What Now? AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Erith
One fact matters above all when AdBlue is in a diesel tank, and that is whether your engine has run since. If it has not, keep it that way, whether your car is in Erith itself or out in Slade Green. Ring 0333 366 0103 with your ignition and engine still off. Across Erith, such a case is typically emptied and flushed on the spot. When your motor has run, pull in somewhere safe straight away, then switch the vehicle off. It's a bigger job, though step one doesn't change.
Match your case to one of the ones below, wherever around Greater London you happen to be.
At the pump in Erith: AdBlue in a diesel
Only now, nozzle yet in your hand, you realise that the cap you opened was the wrong one, there at the petrol pump. Be it Morrisons, BP or anywhere else in Erith, the situation is the same.
What it means: this is the ideal location to find out. Still inside your tank, and nothing pulled onwards: that's where the AdBlue is.
Do this: stay out of the driver's seat, however much the queue wants clearing. A few things: a shove into a bay with the staff assisting, the bottle kept, and a ring to us from the forecourt. Emptying it there at the petrol pump is fine when it can't be moved, because the equipment is explosion-proof.
AdBlue in the diesel tank at home around Erith
For days the dash had been nagging you. Picked up a bottle, poured it in outside the house, recycled the empty — and at that point looked at the cap again, after the fact. Drives close to Cross Street get it as much as any other street.
Meaning? Provided the vehicle hasn't been driven since, it is close to the forecourt case. Diesel and AdBlue keep apart: the AdBlue drops to the floor of the tank and stays put, no matter how long it waits.
Next: prevent any early move by keeping the keys in the house, then ring us. Northumberland Heath or Erith: whichever your driveway is, that is where it is cleared. Our pumping kit runs quiet enough that it won't wake the street at night.
On the road in Erith with AdBlue in a diesel
Rough running, smoke, falling power or a glowing dashboard arrived a short way after the top-up. Maybe heading to London, under 15 miles away, or simply down Saltford Close.
Put simply: the AdBlue has been sucked through the system. The injection pump and every injector see it as well on a longer run, once the fuel filter and lines have had it. It goes further with every mile driven and each restart.
Next: find a safe spot, stop, then turn your motor off. Erith sits under 5 miles from the M25; there, pull off at the next junction rather than pressing on to the services. No test starts: clearing itself is not something AdBlue will do. About how far had it go? Tell us when you call.
AdBlue in the wrong tank: hire, lease and company motors
You have just had the car for days. On your own car, AdBlue is absent or somewhere else. On this one, its inlet is right by the diesel cap — a surprise to you. Across Greater London, nobody is safe from it.
In short: one extra step on top of the situations above, and those depend on if it's run. Plenty of hire and company agreements want the owner to approve work on your car.
Next: phone the hire company or your fleet manager first, and then us — settling it before we arrive is faster. Keep it switched off as the answer arrives, even if you are parked outside the nearest station or close to Erith Town Hall.
Unsure about AdBlue in the diesel tank in Erith?
"I think so" is sometimes the most honest answer there is. Too light, the bottle; a hint of ammonia near your filler; a hazy memory of which cap. Sound familiar? Maybe it happened in a hurry at the school gates at Christ Church (Erith) CofE Primary School, or on a friend's drive in North End.
Put simply: spillage round the filler leaves the engine no harm. A diesel tank with AdBlue in it is a different story. You can't tell which by turning the key, and doing so will draw in any AdBlue that is in your tank.
Do this: act as if it got in, and don't start your motor. Ring us and describe what you saw; we'd rather check a tank that turns out free of AdBlue than drain one that has already been run.
Every AdBlue drain in Erith shares these stages
Every situation gets the same start to the job. Our engineers come to the vehicle, whether it is on a forecourt, a drive, the car park outside Running Horses or a side street near Earth Core Columns, and ask three things: what was put in, about how much, and if your motor has run. Replies shape the work; the price comes by phone whilst nobody has set off yet.
A thorough flush comes after the drain. With petrol it's standard; with AdBlue it is crucial, since deposits form and certain metals corrode, and neither washes out unaided. Then comes the fuel filter — flushed, or replaced when needed — then fresh diesel, and a test of the vehicle. If your motor has not run, the majority of jobs take about half an hour once we're there.
Last, our technicians start it. Before we leave, it is checked to be sure it runs properly on clean diesel. Lasting damage is very unusual when it's noticed soon, and the whole job is done where the vehicle is. Paying comes on the day, never in advance. For the insurer, there is a VAT invoice and a written report from the engineer. Worth remembering: many insurers offer misfuelling cover, and so a quick look at your policy while you wait is worthwhile.
About Erith itself
Erith is a locality in the London Borough of Bexley, situated on the south bank of the River Thames at an elevation of around 16 metres. Erith lies approximately 13 miles southeast of central London and is close to nearby places such as Northumberland Heath and Colyers. Erith has a population of around 4344 people and is predominantly composed of flat dwellings. Erith is part of the greater London urban area, with the city of London being around 11.9 miles away.
Erith and Greater London: AdBlue drains across the area
Colyers and Coldharbour get the identical vans as Erith, a small village, along with further places over DA postcodes. The whereabouts comes clearest from a postcode that starts DA8 1.
Centre of Erith or a layby near Riverside Gardens: wherever it sits, the vehicle never needs to move at all for us. Our technicians drain the car where it stands. Ring and ask rather than guess when you're close to Erith Riverside, on a border, or anywhere tricky to explain.
In one line: your scenario
Not run yet: keep the vehicle off and ring. Already run: stop, switch off then call. Either way, Petrol in Diesel takes it from there around Erith and anywhere across Greater London on 0333 366 0103.