Manor Royal: AdBlue in the Diesel Tank? Find Your Situation
One fact counts above all once AdBlue is in a diesel tank, and it is whether the motor has run since. Over in Lowfield Heath or right in Manor Royal, an unrun engine must stay unrun. Ring 0333 366 0103 with your key and engine both off. In Manor Royal, such a case is typically drained and flushed on the spot. If it's run, stop as soon as it is safe then switch off. Stage one stays the same, even though the work is bigger.
Find the scenario below that matches yours, wherever in West Sussex it happened.
On a Manor Royal forecourt with AdBlue in a diesel
The cap you opened was the wrong one — and you only notice it while you're stood at the pump, bottle or the nozzle in hand. Maybe you are at the the nearest petrol station, perhaps at the BP, possibly somewhere else around Manor Royal.
The point: of all places to find out, this is the best. No pump has pulled it in, so the AdBlue stays just inside the tank.
Next: avoid the temptation to fire it up only to free up the pump. Phone us from the forecourt once the vehicle is in a space — the attendants will lend a hand to roll it — and keep the bottle. Our equipment is explosion-proof and fine on a busy forecourt, so a vehicle that cannot be pushed clear is cleared right at the pump.
Manor Royal, at home: AdBlue in the diesel tank
Several days had passed with the dash light on. Bought a container, tipped it in outside the house, recycled the empty — and only then checked the cap again, too late. Driveways near Beckett Lane get it as much as anywhere.
Meaning? Provided the vehicle has not moved since, it's second to the pump case. On the floor of your tank sits exactly where AdBlue stays, because it won't blend with diesel — and a night going by changes no difference.
Next: stop any early-morning drive by keeping your keys indoors, then phone us. Langley Green or Manor Royal: wherever your drive sits, that is where it gets drained. The pumps are quiet enough to use outside a house at night.
AdBlue in a diesel and already driving in Manor Royal?
Topped up, drove away, and soon your motor was running unevenly, smoking, down on power, or flashing up your dash. Cherry Lane, say, or the way towards Brighton and Hove — a trip of under 25 miles.
The upshot: the system has pulled AdBlue in already. Through your filter, through the lines, and — the further the distance — deeper into the high-pressure pump and each injector. More driving, more starts: further it goes.
What to do: pull over where it is safe to do so then switch off. Exit at the first junction — not the services further along — if you are on the M23, under 3 miles from Manor Royal. It won't have cleared, and so there is no sense restarting to check. Call, saying what distance your car went.
AdBlue in the wrong tank of a hire, lease or company car
Seven days back, the car was new to you. The AdBlue filler is right alongside the diesel one, which you did not know, because your own motor either has no AdBlue or keeps it somewhere else. It can happen to anyone, anywhere across West Sussex.
Meaning? Whatever case above counts too — run or unrun — plus one further stage. Many rental and fleet contracts require the owner's sign-off for work.
What to do: call the hire firm or your fleet manager first, then us. That is faster settled before our engineers turn up than after. Keep it switched off while the reply arrives, even if you are parked outside Crawley or close to TK Maxx.
AdBlue in the diesel tank? Not sure, in Manor Royal
"I think so" is often the most honest as it gets. Which cap was taken off, you can't say; but the bottle weighs less than expected, and ammonia lingers by your filler. A hurried top-up by the gates of Langley Green Primary, or a call to a friend in West Green: either fits.
The upshot: the motor isn't harmed by some AdBlue spilled on the filler. In the diesel tank, however, AdBlue damages it. If there is AdBlue in your tank, turning on your car would draw it in, and it wouldn't tell you which either.
What to do: treat it as if it was put in. Don't fire it up. Phone with what you saw: we would rather find a clean tank than drain one after your engine has been run.
Each AdBlue drain around Manor Royal shares these steps
The work begins identically, whatever your situation. Three things come once our engineers reach your car — on a forecourt, a driveway, a road beside St Leonard's or the car park at Dr Samuel Johnson: the fluid, the quantity, and if it has been started. Your price is given over the phone, before a van leaves, and those replies shape the job.
Draining your tank comes first, then a full flush — more important after urea than after petrol, because crystals and corrosion will not clear by themselves, no matter how long you wait. Clean diesel is put in after the fuel filter is flushed or changed, and the car is finally checked. The majority of unstarted cars are a half-hour visit from the moment our technicians arrive.
The last step is firing it up. Our test that it runs properly on clean diesel comes before our engineers head off. Our technicians do the whole job where the vehicle is, and lasting damage is very unusual if it has been spotted soon. For your insurer: the engineer's report and the VAT invoice. For you: payment on the day, nothing in advance. Many insurance policies cover misfuelling, and so check yours while the van travels.
About Manor Royal
Manor Royal is a locality in West Sussex, situated inland at an elevation of 62 metres, approximately 26 miles south of London. Manor Royal is characterized by its predominantly terraced housing and is located near several other local places, including Langley Green and Ifield Green. Manor Royal sits within the wider urban area of Crawley, but remains a distinct locality with its own community. Manor Royal is also close to the city of Brighton and Hove, which is 21 miles away.
AdBlue drains across West Sussex, Manor Royal included
Being a small village, Manor Royal shares its vans with the surrounding places — Ifield Green, County Oak — right through RH postcodes. A postcode starting RH11 7 is the quickest way to tell us where you are.
No towing is needed, whether parked in the centre of Manor Royal or in a lay-by heading to Willoughby Fields, and so keep it where it is. Wherever it sits, that is where it gets cleared. If you're somewhere hard to describe, close to Langley Green Islamic Centre & Mosque or close to a border, ring and ask rather than guessing.
Your scenario, summed up
Motor not started: ring, leaving it alone. Run already: pull over, power down, ring 0333 366 0103. Petrol in Diesel handles the remainder, in Manor Royal or anywhere across West Sussex.