What Now? AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Islington
What to do about AdBlue in a diesel tank depends on one thing more than any other: if your motor has been run since it went in. Out in Finsbury or here around Islington, an unstarted motor should remain unrun. Leave the motor and the ignition off and ring 0333 366 0103; it's usually a drain and a thorough flush, done where the car is around Islington. When the motor has run, stop somewhere safe straight away, then turn the vehicle off. A larger job, yes, but the identical opening move.
Wherever around Greater London it happened, one of the situations below matches yours.
On a Islington forecourt with AdBlue in a diesel
Just now, nozzle still in your hand, it dawns on you that the cap you took off was the wrong one, there at the pump. Whether Shell, Texaco or somewhere else around Islington, the case is identical.
Meaning? Finding out on the forecourt is the best it can be. No pump has drawn it through, so the AdBlue stays only inside that tank.
Do this: stay out of the car, even if the pump wants freeing. Ask the staff to help you roll the vehicle into a parking space, keep the receipt or the bottle, then call us from the forecourt. Stuck by the petrol pump? Our explosion-proof kit makes a live forecourt safe, and so we can drain the car where it is.
Islington, at home: AdBlue in your diesel tank
Days had gone by with the dash light on. You bought a bottle, poured it in on the drive, and only when you put the empty bottle in the recycling did you look once more at the cap. It takes place on drives just off Upper Street as often as anywhere.
In short: if the vehicle has not been driven since, it's almost equal to finding out at the pump. AdBlue doesn't mix with diesel; it sinks to the bottom of your tank and waits there. Overnight does not change that.
Next: stop any early drive by keeping the keys in the house, then ring us. Our technicians drain it on your drive, whether that's around Islington or out in Angel. Even at night, the pumps stay quiet enough for a residential street.
AdBlue in a diesel and already driving in Islington?
Lumpy running, smoke, lost power or a lit dashboard started a short way after the fill. Gaskin Street, perhaps, or the way towards London — a trip of under 3 miles.
What it means: the fuel system has sucked the AdBlue in. The injection pump and every injector get it as well on a longer trip, after the fuel filter and pipework have it. It goes further with each extra mile covered and each restart.
What to do: pull over where it's safe then switch off. Exit by the next junction — not the services beyond — if you're on the M1, under 10 miles from Islington. Don't restart the car to see if it has cleared; it will not have. About what distance had it gone? Tell us as you phone.
A hire or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank?
Seven days back, it was unknown to you. The AdBlue filler sits right beside the diesel one, which you didn't know, because your own vehicle either has no AdBlue or keeps it somewhere else. Any driver, anywhere in Greater London, could do the same.
What it means: the same as the scenarios above, depending on whether it's run, with one more step. Work on your vehicle frequently needs the owner's approval under rental or company agreements.
Your move: rental firm or fleet manager first, us next, because settling it beforehand saves time. Keep the car off as the reply arrives, whether you're parked at Essex Road or near King's Head Theatre.
Islington: unsure if it was AdBlue in your diesel tank?
Now and then, "I think so" is the most anyone can truthfully say. Lighter, that bottle; a trace of ammonia round the filler; a hazy recollection of which cap. Sound familiar? It might have been on a friend's drive in Canonbury, or rushing outside St Mary's CofE Primary School on the school run.
What it means: a little spilled around your filler does no harm to the motor. If it is inside your diesel tank, though, that changes. If there is AdBlue in the tank, turning on your car will draw it in, and it would not tell you which either.
Take it that it got in, and don't turn the key. Ring us and explain what you saw; we would rather check a tank that turns out clean than drain one that has already been run.
The common ground in every Islington AdBlue drain
Whatever the case, a single opening applies. Three questions are asked once our engineers reach the car — at a forecourt, a driveway, a street beside Screen on the Green or the car park outside The Bull: the fluid, the quantity, and whether the motor has run. Replies shape the job; the quote comes on the call whilst nobody has left yet.
AdBlue crystallises and is corrosive to certain metals used in fuel systems, and so it won't rinse out unaided; that's why the flush, after the drain, matters much more here than with petrol. Your filter is flushed, or replaced where it needs to be; fresh diesel goes in; and your car is tested. If your engine hasn't run, most jobs take about half an hour once we're there.
The final step is firing it up. Our technicians make sure it runs properly on clean diesel before we leave. When it's spotted soon, the car very seldom has lasting damage, and the entire job happens where it is. Paying comes that day, never in advance. For your insurer, there is a VAT invoice plus a written report from the engineer. Many insurance policies include misfuelling cover, and so it's worth checking yours while we are on the way.
About Islington itself
Islington is a locality in northern Greater London, situated on the banks of the Regent's Canal and close to the River Thames. Islington sits at an elevation of around 40 metres, with its proximity to central London making it a popular residential area. Islington is characterised by its predominantly flat-type housing and is surrounded by nearby places such as Angel, Pentonville, and Barnsbury. Islington has a population of approximately 11,650 people.
Islington and Greater London: AdBlue drains across the area
Throughout N postcodes, the teams covering Islington — a neighbourhood — work nearby towns as well, Pentonville and Barnsbury included. A postcode starting N1 2 is the quickest way to tell us where you are.
Whether the vehicle is on a lay-by on the way to Andersons Square or in a car park in the middle of Islington, it doesn't need to move. Where it sits, that is where it gets drained. Awkward to pin down? By Kasama Potters or a border? Asking is better than guessing, and so ring.
Your situation, in one line
Still unrun? Keep the vehicle off and phone. Run by now: stop, power down, ring 0333 366 0103. Petrol in Diesel handles the rest, in Islington or anywhere across Greater London.