AdBlue in a Diesel Tank in Knightsridge: How It Happens and How to Stop It
Leave your motor and ignition off then ring 0333 366 0103 now — the rest can wait when AdBlue is already in the diesel tank. In Knightsridge, finding it before the motor runs normally leaves draining and a full flush on the spot. Not happened yet? Further down, the rest of the page explains the why it takes place and the how to avoid it for good.
Two fillers, two tanks: AdBlue in a diesel vehicle
Not one fluid but two: that is how plenty of newer diesels near Knightsridge and Eliburn run, with diesel for the motor. Stored in a tank of its own, AdBlue is sprayed into your exhaust stream to clean it.
There's a filler on every tank. Some motors keep the AdBlue filler in your boot or under the bonnet; plenty more place the two side by side behind one flap. Topping up your diesel side at the petrol pump happens all the time. Rarely topped up, AdBlue usually goes in out of a bottle, poured by a driver who must stop and think what filler to use. It is in that gap that the slip happens.
Knightsridge: how AdBlue in your diesel tank takes place
It is hardly ever carelessness. Three things tend to line up.
Haste follows from the warning. The vehicle tells you as AdBlue runs low, and an empty tank sends the vehicle into limp mode — so the top-up happens quickly, before work on a drive off Anderson Green, or on the way home in the car park outside The Saltire.
New-to-you vehicles come next, too. Rentals, new vehicles and company cars place their fillers in new places, and the hand goes for the cap it used on the old one.
Lastly, the bottle goes in: diesel filler or AdBlue one, it goes in just as easily, and once the tip starts, nothing stops it. The same few seconds settle it, in the middle of Knightsridge or out in Deans.
Telling the AdBlue filler from your diesel filler
Whether a Knightsridge forecourt or a drive out in Howden, spend a few seconds over these before any is poured in.
- The cap. The AdBlue cap is commonly blue, or marked "AdBlue". Your diesel cap normally is not. Read it rather than going by where it sits.
- On plenty of motors, size tells: AdBlue has the smaller filler neck.
- Lift the filler flap and look for a label — plenty of vehicles show which belongs in which filler right there.
- In the boot or under the bonnet: that's where the filler sits if it is not by your diesel cap, and the handbook tells you which.
- The person who drove the car last. On a hire or company car picked up from somewhere like the car park outside Livingston North, ask before you leave, not when the light comes on.
Topping up AdBlue without it reaching your diesel tank
When the light goes on, anywhere in West Lothian, follow this routine.
- Not in a rush on the side of Knightsridge West Road, not on a slope, not with the engine running: park then switch off properly.
- Find the AdBlue filler and read the cap. Say "AdBlue" out loud as you unscrew it. It sounds daft and it does the trick.
- If both sit under one flap, check the diesel cap is still closed before you lift the bottle — and leave the vehicle on.
- Tip slowly, using the bottle's own spout. Stop when it is full or when the bottle is empty.
- Only then, start the car: close the cap, check once more, and make sure your diesel cap was never opened.
If at stage two or three you find you have already poured into the diesel side, stop there. Don't go on to step five.
Already put AdBlue in your diesel tank in Knightsridge?
The short order of things, beginning with no starting the motor. Don't switch the ignition on; on many diesels that alone runs the fuel pump. Don't top up with diesel to thin it: AdBlue does not mix with diesel, it sinks to the bottom of that tank, where the fuel is drawn from.
The attendants at BP, Shell or another forecourt will usually help to push your car away if asked. Your own driveway around Knightsridge is where it stays.
If your motor has already run, stop as soon as it is safe then switch off. Come off the M8 — under a mile out of Knightsridge — at the next exit. Tell us about how far it went: a run towards Dunfermline, under 15 miles away, is a bigger job than a short hop across Knightsridge.
What occurs when we arrive around Knightsridge
Outside the local primary school, close to Oasis Christian Centre or on your own drive: wherever the car has stopped, we come to it. Both the work and our quote depend on three replies — what fluid, which amount, and if it has run — so we ask. No one heads out until you have heard the price by phone.
After that: a drain, then a full flush of the whole system. With AdBlue that counts more than with petrol: it crystallises and is corrosive to some of the metals in a fuel system, and so it does not wash out on its own. Testing comes last: before that, clean diesel goes in, and your filter is cleaned or changed if necessary. The engine is fired up next and checked to be sure it runs smoothly, all before our engineers go.
If your motor hasn't run, most jobs take about half an hour once we're there, using pumps that are fine on a working forecourt and quiet enough to use outside a house after dark. No money upfront; you settle up on the day. At the end, the VAT invoice and a report from the engineer go to you for the insurer. Misfuelling cover is part of plenty of insurance policies — and so make use of the wait to look at yours.
About Knightsridge
Knightsridge is a suburban area situated on the riverside in West Lothian, with a mix of terraced housing and other residential properties. Knightsridge has a population of around 5086 people and is located near several other communities, including Deans, Ladywell, and Dechmont. Knightsridge sits at an elevation of 148 metres, overlooking the surrounding countryside. Knightsridge is approximately 11.7 miles from Dunfermline, the nearest city.
AdBlue drains across West Lothian, Knightsridge included
As a residential suburb, Knightsridge has the same vans as nearby places — Ladywell, Dechmont — all the way across EH postcodes and the surrounding area around them. A postcode starting EH54 8 gets the van to you fastest.
No need to move the vehicle. A drive, a lay-by on the way to Dechmont Moss Wood, a side street near Livingston Ecumenical Parish: we drain the car where it stands. Guessing won't help at the back of Mouse and Cheese, on a border, or somewhere awkward to pin down; ring and check.
The short version for Knightsridge motorists
Before you pour, read the cap. Even so AdBlue in the diesel tank? Petrol in Diesel will empty it where it stands, anywhere around West Lothian: switch the car off and ring 0333 366 0103.