AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Horwich: 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 got in. Over in Bottom o th Moor or here around Horwich, an unrun motor must remain that way. Phone 0333 366 0103 with the ignition and engine both off. Across Horwich, that is generally drained and flushed where it stands. Stop the minute you safely can then turn off, if it has already run. It's a bigger job, though step one does not change.
Match what happened to one of the list below, anywhere in Greater Manchester you are.
Horwich forecourt: AdBlue in a diesel at the pump
Picture it: stood by the pump, holding the nozzle, you spot the cap you took off was not the right one. Be it Texaco, BP or anywhere else around Horwich, the case is identical.
Meaning? Finding out here is the best it can be. Nothing has drawn it in, so the AdBlue stays only in that tank.
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, save the receipt, then ring us from there. If it can't be shifted, it can be emptied at the petrol pump: the equipment is explosion-proof and fine on a busy forecourt.
AdBlue in your diesel tank at home in Horwich
The warning light had been on for days. Picked up a bottle, poured it in at home, recycled the empty — and only then checked the cap a second time, too late. It takes place on driveways just off Longworth Road as commonly as anywhere.
Meaning? Provided your vehicle has not moved since, it is second to the pump case. Being reluctant to blend, AdBlue settles low in that tank and waits. A night standing alters nothing.
Your move: the keys in the house, and so no one drives your car off at breakfast. After that, phone. Your drive is where it gets emptied, be it in Horwich or Wilderswood. Late-night empties beside a house are fine: the pumps are low-noise.
AdBlue in a diesel and already driving around Horwich?
Rough running, smoke, lost power or a glowing dashboard arrived a mile or two beyond the top-up. Possibly it was on Harrison Street, perhaps on the way out towards Preston, under 15 miles away.
Put simply: the AdBlue has been sucked into the system. It has been through the filter and the lines and, the further you went, into your high-pressure pump and the fuel injectors. It goes deeper with every extra mile driven and every restart.
Next: pick a sensible spot, stop, and turn the motor off. Horwich lies under a mile from the M61; on it, pull off at the next junction instead of pushing on to the services. It will not have cleared, so there's no sense restarting to check. Tell us know the distance covered when you ring.
AdBlue in the wrong tank of a hire, lease or company car
You have only driven the car for days. Unbeknown to you, the AdBlue and diesel inlets sit next to each other here — not like your own vehicle, which has none or stores it in another spot. It can happen to anyone, anywhere around Greater Manchester.
Put simply: one extra stage on top of the cases above, which depend on whether it's run. The owner often needs to approve the work, under many hire and fleet contracts.
Next: ring the hire company or the fleet manager first, and then us — sorting it before our arrival is faster. Stuck near Horwich Community Centre or outside Blackrod till someone replies, the car remains switched off throughout.
Horwich: unsure if it was AdBlue in the diesel tank?
At times, "I think so" is the most anyone can truthfully say. Which cap was taken off, you can't say; meanwhile the bottle feels less than it ought to, and a whiff of ammonia lingers by the filler. Possibly it happened in a hurry at the school gates at Beacon Primary School, or on a friend's drive in Grimeford Village.
Put simply: spillage round the filler does the motor unharmed. If it is inside your diesel tank, though, it does. If there is AdBlue in your tank, starting your car will draw it in, and it would not tell you which either.
Do this: behave as though it got in, and never start your engine. Tell us what you saw on the phone. A clean tank looked at is a happier outcome than a run one emptied.
Horwich: what every AdBlue drain has in common
Whatever the case, one start is used. Wherever the vehicle stands — B33R@33's car park, a street beside Horwich Heritage Centre, a drive, a filling station — our van gets there and we ask about the fluid, the amount, and if the engine has turned over. Answers set the job; the price follows by phone whilst no one has set off yet.
Then your tank is emptied and your system flushed thoroughly, which counts more with AdBlue than with petrol: AdBlue crystallises and is corrosive to some of the metals in a fuel system, and so it does not rinse out on its own. Then comes the filter — cleaned, or replaced when needed — followed by clean diesel, and a test of the vehicle. Where the motor hasn't run, allow roughly half an hour on site, for most jobs.
The final step is firing it up. Our check that it runs properly on new diesel comes before our technicians leave. If it is spotted quickly, the car very rarely has permanent damage, and the whole job takes place where it is. Nothing is paid upfront, settlement is made on the day, and you receive what your insurer asks for: an engineer report and a VAT invoice. Many insurance policies cover misfuelling, and so check yours as we head over.
About Horwich
Horwich is a town situated in a riverside location within Greater Manchester, England. It is nestled near the southern edge of a vast moorland area, with a major motorway running close by. The town is positioned near several larger urban centres, including Bolton and Manchester. Horwich is a distinct community with a strong sense of identity.
AdBlue drains across Greater Manchester, Horwich included
Horwich is a riverside town, and the same vans that cover it work the places around it too, Wallsuches and Montcliffe among them, across the BL postcode area. A postcode starting BL6 7 is the quickest way to tell us where you are.
Central Horwich or a lay-by near Old Station Park: either way it is, the car doesn't need to shift an inch for this drain. We drain the car where it sits. Phone and check rather than guess when you're close to Horwich Evangelical Church, on a boundary, or somewhere awkward to pin down.
The one-line version
Unstarted? Leave it that way then ring. Already run: stop, switch off then ring. Either way, Petrol in Diesel takes it from there in Horwich and anywhere across Greater Manchester on 0333 366 0103.