AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in East Saltdean: What Now?
What to do about AdBlue in a diesel tank depends on one thing more than any other: whether your motor has been run since it went in. Out in Telscombe or here in East Saltdean, an unrun motor must remain that way. Leave the engine and your ignition off and phone 0333 366 0103; it is generally a drain and a thorough flush, done where the vehicle is in East Saltdean. Stop the minute it is safe then switch off, if it has been run. Stage one stays unchanged, even if the job grows.
Further down: the cases our engineers see, anywhere in East Sussex. Pick the one that fits.
On a East Saltdean forecourt with AdBlue in a diesel
The cap you unscrewed was the wrong one — and you only notice it while you're stood at the pump, bottle or nozzle in your hand. Be it Texaco, Esso or anywhere else around East Saltdean, the case is identical.
The point: of every spot to find out, this is the best. No pump has drawn it in, and so the AdBlue stays only inside your tank.
Your move: keep out of the car, however much the pump needs clearing. A few things: a shove into a bay with the staff assisting, the receipt saved, and a call to us from where you stand. Stuck by the pump? Our explosion-proof equipment makes a live forecourt sensible, and so it can be drained in place.
East Saltdean, at home: AdBlue in your diesel tank
For days the dash had been warning you. A bottle bought at the garage, tipped in on the driveway — and it's only by the bin that the cap caught a second look. It takes place on driveways just off South Coast Road as often as anywhere.
The point: zero miles since leaves it almost equal to finding it at the pump. Being unable to blend, AdBlue settles to the base inside your tank and waits. A night parked alters none of that.
What to do: leave your keys inside the house so nobody moves your car in the morning. Then ring. Saltdean or East Saltdean: whichever your driveway sits, that's where it gets drained. The pumping kit runs quiet enough not to disturb the neighbours at night.
Drove off with AdBlue in a diesel in East Saltdean?
You filled up, set off, and a mile or two later your engine began to run unevenly, smoke, lose power or light up the dashboard. Maybe driving to Brighton and Hove, under 10 miles away, or just along Bannings Vale.
The point: the system has pulled AdBlue in already. Through your filter, along the pipework, and — the more the distance — on into the injection pump and each injector. Each mile and each restart takes it further.
Next: find a sensible spot, stop, and switch your engine off. East Saltdean sits under 25 miles from the M23; on it, come off at the next junction instead of pressing on for the services. No test starts: clearing itself is not something AdBlue does. Call, and say how far your car went.
A hire or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank?
You've had the car hardly a week. On your own vehicle, AdBlue is absent or somewhere else. On this one, its cap is just next to your diesel cap — a surprise to you. It can happen to anyone, anywhere across East Sussex.
Meaning? Whichever case above counts too — run or not — and one further stage. The owner often has to approve any work, under many hire and company agreements.
What to do: call the hire firm or your fleet manager first, then us. That's faster settled before our engineers turn up than after. If you are stuck in the car park at Southease, or by St Martin's United Reformed Church, while you wait for an answer, leave the vehicle off.
Unsure about AdBlue in the diesel tank in East Saltdean?
At times the honest answer is "I think so". The bottle is lighter than it should be, there's a faint smell of ammonia round your filler, and you can't remember which cap you took off. The gates of Saltdean Primary School in a rush, say, or someone's drive over in Peacehaven.
What it means: a little spilled round the filler does no damage to the engine. AdBlue inside your diesel tank does. Turning on the vehicle won't tell you which, and if there is AdBlue in your tank it will suck it in.
Assume it went in, and never turn your engine. Tell us what you noticed on the phone. A clear tank looked at counts as a happier result than an already-run one drained.
Each AdBlue drain around East Saltdean shares these steps
Whichever scenario you are in, this job starts the same way. We come to the car, whether it's on a forecourt, a drive, the car park at The Spanish Lady or a side street near Saltdean Lido, and ask three things: what got in, about how much, and if your engine has run. Those answers decide this work, and you hear the quote on the phone, before anyone heads out.
A thorough flush comes after the drain. With petrol it's standard; with AdBlue it is essential, because crystals build up and some metals corrode, and none of it washes away unaided. Fresh diesel goes in after your filter is flushed or replaced, and your car is finally tested. Not started? In that case roughly half an hour once we are there covers most jobs.
Starting it comes last. With clean diesel in, it runs while our technicians check it is running correctly, and then we head off. We do the whole job where the vehicle is, and permanent damage is very uncommon when it has been caught early. Nothing is taken upfront, settlement happens on the day, and you receive what your insurer asks for: an engineer report plus a VAT invoice. Plenty of insurance policies include misfuelling cover, and so it is worth checking yours whilst we are on the way.
About East Saltdean and where it is
East Saltdean is a coastal locality in East Sussex, situated near the cities of Brighton and Hove, and close to other nearby places such as Saltdean, Telscombe Cliffs, and Rottingdean. East Saltdean has a relatively low elevation of 14 metres above sea level and is approximately 49 miles from London. East Saltdean is predominantly composed of flat-type housing, which is common in many coastal areas of the South East region. East Saltdean has a population of around 1815 residents.
AdBlue drains in East Saltdean, and across East Sussex too
Being a coastal area, East Saltdean has the same vans as the nearby towns — Rottingdean, Telscombe Cliffs — right across BN postcodes. Your whereabouts comes clearest from a postcode beginning BN2 8.
Whether the car is on a lay-by on the way to Saltdean Oval or in a car park in the middle of East Saltdean, it does not need to move. Wherever it sits, that's where it is cleared. If you are somewhere hard to describe, close to Saltdean Library or close to a border, ring and ask rather than assuming.
Your situation, summed up
Not run yet: keep it off then ring. Whatever line fits, Petrol in Diesel handles the rest on 0333 366 0103, throughout East Sussex and within East Saltdean — after you stop, turn off and phone, if it has run.