AdBlue in a Diesel Tank in Lippiatt: How It Occurs and How to Prevent It
AdBlue already in your diesel tank? In that case put this page aside a moment, leave the ignition and engine off, then ring 0333 366 0103. A drain plus a full flush, carried out right where your car sits around Lippiatt, is usually all it needs if found before the engine runs. The remainder of this page covers why it occurs and how to ensure it does not — useful if you're reading ahead of time.
AdBlue in a diesel motor: two tanks, two fillers
No single liquid but two: that's what plenty of modern diesels around Lippiatt and Barrows carry, with diesel feeding the engine. AdBlue's own tank holds it, and from there it goes to your exhaust, where spraying cleans the fumes.
Every tank has one filler of its own. On a lot of vehicles the two sit side by side under the same flap; on others the AdBlue filler is in your boot or under the bonnet. At the pump, the diesel side is topped up constantly. Far less commonly, the AdBlue side gets filled — normally from a bottle, by someone working out where it goes. That gap is where the mistake lives.
Lippiatt: how AdBlue in the diesel tank occurs
Seldom is it carelessness: normally three things coincide.
Hurry comes 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 gets done quickly, before work on a drive off The Lippiatt, or heading home in the car park outside Riverside Inn.
Unfamiliar cars are second, as well. Rentals, new vehicles and company cars put their fillers in new places, and the hand goes for the cap used on the old one.
Lastly, the spout fits: diesel filler or AdBlue filler, it goes in as easily, and once the tip starts, no part halts it. It takes a few seconds, be it in Hamfield or bang in the centre of Lippiatt.
Which filler is for AdBlue, and which for diesel?
Look at these before pouring, on a forecourt in Lippiatt or a driveway out in Bradley Cross. Seconds, no more.
- Colour and lettering: an AdBlue cap is regularly blue, or says "AdBlue", where a diesel cap normally does not. Go by the cap, not its position.
- Plenty of vehicles fit AdBlue the smaller filler of the two.
- The flap. Look inside your fuel flap for a label. Many motors say there which fuel goes where.
- Can't see it next to the diesel filler? In that case look below the bonnet or in your boot — the handbook says where.
- The person who drove it last. On a hire or company car picked up from somewhere like the car park at Worle, ask before you leave, not when the light comes on.
Keeping AdBlue out of the diesel tank when you top up
Anywhere across Somerset the light comes on, here is a routine for that day.
- Park then switch off. Not on a slope, not with the motor running, and not in a rush on the side of St Andrews Road.
- Find the AdBlue filler and read the cap. Say "AdBlue" out loud as you unscrew it. It sounds daft and it works.
- The diesel cap remains on. Where the two sit under a flap, make sure it is closed before lifting the bottle.
- Stop once the tank is topped up or the bottle runs dry; before that, tip slowly through its built-in spout.
- Close the cap and check again. Make sure the diesel cap was never opened. Only then start the vehicle.
Find at step two or three that it has already gone into your diesel side? Then stop right there. Stage five stays out.
Already put AdBlue in the diesel tank in Lippiatt?
What follows is a short order of things, starting with no starting the motor. Keep the ignition off too, because on plenty of diesels it alone runs your pump. Don't top up with diesel to dilute it: AdBlue does not mix with diesel, it sinks to the bottom of the tank, where the fuel is pulled from.
The attendants at Murco, BP or another forecourt will normally help pushing the vehicle clear when asked. Leave it where it is if you are on your own driveway in Lippiatt.
Already run? Stop once it is safe, then switch off. Leave the M5 — under 10 miles out of Lippiatt — at the first junction. Roughly how far did it go? Hopping across Lippiatt is smaller work than a run of under 10 miles to Wells, and so tell us.
Our arrival around Lippiatt, and what occurs next
The van reaches your car wherever it has come to rest — your own drive, beside Sword In A Stone, or outside Cheddar First School. Both the work and the quote depend on three answers — what liquid, what amount, and if it has run — so our engineers ask. You get that price on the phone, before anybody heads out.
The system is then cleaned thoroughly, after the tank is drained. More than with petrol, it counts with AdBlue: crystals build up, some metals are attacked, and nothing washes out unaided, no matter how long it is left. The filter is cleaned, or replaced where it needs to be; clean diesel goes in; and your car is tested. Then our technicians start it and confirm it runs properly before we go.
Unrun vehicles usually mean a half-hour visit after arrival. The kit is safe on a live filling station, and hushed enough for a residential street late at night. Payment is on the day, not upfront, and you are given the paperwork your insurer wants: an engineer report and a VAT invoice. While we travel, have a look at your insurance documents; many carry cover for misfuelling.
About Lippiatt and where it is
Lippiatt is a suburban area situated on the riverside in Somerset, with a relatively low elevation of around 20 metres. Lippiatt lies near the cities of Wells and the surrounding areas of Hamfield, Cheddar, and Hillfield. Lippiatt has a population of approximately 3651 residents, predominantly living in detached housing. Lippiatt is located about 115 miles west of London, making it a commuter-friendly location.
AdBlue drains around Lippiatt, and Somerset beyond
Cheddar and Hillfield are among the places near Lippiatt, a residential suburb, that the same teams cover, over BS postcodes. The van gets to you fastest with a postcode starting BS27 3.
There's no need to move the car. We drain it where it is — a side street near Cheddar Viewing Tower, a lay-by on the way to Rotary Park, a drive. If you are close to a boundary, or somewhere hard to explain like the back of Cheddar Methodist Church, ring and ask instead of guessing.
Lippiatt people: the short version
Before you tip, read the cap. AdBlue in your diesel tank regardless? Keep the vehicle switched off then ring 0333 366 0103; Petrol in Diesel drains it on the spot, across Somerset.