What Now? AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Gatlas
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 got in. Out in Caerleon or right around Gatlas, an unstarted motor should remain that way. Normally this is draining and properly purging it right there around Gatlas — so keep the ignition and engine off then call 0333 366 0103. Stop the minute it is safe then turn off, if it has already run. A larger job, yes, but the same opening move.
Anywhere in Newport it happened, one of the cases below fits yours.
At the petrol pump around Gatlas: AdBlue in a diesel
Picture it: stood by the petrol pump, holding the nozzle, you spot the filler you opened wasn't the right one. Be it JET, Esso or anywhere else in Gatlas, the situation is identical.
The upshot: of every spot to find out, this is the best. Still inside that tank, and nothing pulled through: that is where the AdBlue is.
What to do: do not get back in and start the vehicle to clear the petrol pump. Ask the staff to help you roll your car into a parking space, keep the till receipt or the bottle, and call us from the forecourt. Draining it there at the pump is fine if it cannot be shifted, because the equipment is explosion-proof.
AdBlue in the diesel tank at home around Gatlas
The warning light had been on for days. Bought a bottle, tipped it in at home, binned the empty — and at that point checked the cap again, too late. It takes place on driveways just off Tadia Way as often as anywhere.
Meaning? As long as your vehicle has not moved since, it's second to the pump case. AdBlue does not mix with diesel; it sinks to the bottom of that tank and waits there. Overnight does not change that.
Put your keys in the house tonight — or a person might drive it off first thing — then phone us. We drain the vehicle on your drive, whether that's in Gatlas or out in Llanhennock. The pumps are quiet enough to use outside a house at night.
On the road around Gatlas with AdBlue in a diesel
A mile or two beyond topping up, your motor began misbehaving: roughness, smoke, lost power, lights on the dash. Anywhere along Diana Grove or heading to Newport — under 5 miles away.
In short: the AdBlue has been pulled into the fuel system. It has been through the fuel filter and the fuel lines and, the further you went, into the high-pressure pump and the fuel injectors. More driving, more starts: deeper it travels.
Next: find a sensible spot, pull in, and switch the motor off. Gatlas sits under 3 miles from the M4; on it, pull off at the next junction rather than pressing on to the services. No trial restarts: clearing isn't something AdBlue will do. Phone, saying how far the vehicle was driven.
AdBlue in the wrong tank of a hire, lease or company car
Seven days ago, it was unknown to you. On your own car, AdBlue is absent or elsewhere. On this one, its inlet is right by the diesel cap — a surprise to you. Anyone, wherever in Newport, could make it.
In short: one extra stage on top of the situations above, and those depend on whether it's run. Work on the vehicle frequently needs the owner's approval under rental or company agreements.
Settling it before we arrives is quicker, so phone the rental company or your fleet manager, then us. Leave the vehicle off as the reply comes, even if you are parked outside Newport (South Wales) or close to Penrhos Camp.
Unsure about AdBlue in your diesel tank in Gatlas?
Now and then, "I think so" is the most anyone can truthfully say. A faint ammonia-like smell lingers near the filler, the bottle feels too light, and which cap came off is a blur. A rushed top-up by the gates of the local primary school, or a call to a friend in Llwyncelyn: either fit.
The upshot: the motor is not harmed by some AdBlue splashed on the filler. AdBlue inside the diesel tank does. You can't tell which by turning the ignition, and doing so would pull in any AdBlue that is in the tank.
Your move: behave as if it did, and never start your motor. Call us and explain what you saw; we'd rather check a tank that turns out clean than drain one that has already been run.
The common ground in each Gatlas AdBlue drain
Whichever scenario you are in, the job starts the same way. Filling station, driveway, The Wheatsheaf's car park or a road beside Llanhennock Village Hall — the van reaches the car, and three answers come next: which liquid, which quantity, and if it has run. On the phone, ahead of anything else, you hear our price, and those replies decide the job too.
Draining the tank comes first, followed by a careful flush — more vital with urea than after petrol, because crystals and corrosion will not clear on their own, no matter how long it sits. The filter is cleaned, or replaced where it needs to be; fresh diesel goes in; and the car is tested. If your engine has not run, most jobs take about half an hour once we're there.
Finally, our engineers start the car. Our check that it runs properly on fresh diesel comes before our technicians head off. The entire job is done where the car is, and when it's noticed early, lasting damage is very uncommon. For your insurer: the engineer's report and the VAT invoice. For you: payment on the day, nothing upfront. Plenty of insurance policies include misfuelling cover, and so it's worth checking yours while we're on the way.
About Gatlas itself
Gatlas is a small locality situated on the riverside in Newport, Wales, with an elevation of 29 metres above sea level. Gatlas is located near several nearby places, including Llanhennock, Ponthir, and Common Cefn-llwyn, and is approximately 3.4 miles from the city of Newport. Gatlas has a population of around 548 people and is characterised by predominantly detached housing.
AdBlue drains across Newport, Gatlas included
Gatlas is a small village, and the same teams that cover it work the places around it too, Ponthir and Common Cefn-llwyn among them, across the NP postcode area. Telling us a NP18 1 postcode finds you quickest of all.
Central Gatlas or a layby near Trim Trail: wherever it is, your vehicle never needs to move an inch for us. Where it stands, that is where it is drained. If you are somewhere hard to describe, close to St John or close to a border, ring and ask rather than assuming.
The one-line version
If it hasn't started, phone then leave it off. Run already: pull over, power down, ring 0333 366 0103. Petrol in Diesel takes over the remainder, within Gatlas or anywhere across Newport.