What Now? AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Easington Lane
Has the engine turned over since the AdBlue went in? This single question settles almost everything about what comes next. If it hasn't, keep it that way, whether the vehicle is around Easington Lane itself or out in Hetton-le-Hole. Leave the motor and the ignition off then call 0333 366 0103; it's usually a drain and a thorough flush, done where the car is in Easington Lane. Where your motor has been run, stop safely straight away, then turn the vehicle off. Step one remains the same, even though the work is bigger.
Further down: the cases our engineers meet, anywhere around Tyne and Wear. Choose the one that fits.
On a Easington Lane forecourt with AdBlue in a diesel
You're at the pump, the nozzle or the bottle still in your hand, and you have just noticed the cap you opened was the wrong one. Maybe you're at the Esso, perhaps at the Shell, perhaps somewhere else around Easington Lane.
What it means: this is the best spot to find out. The AdBlue is inside that tank and nowhere else. Nothing has pulled it in.
Clearing the pump is no excuse to run it — so do not get back in. Get the staff to help rolling it into a space, save the receipt, then ring us from there. Draining it right at the pump is fine if it can't be shifted, because the equipment is explosion-proof.
At home around Easington Lane with AdBlue in your diesel tank
For days the dashboard had been warning you. You bought a bottle, poured it in on the drive, and only when you put the empty bottle in the recycling did you look a second time at the cap. Just off Murton Lane is not less likely from any other place.
Put simply: if your vehicle hasn't been driven since, it's nearly equal to finding out at the pump. On the bottom of the tank sits where AdBlue waits, because it won't mix with diesel — and a night going by changes nothing of the difference.
What to do: leave the keys inside the house so no one moves the car in the morning. Then ring. Your driveway is where it is drained, be it in Easington Lane or Elemore Vale. Night-time drains beside a house are fine: the pumps are quiet.
Set off with AdBlue in a diesel around Easington Lane?
A mile or two beyond filling up, the motor started misbehaving: roughness, smoke, less power, lights on the dash. Anywhere on High Street or on the road towards Durham — under 10 miles away.
The point: the system has drawn AdBlue in already. Mileage decides how deep it goes: filter and pipework first, then the high-pressure pump and each injector. Each mile and each restart takes it further.
What to do: pull over where it is safe then switch off. Easington Lane lies under 5 miles from the A1(M); on it, come off at the next junction instead of pushing on for the services. Starting it again to check gets nothing — AdBlue never clears itself. Let us know the mileage driven as you call.
A hire or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank?
Seven days back, it was new to you. On your own vehicle, AdBlue is missing or somewhere else. On this one, the inlet is right by your diesel inlet — a surprise to you. Any driver, anywhere in Tyne and Wear, could do the same.
The upshot: exactly as above, divided by if it ran, only with an added stage. Many hire and company contracts want the owner to approve work on the vehicle.
Do this: rental firm or fleet manager first, us next, since settling it early cuts time. Stranded near Easington Lane Library or at Seaham until someone replies, the vehicle remains switched off throughout.
Easington Lane: unsure whether it was AdBlue in the diesel tank?
At times the fair answer is "I think so". 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 rushed stop by the gates of Easington Lane Primary School, or a call to a friend in Low Moorsley: both fit.
Put simply: a spill round the filler leaves the engine no harm. Inside your diesel tank, however, AdBlue harms it. Any AdBlue in that tank would be sucked in by firing up the car, and the start would not settle which it is in any case.
Do this: behave as though it did, and don't start your motor. Inspecting a tank that proves free of AdBlue beats draining one after it's been run — so ring and tell us what you saw.
What each AdBlue drain in Easington Lane has in common
Whichever situation you are in, the job starts the same way. Three things are asked when our technicians reach the car — at a forecourt, a driveway, a street by Easington Lane Apostolic Church or the car park at The Bonnie Pit Lad: the liquid, the quantity, and if the motor has run. Those answers settle this work, and you get the quote on the phone, before anybody heads out.
Draining the tank comes first, followed by a careful flush — more important with urea than with petrol, since crystals and corrosion will not go by themselves, however long you wait. Finally come the filter, flushed or replaced if necessary; fresh diesel; and a check of your vehicle. If your motor hasn't run, most jobs take about half an hour once we are there.
The last step is firing it up. With fresh diesel in, it runs while we make sure it's running smoothly, and then we go. We do the entire job where the vehicle is, and long-term damage is very uncommon if it has been caught quickly. Nothing is paid upfront, payment is made on the day, and you get what the insurer asks for: an engineer report and a VAT invoice. It is worth knowing: many insurers include misfuelling cover, and so a quick look at your documents as we travel is worthwhile.
About Easington Lane and where it is
Easington Lane is a village in Tyne and Wear, situated inland at an elevation of around 125 metres, approximately 6 miles from Durham. Easington Lane has a mix of housing types, but is predominantly characterised by terraced homes. Easington Lane is located near other small settlements, including Elemore Vale, Lyons, and Hetton le Hill, and is about 234 miles north of London.
AdBlue drains round Easington Lane and across Tyne and Wear
Being a rural village, Easington Lane shares its vans with the surrounding towns — Hetton le Hill, Lyons — all the way across DH postcodes. Fastest of all: a DH5 0 postcode for your location.
No towing is required, whether parked in the centre of Easington Lane or on a layby heading to Hetton Lyons Cricket Club, so keep it put. Where it stands, that's where it is cleared. Phone and check rather than guess when you're by St Michael's and All Angels, on a border, or anywhere awkward to explain.
In one line: your situation
Unstarted? Leave the vehicle off and ring. Whatever case applies, Petrol in Diesel takes over the rest on 0333 366 0103, throughout Tyne and Wear and in Easington Lane — after you stop, switch off and phone, if it's run.