AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Garthamlock: What Now?
What to do about AdBlue in a diesel tank comes down to one thing more than any other: if your motor has been run since it was put in. If it has not, keep it that way, whether the vehicle is in Garthamlock itself or out in Ruchazie. Keep nothing on, ring 0333 366 0103, then expect a proper flush plus a drain, done just where the vehicle stands around Garthamlock. Stop the minute you safely can and switch off, if it has already run. The job is bigger, but the first step is the same.
Anywhere around Glasgow City it happened, one of the cases below fits yours.
AdBlue in a diesel on a Garthamlock forecourt
The cap you unscrewed was the wrong one — and you just spot it as you are standing at the pump, bottle or the nozzle in hand. Maybe you are at the Morrisons, perhaps at the another forecourt nearby, perhaps somewhere else in Garthamlock.
What it means: this is the ideal location to find out. No pump has drawn it in, and so the AdBlue sits only in your tank.
What to do: do not get back in and fire it up to clear the petrol pump. A few jobs: a shove into a bay with the attendants assisting, the bottle kept, and a ring to us from where you stand. If it can't be shifted, it can be emptied at the petrol pump: the equipment is explosion-proof and safe on a busy forecourt.
At home in Garthamlock with AdBlue in the diesel tank
For days the dashboard had been warning you. 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 driveways just off Garthamlock Road as commonly as anywhere.
The point: zero driving since makes it almost as good to finding it at the pump. On the bottom of that tank sits where AdBlue stays, since it won't blend with diesel — and a night going by makes nothing of the difference.
Put your keys indoors overnight — or someone might take it off at breakfast — then phone us. Your driveway is where it is emptied, be it around Garthamlock or Queenslie. Our pumping kit runs quietly enough that it won't wake the street at night.
Drove off with AdBlue in a diesel around Garthamlock?
Lumpy running, smoke, falling power or a lit dashboard arrived a mile or two beyond the top-up. It might have been heading to Glasgow, under 5 miles away, or simply down Coxton Place.
The upshot: the system has pulled AdBlue in already. The high-pressure pump and each injector see it too on a bigger trip, once the fuel filter and pipework have it. More driving, more starts: deeper it goes.
What to do: pull over where it's safe to do so then switch off. Service stations further on are too far: from the M8, under a mile out of Garthamlock, take the next junction. Restarting it to test gets nothing — AdBlue never clears on its own. Call us and say how far you travelled.
AdBlue in the wrong tank of a hire, lease or company car
Seven days ago, it was new to you. On your own vehicle, AdBlue is missing or elsewhere. On this one, its inlet is just by your diesel inlet — a surprise to you. Anyone, wherever in Glasgow City, might do the same.
The upshot: exactly as above, split by whether it ran, only with an added stage. Many rental and fleet agreements require the owner's approval for work.
Next: phone the rental company or your fleet manager first, then us — sorting it before our arrival is quicker. Stranded by Garthamlock and Craigend Parish Church of Scotland or at Garrowhill till the firm answers, your vehicle stays turned off throughout.
Garthamlock: unsure if it was AdBlue in the diesel tank?
At times, "I think so" is the most you can honestly say. A slight ammonia smell hangs around your filler, the bottle feels too light, and which cap came off is a blur. The gates of the local primary school in a hurry, perhaps, or a friend's drive over in Easterhouse.
What it means: a little spilled around your filler does no harm to your engine. The diesel tank with AdBlue inside is another matter. You cannot tell which by turning the key, and doing so would draw in any AdBlue that is in your tank.
Take it that it was put in, and never start the engine. Describe what you noticed on your phone. A clean tank checked counts as a happier result than an already-run one drained.
Garthamlock: what each AdBlue drain has in common
The work opens identically, whatever the situation. Our technicians come to your car, whether it is on a forecourt, a drive, the car park at The Centaur or a side street close to TK Maxx, and ask three things: what got in, roughly how much, and if your motor has been run. Those answers determine this work, and you hear the quote by phone, before anybody heads out.
Then your tank is drained and the fuel system flushed thoroughly, which matters more with AdBlue than with petrol: AdBlue crystallises and is corrosive to some of the metals in a fuel system, so it does not rinse out on its own. Next comes your filter — cleaned, or swapped when needed — followed by clean diesel, and a test of the car. Where your engine has not run, expect about half an hour on site, for most jobs.
Firing it up comes last. Our test that it runs smoothly on new diesel comes before our engineers leave. When it's caught quickly, the vehicle very rarely has long-term damage, and the whole job happens where it is. For your insurer: an engineer's report and the VAT invoice. For you: payment on the day, nothing in advance. Many insurance policies include misfuelling cover, so it is worth checking yours while we're on the way.
About Garthamlock itself
Garthamlock is a suburban area in Glasgow City, situated approximately 3.7 miles from Glasgow's city centre. Garthamlock sits at an elevation of 92 metres, with semi-detached housing being the predominant type of accommodation in the area. Garthamlock is located near other suburban areas such as Queenslie, Craigend, and Cardowan, and is home to around 4221 residents. Garthamlock's proximity to Glasgow makes it a convenient residential location.
Garthamlock and Glasgow City: AdBlue drains across the area
Craigend and Cardowan have the same teams as Garthamlock, a residential suburb, plus further towns throughout G postcodes. Quickest of all: a G33 5 postcode to show where you stand.
Whether your car is on a lay-by on the way to Auchinlea Park or in a car park in the middle of Garthamlock, it doesn't need to shift. The drain is done right there. Phone and ask rather than guess when you are close to Asda Living, near a border, or anywhere awkward to pin down.
Your situation, summed up
Not run yet: keep the vehicle off and ring. Run already: pull over, switch down, ring 0333 366 0103. Petrol in Diesel takes over the remainder, in Garthamlock or anywhere across Glasgow City.