AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Hookwood, and What to Do Next
One fact counts above all once AdBlue is in a diesel tank, and it is if your engine has run afterwards. If it has not, keep it that way, whether your car is in Hookwood itself or out in Norwood Hill. Usually that means draining and properly rinsing it on the spot around Hookwood — and so leave the key and motor off then phone 0333 366 0103. When the motor has run, stop somewhere safe straight away, then switch the car off. The job is bigger, yet the first stage is the same.
Match your case to a situation from the list below, anywhere across Surrey you are.
Hookwood forecourt: AdBlue in a diesel at the pump
Picture it: stood by the pump, gripping the nozzle, you spot the cap you took off was not the correct one. Perhaps you are at the Tesco, possibly at the Esso, possibly somewhere else around Hookwood.
What it means: this is the ideal spot to find out. Only the tank holds AdBlue; not one component past it has drawn it in.
Freeing the pump is no excuse to run it — so do not get back in. Get the staff to help rolling it to a space, hold on to the receipt, then ring us right there. Our equipment is explosion-proof and fine on a busy forecourt, and so a car that can't be pushed clear gets cleared where it is at the pump.
AdBlue in your diesel tank at home around Hookwood
Several days had passed with the warning light on. You bought a bottle, poured it in on the driveway, and only when you put the empty bottle in the recycling did you look once more at the cap. Driveways close to Campbell Close get it as much as any other street.
What it means: if you have not driven since, this is almost as good as the forecourt. At the floor of your tank is where AdBlue waits, because it won't mix with diesel — and a night passing changes no difference.
Your move: the keys in the house, so nobody drives your vehicle off at breakfast. After that, phone. Your driveway is where it gets emptied, be it in Hookwood or Povey Cross. Even at night, the pumps stay quiet enough for a driveway.
AdBlue in a diesel and already driving in Hookwood?
A short way after filling up, your engine started misbehaving: rough running, smoke, less power, warnings on the dash. Anywhere along London Road or on the road towards Westminster — under 25 miles away.
Meaning? Your fuel pump has taken the AdBlue up. The high-pressure pump and each injector get it as well on a bigger trip, after the filter and lines have it. Every restart, like every mile, pushes it deeper.
Do this: stop anywhere safe, then switch your engine off. Hookwood lies under 3 miles from the M23; there, come off at the first junction rather than pushing on for the services. Starting it again to check gets nothing — AdBlue doesn't clear itself. Call, and say what distance the car was driven.
AdBlue in the wrong tank of a hire, lease or company car
A week back, it was new to you. On your own vehicle, AdBlue is absent or elsewhere. On this one, the inlet is right by your diesel cap — a surprise to you. It can happen to anyone, anywhere across Surrey.
What it means: the same as the scenarios above, depending on whether it's run, with one more step. Plenty of rental and fleet agreements need the owner's approval for repairs.
What to do: ring the hire firm or your fleet manager first, then us. That is faster settled before we turn up than after. Stuck by St Bartholemew's or at Horley till someone answers, the vehicle stays turned off throughout.
Hookwood: unsure whether it was AdBlue in the diesel tank?
"I think so" is often the most honest answer there is. A faint ammonia-like whiff lingers around your filler, the bottle feels too light, and the cap you took off is hard to recall. The gates of Manorfield Primary and Nursery School in a rush, perhaps, or someone's drive over in Charlwood.
The upshot: the engine is not hurt by a little AdBlue splashed around the filler. The diesel tank with AdBlue inside is a different story. Any AdBlue in your tank will be drawn in by turning on the car, and the start wouldn't settle which it is in any case.
Assume it got in, and never start the key. Inspecting a tank that turns out free of AdBlue is better than draining one after it has been run — so ring then tell us what you saw.
Each AdBlue drain around Hookwood shares these steps
The work begins the same way, whatever your situation. Our technicians come to the vehicle, whether it's at a forecourt, a driveway, the car park at The Black Horse or a side street close to Horley Anderson Leisure Centre, and ask three things: what went in, roughly how much, and if the motor has been run. The price comes on the call, before a van leaves, and those replies shape the work.
AdBlue forms crystals and eats at some metals used in fuel systems, so it does not rinse out unaided; that is why the flush, after this drain, matters much more with AdBlue than with petrol. Finally are the filter, cleaned or renewed if necessary; clean diesel; and a test of the car. Never started? Then roughly half an hour once we are there is most jobs.
Firing it up comes last. Our technicians check it runs properly on clean diesel before we go. The entire job is done where the vehicle is, and when it's noticed soon, permanent damage is very rare. For your insurer: an engineer's report and the VAT invoice. For you: payment that day, no money upfront. Many insurance policies include misfuelling, so look at yours while the van travels.
About Hookwood and where it is
Hookwood is a small village in Surrey, situated on the banks of the River Mole at an elevation of around 58 metres. Hookwood lies within the commuter belt of London, approximately 23.6 miles from the city centre, and is near the towns of Horley and Reigate. Hookwood has a mix of housing types, but semi-detached homes are predominant in the village. Hookwood is close to nearby places such as Povey Cross and Meath Green.
Hookwood and Surrey: AdBlue drains across the area
Being a village, Hookwood has the same vans as the surrounding towns — Horley, Meath Green — right across RH postcodes. Telling us your RH6 0 postcode pins you fastest of all.
No moving is needed, be it parked centrally in Hookwood or in a lay-by en route to Hookwood Memorial Park, and so keep it where it is. Where it sits, that is where it is drained. Guessing doesn't help beside Horley Leisure Centre, close to a border or somewhere awkward to pin down; phone and ask.
In one line: your situation
Unstarted? Keep the vehicle that way then ring. Run already? Pull over, switch off, ring. Petrol in Diesel handles the rest whichever it is, across Hookwood and Surrey, on 0333 366 0103.