AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Hawarden, and What to Do Next
Everything hinges on a single detail: whether the motor has started after the AdBlue went in — far more than anything else. Over in Aston or here in Hawarden, an unrun engine should stay unrun. Usually this means emptying and thoroughly purging it right there around Hawarden — so keep the key and motor off then phone 0333 366 0103. When your engine has been run, stop somewhere safe first, then switch the car off. It's a larger job, though stage one doesn't change.
Below: the situations we see, wherever in Flintshire. Choose yours.
AdBlue in a diesel on a Hawarden forecourt
You're at the petrol pump, the nozzle or the bottle still in your hand, and you have just noticed the cap you opened was the wrong one. Be it Asda, Texaco or somewhere else in Hawarden, the situation is identical.
In short: no better place to be to spot it. Nothing has drawn it through, and so the AdBlue sits just in the tank.
Freeing the pump is no excuse to start it — and so don't get back in. Ring us from the forecourt after your car is in a bay — the attendants will help roll it — then save the receipt. The equipment is explosion-proof and fine on a busy forecourt, and so a car that can't be pushed clear gets cleared where it is at the pump.
Hawarden, at home: AdBlue in the diesel tank
For days the dashboard had been nagging you. Bought a container, poured it in at home, recycled the empty — and at that point looked at the cap again, after the fact. Homes just off A550 are caught out as often as everywhere else.
The point: zero driving since leaves this nearly as good to finding it at the petrol pump. Being reluctant to mix, AdBlue settles low inside the tank and waits. One night parked changes nothing.
What to do: leave your keys inside the house so no one moves the car in the morning. Then call. We drain the vehicle on your driveway, whether that is in Hawarden or out in Little Mancot. Our pumping kit runs quiet enough not to disturb the neighbours at night.
AdBlue in a diesel and already driving around Hawarden?
You filled up, set off, and a mile or two later your motor began to run roughly, smoke, lose power or light up the dashboard. Anywhere along Rectory Lane or heading towards Chester — under 10 miles away.
Meaning? Your pump has taken the AdBlue in. The injection pump and every injector get it as well on a longer trip, after the fuel filter and lines have had it. It goes further with each mile driven and every restart.
Stop safely — that is the first step — then switch everything off. Leave at the first junction — not the services further along — if you're on the M56, under 10 miles from Hawarden. No test starts: clearing isn't something AdBlue does. Phone us and say how far you drove.
Hire, lease or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank
It is a car 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 cap — a surprise to you. It can happen to anyone, anywhere in Flintshire.
Meaning? Whatever case above applies here — run or unrun — plus one further step. Work on the vehicle frequently requires the owner's approval under hire or fleet terms.
Next: ring the hire company or the fleet manager first, then us — settling it before our arrival is quicker. Hanging on for an answer at the car park at the nearest station, or near Hawarden Memorial? Keep your car off throughout.
Hawarden: unsure whether it was AdBlue in the diesel tank?
Honestly, the best answer may be that you think it did. A faint ammonia smell lingers near the filler, the bottle feels too light, and which cap came off is hard to recall. Possibly it happened in a hurry at the school gates at Saughall All Saints Church of England Primary School, or on a friend's drive in Mancot Royal.
What it means: a little spilled round your filler does no damage to the engine. AdBlue inside your diesel tank does. Turning on the car will not tell you which, and if there is AdBlue in that tank it will draw it in.
Take it that it was put in, and never start the engine. Ring with what you saw: we would sooner confirm a clean tank than drain one after the engine has been run.
What each AdBlue drain around Hawarden has in common
Each situation gets the same opening to the job. Our engineers come to the vehicle, whether it's at a forecourt, a drive, the car park at The Glynne Arms or a side street near Boar War Memorial, and ask three things: what got in, about how much, and whether your engine has run. Those answers determine the work, and you hear the quote on the phone, before anyone sets off.
AdBlue crystallises and eats at some metals in fuel systems, so it won't wash out unaided; that is why a full flush, after this drain, counts far more with AdBlue than with petrol. Next is the fuel filter — flushed, or replaced when needed — then fresh diesel, and a test of your car. The majority of unrun vehicles are a half-hour job after the moment our engineers arrive.
The last step is starting the engine. Our test that it runs smoothly on fresh diesel comes before our technicians leave. When it's caught quickly, the vehicle very seldom has permanent damage, and the whole job happens where it is. You pay on the day, with nothing upfront, and get a VAT invoice and an engineer report for your insurer. It is worth knowing: lots of insurers include misfuelling cover, and so a quick look at your policy as you wait is worthwhile.
About Hawarden itself
Hawarden is a small village in Flintshire, Wales, situated on the riverside at an elevation of 78 metres, near the English border. Hawarden lies close to the city of Chester, which is approximately 5.6 miles away, and is surrounded by nearby places such as Little Mancot and Big Mancot. Hawarden has a population of around 591 people and predominantly features terraced housing. Hawarden is located in a scenic area, with The Moor nearby.
AdBlue drains across Flintshire, Hawarden included
Big Mancot and The Moor have the identical vans as Hawarden, a village, along with further places throughout CH postcodes. Your location is quickest from a postcode beginning CH5 3.
Whether the vehicle is on a lay-by on the way to Hawarden Park or in a car park in the middle of Hawarden, it does not need to move. Our technicians drain the vehicle where it is. Ring and ask rather than guess if you're by St Deiniol's Church, near a border, or somewhere tricky to pin down.
Your scenario, summed up
Motor not started: ring, leaving it switched off. Run already: pull over, switch down, ring 0333 366 0103. Petrol in Diesel takes over the remainder, within Hawarden or wherever across Flintshire.