Fishbourne: AdBlue in the Diesel Tank? Find Your Situation
What to do about AdBlue in a diesel tank depends on one thing more than any other: whether the motor has run since it went in. Wherever the car stands — Chichester, Fishbourne — don't start a motor that hasn't run yet. Leave your motor and the ignition off then ring 0333 366 0103; it is normally a drain and a thorough flush, done where the vehicle is around Fishbourne. Already run? Pull over when you safely can, then switch everything off. It's a bigger job, though stage one does not change.
Compare your case to a situation from the ones below, wherever across West Sussex you are.
Fishbourne forecourt: AdBlue in a diesel at the pump
The cap you unscrewed was the wrong one — and you just spot it while you are stood at the petrol pump, bottle or the nozzle in your hand. Possibly you're at the Tesco, maybe at the Esso, perhaps somewhere else in Fishbourne.
Meaning? Finding out here is the best it gets. The AdBlue is in your tank and nowhere else. Nothing has pulled it in.
What to do: don't get back in and crank it to clear the pump. Ask the attendants to help you push the car into a parking bay, keep the receipt or the bottle, then phone us from the forecourt. If it cannot be shifted, it can be drained at the pump: the equipment is explosion-proof and safe on a working forecourt.
AdBlue in your diesel tank on a Fishbourne drive?
On the dash, a reminder had been lit all week. You bought a bottle, poured it in on the drive, and only when you put the empty bottle in the recycling did you look again at the cap. It happens on drives just off Bourne Close as regularly as anywhere.
What it means: if you have not driven since, this is nearly as good as the forecourt. Diesel and AdBlue stay separate: the AdBlue settles to the floor of the tank and stays there, no matter how long the night.
Next: stop an early drive by keeping your keys in the house, then ring us. Apuldram or Fishbourne: wherever your driveway sits, that's where it is emptied. Our pumping kit works quietly enough not to disturb the street at night.
On the road around Fishbourne with AdBlue in a diesel
Rough running, smoke, lost power or a glowing dashboard started a mile or two after the fill. Maybe heading for Chichester, under 3 miles away, or just along Roman Way.
What it means: the system has drawn the AdBlue in. Past your filter, along the pipework, and — the further the mileage — deeper into the injection pump and each injector. It goes deeper with each extra mile covered and each restart.
Pull in somewhere safe — that is the first step — then turn it off. Leave by the next junction — not the services beyond — if you're on the A3(M), under 10 miles from Fishbourne. No test starts: clearing itself is not something AdBlue will do. Call, and say what distance the vehicle was driven.
AdBlue in the wrong tank: hire, lease and company cars
A week back, it was new to you. On your own vehicle, AdBlue is missing or somewhere else. On this one, its inlet is just next to the diesel inlet — a surprise to you. It can happen to anyone, anywhere in West Sussex.
Put simply: one extra stage on top of the cases above, and those turn on if it has run. Many rental and fleet agreements need the owner's sign-off for repairs.
Next: phone the hire company or the fleet manager first, then us — settling it before we arrive is faster. Stuck by The Fishbourne Centre or outside the nearest station till the firm replies, your car remains switched off the whole time.
AdBlue in the diesel tank? Not sure, in Fishbourne
"I think so" is often as honest as it gets. A faint ammonia-like smell hangs near your filler, the bottle feels too light, and the cap you took off is hard to recall. Perhaps it happened in a hurry at the school gates at Fishbourne CofE Primary School, or on a friend's drive in Dell Quay.
In short: spillage round the filler does the motor unharmed. If it is inside the diesel tank, though, that changes. Firing up the car will not tell you which, and if there is AdBlue in that tank it will pull it in.
Next: assume it got in, and leave the motor off. Call us and describe what you saw; we would rather check a tank that turns out clean than drain one that has already been run.
The common ground in every Fishbourne AdBlue drain
Whichever scenario you are in, this job starts the same way. Filling station, drive, The Bulls Head's car park or a road by Fishbourne Roman Palace — our van reaches the vehicle, and three questions come next: which fluid, which quantity, and if it has run. Replies set the work; the quote follows on the call while nobody has set off yet.
Emptying your tank comes first, followed by a careful flush — more important with urea than with petrol, because crystals and corrosion won't go by themselves, no matter how long you wait. The fuel filter is cleaned, or replaced where it needs to be; clean diesel goes in; and the car is tested. If your engine hasn't run, most jobs take about half an hour once we are there.
We start it at the end. Our check that it runs correctly on clean diesel comes before our engineers leave. The entire job is done where the car is, and if it's caught soon, lasting damage is very unusual. Paying is that day, never upfront. For your insurer, there is a VAT invoice plus a written report from the engineer. Plenty of insurance policies include misfuelling cover, and so it is worth checking yours while we are on the way.
About Fishbourne
Fishbourne is a village in West Sussex, situated near the city of Chichester and close to the surrounding villages of Apuldram and Broadbridge. Fishbourne sits in a low-lying area at an elevation of around 8 metres, with a mix of housing types but predominantly detached homes. Fishbourne is located about 55 miles from London, making it a commuter-friendly location. Fishbourne remains a small, residential community with a population of approximately 1306 people.
Fishbourne and West Sussex: AdBlue drains across the area
Throughout PO postcodes, the teams covering Fishbourne — a rural village — reach nearby towns as well, Broadbridge and The Close included. Giving us your PO19 3 postcode pins you fastest of all.
Centre of Fishbourne or a layby near roman garden: wherever it is, the vehicle doesn't need to move an inch for us. Wherever it stands, that's where it is drained. Phone and check rather than guess if you're by north wing, near a border, or somewhere awkward to pin down.
Your scenario, summed up
If it has not started, ring and keep it off. Run already: stop, power down, phone 0333 366 0103. Petrol in Diesel takes over the remainder, in Fishbourne or anywhere across West Sussex.