AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Heathfield: What Now?
What to do about AdBlue in a diesel tank comes down to one thing more than any other: whether your motor has run since it was put in. If it hasn't, keep it that way, whether your car is in Heathfield itself or out in Titchfield. Leave your motor and your ignition off then phone 0333 366 0103; it's generally a drain and a thorough flush, done where the vehicle is around Heathfield. Where your engine has been run, stop safely straight away, then turn the vehicle off. Step one remains the same, even though the work is bigger.
Compare your case to one of the list below, wherever around Hampshire you are.
Heathfield forecourt: AdBlue in a diesel at the pump
The cap you unscrewed was the wrong one — and you just notice it while you're standing at the pump, bottle or the nozzle in your hand. Whether Texaco, Shell or anywhere else in Heathfield, the case is the same.
Meaning? Finding out here is the best it gets. Only that tank has AdBlue; not one part past it has taken any in.
Your move: keep out of the driver's seat, however much the pump needs clearing. Three jobs: a shove into a bay with the staff helping, the receipt kept, and a ring to us from where you stand. Stuck beside the petrol pump? Our explosion-proof kit keeps a live forecourt sensible, and so we can drain it where it is.
At home in Heathfield with AdBlue in the diesel tank
For days the dashboard had been nagging you. Picked up a container, tipped it in outside the house, binned the empty — and only then checked the cap again, after the fact. Just off Appleton Road is no different from anywhere.
Meaning? As long as your vehicle has not been driven since, it's close to the forecourt case. Diesel and AdBlue keep separate: the AdBlue drops to the floor of the tank and stays put, no matter how long the night.
What to do: leave your keys inside the house so nobody moves your car in the morning. Then ring. In Catisfield or here in Heathfield, the drain is done at your drive. Even at night, the pumps are quiet enough for a driveway.
On the road in Heathfield with AdBlue in a diesel
Filled up, drove away, and before long your engine was turning roughly, blowing smoke, losing power, or flashing up the dash. Somewhere along Larches Gardens or else heading towards Portsmouth — under 10 miles away.
Meaning? The pump has sucked the AdBlue in. It's been through the fuel filter and your lines and, the further you went, into the high-pressure fuel pump and your injectors. More driving, more restarts: further it goes.
What to do: pull over where it is safe then switch off. Heathfield lies under 3 miles from the M27; on it, come off at the first junction rather than pushing on to the services. Restarting it to check gets nothing — AdBlue never clears itself. Phone us and say how far you travelled.
AdBlue in the wrong tank: hire, lease and company vehicles
It's a car you have had for a week. The AdBlue filler sits right alongside the diesel one, which you did not know, since your own car either has no AdBlue or keeps it somewhere else. Across Hampshire, no one is immune.
Put simply: one extra stage on top of the situations above, and those depend on if it has run. Work on the vehicle often needs the owner's go-ahead under rental or company agreements.
Settling it before the van arrives is quicker, so ring the hire company or your fleet manager, then us. If you are stranded in the car park outside Fareham, or by Ranvilles Community Centre, while you wait for an answer, leave the car off.
Heathfield: unsure if it was AdBlue in the diesel tank?
At times, "I think so" is all anyone can honestly say. Which cap came off, you can't say; but the bottle feels less than it ought to, and a whiff of ammonia lingers by the filler. The gates of Ranvilles Junior School in a rush, perhaps, or a friend's drive out in Funtley.
The upshot: your motor isn't hurt by some AdBlue splashed on the outside. Inside the diesel tank, however, AdBlue damages it. You cannot tell which by turning the ignition, and doing so would suck in any AdBlue that is in that tank.
What to do: treat it as if it went in. Don't crank it. Tell us what you saw on the phone. A clean tank looked at is a better result than a run one emptied.
The common ground in each Heathfield AdBlue drain
Whatever the case, one opening is used. Anywhere your vehicle is — The Heathfield Arms's car park, a road by St Columba, a driveway, a forecourt — our van gets there and asks about the liquid, the quantity, plus whether your motor has turned over. Replies shape the work; the price follows by phone whilst nobody has left yet.
A thorough flush comes after the drain. With petrol it's routine; with AdBlue it's essential, because deposits build up and some metals are attacked, and neither washes away unaided. Clean diesel is put in after the fuel filter is flushed or changed, and your car is finally tested. Where the motor hasn't run, expect roughly half an hour once we arrive, in most cases.
Finally, our engineers start the engine. Before our technicians head off, it's checked to confirm it runs smoothly on new diesel. Lasting damage is very unusual when it's caught quickly, and the entire job is done where your car is. For your insurer: the engineer's report and the VAT invoice. For you: payment on the day, no money in advance. Worth knowing: lots of insurers offer misfuelling cover, so a check of your documents while you wait pays.
About Heathfield itself
Heathfield is a suburban area in Hampshire, situated near the coast and approximately 6.6 miles from Portsmouth. Heathfield has a relatively low elevation of 34 metres and is characterized by semi-detached housing. Heathfield is part of the larger South East region and is located about 65.3 miles from London, with nearby places including Catisfield, Hill Park, and West End.
AdBlue drains in Heathfield, and across Hampshire too
Throughout PO postcodes, the teams serving Heathfield — a residential suburb — reach nearby places as well, Hill Park and West End included. Telling us your PO15 5 postcode finds you quickest of all.
Central Heathfield or a lay-by near Blackbrook Recreation Ground: either way it sits, the car doesn't need to move at all for the drain. Our engineers drain it where it stands. Phone and check rather than guess when you're close to Hill Park Baptist Church, on a boundary, or somewhere awkward to explain.
The one-line version
If it hasn't started, phone then leave it off. Run already: pull over, power down, ring 0333 366 0103. Petrol in Diesel handles the remainder, within Heathfield or wherever across Hampshire.