What Now? AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Elmer
All of it turns on a single fact: whether the motor has been run after the AdBlue went in — far more than anything else. Out in Bilsham or here in Elmer, an unstarted motor should stay that way. Switch nothing on, phone 0333 366 0103, then count on a thorough flush after a drain, carried out right where your vehicle sits around Elmer. If it's run, stop as soon as it is safe and switch off. Stage one remains unchanged, even though the work is bigger.
Find the situation below that matches yours, wherever across West Sussex it happened.
On a Elmer forecourt with AdBlue in a diesel
Imagine it: standing by the petrol pump, holding the bottle, you spot the cap you took off was not the right one. Anywhere in Elmer, then — Esso, Tesco, or somewhere else nearby.
Meaning? Spotting it here is as good as it can be. The AdBlue is in that tank and nowhere else. Nothing has drawn it in.
Next: avoid the temptation to start it only to move away from the pump. Get the attendants to lend a hand rolling it into a space, hold on to the bottle, then ring us from there. The equipment is explosion-proof and fine on a live forecourt, and so a car that cannot be pushed clear gets drained where it is at the pump.
Elmer, at home: AdBlue in your diesel tank
For days the dash had been nagging you. Picked up a bottle, tipped it in outside the house, binned the empty — and only then checked the cap again, after the fact. It takes place on driveways just off Elmer Road as often as anywhere.
Meaning? As long as the vehicle has not been driven since, it's second to the pump case. On the floor of your tank is exactly where AdBlue waits, because it will not blend with diesel — and a night passing makes no difference.
Your move: keys in the house, and so no one drives the vehicle off at breakfast. Then, phone. Out in Ancton or here in Elmer, the drain happens on your driveway. The pumps are quiet enough to use outside a house at night.
AdBlue in a diesel and already driving in Elmer?
Lumpy running, smoke, falling power or a lit dashboard started a short way after the fill. Perhaps it was on Templesheen Road, possibly on the way out towards Chichester, under 10 miles away.
The point: your system has drawn AdBlue in already. Mileage sets how deep it gets: filter and pipework to begin with, then the high-pressure pump and each injector. It goes further with each extra mile driven and each restart.
Next: find a safe place, pull in, then turn your engine off. Elmer sits under 25 miles from the Waterlooville Bypass; there, pull off at the first junction instead of pushing on for the services. It will not have cleared, so there's no point restarting to check. Tell us know the mileage driven as you call.
Hire, lease or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank
It's a motor you have had for a week. On your own car, AdBlue is missing or elsewhere. On this one, the inlet is just next to the diesel inlet — a surprise to you. It can happen to anyone, anywhere across West Sussex.
What it means: the same as the situations above, depending on whether it has run, with one more stage. The owner frequently has to approve the work, under plenty of rental and fleet contracts.
Sorting it before we arrives is faster, and so phone the rental company or your fleet manager, and then us. If you're stranded in the car park outside Littlehampton, or by Rock Defence Walls, while you wait for an answer, leave the vehicle off.
Not sure it was AdBlue in the diesel tank, Elmer?
At times, "I think so" is all anyone can truthfully say. 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. A rushed top-up by the gates of Bishop Tufnell CofE Primary School, Felpham, or a call to a friend in Brookpits: either fits.
What it means: a little spilled round the filler does no harm to your motor. A diesel tank with AdBlue in it is another matter. You cannot tell which by turning the key, and doing so will suck in any AdBlue that is in your tank.
What to do: treat it as if it got in. Don't start the vehicle. Describe what you noticed on the phone. A clean tank looked at counts as a happier result than an already-run one drained.
Elmer: what every AdBlue drain has in common
Every situation has the same start to the work. Our engineers come to your car, whether it is on a forecourt, a drive, the car park at The Elmer or a side street near St Nicholas Church, and ask three things: what got in, about how much, and whether your motor has run. On the phone, ahead of anything else, you are told the quote, and those answers shape the job too.
A thorough flush comes after this drain. With petrol it is standard; with AdBlue it's essential, because deposits build up and certain metals are attacked, and neither rinses away unaided. Then is the fuel filter — flushed, or replaced when needed — then fresh diesel, and a test of your vehicle. Most unrun cars are a half-hour visit after the moment our technicians arrive.
Our engineers fire it up last. With fresh diesel in, it runs while our engineers confirm it's running smoothly, and then we go. If it's spotted quickly, the car very seldom has long-term damage, and the whole job takes place where it is. For your insurer: an engineer's report and the VAT invoice. For you: payment that day, nothing upfront. Dig out your insurance while we're en route: cover for misfuelling comes built into many policies.
About Elmer and where it is
Elmer is a coastal suburban area in West Sussex, situated near the cities of Chichester and Bognor Regis. Elmer lies at a low elevation of around 4 metres, close to the shoreline and adjacent to the nearby settlements of Ancton and Middleton-on-Sea. Elmer has a population of approximately 2010 residents, predominantly living in detached housing. Elmer is also within commuting distance of London, being around 53.6 miles away.
Elmer and West Sussex: AdBlue drains across the area
Over PO postcodes, the vans covering Elmer — a residential suburb — work surrounding places too, Middleton-on-Sea and Atherington among them. A postcode starting PO22 6 is the quickest way to tell us where you are.
Stopped heading to Shrubbs Field, or bang in the centre of Elmer, the car stays where it is — there is no need to shift it anywhere. We drain it where it is. If you are somewhere hard to describe, near Middleton Sports Club or close to a boundary, ring and ask rather than guessing.
Your situation, in one line
If it has not run, phone and leave it off. Already run: stop, switch off then ring. Either way, Petrol in Diesel takes it from there in Elmer and anywhere in West Sussex on 0333 366 0103.