AdBlue in a Diesel Tank in Eddington: Why It Occurs and How to Avoid It
AdBlue already in the diesel tank? In that case put this page down for now, leave the ignition and motor off, then ring 0333 366 0103. Usually, if the motor hasn't run, it is emptied and thoroughly cleaned where the vehicle sits around Eddington. Here in advance? In that case the rest covers why it happens and what to prevent it ever happening.
AdBlue in a diesel vehicle, and its separate tank
Diesel feeds the engine — but many newer diesels driven around Eddington and Hunters Forstal carry a second fluid too. AdBlue goes to your exhaust, where it is sprayed into the gas to clean it, and it lives in a tank of its own.
Different tanks, separate fillers. On a lot of vehicles the two sit side by side under the same flap; on others the AdBlue filler is in the boot or under the bonnet. The diesel side is topped up at the petrol pump all the time. Someone who has to stop and work out where it goes normally tops up the AdBlue side, from a bottle, and far less frequently. The slip lives in that gap.
How does AdBlue in your diesel tank take place in Eddington?
It is seldom carelessness. Three things tend to line up.
Hurry follows from the warning. The vehicle warns you as AdBlue runs low, and an empty tank sends the vehicle into limp mode — so the top-up happens in a rush, before work on a driveway off Eddington Lane, or on the way home in the car park at The Heron.
Then, the hand goes for the cap it would have used on the old motor — because a hire car, a new car or a company car places the fillers somewhere your last one did not.
And the bottle fits. A bottle with a spout goes into a diesel filler as easily as an AdBlue one, so nothing stops the tip once it has started. It takes seconds, be it in Greenhill or right in the heart of Eddington.
Telling the AdBlue filler from the diesel filler
A few seconds is all these take — so run through them before you tip anything, on a drive in Bullockstone or a forecourt around Eddington.
- Check the cap rather than going by where it sits: AdBlue ones are often blue or marked "AdBlue", and diesel ones normally are not.
- The size. On many vehicles the AdBlue filler neck is the smaller of the two.
- The flap. Look inside your fuel flap for a label. Many cars say there which fuel goes where.
- In your boot or under the bonnet: that's where the filler is if it is not by your diesel cap, and the handbook says which.
- Picking up a hire or company car, say at the car park at Herne Bay? Check with whoever drove it last before you set off, not once the light goes on.
AdBlue top-ups that never reach the diesel tank
The day the light comes on, anywhere in Kent, follow this routine.
- Park then switch off. Not on a slope, not with your motor running, and not in a rush on the side of Eddington Way.
- Say "AdBlue" out loud as you unscrew the cap, once you find the AdBlue filler and reading it. Silly, yes, but it works.
- Both behind a single flap? So confirm the lid on the diesel side is still shut before lifting the bottle.
- Using the bottle's own spout, tip slowly — and stop when it's full or the bottle is empty.
- Only after that, start your car: close the cap, check again, and make sure your diesel cap was never opened.
Stop there if you find, at step two or three, that you've already poured into your diesel side. Skip stage five entirely.
AdBlue in your diesel tank already, in Eddington?
Then the order of things is short. Do not start the motor. Don't switch your ignition on; on many diesels that alone runs the fuel pump. Thinning it with extra diesel won't work, since AdBlue sinks to the base instead of blending — and that is where the fuel is pulled from.
If you are on a forecourt, whether it is the Esso or the Texaco, ask the staff to help roll your car clear of the pump. On your own drive around Eddington? So your car stays put.
If your engine has already run, stop as soon as it is safe and switch off. The next exit is where to come off if you are on the M2, under 10 miles from Eddington. Tell us about how far it went: a run towards Canterbury, under 10 miles away, is a bigger job than a short hop across Eddington.
What occurs when we get there in Eddington
Outside Herne Bay Infant School, near Herne Bay Sports Hub or on your own drive: wherever your car has stopped, our technicians come to it. Both the work and our quote depend on three replies — what liquid, what amount, and if it's run — so our technicians ask. That price comes on the call, before any van leaves.
After that: draining, then a full flush of the entire system. Unlike petrol, AdBlue leaves crystals and attacks certain fuel-system metals, and neither washes away unaided. Hence it counts more. Once the filter has been cleaned — or replaced, if needed — fresh diesel goes in, and finally the car gets tested. Before we go, our technicians start the car and make sure that it's running properly.
Most jobs are finished in about half an hour after we get there, provided your motor has not run — and the pumps our technicians use are fine on a busy forecourt yet quiet after dark beside a house. Paying is on the day, not upfront, and you are given the documents your insurer asks for: an engineer report and a VAT invoice. Many insurance policies include misfuelling cover, and so it is worth checking yours whilst we are on the way.
About Eddington, for a moment
Eddington is a small village in Kent, situated near the coast and close to the towns of Herne Bay and Canterbury. Eddington has a population of around 1897 people and is characterized by its predominantly detached housing stock. Eddington sits at a low elevation of approximately 7 metres above sea level, near the villages of Greenhill and Lower Herne.
AdBlue drains around Eddington, and Kent beyond
Herne Bay and Lower Herne are among the towns around Eddington, a coastal village, that the same teams cover, over CT postcodes. Fastest of all: quote a CT6 5 postcode for our van.
There's no need to shift the vehicle. A driveway, a lay-by on the way to Memorial Park, a side street close to Beach Creative: we drain the car where it stands. Awkward to pin down, like the back of The Salvation Army? By a county line? Asking is better than assuming, and so phone.
Eddington drivers: the short version
Always, the cap; then, the tip. AdBlue in your diesel tank regardless? Leave the vehicle switched off then call 0333 366 0103; Petrol in Diesel drains it on the spot, across Kent.