moved, because the equipment is explosion-proof.
At home in Dipton with AdBlue in your diesel tank
Several days had passed with the warning light on. Only by the recycling, the empty container in your hand, did you look back at the cap you had used at the drive. Just off Front Street is no less likely from any other place.
What it means: if you have not driven since, this is almost as good as the forecourt. At the bottom of the tank is exactly where AdBlue stays, because it won't mix with diesel — and a night passing changes no difference.
Your move: keys indoors, so no one takes your vehicle off at breakfast. After that, ring. Harelaw or Dipton: wherever your drive is, that's where it gets drained. The equipment works quiet enough that it won't wake the street at night.
AdBlue in a diesel and already driving in Dipton?
You filled up, set off, and a mile or two later your engine began to run roughly, smoke, lose power or light up the dashboard. Somewhere on Co-Operative Terrace or else on the road to Newcastle upon Tyne — under 10 miles away.
Meaning? Your fuel pump has sucked the AdBlue up. Past the fuel filter, along the lines, and — the more the mileage — deeper into the injection pump and each injector. Each mile and each restart takes it further.
Your move: stop somewhere sensible, then turn the motor off. Dipton lies under 10 miles from the A1(M); on it, pull off at the first junction rather than pressing on to the services. Starting it again to test achieves nothing — AdBlue doesn't clear itself. Ring us and say how far you went.
AdBlue in the wrong tank of a hire, lease or company car
It is a vehicle you have had for a week. Unbeknown to you, the AdBlue and diesel inlets are next to each other here — not like your own vehicle, which has no AdBlue or keeps it elsewhere. Any driver, wherever in Durham, could do it.
Meaning? Whatever case above counts here — run or unrun — plus one extra stage. Any work on your car often requires the owner's go-ahead under rental or company terms.
Settling it before we arrives is quicker, and so phone the hire company or your fleet manager, and then us. Hanging on for an answer at the car park at Blaydon, or near Dipton Community Centre? Leave your engine off throughout.
Unsure about AdBlue in your diesel tank in Dipton?
Now and then, "I think so" is the most you can honestly say. Which cap came off, you can't recall; meanwhile the bottle feels lighter than expected, and a whiff of ammonia lingers by the filler. Perhaps it happened in a hurry at the school gates at Collierley Nursery and Primary School, or on a friend's drive in Annfield Plain.
Meaning? Drips around the inlet don't touch your motor at all. AdBlue inside the diesel tank does. Any AdBlue in that tank will be sucked in by firing up the car, and the start would not settle which it is in any case.
Next: assume it got in, and leave your motor off. Phone and give the details: we would rather confirm a clean tank than empty one after your engine has run.
Dipton: what each AdBlue drain has in common
The job begins identically, whichever the case. Anywhere the vehicle stands — The Prince Of Wales's car park, a road beside St Patrick's Roman Catholic Church, a driveway, a filling station — our van arrives and asks about the fluid, the amount, and whether the engine has turned over. Those replies determine the work, and you hear the price by phone, before anyone heads out.
A thorough flush follows the drain. With petrol it is routine; with AdBlue it's essential, because deposits build up and some metals are attacked, and neither rinses out unaided. Clean diesel is put in once the filter has been cleaned or replaced, and your car is then checked. If your engine has not run, most jobs take about half an hour once we are there.
Firing it up comes last. Before our engineers leave, it's tested to confirm it runs properly on new diesel. If it is noticed early, the vehicle very rarely has long-term damage, and the entire job takes place where it is. Nothing is taken upfront, payment happens on the day, and you get what the insurer wants: an engineer report plus a VAT invoice. Check your insurance before we arrive: misfuelling cover comes built into many policies.
About Dipton and where it is
Dipton is a village in County Durham, situated on the riverside at an elevation of 244 metres, with terraced housing being the predominant type of accommodation. Dipton lies approximately 9 miles west of Newcastle upon Tyne and is close to nearby places such as Harelaw and Flint Hill. Dipton has a population of around 1062 residents and is located in the North East region of England, about 242 miles north of London. Dipton's setting near the river contributes to its scenic surroundings.
AdBlue drains across Durham, Dipton included
As a village, Dipton shares its vans with the surrounding towns — Pontop, Flint Hill — right through DH postcodes. A postcode starting DH9 9 is the quickest way to tell us where you are.
Whether the vehicle is on a lay-by on the way to Deep Dene Local Nature Reserve or in a car park in the middle of Dipton, it does not need to move. Wherever it sits, that's where it is emptied. Ring and check rather than guess if you're by St Thomas's Church, Hare Law, near a border, or somewhere awkward to pin down.
Your situation, summed up
Engine never started: phone, leaving it switched off. Started by now? Pull over, switch off, ring. Petrol in Diesel handles the remainder whatever case, across Dipton and Durham, on 0333 366 0103.