AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Gibraltar, and What to Do Next
One thing matters above all when AdBlue is in a diesel tank, and that is whether your motor has been started afterwards. Not started yet? Then leave the vehicle like that, wherever your vehicle is — Gibraltar or Arpinge. Usually that means draining and thoroughly cleaning it right there in Gibraltar — so leave the ignition and engine off then ring 0333 366 0103. If it has run, stop as soon as it is safe then switch off. It's a larger job, yet stage one doesn't change.
Anywhere around Kent it took place, one of the situations below fits yours.
On a Gibraltar forecourt with AdBlue in a diesel
Picture it: stood by the pump, holding the nozzle, you realise the cap you took off was not the correct one. Somewhere around Gibraltar, then — Hawkinge Fuel Express, Sainsbury's, or somewhere else nearby.
The point: of all places to find out, the forecourt is the best. The AdBlue is in the tank and nowhere else. Nothing has pulled it in.
Next: avoid the temptation to start it just to move away from the pump. Ring us from the forecourt after the vehicle sits in a space — the attendants will help push it — then keep the receipt. Our equipment is explosion-proof and fine on a busy forecourt, and so a car that cannot be pushed away gets cleared where it is at the pump.
At home in Gibraltar with AdBlue in your diesel tank
Days had gone by with the warning light on. A bottle from the garage, emptied in at the driveway — and it was just by the recycling that the cap got your eye. Houses just off Fraser Way are hit as often as anywhere else.
Meaning? As long as your car hasn't been driven since, it is second to the pump case. Diesel and AdBlue keep separate: the AdBlue settles to the base of that tank and stays put, no matter how long the night.
Your move: the keys in the house, so no one takes the car anywhere at breakfast. After that, ring. Our technicians drain the car on your driveway, whether that's in Gibraltar or out in Elvington. Even at night, the pumps are quiet enough for a driveway.
AdBlue in a diesel and already driving around Gibraltar?
Rough running, smoke, lost power or a lit dashboard arrived a mile or two beyond the fill. Marre Lane, say, or the route to Canterbury — a run of under 15 miles.
In short: the AdBlue has been pulled through the fuel system. Past the fuel filter, through the pipework, and — the more the mileage — deeper into the high-pressure pump and every injector. Each restart, like every mile, pushes it on.
Stop somewhere safe — that's the first job — then switch everything off. Gibraltar lies under a mile from the M20; there, pull off at the next junction rather than pushing on for the services. It won't have cleared, so there is no sense restarting to find out. Let us know the mileage covered as you ring.
A hire 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 absent or somewhere else. On this one, its inlet is right next to your diesel inlet — news to you. Anywhere you happen to be in Kent, every driver can slip up.
What it means: the same as the situations above, depending on whether it has run, with one more step. Plenty of hire and company contracts require the owner's approval for work.
Next: phone the rental company or your fleet manager first, and then us — settling it before we arrive is quicker. If you are stranded in the car park at Folkestone West, or by Airfield Fire Station, while you wait for an answer, leave your car off.
AdBlue in your diesel tank? Not sure, around Gibraltar
"I think so" is sometimes the most honest answer there is. Too light, that bottle; a trace of ammonia near the filler; a hazy memory of which cap. Sound familiar? Possibly it happened in a hurry at the school gates at The Churchill School, or on a friend's drive in Morehall.
What it means: a little spilled about your filler does no harm to your motor. In your diesel tank, however, AdBlue harms it. If there is AdBlue in your tank, firing up the vehicle will suck it in, and it wouldn't tell you which either.
Do this: act as though it did, and don't start the engine. Phone with what you saw: we would rather confirm a clean tank than drain one once the engine has been run.
Every AdBlue drain around Gibraltar shares these steps
Each situation has the same opening to the job. Forecourt, drive, The Mayfly's car park or a street by Aircraft Hanger Base — our van comes to the car, and three answers follow: what liquid, which quantity, and whether it ran. Those replies decide this work, and you get our price on the phone, before anybody sets off.
A thorough flush follows the drain. With petrol it's standard; with AdBlue it's essential, since crystals form and certain metals are attacked, and neither rinses out unaided. The fuel filter is flushed, or replaced where it needs to be; fresh diesel goes in; and your car is tested. If the motor has not run, the majority of jobs take about half an hour once we are there.
The final step is firing it up. With clean diesel in, it runs while our engineers confirm it is running smoothly, and then we go. Permanent damage is very uncommon if it is noticed early, and the entire job is done where the vehicle is. Payment comes that day, never upfront. For the insurer, you get a VAT invoice and a written report from the engineer. Many insurance policies include misfuelling cover, and so it is worth checking yours whilst we are on the way.
About Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a small coastal hamlet in Kent, situated near the North Downs at an elevation of 168 metres. Gibraltar lies within the wider landscape of the South East, close to the cities of Canterbury and the white cliffs of the Kent coast. Gibraltar is characterised by its predominantly detached housing stock and its proximity to nearby villages such as Elvington and Hawkinge.
AdBlue drains across Kent, Gibraltar included
Hawkinge and Paddlesworth have the identical vans as Gibraltar, a rural hamlet, plus other places throughout CT postcodes. The whereabouts comes quickest from a postcode that starts CT18 7.
Stopped heading to Argrove Wood, or right in the centre of Gibraltar, the car stays put — there's no need to move it anywhere. The van drains it in place. Awkward to explain? Close to Kent Battle of Britain Museum or a border? Asking beats assuming, so phone.
In one line: your situation
Not run yet: keep it off and ring. Run already: stop, power down, phone 0333 366 0103. Petrol in Diesel handles the remainder, within Gibraltar or wherever in Kent.