AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Hanwell, and What to Do Next
What to do about AdBlue in a diesel tank comes down to one thing more than any other: if the motor has been run since it was put in. If it has not, keep it that way, whether the vehicle is in Hanwell itself or out in Ealing. Switch nothing on, call 0333 366 0103, and count on a proper flush after a drain, carried out right where the vehicle sits in Hanwell. When the motor has run, pull in somewhere safe straight away, then switch the vehicle off. It is a bigger job, though stage one does not change.
Anywhere in Greater London it took place, one of the cases below matches yours.
On a Hanwell forecourt with AdBlue in a diesel
The cap you unscrewed was the wrong one — and you only notice it as you are stood at the petrol pump, bottle or the nozzle in your hand. It might be the Shell, or perhaps the Esso, or another station in Hanwell.
Meaning? Spotting it on the forecourt is as good as it gets. The AdBlue is in the tank and nowhere else. Nothing has pulled it in.
Clearing the pump is no excuse to start it — and so don't get back in. Ring us from the forecourt after your car sits in a space — the attendants will help push it — then keep the bottle. Emptying it right at the pump is fine when it cannot be shifted, because the equipment is explosion-proof.
At home around Hanwell with AdBlue in the diesel tank
The warning light had been on for days. A bottle from the shop, tipped in on the driveway — and it was only by the bin that the cap got a second look. Drives near Balfour Avenue get it as much as any other street.
Meaning? As long as the car has not been driven since, it is second to the forecourt case. AdBlue doesn't mix with diesel; it sinks to the bottom of the tank and waits there. Overnight doesn't change that.
Next: keys in the house, and so nobody drives the vehicle anywhere at breakfast. After that, ring. Out in West Ealing or right here around Hanwell, the draining is done on your drive. Even at night, the pumps stay quiet enough for a residential street.
On the road in Hanwell with AdBlue in a diesel
Rough running, smoke, falling power or a lit dashboard started a mile or two after the fill. Anywhere along Halford Place or else heading towards Westminster — under 10 miles away.
In short: the AdBlue has been sucked into your fuel system. The injection pump and each injector see it as well on a longer run, after the fuel filter and lines have had it. Each mile and each restart takes it further.
Your move: pull up somewhere sensible, then switch the motor off. Exit by the first junction — not the services beyond — if you're on the M4, under a mile from Hanwell. Do not restart the car to see if it has cleared; it will not have. Roughly what distance had it go? Say so when you phone.
AdBlue in the wrong tank: hire, lease and company vehicles
You have had this car barely a week. Your own motor either has no AdBlue or keeps it elsewhere, so nothing told you the AdBlue cap sits just next to your diesel. It can happen to anyone, anywhere around Greater London.
Put simply: one extra stage on top of the situations above, which depend on if it's run. The owner often has to approve the work, under plenty of hire and fleet contracts.
Do this: rental firm or fleet manager first, us next, because sorting it beforehand saves time. Waiting for a reply in the car park at the nearest station, or near Hanwell Library? Leave the engine off throughout.
Unsure about AdBlue in the diesel tank in Hanwell?
Truthfully, the best answer might be that you think it did. Too light, the bottle; a trace of ammonia round your filler; a hazy memory of which cap. Sound familiar? Maybe at a friend's drive in Osterley, or rushing outside St Joseph's Catholic Primary School at the school run.
Put simply: spillage round the filler does your motor unharmed. In the diesel tank, however, AdBlue damages it. If there is AdBlue in that tank, turning on your car would suck it in, and it would not tell you which either.
Your move: behave as if it did, and don't start the engine. Call us and describe what you saw; we would rather check a tank that turns out free of AdBlue than drain one that has already been run.
Hanwell: what each AdBlue drain has in common
Whichever situation you are in, the job starts the same way. Forecourt, driveway, The Kings Arms's car park or a road beside St Mellitus Church Hall — the van reaches the vehicle, and three questions come next: what liquid, what quantity, and if it ran. Your price is given on the call, before a van leaves, and the replies shape the work.
AdBlue crystallises and eats at certain metals in fuel systems, so it does not wash out on its own; that's why a full flush, after this drain, counts far more with AdBlue than with petrol. The filter is flushed, or replaced where it needs to be; clean diesel goes in; and your car is tested. If the motor has not run, most jobs take about half an hour once we're there.
Lastly, our engineers fire it up. Our test that it runs properly on new diesel comes before we go. When it is spotted soon, the vehicle very rarely has long-term damage, and the entire job happens where it is. For your insurer: an engineer's report and the VAT invoice. For you: payment that day, no money in advance. Many insurance policies include misfuelling cover, and so it's worth checking yours whilst we are on the way.
About Hanwell
Hanwell is a suburban area in west London, situated on the River Brent at an elevation of around 27 metres. Hanwell lies approximately 8.9 miles from central London and is close to nearby places such as West Ealing, Dormers Wells, and Greenford. Hanwell has a population of around 14,917 people and is predominantly composed of flat-type housing. Hanwell is characterized by its riverside setting and residential community.
AdBlue drains about Hanwell and across Greater London
Over W postcodes, the vans serving Hanwell — a residential suburb — work nearby places as well, Dormers Wells and Greenford among them. A postcode starting W7 3 is the quickest way to tell us where you are.
Parked heading to Conolly Dell, or right in the centre of Hanwell, the vehicle remains where it is — there is no need to shift it at all. Our engineers drain it where it sits. Awkward to explain? By St Mellitus Church or a border? Asking is better than assuming, and so phone.
In one line: your situation
Unstarted? Keep the car that way and ring. Already run: stop, switch off then call. Either way, Petrol in Diesel takes it from there in Hanwell and anywhere across Greater London on 0333 366 0103.