What Now? AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Haddenham
All of that turns on one fact: whether the engine has been run after the AdBlue was added — far more than anything else. Wherever the car is — Townsend, Haddenham — don't run an engine that hasn't been started yet. Phone 0333 366 0103 with the key and motor both off. In Haddenham, such a case is typically drained and flushed on the spot. If it's run, stop as soon as it is safe then switch off. It is a larger job, yet step one does not change.
Find the situation below that matches yours, wherever around Buckinghamshire it happened.
AdBlue in a diesel on a Haddenham forecourt
The cap you opened was the wrong one — and you just spot it while you are standing at the petrol pump, bottle or the nozzle in hand. Whether Gulf, Esso or somewhere else around Haddenham, the case is the same.
Put simply: there is no better place to be to spot it. Still in the tank, with no fuel pulled through: that's where the AdBlue sits.
What to do: don't get back in and start the car to clear the pump. Have the attendants to help pushing it into a bay, hold on to the bottle, then phone us from there. Emptying it right at the pump is possible if it cannot be moved, since the equipment is explosion-proof.
At home around Haddenham with AdBlue in the diesel tank
On your dash, a reminder had been lit for days. Bought a bottle, tipped it in at home, recycled the empty — and only then looked at the cap a second time, too late. Drives near Crabtree Road get it as much as any other street.
What it means: if you have not driven since, this is almost as good as the forecourt. AdBlue does not mix with diesel; it sinks to the bottom of that tank and waits there. Overnight does not change that.
Next: stop any early drive by putting the keys indoors, then phone us. We drain the car on your drive, whether that is around Haddenham or out in Fort End. Even at night, the pumps stay quiet enough for a residential street.
On the road in Haddenham with AdBlue in a diesel
You filled up, set off, and a mile or two later your engine began to run unevenly, smoke, lose power or light up the dashboard. Perhaps it was on Stockwell, possibly on the way out towards Oxford, under 15 miles away.
In short: the AdBlue has been pulled through the system. Past the fuel filter, through the pipework, and — the more the distance — deeper into the injection pump and each injector. Each restart, like every mile, carries it deeper.
Next: pick a safe place, stop, and switch the motor off. Service stations farther on are too far: on the M40, under 10 miles out of Haddenham, use the first junction. No trial restarts: clearing itself is not something AdBlue will do. Phone, and say how far your vehicle was driven.
A hire or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank?
You've only had the vehicle a week. On your own vehicle, AdBlue is absent or somewhere else. On this one, the inlet is right by your diesel cap — a surprise to you. Across Buckinghamshire, no one is immune.
Meaning? Whatever case above applies too — run or unrun — and one extra step. Any work on the car frequently requires the owner's approval under rental or company agreements.
Next: ring the rental company or the fleet manager first, then us — settling it before our arrival is quicker. Stranded by Methodist Chapel or at Haddenham & Thame Parkway till someone answers, your vehicle stays switched off throughout.
Haddenham: unsure if it was AdBlue in your diesel tank?
At times, "I think so" is all you can truthfully say. A slight ammonia-like whiff hangs near your filler, the bottle feels too light, and which cap came off is a blur. It might have been on a friend's driveway in Kingsey, or in a rush outside Haddenham St Mary's Church of England School at the school run.
Meaning? Drips outside the inlet never touch your engine at all. A diesel tank with AdBlue in it is another story. If there is AdBlue in that tank, turning on the car will suck it in, and it wouldn't tell you which either.
Your move: act as if it got in, and don't start the motor. Ring us and describe what you saw; we would rather check a tank that turns out clean than drain one that has already been run.
Each AdBlue drain in Haddenham shares these steps
No matter the case, one start applies. Forecourt, drive, The Kings Head's car park or a street by The Good Shepherd — the van reaches your vehicle, and three answers come next: which liquid, what quantity, and whether it ran. Over the phone, before dispatch, you are told our price, and those replies shape the work too.
Draining that tank comes first, followed by a full flush — more important with urea than after petrol, because crystals and corrosion will not clear by themselves, however long you wait. Finally come the fuel filter, cleaned or renewed as needed; fresh diesel; and a check of your car. The majority of unstarted cars are a half-hour visit from the moment our technicians turn up.
Starting the car comes at the end. With new diesel in, it runs while our technicians check it's running correctly, and then we leave. We do the entire job where the vehicle is, and lasting damage is very uncommon when it has been caught quickly. For your insurer: the engineer's report and the VAT invoice. For you: payment that day, no money upfront. Plenty of insurance policies include misfuelling cover, and so it is worth checking yours whilst we are on the way.
About Haddenham
Haddenham is a village in Buckinghamshire, situated in the inland countryside of the South East region, with an elevation of around 79 metres. Haddenham lies near the villages of Fort End, Diggs, and Church End, and is approximately 14 miles from Oxford. Haddenham has a population of around 1959 people, predominantly living in detached houses. Haddenham is also within commuting distance of London, being around 39 miles from the capital.
AdBlue drains in Haddenham, and across Buckinghamshire too
Diggs and Church End have the same teams as Haddenham, a rural village, plus other towns throughout HP postcodes. The whereabouts comes clearest from a postcode that starts HP17 8.
Whether your car is on a lay-by on the way to Banks Park or in a car park in the middle of Haddenham, it does not need to move. The drain happens on the spot. Awkward to pin down? Close to Haddenham Museum or a county line? Checking beats guessing, and so phone.
Your scenario, summed up
Motor never started: ring, and leave it switched off. Already run: stop, switch off then ring. Either way, Petrol in Diesel takes it from there around Haddenham and anywhere in Buckinghamshire on 0333 366 0103.