What Now? AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Lakenham
What to do about AdBlue in a diesel tank depends on one thing more than any other: if the engine has run since it got in. Not started so far? Then keep it that way, whether the vehicle sits — Lakenham or Old Lakenham. Normally that means draining and thoroughly cleaning it right there in Lakenham — so leave your ignition and motor off then ring 0333 366 0103. Already run? Stop when you safely can, then switch it off. The job is bigger, but the first step is the same.
Match your case to a situation from the ones below, anywhere around Norfolk you happen to be.
On a Lakenham forecourt with AdBlue in a diesel
Picture it: stood by the petrol pump, gripping the nozzle, you spot the cap you opened was not the right one. It might be the BP, or the Sainsbury's, or another station in Lakenham.
Put simply: no better spot exists to discover it. The AdBlue is inside the tank and nowhere else. Nothing has drawn it in.
Next: resist the temptation to fire it up only to free up the pump. Phone us from the forecourt after the car sits in a space — the attendants will lend a hand to push it — and save the receipt. If it can't be shifted, it can be emptied at the pump: the equipment is explosion-proof and fine on a busy forecourt.
AdBlue in the diesel tank on a Lakenham drive?
The warning light had been on for days. You bought a bottle, poured it in on the drive, and only when you put the empty bottle in the recycling did you look again at the cap. Drives close to Sunny Hill see it as much as any other street.
Meaning? Provided the car hasn't been driven since, it is close to the pump case. Being unable to blend, AdBlue settles low in that tank and waits. A night parked alters nothing.
Keep your keys in the house tonight — otherwise a person may take it off at breakfast — and call us. Out in Long Johns Hill or right here in Lakenham, the drain happens at your driveway. Even at night, the pumps stay quiet enough for a residential street.
Set off with AdBlue in a diesel around Lakenham?
A mile or two after topping up, the engine started misbehaving: rough running, smoke, less power, warnings on your dash. Long John Hill, perhaps, or the way towards Norwich — a trip of under 3 miles.
Meaning? Your fuel pump has taken the AdBlue in. The injection pump and each injector see it as well on a longer trip, after the filter and pipework have had it. Each mile and each restart takes it further.
Do this: stop anywhere sensible, then turn your engine off. Exit by the next junction — not the services further along — if you are on the M11, over 50 miles from Lakenham. No trial starts: clearing is not something AdBlue will do. Phone us and say how far you went.
Hire, lease or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank
A week ago, it was unknown to you. Unbeknown to you, the two inlets are side by side here — not like your own vehicle, which has no AdBlue or keeps it in another spot. Throughout Norfolk, nobody is immune.
Put simply: an extra stage on top of the situations above, and those turn on if it has run. Many hire and fleet contracts require the owner's approval before work.
Sorting it before the van turn up is quicker, so phone the hire company or your fleet manager, then us. Keep it off while the answer arrives, even if you are waiting at Norwich or near Jubilee Centre.
Unsure about AdBlue in your diesel tank around Lakenham?
At times, "I think so" is the most anyone can truthfully say. Too light, that bottle; a trace of ammonia round your filler; a hazy recollection of the cap. Sound familiar? Maybe at a friend's driveway in Trowse Newton, or rushing by Lakenham Primary School on the school run.
In short: a spill round the filler leaves your motor no harm. The diesel tank with AdBlue in it is a different matter. You can't tell which by turning the key, and doing so will pull in any AdBlue that is in that tank.
Next: assume it got in, and keep your motor off. Call us and explain what you saw; we would rather check a tank that turns out clean than drain one that has already been run.
Lakenham: what each AdBlue drain has in common
Whichever situation you are in, this job starts the same way. Anywhere your vehicle is — The Freemasons Arms's car park, a street by Simon O'Rourke, a driveway, a forecourt — the van arrives and we ask for the fluid, the amount, plus if your motor has turned over. Over the phone, ahead of dispatch, you hear the quote, and those replies decide the job too.
Then that tank is drained and your system purged thoroughly, which counts more with AdBlue than with petrol: AdBlue crystallises and is corrosive to some of the metals in a fuel system, so it does not rinse out on its own. Then is the fuel filter — flushed, or swapped where needed — then clean diesel, and a test of your car. Where your engine hasn't run, allow about half an hour once we arrive, for most cases.
Starting it comes at the end. We make sure it runs properly on clean diesel before leaving. If it's spotted early, the car very seldom has long-term damage, and the whole job takes place where it is. Nothing is taken upfront, payment happens on the day, and you receive what the insurer wants: an engineer report plus a VAT invoice. Plenty of insurance policies include misfuelling cover, and so it's worth checking yours while we're on the way.
About Lakenham itself
Lakenham is a suburban area located on the outskirts of Norwich, situated near the River Yare in Norfolk. Lakenham sits at an elevation of 33 metres, with its riverside setting influencing the local environment. Lakenham is characterized by a high proportion of flat housing, which is typical of many suburban areas in the region. Lakenham is close to nearby places such as Long Johns Hill, Richmond Hill, and Trowse Millgate, and is approximately 97.6 miles from London.
AdBlue drains across Norfolk, Lakenham included
Over NR postcodes, the teams covering Lakenham — a residential suburb — reach surrounding places too, Richmond Hill and Trowse Millgate included. The location is clearest from a postcode beginning NR1 2.
Centre of Lakenham or a lay-by towards Jubilee Park: either way it sits, your car never needs to move an inch for us. Where it stands, that is where it gets drained. Awkward to pin down? Close to Spirit of Coltishall or a border? Asking is better than guessing, and so phone.
In one line: your scenario
Engine never started: phone, and leave it switched off. Already run: stop, switch off and ring. Either way, Petrol in Diesel takes it from there in Lakenham and anywhere in Norfolk on 0333 366 0103.