AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Lime Field, and What to Do Next
Everything turns on one fact: whether the engine has started since the AdBlue went in — far more than anything else. If it hasn't, keep it that way, whether the car is around Lime Field itself or out in Rhodes Green. Normally that means draining and properly flushing it right there in Lime Field — so leave your key and motor off and call 0333 366 0103. If it's run, stop as soon as it is safe and switch off. Stage one stays the same, even though the work is bigger.
Find the scenario below that matches yours, wherever around Greater Manchester it happened.
Lime Field forecourt: AdBlue in a diesel at the pump
Imagine it: stood by the petrol pump, holding the bottle, you realise the filler you took off wasn't the right one. Somewhere around Lime Field, then — the nearest petrol station, Applegreen, or anywhere else nearby.
The point: of every spot to find out, this is the best. Still inside that tank, with no fuel pulled onwards: that is where the AdBlue is.
Do this: keep out of the driver's seat, even if the queue wants clearing. Get the attendants to lend a hand rolling it to a bay, save the receipt, then phone us from there. Can't move the vehicle beside the pump? Explosion-proof equipment keeps a live forecourt sensible, so it can be drained where it is.
AdBlue in the diesel tank at home in Lime Field
For days the dashboard had been nagging you. Only at the recycling bin, the empty container in hand, did you look back at the cap you'd opened on the driveway. Right off Limefield is no less likely from any other place.
Meaning? Provided the vehicle has not moved since, it's second to the forecourt case. At the floor of your tank sits exactly where AdBlue waits, because it won't blend with diesel — and a night going by makes nothing of the difference.
Next: the keys in the house, and so no one drives your vehicle off first thing. Then, ring. Middleton or Lime Field: whichever your driveway sits, that's where it is emptied. Even at night, our pumps stay quiet enough for a residential street.
AdBlue in a diesel and already driving in Lime Field?
You filled up, set off, and a mile or two later your motor began to run unevenly, smoke, lose power or light up the dashboard. It might have been heading for Manchester, under 5 miles away, or simply along Princess Drive.
What it means: the system has pulled the AdBlue in. It's been through the filter and the lines and, the further you went, into the high-pressure pump and the fuel injectors. Each mile and each restart takes it further.
What to do: pull over where it is safe and switch off. Exit by the next junction — not the services beyond — if you are on the M60, under a mile from Lime Field. Don't restart it to see if it has cleared; it will not have. Phone, and say how far the car went.
Hire, lease or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank
You've just had this vehicle a week. On your own vehicle, AdBlue is missing or elsewhere. On this one, the inlet is right by the diesel inlet — news to you. Wherever you happen to be in Greater Manchester, any driver could be caught.
In short: an extra step on top of the situations above, and those turn on if it has run. Many hire and company agreements need the owner's approval for work.
Do this: hire firm or your fleet manager first, us second, because sorting it beforehand saves time. If you are stranded in the car park at Mills Hill, or by Garden of Remembrance, while you wait for an answer, leave the car off.
Not sure it was AdBlue in your diesel tank, Lime Field?
At times the honest answer is "I think so". Which cap was taken off, you can't say; but the bottle weighs lighter than expected, and a whiff of ammonia lingers by your filler. Maybe it happened in a hurry at the school gates at Parkfield Primary School, or on a friend's drive in Langley.
What it means: a little spilled about your filler does no harm to the engine. In the diesel tank, however, AdBlue damages it. You can't tell which by turning the key, and doing so will draw in any AdBlue that is in the tank.
Assume it went in, and don't turn your engine. Call us and explain what you saw; we'd rather check a tank that turns out free of AdBlue than drain one that has already been run.
Every AdBlue drain around Lime Field shares these stages
Each situation has the same opening to the work. Three questions are asked when our technicians reach the car — at a forecourt, a driveway, a street beside Alkrington Hall or the car park outside Middleton Archer: the liquid, the quantity, and if it has been started. Over the phone, ahead of dispatch, you hear the quote, and those replies decide the work too.
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, so it does not rinse out on its own. Next is the fuel filter — flushed, or replaced where necessary — then clean diesel, and a test of the vehicle. If your motor has not run, most jobs take about half an hour once we're there.
The final step is starting the engine. Before our technicians leave, it's tested to be sure it runs properly on fresh diesel. Lasting damage is very uncommon when it's spotted soon, and the whole job is done where the car is. You pay on the day, with nothing upfront, and get a VAT invoice and an engineer report for your insurer. Plenty of insurance policies include misfuelling cover, so it is worth checking yours whilst we're on the way.
About Lime Field, for a moment
Lime Field is a suburban area situated near a lake in Greater Manchester, with an elevation of 79 metres and a mix of semi-detached housing. Lime Field lies close to Middleton, Rhodes, and Alkrington Garden Village, and is approximately 4.9 miles from Manchester. Lime Field has a population of around 1886 residents and is part of the larger Manchester urban area. Lime Field is located in the North West region, about 165.8 miles from London.
AdBlue drains in Lime Field, and across Greater Manchester too
Over M postcodes, the vans serving Lime Field — a residential suburb — reach nearby towns as well, Rhodes and Alkrington Garden Village among them. Quickest of all: a M24 4 postcode for where you stand.
No moving is required, whether parked in the centre of Lime Field or on a lay-by heading to Limefield Park, so keep it put. The drain happens right there. Tricky to explain? By Middleton Shopping Centre or a border? Checking beats guessing, and so ring.
The one-line version
Where it has not run, ring then keep it that way. Run already? Stop, switch off, ring. Petrol in Diesel takes over the rest whatever case, in Lime Field and Greater Manchester, on 0333 366 0103.