What Now? AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Lytham
All of it hinges on one detail: whether the motor has been run since the AdBlue was added — more than anything else. If it hasn't, keep it that way, whether your car is in Lytham itself or out in Higher Ballam. Normally this means emptying and thoroughly flushing it on the spot around Lytham — so leave the key and motor off then phone 0333 366 0103. Stop the minute you safely can and switch off, if it has been run. The job is bigger, yet the first step is the same.
Find the scenario below that matches yours, wherever across Lancashire it happened.
AdBlue in a diesel on a Lytham forecourt
Only now, nozzle yet in hand, it dawns on you that the cap you opened was the wrong one, right at the petrol pump. Possibly you're at the EG On The Move Lytham, maybe at the Shell, maybe somewhere else around Lytham.
In short: no better spot to be to discover it. Still inside the tank, and no fuel pulled through: that is where the AdBlue sits.
Freeing the pump is no excuse to run it — and so don't get back in. Have the staff to lend a hand pushing it to a bay, save the bottle, then ring us right there. Can't move it beside the pump? Our explosion-proof equipment makes a live forecourt sensible, and so we can drain it where it is.
Lytham, at home: AdBlue in the diesel tank
Several days had gone by with the dash light on. Bought a container, tipped it in outside the house, binned the empty — and only then looked at the cap again, after the fact. Driveways close to Mythop Road get it as much as any other street.
What it means: if you have not driven since, this is nearly as good as the forecourt. On the bottom of the tank is exactly where AdBlue stays, because it won't blend with diesel — and a night passing changes no difference.
Next: prevent an early drive by putting the keys indoors, then ring us. Our engineers drain the vehicle on your drive, whether that's around Lytham or out in Saltcotes. The pumping kit runs quietly enough not to disturb the street at night.
AdBlue in a diesel and already driving in Lytham?
You filled up, set off, and a mile or two later your engine began to run unevenly, smoke, lose power or light up the dashboard. Brookfield Terrace, say, or the way towards Preston — a trip of under 15 miles.
In short: the AdBlue has been pulled into your fuel system. It's been through your filter and the lines and, the further you went, into the high-pressure fuel pump and the fuel injectors. Every restart, like each mile, pushes it on.
Next: find a safe place, stop, and switch the motor off. On the M55, under 5 miles from Lytham, that means the next exit, not the services further on. No test restarts: clearing itself isn't something AdBlue does. Tell us hear the distance driven when you ring.
A hire or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank?
You have just driven the car a week. The AdBlue filler is right next to the diesel one, which you did not know, since your own vehicle either has no AdBlue or keeps it somewhere else. Anywhere you are in Lancashire, any driver could slip up.
What it means: the same as the situations above, depending on whether it has run, with one more stage. Plenty of hire and fleet contracts require the owner's approval for work.
Settling it before we turn up is faster, and so phone the rental company or your fleet manager, then us. Hanging on for a reply at the car park outside the nearest station, or near Lytham St Annes & Fylde Sea Cadets? Keep the engine off meanwhile.
Unsure about AdBlue in the diesel tank around Lytham?
Truthfully, the best answer might be that you think so. Too light, that bottle; a hint of ammonia near the filler; a hazy recollection of the cap. Sound familiar? The gates of Lytham Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School in a hurry, say, or someone's driveway over in Moss Side.
The upshot: your motor is not harmed by some AdBlue spilled on the outside. The diesel tank with AdBlue inside is another matter. Firing up your car cannot tell you which, and if there is AdBlue in your tank it will pull it in.
Next: assume it went in, then leave the engine off. Call us and describe what you saw; we would rather check a tank that turns out free of AdBlue than drain one that has already been run.
The common ground in each Lytham AdBlue drain
Each situation gets the same opening to the work. Wherever your vehicle is — The Railway Hotel's car park, a road beside St Peters, a drive, a forecourt — our van arrives and we ask for the liquid, the quantity, plus whether the engine has been run. Those replies determine the work, and you hear our quote by phone, before anybody heads out.
Emptying your tank comes first, then a careful flush — more vital after urea than after petrol, since crystals and corrosion will not go on their own, no matter how long you wait. Last come the fuel filter, cleaned or renewed as needed; clean diesel; and a test of the vehicle. Never started? Then roughly half an hour on site covers most jobs.
Our technicians fire it up at the end. Before we leave, it's checked to confirm it runs smoothly on fresh diesel. If it is spotted early, the vehicle very rarely has permanent damage, and the entire job takes place where it is. Nothing is paid upfront, payment happens on the day, and you get what your insurer wants: an engineer report plus a VAT invoice. Many insurance policies include misfuelling cover, so it is worth checking yours while we are on the way.
About Lytham and where it is
Lytham is a suburban area on the Fylde coast in Lancashire, situated near the towns of Saltcotes, Ansdell, and Fairhaven. Lytham lies at a low elevation of around 6 metres above sea level, close to the Irish Sea coastline. Lytham has a mix of housing types, but terraced houses are particularly prevalent in the area. Lytham is located approximately 10 miles from Preston and 195 miles from London.
AdBlue drains around Lytham and across Lancashire
Ansdell and Fairhaven have the same vans as Lytham, a residential suburb, plus further towns throughout FY postcodes. Giving us a FY8 4 postcode finds you fastest of all.
Parked heading to Queen Elizabeth II Park View Playing Fields, or bang in the heart of Lytham, the vehicle stays where it is — there's no need to shift it at all. We drain the car where it sits. If you are somewhere hard to describe, near John Talbot Clifton Memorial or close to a border, ring and ask instead of guessing.
In one line: your situation
If it hasn't started, phone and keep it off. Whatever line fits, Petrol in Diesel takes over the rest on 0333 366 0103, throughout Lancashire and within Lytham — once you stop, switch off then ring, if it has run.