AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Holcombe, and What to Do Next
Has your motor run since the AdBlue went in? That one question decides nearly everything about what comes next. If it has not, keep it that way, whether the car is in Holcombe itself or out in Dawlish Warren. Call 0333 366 0103 with the ignition and motor still off. Across Holcombe, that is typically emptied and cleaned where it stands. Where your motor has been run, stop somewhere safe first, then switch the car off. It's a larger job, though stage one doesn't change.
Find the situation below that matches yours, wherever across Devon it happened.
At the petrol pump in Holcombe: AdBlue in a diesel
The cap you opened was the wrong one — and you just spot it as you're standing at the pump, bottle or the nozzle in hand. It could be the Tesco, or perhaps the Morrisons, or another station around Holcombe.
What it means: this is the ideal spot to find out. Nothing has pulled it through, so the AdBlue sits just inside your tank.
Next: resist the urge to start it just to free up the petrol pump. Ring us from the forecourt after your vehicle is in a space — the attendants will help push it — then save the bottle. Emptying it right at the pump is fine when it cannot be shifted, since the equipment is explosion-proof.
AdBlue in the diesel tank on a Holcombe drive?
For days the dash had been nagging you. Only by the recycling, the empty container in your hand, did you look back at the cap you'd opened at the drive. Homes just off Rosyl Avenue are caught out as much as everywhere else.
What it means: if you have not driven since, this is nearly as good as the forecourt. Diesel and AdBlue keep separate: the AdBlue drops to the base of the tank and remains put, no matter how long the night.
Next: the keys in the house, so nobody takes the car off at breakfast. Then, ring. In Dawlish or right here in Holcombe, the draining is done on your drive. The equipment works quietly enough not to disturb the neighbours at night.
On the road in Holcombe with AdBlue in a diesel
Lumpy running, smoke, lost power or a glowing dashboard started a mile or two beyond the fill. Maybe driving to Exeter, under 15 miles away, or simply along Teignmouth Road.
Meaning? The fuel pump has sucked the AdBlue in. The injection pump and every injector get it as well on a longer run, after the filter and lines have it. Each mile and each restart takes it further.
What to do: pull over where it is safe to do so and switch off. On the M5, under 10 miles from Holcombe, that means the next junction, not the services further on. No trial starts: clearing itself isn't something AdBlue will do. Call us and say how far you went.
Hire, lease or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank
A week ago, the car was unknown to you. Your own vehicle either does without AdBlue or puts it elsewhere, so nothing told you the AdBlue inlet sits right beside your diesel. Anyone, anywhere in Devon, could make the same.
What it means: the same as the situations above, depending on whether it has run, with one more step. The owner frequently needs to approve the work, under plenty of rental and fleet agreements.
Next: ring the hire company or the fleet manager first, then us — settling it before our arrival is faster. Waiting for an answer in the car park at Dawlish, or beside St George? Leave your car off throughout.
Not sure it was AdBlue in the diesel tank, Holcombe?
Now and then, "I think so" is all anyone can honestly say. The bottle is lighter than it should be, there's a faint smell of ammonia about your filler, and you cannot remember which cap you took off. It might have been on a friend's drive in Ash Hill, or in a rush by Westcliff Primary Academy on the school run.
Meaning? Drips outside the inlet don't reach the motor at all. Inside your diesel tank, by contrast, AdBlue damages it. If there is AdBlue in the tank, starting the vehicle will suck it in, and it would not tell you which either.
Next: assume it went in, then keep your engine off. Ring with what you saw: we would sooner confirm a clean tank than empty one once the engine has run.
What every AdBlue drain around Holcombe has in common
Each case gets the same start to the work. Forecourt, drive, The Castle Inn's car park or a road beside Holcombe Village Hall — our van comes to your vehicle, and three answers come next: which fluid, which quantity, and whether it has run. Over the phone, before anything else, you hear our quote, and those answers decide the job too.
AdBlue forms crystals and is corrosive to some metals used in fuel systems, so it does not rinse out on its own; that is why the flush, after the drain, matters far more here than with petrol. Your filter is flushed, or replaced where it needs to be; clean diesel goes in; and the car is tested. If your engine has not run, the majority of jobs take about half an hour once we are there.
Our engineers start the car last. Our technicians check it runs correctly on new diesel before leaving. Lasting damage is very unusual when it's caught quickly, and the whole job is done where the vehicle is. Nothing is paid upfront, payment is made on the day, and you receive what the insurer asks for: an engineer report plus a VAT invoice. Worth knowing: lots of insurers include misfuelling cover, and so a quick look at your policy while we travel pays.
About Holcombe
Holcombe is a small coastal village in Devon, situated near the towns of Dawlish and Teignmouth, with a mix of detached housing and scenic views of the surrounding coastline. Holcombe sits at an elevation of 57 metres, close to the South West Coast Path and the estuary of the River Teign. Holcombe remains a quiet and predominantly residential community, with many residents commuting to nearby Exeter. Holcombe is also within easy reach of other nearby places, including Shaldon and Teignmouth.
AdBlue drains across Devon, Holcombe included
Teignmouth and Shaldon get the same teams as Holcombe, a coastal village, plus further places throughout EX postcodes. Telling us your EX7 0 postcode pins you quickest of all.
Whether the car is on a lay-by on the way to Lea Mount or in a car park in the middle of Holcombe, it does not need to shift. Our engineers drain the car where it sits. Assuming doesn't help near Teignmouth Letters, close to a county line or somewhere hard to describe; ring and check.
In one line: your scenario
If it hasn't run, phone and leave it that way. Whichever case applies, Petrol in Diesel handles the rest on 0333 366 0103, throughout Devon and within Holcombe — after you pull over, switch off then ring, if it has run.