AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Hocombe: What Now?
All of it hinges on one fact: whether the motor has been run since the AdBlue went in — far more than anything else. Not started yet? Then leave the car like that, whether the vehicle is — Hocombe or Chandlers Ford. Call 0333 366 0103 with the key and engine still off. In Hocombe, such a case is generally drained and cleaned on the spot. Where your engine has been run, pull in safely straight away, then switch it off. It's a larger job, though step one doesn't change.
Find the scenario below that matches yours, wherever in Hampshire it happened.
AdBlue in a diesel on a Hocombe forecourt
The cap you opened was the wrong one — and you just spot it while you are standing at the pump, bottle or nozzle in your hand. Somewhere around Hocombe, then — Shell, Esso, or anywhere else nearby.
The upshot: of all places to find out, the forecourt is the best. Only that tank holds AdBlue; no component beyond it has drawn any in.
Your move: keep out of the car, even if the pump needs clearing. A few jobs: a shove into a space with the attendants assisting, the bottle kept, and a ring to us from where you stand. Emptying it right at the petrol pump is possible when it can't be shifted, because the equipment is explosion-proof.
At home in Hocombe with AdBlue in the diesel tank
Days had passed with the dash light on. A bottle bought at the shop, emptied in on the drive — and it was just at the recycling that the cap got a second look. It occurs on drives just off Coultas Road as often as anywhere.
The upshot: no driving since leaves it almost equal to spotting it at the petrol pump. AdBlue does not mix with diesel; it sinks to the bottom of that tank and waits there. Overnight does not change that.
Put the keys indoors overnight — or someone may take it away first thing — then call us. Hiltingbury or Hocombe: whichever your drive sits, that's where it is cleared. Even at night, the pumps are quiet enough for a driveway.
AdBlue in a diesel and already driving in Hocombe?
You filled up, set off, and a mile or two later the engine began to run roughly, smoke, lose power or light up the dashboard. Anywhere on Sherwood Road or heading to Winchester — under 5 miles away.
Meaning? The pump has sucked the AdBlue up. Through the fuel filter, through the pipework, and — the more the mileage — deeper into the high-pressure pump and each injector. More miles, more restarts: deeper it goes.
Do this: stop somewhere safe, then switch the engine off. Exit by the first junction — not the services beyond — if you're on the M3, under a mile from Hocombe. Restarting it to check gets nothing — AdBlue doesn't clear itself. Ring us and say how far you drove.
AdBlue in the wrong tank: hire, lease and company cars
Seven days ago, it was unknown to you. The AdBlue filler sits right alongside the diesel filler, which you didn't know, because your own vehicle either has no AdBlue or keeps it somewhere else. Wherever you are around Hampshire, any driver can be caught.
The point: exactly as above, split by if it ran, but with an added stage. The owner often has to approve any work, under plenty of hire and company contracts.
Sorting it before the van arrives is faster, and so ring the hire company or your fleet manager, then us. If you're stuck in the car park at Chandlers Ford, or by folly, whilst you wait for an answer, leave your car off.
Hocombe: unsure whether it was AdBlue in the diesel tank?
At times the fair answer is "I think so". A slight ammonia-like whiff hangs near the filler, the bottle feels too light, and which cap came off is hard to recall. Perhaps it happened in a hurry at the school gates at Hiltingbury Junior School, or on a friend's drive in Fryern Hill.
The upshot: the engine isn't harmed by some AdBlue spilled on the filler. The diesel tank with AdBlue inside is another story. Any AdBlue in that tank will be sucked in by starting the car, and the start wouldn't settle which it is in any case.
Take it that it got in, and don't start your engine. Tell us what you noticed on the phone. A clean tank checked is a happier result than a run one emptied.
Hocombe: what every AdBlue drain has in common
Whatever the situation, one opening is used. Anywhere the vehicle is — The Otter's car park, a road beside St. Martin in the Woods, a drive, a forecourt — our van gets there and we ask about the liquid, the quantity, plus whether your motor has turned over. Replies shape the work; the price comes on the call while no one has set off yet.
AdBlue crystallises and eats at some metals in fuel systems, so it does not rinse out unaided; that's why a full flush, after this drain, matters much more here than with petrol. Next is the fuel filter — cleaned, or swapped when needed — followed by clean diesel, and a test of the car. Where the engine has not run, expect about half an hour on site, in most cases.
The final step is firing it up. Our engineers check it runs smoothly on fresh diesel before we leave. If it's noticed early, the vehicle very seldom has long-term damage, and the whole job happens where it is. For your insurer: an engineer's report and the VAT invoice. For you: payment that day, nothing in advance. Check your insurance while we arrive: cover for misfuelling comes included in many policies.
About Hocombe itself
Hocombe is a suburban area situated near Winchester in Hampshire, with a mix of detached housing and local amenities. Hocombe sits at an elevation of around 70 metres, in a gently rolling landscape of inland Hampshire. Hocombe is close to nearby places such as Hiltingbury and Allbrook, and is within commuting distance of London. Hocombe has a population of approximately 1691 residents.
AdBlue drains across Hampshire, Hocombe included
Allbrook and Cuckoo Bushes get the identical vans as Hocombe, a residential suburb, along with other towns over SO postcodes. A postcode starting SO53 5 is the quickest way to tell us where you are.
Whether your car is on a lay-by on the way to Castle Copse or in a car park in the middle of Hocombe, it doesn't need to move. Where it stands, that is where it gets drained. Phone and ask instead of guessing if you are by Cranbury House, near a border, or somewhere tricky to explain.
Your situation, summed up
Unstarted? Keep the car off and ring. Whatever case applies, Petrol in Diesel takes over the rest on 0333 366 0103, throughout Hampshire and in Hocombe — after you pull over, turn off and phone, if it's run.