AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Ellington, and What to Do Next
Has the motor turned over since the AdBlue went in? That single point decides nearly everything else from here. Not run so far? Then keep the vehicle like that, wherever your vehicle is — Ellington or Woodhorn. Keep nothing on, call 0333 366 0103, then count on a proper flush plus a drain, done just where your vehicle stands in Ellington. Already run? Stop when safe, then switch everything off. The job is bigger, but the first stage is the same.
Compare your case to one of the ones below, anywhere in Northumberland you happen to be.
On a Ellington forecourt with AdBlue in a diesel
The cap you unscrewed was the wrong one — and you just spot it while you're stood at the pump, bottle or the nozzle in your hand. Perhaps you're at the Asda, maybe at the Grange Garage, possibly somewhere else around Ellington.
Put simply: there is no better spot to be to spot it. Only your tank has AdBlue; no part beyond it has taken it in.
Your move: keep out of the car, however much the queue needs freeing. Ask the attendants to help you roll the vehicle into a parking spot, keep the receipt or the bottle, and ring us from the forecourt. The equipment is explosion-proof and fine on a live forecourt, and so a car that can't be pushed clear gets emptied where it is at the pump.
At home in Ellington with AdBlue in your diesel tank
The warning light had been on for days. A bottle bought at the garage, emptied in on the driveway — and it's just by the bin that the cap caught a second look. Houses just off Lynemouth Road are hit as often as everywhere else.
What it means: if you have not driven since, this is nearly as good as the forecourt. AdBlue doesn't mix with diesel; it sinks to the bottom of the tank and waits there. Overnight does not change that.
What to do: leave your keys inside the house so nobody moves the car in the morning. Then call. Our engineers drain the vehicle on your driveway, whether that is around Ellington or out in Linton. Late-night clears beside a house are no problem: the pumps are low-noise.
Set off with AdBlue in a diesel in Ellington?
Lumpy running, smoke, lost power or a lit dashboard started a mile or two beyond the fill. It might have been heading to Newcastle upon Tyne, under 25 miles away, or simply down Front Street.
In short: the AdBlue has been pulled through the system. It has been through the filter and your lines and, the further you went, into the high-pressure pump and the fuel injectors. Each mile and each restart takes it further.
Your move: pull up somewhere sensible, then turn your engine off. Exit at the first junction — not the services further along — if you're on the A167(M), under 25 miles from Ellington. Do not restart the car to see if it has cleared; it will not have. Let us know the mileage driven when you call.
AdBlue in the wrong tank of a hire, lease or company car
Seven days back, the car was new to you. The AdBlue filler is right beside the diesel filler, which you didn't know, since your own motor either has no AdBlue or keeps it somewhere else. Anyone, wherever around Northumberland, could make it.
What it means: the same as the situations above, depending on whether it has run, with one more step. The owner often has to approve the work, under plenty of rental and fleet agreements.
Next: phone the rental company or the fleet manager first, and then us — settling it before our arrival is faster. If you're stuck in the car park at Widdrington, or by Ellington Village Hall, while you wait for an answer, leave your car off.
Not sure it was AdBlue in your diesel tank, Ellington?
"I think so" is sometimes the most honest as it gets. A slight ammonia smell hangs around your filler, the bottle feels too light, and which cap came off is a blur. It might have been on a friend's driveway in Widdrington Station, or in a rush by Ellington Primary School at the school run.
The point: the motor isn't hurt by a little AdBlue spilled around the filler. Inside the diesel tank, by contrast, AdBlue damages it. Starting your car will not tell you which, and if there is AdBlue in that tank it will draw it in.
Your move: act as if it got in, and never start your engine. Ring us and describe what you saw; we'd rather check a tank that turns out clean than drain one that has already been run.
Every AdBlue drain around Ellington shares these stages
The work begins identically, whatever your case. Three things are asked once we reach your car — on a forecourt, a driveway, a street by Linton Village Hall Club or the car park at The Plough Inn: the fluid, the amount, and whether the motor has been started. Over the phone, before dispatch, you hear the quote, and those replies decide the job too.
A thorough flush follows this drain. With petrol it's standard; with AdBlue it is essential, since crystals build up and some metals are attacked, and neither washes away unaided. Last are your filter, flushed or renewed if necessary; clean diesel; and a test of the vehicle. Not started? In that case roughly half an hour once we are there covers most jobs.
The final step is firing it up. Our check that it runs correctly on clean diesel comes before our technicians head off. When it's caught early, the car very seldom has permanent damage, and the whole job takes place where it is. Payment comes on the day, never in advance. For your insurer, there is a VAT invoice and a written report from the engineer. Many policies cover misfuelling, so check yours as we head over.
About Ellington
Ellington is a small village in Northumberland, situated on the coast of north-east England, with an elevation of around 28 metres. Ellington lies near the towns of Linton, Lynemouth, and Cresswell, and is approximately 16.9 miles from Newcastle upon Tyne. Ellington has a population of around 537 people, and its housing stock is predominantly semi-detached homes. Ellington is located some distance from major cities, with London being around 263.4 miles away.
AdBlue drains across Northumberland, Ellington included
Lynemouth and Cresswell have the same teams as Ellington, a coastal village, plus further towns throughout NE postcodes. The location is clearest from a postcode that starts NE61 5.
No moving is needed, be it parked in the centre of Ellington or on a layby en route to Ellington Pond Nature Reserve, so leave it put. Wherever it sits, that is where it gets drained. Guessing doesn't help beside St Bartholomew's Church, close to a county line or somewhere awkward to describe; phone and ask.
Your situation, summed up
Engine not started: phone, leaving it switched off. Run by now? Pull over, turn off, ring. Petrol in Diesel takes over the remainder whichever it is, in Ellington and Northumberland, on 0333 366 0103.