AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Marsh Farm, and What to Do Next
Has your motor run since the AdBlue went in? This single question decides almost everything about what comes next. If it hasn't, keep it that way, whether your car is in Marsh Farm itself or out in Leagrave. Leave your motor and your ignition off then ring 0333 366 0103; it's usually a drain and a thorough flush, done where the vehicle is around Marsh Farm. If it's run, stop as soon as it is safe and switch off. Step one remains the same, even if the job is bigger.
Below: the situations our technicians meet, anywhere in Bedfordshire. Pick yours.
At the pump in Marsh Farm: AdBlue in a diesel
You're at the pump, the nozzle or the bottle still in your hand, and you have just noticed the cap you opened was the wrong one. Somewhere around Marsh Farm, then — Essar, BP, or somewhere else nearby.
What it means: this is the best location to find out. The AdBlue is inside your tank and nowhere else. Nothing has drawn it in.
Next: resist the temptation to fire it up just to move away from the pump. Ring us from the forecourt once your car sits in a space — the staff will help push it — and save the receipt. Emptying it right at the pump is fine if it can't be shifted, since the equipment is explosion-proof.
At home in Marsh Farm with AdBlue in your diesel tank
On the dash, a reminder had been lit all week. 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. Right off Thrales Close is not different from anywhere.
What it means: if you haven't driven since, this is almost as good as the forecourt. Diesel and AdBlue stay apart: the AdBlue drops to the floor of your tank and remains there, however long it waits.
Next: prevent any early-morning move by putting the keys in the house, then ring us. Your driveway is where it is drained, be it in Marsh Farm or Bramingham Park. Night-time clears beside a house are no problem: the pumps are quiet.
AdBlue in a diesel and already driving in Marsh Farm?
A short way after topping up, the engine started playing up: rough running, smoke, less power, warnings on your dash. The Moakes, perhaps, or the way towards St Albans — a run of under 15 miles.
The point: the system has drawn AdBlue in by now. Distance sets how far it gets: filter and pipework first, then the high-pressure pump and each injector. More driving, more starts: deeper it goes.
Your move: stop anywhere safe, then switch your engine off. On the M1, under 3 miles from Marsh Farm, that means the next exit, not the services further on. No trial restarts: clearing is not something AdBlue will do. Phone, and say how far your car went.
A hire or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank?
Seven days ago, it was unknown to you. On your own vehicle, AdBlue is missing or elsewhere. On this one, its cap is just next to the diesel cap — a surprise to you. Any driver, wherever around Bedfordshire, could do the same.
The upshot: just as above, split by if it ran, only with an added stage. Plenty of hire and company contracts want the owner to approve work on the vehicle.
What to do: ring the hire firm or your fleet manager first, then us. That's quicker settled before we get there than after. Hanging on for a reply at the car park outside Leagrave, or near Holy Cross Church? Leave the car off meanwhile.
AdBlue in the diesel tank? Not sure, around Marsh Farm
Occasionally the fair answer is "I think so". A faint ammonia whiff hangs around your filler, the bottle feels too light, and the cap you took off is hard to recall. Maybe it happened in a hurry at the school gates at Waulud Primary School, or on a friend's drive in Warden Hill.
What it means: a little spilled round your filler does no damage to your engine. Inside the diesel tank, by contrast, AdBlue damages it. You cannot tell which by turning the ignition, and doing so will pull in any AdBlue that is in your tank.
Your move: act as if it did, and never start the engine. Ring 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.
Marsh Farm: what each AdBlue drain has in common
The work opens identically, whatever the case. Our engineers come to the vehicle, whether it's at a forecourt, a drive, the car park outside The Brim and Crown or a side street near Redgrave Community Centre, and ask three things: what was put in, roughly how much, and whether your engine has run. Replies shape the work; the quote follows by phone while nobody has left yet.
AdBlue crystallises and eats at certain metals in fuel systems, so it won't rinse out unaided; that is why a full flush, after the drain, matters far more with AdBlue than with petrol. Fresh diesel is put in once the filter is cleaned or changed, and your car is finally checked. Where the motor has not run, allow about half an hour once we arrive, for most cases.
Last, our engineers start it. We check it runs smoothly on fresh diesel before we go. Lasting damage is very uncommon if it's spotted soon, and the entire job is done where your car is. Paying is on the day, never upfront. For your insurer, there is a VAT invoice and a written report from the engineer. Worth remembering: lots of insurers offer misfuelling cover, so a quick look at your policy while we travel pays.
About Marsh Farm, for a moment
Marsh Farm is a suburban area in Bedfordshire, situated on the riverside with an elevation of around 123 metres. Marsh Farm lies approximately 31.6 miles north of London and 12.4 miles southeast of St Albans, near neighbouring areas such as Bramingham Park and Sundon Park. Marsh Farm is characterized by its predominantly semi-detached housing stock, reflecting the typical residential development patterns of the region. Marsh Farm forms part of the larger urban landscape of southern Bedfordshire, with nearby Limbury also contributing to the local community.
AdBlue drains around Marsh Farm, and across Bedfordshire too
Over LU postcodes, the teams serving Marsh Farm — a residential suburb — work nearby towns too, Sundon Park and Limbury among them. Quickest of all: a LU3 3 postcode for where you stand.
Whether the vehicle is on a lay-by on the way to Great Bramingham Wood or in a car park in the middle of Marsh Farm, it doesn't need to shift. Our engineers drain the vehicle where it sits. Ring and ask rather than guess when you are by Church Of The Holy Family, on a border, or somewhere awkward to pin down.
The one-line version
Not run yet: keep the vehicle off then call. Started already? Pull over, switch off, ring. Petrol in Diesel takes over the rest whatever case, in Marsh Farm and Bedfordshire, on 0333 366 0103.