AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Green Lanes: What Now?
One thing matters most when AdBlue is in a diesel tank, and it is if the engine has been started afterwards. If it hasn't, keep it that way, whether the car is around Green Lanes itself or out in Freezeland. Call 0333 366 0103 with the ignition and engine still off. Across Green Lanes, that is typically drained and flushed on the spot. If it has run, stop as soon as it is safe then switch off. It's a bigger job, though stage one does not change.
Below: the cases we see, wherever around West Midlands. Pick the one that fits.
At the petrol pump around Green Lanes: AdBlue in a diesel
Picture it: stood by the pump, gripping the nozzle, you realise the cap you took off was not the right one. It might be the Esso, or perhaps the Shell, or a different forecourt in Green Lanes.
In short: there is no better spot to be to spot it. Nothing has pulled it through, so the AdBlue sits only in that tank.
Next: resist the temptation to fire it up just to move away from the petrol pump. Get the attendants to help pushing it to a space, save the bottle, then ring us right there. If it cannot be moved, it can be cleared at the petrol pump: the equipment is explosion-proof and safe on a busy forecourt.
Green Lanes, at home: AdBlue in the diesel tank
For days the dashboard had been nagging you. You bought a bottle, poured it in on the driveway, and only when you put the empty bottle in the recycling did you look again at the cap. Houses just off Froggatt Road get hit as much as anywhere else.
Meaning? As long as your car has not been driven since, it is close to the pump case. On the bottom of the tank sits exactly where AdBlue stays, since it will not mix with diesel — and a night passing makes nothing of the difference.
Keep the keys indoors tonight — or someone might drive it off first thing — and phone us. Our technicians drain the car on your driveway, whether that is in Green Lanes or out in Stowlawn. The pumps are quiet enough to use outside a house after dark.
Green Lanes: drove off with AdBlue in a diesel?
You filled up, set off, and a mile or two later the engine began to run unevenly, smoke, lose power or light up the dashboard. Wassell Road, perhaps, or the route towards Wolverhampton — a trip of under 3 miles.
What it means: the fuel system has pulled the AdBlue in. It has been through the filter and the fuel lines and, the further you went, into the high-pressure pump and the fuel injectors. Each mile and each restart takes it further.
Pull in safely — that is the next step — then switch everything off. Services further on can wait: from the M6, under 3 miles out of Green Lanes, take the first junction. Don't restart the car to see if it has cleared; it will not have. Phone us and say how far you drove.
Hire, lease or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank
You've had this vehicle hardly a week. Unbeknown to you, the AdBlue and diesel fillers sit side by side here — unlike your own car, which has none or keeps it in another spot. Anywhere you happen to be across West Midlands, any driver could slip up.
What it means: the same as the scenarios above, depending on whether it's run, with one more step. Many rental and fleet contracts require the owner's sign-off for repairs.
Your move: rental firm or your fleet manager to begin with, us second, because sorting it early cuts time. Leave the vehicle off while the answer arrives, even if you are waiting at Willenhall or close to Peascroft Fever Hospital.
Unsure about AdBlue in your diesel tank around Green Lanes?
Occasionally the fair answer is "I think so". A faint ammonia smell lingers near the filler, the bottle feels too light, and the cap you took off is hard to recall. The gates of Villiers Primary School in a rush, say, or someone's driveway over in St Chads.
The point: the motor is not hurt by some AdBlue spilled on the outside. A diesel tank with AdBlue inside is a different story. You cannot tell which by turning the key, and doing so will suck in any AdBlue that is in your tank.
What to do: treat it as if it was put in. Do not fire it up. Tell us what you saw on the phone. A clean tank checked is a better result than an already-run one emptied.
What every AdBlue drain in Green Lanes has in common
Whatever the situation, one start applies. Wherever the car stands — The Happy Wanderer's car park, a road by The Robin, a driveway, a forecourt — our van gets there and asks about the liquid, the quantity, plus whether the engine has turned over. The price is given on the call, before a van leaves, and those replies set the work.
AdBlue forms crystals and is corrosive to certain metals in fuel systems, so it won't wash out on its own; that's why the flush, after the drain, matters much more here than with petrol. Fresh diesel goes in after your filter is cleaned or changed, and your car is then checked. Never started? Then about half an hour once we are there covers most jobs.
We fire it up last. With new diesel in, it runs while we make sure it's running smoothly, and then we go. Lasting damage is very rare when it is spotted soon, and the entire job is done where the vehicle is. Nothing is paid upfront, payment is made on the day, and you get what the insurer asks for: an engineer report plus a VAT invoice. It is worth remembering: lots of insurers offer misfuelling cover, so a quick look at your documents while we travel pays.
About Green Lanes, briefly
Green Lanes is a suburban area located near Wolverhampton in the West Midlands, sitting at an elevation of around 138 metres. Green Lanes is characterized by its predominantly semi-detached housing stock, reflecting the typical residential development of the region. Green Lanes is situated close to other nearby places such as Stowlawn and Bilston, and is about 2.4 miles from Wolverhampton city centre.
AdBlue drains across West Midlands, Green Lanes included
Over WV postcodes, the vans covering Green Lanes — a residential suburb — reach nearby places as well, Bunkers Hill and Bilston included. The location comes clearest from a postcode beginning WV14 6.
No moving is required, whether parked in the centre of Green Lanes or in a lay-by heading to Peascroft Wood, and so leave it put. Our technicians drain the vehicle where it sits. Guessing won't help beside Gurdwara Bada Wadbhag Singh, close to a county line or anywhere hard to describe; ring and ask.
The one-line version
Engine not started: ring, leaving it switched off. Run already: stop, switch down, ring 0333 366 0103. Petrol in Diesel handles the remainder, in Green Lanes or wherever in West Midlands.