AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Marsham: What Now?
What to do about AdBlue in a diesel tank comes down to one thing more than any other: if the engine has run since it got in. Out in The Heath or here in Marsham, an unstarted engine should stay unrun. Normally this means draining and thoroughly cleaning it on the spot in Marsham — and so keep the key and motor off and call 0333 366 0103. If it has run, stop as soon as it is safe then switch off. Stage one stays the same, even though the job is bigger.
Find the situation below that matches yours, wherever across Norfolk it happened.
At the pump in Marsham: AdBlue in a diesel
Picture it: stood by the petrol pump, holding the nozzle, you spot the cap you opened wasn't the correct one. Perhaps you're at the BP, possibly at the Gulf, possibly somewhere else around Marsham.
What it means: this is the ideal location to find out. Only the tank has AdBlue; not one part beyond it has drawn any in.
Your move: keep out of the car, even if the queue needs freeing. Three jobs: a shove into a space with the attendants helping, the bottle kept, and a ring to us from where you stand. The equipment is explosion-proof and safe on a busy forecourt, and so a vehicle that can't be pushed clear gets emptied where it is at the pump.
Marsham, at home: AdBlue in the diesel tank
On your dash, a reminder had shown all week. Bought a container, poured it in at home, recycled the empty — and at that point looked at the cap again, too late. Driveways close to Wathen Way see it as much as anywhere.
Meaning? As long as your car hasn't been driven since, it's close to the pump case. Being unable to blend, AdBlue drops low inside that tank and waits. A night standing alters nothing.
Your move: the keys in the house, and so no one drives your car anywhere at breakfast. After that, phone. Cambridge or Marsham: whichever your drive is, that's where it gets cleared. Our equipment runs quietly enough not to disturb the neighbours at night.
Drove off with AdBlue in a diesel around Marsham?
A short way after filling up, your motor began playing up: rough running, smoke, lost power, lights on the dash. It might have been driving for Norwich, under 10 miles away, or just along High Street.
Meaning? The fuel pump has sucked the AdBlue up. The high-pressure pump and each injector see it too on a longer trip, once the fuel filter and pipework have it. Each restart, like each mile, pushes it on.
Pull in somewhere safe — that's the first step — then turn it off. On the M11, over 50 miles from Marsham, that means the next junction, not the services further on. No trial restarts: clearing itself is not something AdBlue will do. Phone, and say how far your vehicle was driven.
AdBlue in the wrong tank: hire, lease and company vehicles
You've had the car hardly a week. The AdBlue filler sits right next to the diesel filler, which you did not know, since your own vehicle either has no AdBlue or keeps it somewhere else. It can happen to anyone, anywhere across Norfolk.
The point: exactly as above, split by if it ran, but with one added stage. Plenty of rental and company agreements need the owner's approval for repairs.
What to do: ring the hire firm or your fleet manager first, then us. That is faster settled before we get there than after. Waiting for an answer at the car park at Worstead, or near Marsham Village Hall? Leave your engine off meanwhile.
Unsure about AdBlue in your diesel tank around Marsham?
At times, "I think so" is all you can honestly say. Which cap was taken off, you can't say; meanwhile the bottle weighs less than expected, and a whiff of ammonia lingers by your filler. The gates of John of Gaunt Infant and Nursery School in a rush, say, or a friend's driveway out in Brampton.
What it means: a little spilled about the filler does no damage to the motor. If it is inside your diesel tank, though, that changes. Any AdBlue in your tank will be sucked in by firing up your car, and the start wouldn't settle which it is in any case.
What to do: treat it as if it went in. Do not crank it. Phone with the details: we would rather confirm a tank free of AdBlue than drain one after your motor has run.
Marsham: what each AdBlue drain has in common
Every case gets the same start to the job. Filling station, driveway, The Plough Inn's car park or a road beside Marsham Village Sign — the van reaches the car, and three questions come next: which liquid, which amount, and if it ran. Those replies settle this work, and you hear the quote by phone, before anyone heads out.
A thorough flush comes after the drain. With petrol it's standard; with AdBlue it is essential, because crystals build up and some metals are attacked, and none of it washes away unaided. Last come your filter, flushed or renewed if necessary; fresh diesel; and a test of the vehicle. Not started? In that case roughly half an hour on site covers most jobs.
The final step is starting it. Before our technicians head off, it's tested to be sure it runs correctly on new diesel. The whole job is done where the car is, and when it is spotted soon, long-term damage is very unusual. Payment comes on the day, never in advance. For the insurer, there is a VAT invoice plus a report from the engineer. It is worth knowing: lots of insurers offer misfuelling cover, and so a check of your documents as you wait pays.
About Marsham itself
Marsham is a small village in Norfolk, situated on the banks of a river at an elevation of 31 metres. Marsham lies approximately 9.9 miles northwest of Norwich and 105 miles northeast of London. Marsham has a mix of housing types, but semi-detached homes are predominant in the village. Marsham is close to other nearby places, including Cambridge and Little London.
AdBlue drains around Marsham, and across Norfolk too
As a village, Marsham shares its vans with the surrounding towns — Westgate Street, Little London — right through NR postcodes. Quickest of all: a NR10 5 postcode for where you stand.
Stopped en route to Burnt Hill Plantation, or right in the heart of Marsham, your vehicle stays put — there's no need to shift it anywhere. The van drains it in place. If you are somewhere hard to explain, close to All Saints or close to a border, ring and ask instead of guessing.
In one line: your situation
Still unrun? Keep the car off then ring. Already run: stop, switch off then ring. Either way, Petrol in Diesel takes it from there in Marsham and anywhere across Norfolk on 0333 366 0103.