AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Hawne, and What to Do Next
One thing counts above all when AdBlue is in a diesel tank, and it is if your motor has been started since. Out in Haden Cross or here in Hawne, an unrun engine must stay unrun. Call 0333 366 0103 with the key and engine both off. Across Hawne, that is generally emptied and flushed on the spot. If it's run, stop as soon as it is safe then switch off. A larger job, yes, but the identical first move.
Below: the situations we see, anywhere in West Midlands. Choose yours.
At the petrol pump around Hawne: AdBlue in a diesel
Only now, nozzle yet in your hand, you realise that the cap you took off was the wrong one, there at the petrol pump. Anywhere around Hawne, then — BP, another forecourt nearby, or anywhere else nearby.
Meaning? Spotting it on the forecourt is as good as it gets. Still inside your tank, with nothing pulled onwards: that's where the AdBlue sits.
Freeing the pump is no reason to start it — and so do not get back in. Ask the staff to help you push the car into a parking space, keep the till receipt or the bottle, and phone us from the forecourt. Draining it right at the petrol pump is possible when it can't be shifted, since the equipment is explosion-proof.
AdBlue in the diesel tank on a Hawne drive?
The warning light had been on for days. A bottle from the garage, emptied in on the drive — and it's just at the recycling that the cap caught your eye. It occurs on drives just off Cherry Street as frequently as anywhere.
Meaning? As long as the vehicle hasn't been driven since, it's close to the pump case. Diesel and AdBlue stay apart: the AdBlue settles to the base of your tank and remains there, however long it waits.
Keep the keys in the house tonight — otherwise a person might take it off first thing — then call us. We drain the vehicle on your drive, whether that's around Hawne or out in Halesowen. Our equipment works quiet enough that it won't wake the street at night.
On the road in Hawne with AdBlue in a diesel
Topped up, pulled away, and before long your engine was running unevenly, blowing smoke, losing power, or lighting up your dash. Hawne Lane, perhaps, or the route to Birmingham — a run of under 10 miles.
Meaning? The pump has sucked the AdBlue in. The injection pump and every injector see it too on a bigger run, after your filter and pipework have it. Each mile and each restart takes it further.
What to do: pull over where it's safe to do so and switch off. Leave at the next junction — not the services beyond — if you are on the M5, under 3 miles from Hawne. Restarting it to check gets nothing — AdBlue never clears on its own. Roughly what distance did it gone? Say so as you call.
AdBlue in the wrong tank of a hire, lease or company car
You've only driven this car for days. On your own vehicle, AdBlue is absent or elsewhere. On this one, its cap is just by the diesel inlet — news to you. It can happen to anyone, anywhere in West Midlands.
The upshot: exactly as above, split by whether it ran, only with one added stage. Work on the vehicle frequently requires the owner's go-ahead under hire or company agreements.
Your move: rental firm or your fleet manager first, us next, since sorting it beforehand cuts time. Waiting for an answer in the car park outside Old Hill, or near Short Cross Methodist Church? Leave the car off throughout.
AdBlue in the diesel tank? Not sure, around Hawne
Now and then, "I think so" is the most anyone can honestly say. What cap was taken off, you can't say; meanwhile the bottle feels lighter than it ought to, and a whiff of ammonia lingers by your filler. The gates of Newfield Park Primary Academy in a rush, say, or someone's drive out in Coombeswood.
Put simply: a spill near the filler leaves your engine no harm. The diesel tank with AdBlue inside is a different story. Starting the car cannot tell you which, and if there is AdBlue in that tank it would pull it in.
Next: assume it went in, then leave the motor off. Phone and give what you saw: we would sooner confirm a tank free of AdBlue than empty one after your engine has run.
Every AdBlue drain around Hawne shares these stages
No matter the situation, one start is used. Forecourt, drive, Hawne Tavern's car park or a road beside Thomas Attwood Scrolls — our van comes to your car, and three questions come next: which fluid, which amount, and whether it ran. Your price is given on the call, ahead of anyone setting off, and the answers shape the work.
AdBlue forms crystals and is corrosive to some metals used in fuel systems, so it won't wash out on its own; that is why the flush, after this drain, matters far more with AdBlue than with petrol. Then comes the fuel filter — flushed, or replaced where necessary — then fresh diesel, and a test of the car. Most unrun cars are a half-hour visit from the moment we turn up.
Finally, we fire it up. With clean diesel in, it runs while we confirm it's running properly, and then we go. Lasting damage is very unusual if it is caught early, and the whole job is done where the vehicle 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 offer misfuelling cover, and so a check of your documents as we travel is worthwhile.
About Hawne and where it is
Hawne is a suburban area in the West Midlands, situated on the riverside with an elevation of around 132 metres. Hawne lies approximately 6.9 miles southwest of Birmingham and is near the towns of Halesowen and Hasbury. Hawne has a population of around 5824 people and is characterised by semi-detached housing. Hawne is also relatively close to other nearby places such as Short Cross.
AdBlue drains around Hawne and across West Midlands
Over B postcodes, the vans covering Hawne — a residential suburb — reach nearby towns as well, Short Cross and Hasbury included. A postcode starting B63 3 is the quickest way to tell us where you are.
Stopped heading to Hawne Playing Fields, or bang in the centre of Hawne, the car stays where it is — there's no need to shift it at all. The drain happens right there. If you are somewhere hard to explain, close to The Grove or close to a boundary, ring and ask rather than assuming.
The one-line version
If it has not started, phone then leave it off. Run already: pull over, power down, phone 0333 366 0103. Petrol in Diesel handles the remainder, within Hawne or anywhere across West Midlands.