What Now? AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Magheramorne
One fact counts most when AdBlue is in a diesel tank, and it is whether the motor has been started since. If it has not, keep it that way, whether the car is in Magheramorne itself or out in Glenoe. Leave your motor and your ignition off then call 0333 366 0103; it is usually a drain and a thorough flush, done where your car is in Magheramorne. Pull over the moment it is safe and turn off, if it has been run. A bigger job, yes, but the same first step.
Anywhere across County Antrim it happened, one of the cases below fits yours.
Magheramorne forecourt: AdBlue in a diesel at the pump
Only at this point, bottle yet in hand, it dawns on you that the cap you opened was the wrong one, right at the petrol pump. Perhaps you are at the the nearest petrol station, possibly at the another forecourt nearby, perhaps somewhere else in Magheramorne.
Meaning? Spotting it on the forecourt is as good as it gets. Just that tank holds AdBlue; not one component past it has taken any in.
What to do: don't get back in and fire it up to clear the petrol pump. Have the staff to help pushing it into a bay, save the receipt, then phone us right there. If it cannot be moved, it can be emptied at the petrol pump: the equipment is explosion-proof and safe on a working forecourt.
Magheramorne, at home: AdBlue in the diesel tank
For days the dash had been warning you. You bought a bottle, poured it in on the driveway, and only when you put the empty bottle in the recycling did you look again at the cap. Houses just off B738 are hit as often as anywhere else.
Meaning? Provided the vehicle has not been driven since, it is second to the pump case. On the floor of the tank sits where AdBlue stays, because it won't mix with diesel — and a night going by makes no difference.
What to do: leave your keys inside the house so nobody moves the vehicle in the morning. Then ring. Your driveway is where it gets emptied, be it in Magheramorne or Mill Bay. Even at night, our pumps are quiet enough for a driveway.
AdBlue in a diesel and already driving in Magheramorne?
Rough running, smoke, falling power or a lit dashboard started a mile or two after the fill. Somewhere along Heugh Road or heading to Belfast — under 25 miles away.
Meaning? Your fuel pump has taken the AdBlue in. Distance sets how far it gets: filter and pipework to begin with, then the injection pump and every injector. It travels further with every mile covered and every restart.
Pull in safely — that is the first job — then turn everything off. On the M77, over 50 miles from Magheramorne, that means the next exit, not the services further on. Starting it again to test gets nothing — AdBlue doesn't clear on its own. Phone us and say how far you drove.
A hire or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank?
Seven days ago, it was unknown to you. Unbeknown to you, the AdBlue and diesel inlets are next to each other here — unlike your own car, which has none or stores it elsewhere. It can happen to anyone, anywhere around County Antrim.
Put simply: one extra step on top of the cases above, and those depend on if it has run. Many hire and company contracts require the owner's sign-off for repairs.
Next: ring the hire company or your fleet manager first, and then us — sorting it before we arrive is quicker. Leave the vehicle switched off as the answer comes, whether you're parked at the nearest station or near the centre.
Not sure it was AdBlue in the diesel tank, Magheramorne?
"I think so" is sometimes the most honest as it gets. Too light, that bottle; a trace of ammonia round the filler; a hazy memory of the cap. Look familiar? A rushed top-up by the gates of the local primary school, or a visit to a friend in Islandmagee: either fits.
The point: the engine isn't hurt by a little AdBlue spilled around the outside. If it is inside your diesel tank, though, it does. If there is AdBlue in your tank, firing up the car will draw it in, and it wouldn't tell you which either.
Next: assume it got in, then keep the engine off. Phone with the details: we would sooner find a tank free of AdBlue than drain one after the engine has been run.
What every AdBlue drain around Magheramorne has in common
The job opens the same way, whichever the case. Our technicians come to the vehicle, whether it is on a forecourt, a driveway, the car park outside the pub in the village or a side street close to a street just off the centre, and ask three things: what was put in, roughly how much, and if your engine has been run. Answers shape the job; the quote comes on the call whilst no one has set off yet.
Draining the tank comes first, followed by a full flush — more vital after urea than with petrol, since crystals and corrosion won't go by themselves, no matter how long you wait. Next comes the filter — cleaned, or swapped where needed — then clean diesel, and a test of the car. If your motor has not run, the majority of jobs take about half an hour once we're there.
Lastly, we fire it up. With clean diesel in, it runs while our engineers check it's running properly, and then we head off. When it's caught soon, the vehicle very rarely has lasting damage, and the whole job takes place where it is. For your insurer: the engineer's report and the VAT invoice. For you: payment on the day, nothing upfront. Many insurance policies include misfuelling, so check yours while the van travels.
About Magheramorne
Magheramorne is a small coastal locality in County Antrim, situated near Mill Bay and the villages of Glynn and Mullaghboy. Magheramorne lies at a low elevation of around 3 metres, close to the shores of Belfast Lough. Magheramorne has a population of approximately 526 people, living in predominantly detached housing. Magheramorne is located about 16.5 miles from Belfast, the nearest city.
AdBlue drains across County Antrim, Magheramorne included
Over BT postcodes, the vans serving Magheramorne — a coastal area — work surrounding places as well, Glynn and Mullaghboy among them. A postcode starting BT40 3 is the quickest way to tell us where you are.
Centre of Magheramorne or a lay-by near the green space at the edge of the village: either way it is, your car never needs to shift an inch for the drain. The drain happens on the spot. Guessing doesn't help near the far end of the built-up part, close to a county line or somewhere awkward to pin down; phone and ask.
The one-line version
Engine not started: phone, and leave it alone. Run by now: pull over, switch down, phone 0333 366 0103. Petrol in Diesel handles the rest, in Magheramorne or anywhere in County Antrim.