AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Lynmouth: What Now?
One fact matters most once AdBlue is in a diesel tank, and that is if your motor has run since. Over in Barbrook or here in Lynmouth, an unrun engine must remain that way. Normally this means draining and thoroughly rinsing it right there in Lynmouth — so keep your ignition and motor off and phone 0333 366 0103. Where your motor has been run, pull in somewhere safe first, then switch the car off. A larger job, then, but the same opening move.
Match what happened to one of the ones below, wherever in Devon you are.
At the petrol pump around Lynmouth: AdBlue in a diesel
Imagine it: standing by the petrol pump, holding the bottle, you realise the filler you opened was not the correct one. Be it Gulf, another forecourt nearby or anywhere else in Lynmouth, the case is the same.
What it means: this is the ideal spot to find out. Still inside that tank, and nothing drawn through: that is where the AdBlue sits.
Next: avoid the temptation to fire it up only to free up the pump. A few jobs: a shove into a space with the staff assisting, the receipt saved, and a call to us from where you stand. Our equipment is explosion-proof and safe on a busy forecourt, so a vehicle that cannot be pushed away is emptied where it is at the petrol pump.
At home around Lynmouth with AdBlue in the diesel tank
For days the dash had been warning you. Picked up a container, tipped it in outside the house, recycled the empty — and at that point looked at the cap a second time, too late. Drives close to Lynmouth Hill get it as much as any other street.
Meaning? As long as your car hasn't moved since, it is close to the pump case. AdBlue does not mix with diesel; it sinks to the bottom of that tank and waits there. Overnight does not change that.
What to do: leave the keys inside the house so no one moves the vehicle in the morning. Then call. Your driveway is where it is drained, be it in Lynmouth or Lynton. Our equipment runs quiet enough that it won't wake the neighbours at night.
Lynmouth: drove off with AdBlue in a diesel?
Topped up, pulled away, and before long your motor was running roughly, smoking, losing power, or lighting up the dash. Anywhere on A39 or else on the road towards Swansea — under 50 miles away.
What it means: the system has sucked the AdBlue in. It's been through your filter and the fuel lines and, the further you went, into the high-pressure pump and your injectors. More driving, more starts: further it goes.
Your move: pull up anywhere safe, then turn your engine off. Service stations farther on are too far: from the M4, under 25 miles out of Lynmouth, use the first junction. It won't have cleared, and so there's no sense starting it again to find out. Call us and say how far you travelled.
Hire, lease or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank
You've had this vehicle barely a week. On your own vehicle, AdBlue is absent or somewhere else. On this one, the inlet is just next to your diesel cap — a surprise to you. Anywhere you are in Devon, any motorist can slip up.
What it means: the same as the situations above, depending on whether it's run, with one more step. Many hire and company contracts want the owner to approve work on the vehicle.
Next: ring the rental company or the fleet manager first, then us — sorting it before we arrive is faster. Waiting for a reply at the car park at the nearest station, or near The Glen Lyn Gorge? Leave your car off meanwhile.
Not sure it was AdBlue in your diesel tank, Lynmouth?
Occasionally the honest answer is "I think so". The bottle is lighter than it should be, there's a faint smell of ammonia round the filler, and you can't remember which cap you took off. The gates of Lynton Church of England Primary School in a hurry, say, or a friend's drive out in Countisbury.
Meaning? Spills outside the filler don't touch your engine at all. AdBlue inside your diesel tank does. If there is AdBlue in the tank, starting the car will draw it in, and it would not tell you which either.
What to do: treat it as if it went in. Do not crank it. Ring with what you saw: we'd sooner confirm a tank free of AdBlue than drain one after the motor has run.
What every AdBlue drain around Lynmouth has in common
Every case gets the same opening to the work. Three questions are asked once our technicians arrive — on a forecourt, a driveway, a road by Lyn Model Railway or the car park at The Village Inn: the liquid, the amount, and if it has been started. Answers set the job; the quote follows by phone whilst nobody has left yet.
A thorough flush follows the drain. With petrol it is routine; with AdBlue it's crucial, because deposits form and some metals corrode, and none of that rinses away unaided. Finally come the filter, cleaned or replaced as needed; clean diesel; and a check of the car. Most unrun cars are a half-hour job after the moment we turn up.
Our engineers start the car at the end. Before our technicians head off, it is tested to be sure it runs properly on fresh diesel. We do the whole job where the car is, and lasting damage is very rare if it has been spotted soon. Nothing is taken upfront, payment is made on the day, and you get what your insurer asks for: an engineer report plus a VAT invoice. Worth knowing: lots of insurers include misfuelling cover, so a check of your policy as we travel pays.
About Lynmouth and where it is
Lynmouth is a small coastal village in Devon, situated on the west coast of England, with a population of around 585 people. Lynmouth sits at an elevation of 16 metres, near the towns of Lynton and Lynbridge, and is characterised by its terraced housing. Lynmouth is located near the East Lyn River and is close to the nearby village of West Lyn. Lynmouth is approximately 160.8 miles from London and 27.4 miles from Swansea.
AdBlue drains in Lynmouth, and across Devon too
Over EX postcodes, the vans covering Lynmouth — a coastal village — reach nearby places too, Lynbridge and West Lyn among them. Telling us a EX35 6 postcode finds you quickest of all.
No towing is required, whether parked in the centre of Lynmouth or in a layby heading to Manor Grounds, so keep it put. Our van drains it where it stands. Ring and check instead of guessing if you're close to St John The Baptist, on a boundary, or anywhere awkward to pin down.
The one-line version
Not run yet: keep it off then ring. Run already: pull over, power down, phone 0333 366 0103. Petrol in Diesel takes over the rest, in Lynmouth or anywhere in Devon.