AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Heamoor, and What to Do Next
One fact matters most once AdBlue is in a diesel tank, and it is whether your engine has run afterwards. Out in Madron or here in Heamoor, an unstarted engine should stay that way. Ring 0333 366 0103 with your ignition and motor both off. Across Heamoor, that is typically emptied and cleaned on the spot. Stop the moment you safely can then turn off, if it has already run. The job is bigger, but the first step is the same.
Find the situation below that matches yours, wherever in Cornwall it happened.
Heamoor forecourt: AdBlue in a diesel at the pump
Just at this point, bottle still in your hand, it dawns on you that the cap you opened was the wrong one, there at the petrol pump. Perhaps you're at the Texaco, maybe at the Tesco, possibly somewhere else in Heamoor.
What it means: this is the best spot to find out. Only the tank has AdBlue; not one component beyond it has drawn any in.
What to do: don't get back in and start the car to clear the pump. Ring us from the forecourt once the car sits in a space — the attendants will lend a hand to push it — then save the receipt. Emptying it there at the pump is possible if it can't be shifted, since the equipment is explosion-proof.
Heamoor, at home: AdBlue in the diesel tank
The warning light had been on for days. Bought a container, poured it in at home, binned the empty — and at that point checked the cap a second time, after the fact. Just off Hea Road is not less likely from anywhere.
The point: no driving since makes it almost equal to spotting it at the petrol pump. AdBlue doesn't mix with diesel; it sinks to the bottom of your tank and waits there. Overnight doesn't change that.
Your move: the keys indoors, so no one drives the car anywhere first thing. Then, phone. In Treneere or right here in Heamoor, the draining is done at your driveway. Our pumping kit works quietly enough that it won't wake the neighbours at night.
AdBlue in a diesel and already driving around Heamoor?
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. It might have been driving to Truro, under 25 miles away, or just down Mythyon Court.
What it means: your fuel system has pulled the AdBlue in. The injection pump and each injector get it too on a bigger run, once the fuel 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 then switch off. Heamoor lies over 50 miles from the M5; on it, come off at the first junction rather than pushing on to the services. Restarting it to test achieves nothing — AdBlue doesn't clear on its own. Roughly what distance did it go? Tell us when you call.
AdBlue in the wrong tank: hire, lease and company cars
Seven days ago, the car was unknown to you. The AdBlue filler is right beside the diesel filler, which you did not know, since your own motor either has no AdBlue or keeps it somewhere else. It can happen to anyone, anywhere across Cornwall.
Meaning? Whatever applies above applies here — run or not — and one extra stage. Many hire and company agreements want the owner to approve work on your car.
Next: ring the rental company or your fleet manager first, then us — sorting it before we arrive is quicker. If you're stuck in the car park at Penzance, or by Wesley Rock, while you wait for an answer, leave the vehicle off.
AdBlue in the diesel tank? Not sure, in Heamoor
At times, "I think so" is all you can truthfully say. What cap came off, you cannot recall; but the bottle weighs less than expected, and a whiff of ammonia lingers by the filler. Possibly it happened in a hurry at the school gates at Pensans Community Primary School, or on a friend's drive in Trythogga.
The point: the engine isn't hurt by some AdBlue splashed around the filler. If it's inside your diesel tank, though, that changes. Starting the car won't tell you which, and if there is AdBlue in your tank it will suck it in.
Your move: act as though it got in, and never start the motor. Checking a tank that proves free of AdBlue beats emptying one once it's been run — so phone and describe to us what you noticed.
Every AdBlue drain around Heamoor shares these stages
The job begins identically, whatever the situation. Wherever your vehicle stands — Sportsmans Arms's car park, a street beside St Thomas', a drive, a forecourt — our van gets there and asks about the liquid, the quantity, plus if your motor has turned over. Your price is given over the phone, ahead of anyone setting off, and the answers shape the job.
AdBlue crystallises and is corrosive to some metals in fuel systems, and so it won't rinse out on its own; that is why the flush, after the drain, matters far more here than with petrol. The fuel filter is flushed, or replaced where it needs to be; clean diesel goes in; and your car is tested. The majority of unrun cars are a half-hour visit from the moment our technicians arrive.
Our technicians fire it up last. Our test that it runs properly on fresh diesel comes before our technicians head off. If it's caught early, the car very seldom has lasting damage, and the entire job takes place where it is. You pay on the day, with nothing upfront, and get a VAT invoice and an engineer report for your insurer. Worth remembering: lots of insurers include misfuelling cover, and so a check of your documents as you wait is worthwhile.
About Heamoor itself
Heamoor is a suburban area in Cornwall, situated near the coast and approximately 60 metres above sea level. Heamoor lies within the wider Penzance area, close to nearby places such as Treneere and Alverton. Heamoor has a population of around 4323 people, predominantly living in terraced housing. Heamoor is also relatively distant from London, at around 255 miles away, but is closer to the city of Truro, which is about 24 miles away.
Heamoor and Cornwall: AdBlue drains across the area
Being a residential suburb, Heamoor has the same vans as the nearby towns — Alverton, Penzance — all the way through TR postcodes. Fastest of all: a TR18 3 postcode to show where you stand.
Central Heamoor or a lay-by near Heamoor Old School Field: wherever it is, the car never needs to move an inch for us. Wherever it stands, that is where it gets drained. If you are somewhere hard to describe, near Penzance Leisure Centre or close to a border, ring and ask instead of guessing.
The one-line version
Engine not started: phone, and leave it switched off. Whichever line fits, Petrol in Diesel handles the rest on 0333 366 0103, across Cornwall and within Heamoor — once you stop, turn off then ring, if it has run.