AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Handsworth, and What to Do Next
What to do about AdBlue in a diesel tank depends on one thing more than any other: if the engine has run since it went in. Wherever the vehicle stands — Waverley, Handsworth — never start an engine that hasn't run yet. Normally this is emptying and properly flushing it on the spot around Handsworth — and so leave your key and engine off and ring 0333 366 0103. If it's run, stop as soon as it is safe and switch off. A larger job, yes, but the identical first step.
Below: the situations our technicians meet, wherever around South Yorkshire. Choose the one that fits.
Handsworth forecourt: AdBlue in a diesel at the pump
Imagine it: standing by the petrol pump, holding the nozzle, you spot the filler you took off was not the right one. Perhaps you're at the Shell, possibly at the Asda, possibly somewhere else around Handsworth.
The upshot: of every spot to find out, the forecourt is the best. Still in that tank, with nothing pulled onwards: that is where the AdBlue is.
What to do: don't get back in and crank it to clear the pump. A few jobs: a shove into a bay with the attendants assisting, the receipt saved, and a ring to us from where you stand. If it cannot be moved, it can be drained at the pump: the equipment is explosion-proof and fine on a busy forecourt.
AdBlue in the diesel tank at home in Handsworth
For days the dashboard had been nagging 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. Drives near Handsworth Road get it as much as any other street.
The point: zero driving since makes it almost equal to spotting it at the petrol pump. As it is reluctant to mix, AdBlue drops to the base inside the tank and stays. One night standing alters none of that.
Next: stop any early-morning drive by keeping your keys indoors, then ring us. We drain the vehicle on your drive, whether that is in Handsworth or out in Orgreave. Our pumping kit works quiet enough that it won't wake the street at night.
Drove off with AdBlue in a diesel in Handsworth?
Lumpy running, smoke, lost power or a glowing dashboard started a mile or two beyond the top-up. Ashbourne Road, perhaps, or the way towards Sheffield — a trip of under 5 miles.
What it means: your fuel system has pulled the AdBlue in. It's been through the fuel filter and the lines and, the further you went, into your high-pressure pump and your injectors. It travels deeper with every mile covered and each restart.
Your move: pull up anywhere safe, then switch your engine off. Leave at the first junction — not the services beyond — if you are on the M1, under 3 miles from Handsworth. It will not have cleared, and so there is no sense restarting to check. Let us know the mileage covered as you call.
A hire or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank?
You've had the vehicle hardly a week. Your own car either does without AdBlue or keeps it somewhere different, and so no one told you the AdBlue inlet was just beside the diesel. Any driver, anywhere around South Yorkshire, might make it.
What it means: the same as the situations above, depending on whether it has run, with one more stage. The owner frequently has to sign off any work, under many rental and fleet contracts.
What to do: call the hire firm or your fleet manager first, then us. That's faster settled before we get there than after. Waiting for an answer at the car park outside Darnall, or near Handsworth Methodist Church? Keep your engine off throughout.
Handsworth: unsure if it was AdBlue in the diesel tank?
"I think so" is often the most honest answer there is. What cap came off, you cannot say; meanwhile the bottle weighs lighter than expected, and a whiff of ammonia hangs by your filler. The gates of St Joseph's Primary School in a hurry, perhaps, or someone's driveway over in Manor Estate.
The upshot: your engine is not hurt by a little AdBlue spilled on the outside. AdBlue inside your diesel tank does. You can't tell which by turning the key, and doing so would draw in any AdBlue that is in your tank.
Do this: behave as if it did, and don't start your motor. Tell us what you noticed on your phone. A clear tank checked is a happier result than a run one drained.
The common ground in each Handsworth AdBlue drain
Whatever the case, one opening applies. Filling station, driveway, The Handsworth Inn's car park or a street beside Grace Church — our van reaches your car, and three answers come next: which liquid, what amount, and whether it has run. The price is given on the call, ahead of anyone setting off, and the replies set the work.
A thorough flush follows the drain. With petrol it is standard; with AdBlue it is essential, since crystals build up and some metals corrode, and neither rinses away unaided. Then comes the fuel filter — flushed, or swapped where needed — followed by fresh diesel, and a test of the vehicle. Most unrun vehicles are a half-hour visit from the moment we turn up.
Last, our engineers fire it up. Our check that it runs properly on new diesel comes before we go. The entire job is done where the car is, and when it's noticed early, lasting damage is very unusual. You pay on the day, with nothing upfront, and get a VAT invoice and an engineer report for your insurer. Worth remembering: many insurers offer misfuelling cover, and so a quick look at your policy while we travel is worthwhile.
About Handsworth
Handsworth is a suburban area in South Yorkshire, situated on the River Rother and close to the city of Sheffield. Handsworth has a mix of housing types, but semi-detached homes are particularly prevalent in the area. Handsworth sits at an elevation of around 121 metres, with nearby landmarks including Handsworth Hill and the former industrial sites at Orgreave. Handsworth is located approximately 3.4 miles from Sheffield city centre, making it a popular residential choice.
AdBlue drains around Handsworth, and across South Yorkshire too
Handsworth is a residential suburb, and the same vans that cover it work the towns around it too, Richmond and Handsworth Hill among them, across the S postcode area. Telling us a S13 9 postcode finds you quickest of all.
Centre of Handsworth or a lay-by towards Handsworth Recreation Ground: either way it is, your vehicle doesn't need to shift an inch for us. Our van empties it where it stands. Phone and ask instead of guessing if you're close to St Josephs, on a border, or somewhere awkward to pin down.
Your scenario, summed up
Still unrun? Keep the car that way then ring. Started already? Pull over, switch off, phone. Petrol in Diesel takes over the remainder whichever it is, across Handsworth and South Yorkshire, on 0333 366 0103.