Why It Occurs and How to Avoid It: AdBlue in a Diesel Tank in Hindhead
Pause reading for a moment if the diesel tank already has AdBlue in it: ignition off, engine off, then call 0333 366 0103. Around Hindhead, finding it before the engine turns normally means a drain and a thorough flush on the spot. Not happened yet? Further down, the page explains the why it takes place and the ways to avoid it altogether.
AdBlue in a diesel car, and its separate tank
Plenty of current diesels on the roads around Hindhead and Whitmoor Bottom carry two liquids, not one. Diesel goes to the engine. Stored in a tank of its own, AdBlue is sprayed into the exhaust gas and cleans it.
Each tank has its own filler. On a lot of vehicles the two sit side by side under the same flap; on others the AdBlue filler is in the boot or under the bonnet. Diesel gets filled on each filling station call-out, again and again. Rarely filled, AdBlue usually goes in from a bottle, tipped by a driver who has to stop and think what cap it needs. It's in that gap that the mistake lives.
Hindhead: how AdBlue in the diesel tank occurs
Carelessness seldom causes it. Instead is three things lining up at once.
On a drive off Tilford Road before work, or in the car park outside The Fox and Pelican heading home: that is where the hurried top-up takes place. Why the rush? As AdBlue runs low the car tells you, and once it's gone, limp mode kicks in.
Then, the hand goes for the cap it would have used on the old vehicle — since a rental car, a new vehicle or a company car places the fillers where your last one did not.
A spout-topped bottle finds no resistance at a diesel filler any more than at an AdBlue one. And so the tip, after begun, keeps on. Grayshott or the heart of Hindhead: it is the same few seconds either way.
The AdBlue filler and the diesel filler: telling them apart
Look at these first, on a forecourt in Hindhead or a driveway out in Bramshott Chase. Seconds, that's all.
- Check the cap rather than going by position: AdBlue ones are regularly blue or marked "AdBlue", and diesel ones normally aren't.
- Plenty of vehicles give AdBlue the smaller filler of the two.
- A label inside the fuel flap frequently says which fuel goes where, on many motors. Look for it.
- The handbook shows which it is if the filler isn't next to the diesel cap: the boot, or under the bonnet.
- Collecting a hire or company car, perhaps at the car park outside Haslemere? Check with whoever drove the car last before leaving, not once the light comes on.
How to top up without AdBlue in your diesel tank
A routine for the day the light comes on, wherever in Surrey that is.
- Not in a rush on the side of Mead Road, not on a slope, not with your motor running: park then switch off properly.
- Say "AdBlue" out loud as you unscrew the cap, once you find the AdBlue filler and reading it. Daft, yes, yet it does the trick.
- Leave your diesel cap on. If both sit under one flap, check the diesel cap is still closed before you lift the bottle.
- Stop once your tank fills or the bottle runs dry; until then, tip gently using the own spout.
- Close the cap, then check once more — confirm your diesel filler remained shut throughout. Only then, start your car.
Stop there if you find, at stage two or three, that you've already poured into your diesel side. Don't go on to stage five.
Put AdBlue in your diesel tank in Hindhead already?
Brief list, then. Top of that: the engine remains off. Do not switch your ignition on; on plenty of diesels that alone runs the fuel pump. AdBlue does not mix with diesel — it sinks to the bottom of the tank, where your fuel is drawn from — so do not top up with diesel to dilute it.
If you're at a forecourt, whether it's the Royal Parade Stores or the BP, ask the attendants to help roll your car clear of the pump. Leave it where it is if you are on your own driveway around Hindhead.
If your engine has already run, stop as soon as it is safe then switch off. Hindhead lies under 15 miles from the M3; on it, use the next exit. Mileage matters — a quick hop across Hindhead is a smaller job than driving under 25 miles to Chichester — so tell us roughly how far it went.
Hindhead: what happens when we arrive
By Beacon Hill Primary School, near Hindhead Commons and the Devil's Punch Bowl or on your own drive: wherever the car has stopped, our engineers come to it. Both the work and our price rest on three replies — what fluid, which amount, and whether it has run — so our engineers ask. During the call itself, you are told the price — before anything else.
After that: a drain, then a full flush of the entire system. Much more than with petrol, it counts with AdBlue: crystals build up, certain metals are attacked, and nothing clears out on its own, no matter how long it is left. The filter is flushed, or replaced where it needs to be; clean diesel goes in; and the car is tested. Your engine is started next and tested to be sure it runs correctly, all before our technicians go.
Unrun cars mostly mean a half-hour job after arrival. The equipment is fine on a live filling station, and hushed enough for a residential street late at night. You pay on the day, with nothing upfront, and get a VAT invoice and an engineer report for your insurer. Many insurance policies include misfuelling cover, so it's worth checking yours whilst we're on the way.
About Hindhead
Hindhead is a village in Surrey, situated near the riverside and surrounded by scenic countryside, with nearby places including Grayshott and Beacon Hill. Hindhead sits at an elevation of 253 metres, providing views of the surrounding landscape. Hindhead is characterised by its predominantly detached housing stock, reflecting its rural setting. Hindhead is located approximately 37.7 miles from London and 19.4 miles from Chichester, making it a relatively remote village in the South East region.
AdBlue drains around Hindhead and across Surrey
Beacon Hill and Nutcombe are among the towns around Hindhead, a village, that the same teams cover, throughout GU postcodes. Our van gets to you fastest with a postcode starting GU26 6.
The vehicle does not need to move. A drive, a lay-by on the way to Grovers Gardens, a side street near Devil's Punch Bowl: our engineers drain it where it stands. Guessing won't help at the back of Grayshott Village Hall, on a boundary, or somewhere hard to describe; ring and ask.
For Hindhead people, the short version
First, the cap; after that, the tip. If AdBlue has gone in the diesel tank all the same, leave the car off then call 0333 366 0103. Petrol in Diesel drains it where it sits, anywhere in Surrey.