AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Meadowbank, and What to Do Next
Has your motor turned over since the AdBlue went in? That single point decides almost everything about what comes next. If it hasn't, keep it that way, whether your car is in Meadowbank itself or out in Abbeyhill. Call 0333 366 0103 with your key and motor both off. In Meadowbank, that is generally drained and cleaned where it stands. Stop the moment it is safe and turn off, if it has been run. Step one stays the same, even though the work is bigger.
Further down: the situations our technicians see, anywhere across City of Edinburgh. Pick the one that fits.
Meadowbank forecourt: AdBlue in a diesel at the pump
The cap you opened was the wrong one — and you only notice it while you are standing at the pump, bottle or the nozzle in your hand. Somewhere around Meadowbank, then — Morrisons, JET, or somewhere else close by.
What it means: this is the ideal location to find out. The AdBlue is inside that tank and nowhere else. Nothing has pulled it in.
Do this: keep out of the car, even if the queue needs clearing. Ring us from the forecourt after your car sits in a space — the staff will help push it — then keep the receipt. If it can't be moved, it can be emptied at the petrol pump: the equipment is explosion-proof and safe on a working forecourt.
At home in Meadowbank with AdBlue in the diesel tank
The warning light had been on for days. 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. Homes just off Meadowbank Terrace get caught out as often as everywhere else.
Meaning? As long as the car has not moved since, it is close to the forecourt case. On the floor of that tank sits where AdBlue waits, because it will not blend with diesel — and a night going by changes nothing of the difference.
What to do: leave your keys inside the house so nobody moves the vehicle in the morning. Then call. Sunnybank or Meadowbank: whichever your drive sits, that is where it gets cleared. Night-time clears outside a house are no problem: the pumps are quiet.
On the road in Meadowbank with AdBlue in a diesel
You filled up, set off, and a mile or two later your engine began to run roughly, smoke, lose power or light up the dashboard. Meadowbank Avenue, say, or the way towards Edinburgh — a trip of under 3 miles.
Put simply: the AdBlue has been sucked through the system. Distance sets how deep it goes: filter and pipework to begin with, then the injection pump and each injector. Every restart, like every mile, carries it on.
Stop safely — that is the first step — then switch it off. Meadowbank lies under 10 miles from the M8; there, pull off at the first junction instead of pushing on to the services. Do not restart the vehicle to see if it has cleared; it will not have. Roughly how far did it go? Say so as you phone.
Hire, lease or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank
You have just had the car a week. The AdBlue filler is right next to the diesel filler, which you did not know, since your own vehicle either has no AdBlue or keeps it somewhere else. Anyone, anywhere in City of Edinburgh, could do the same.
In short: one extra stage on top of the situations above, and those depend on whether it has run. Plenty of hire and company agreements want the owner to approve work on the car.
Next: phone the rental company or the fleet manager first, and then us — sorting it before our arrival is quicker. Leave the vehicle switched off as the reply comes, even if you are parked outside Edinburgh Waverley or near Cairn for Margaret Hall.
Meadowbank: unsure if it was AdBlue in your diesel tank?
"I think so" is sometimes as honest as it gets. Too light, the bottle; a hint of ammonia round your filler; a hazy recollection of which cap. Look familiar? A hurried top-up by the gates of the local primary school, or a visit to a friend in Piershill: both fit.
Meaning? Drips outside the filler never touch the motor at all. A diesel tank with AdBlue in it is a different matter. Starting your car will not tell you which, and if there is AdBlue in the tank it would pull it in.
Your move: behave as if it got in, and don't start your motor. Tell us what you saw on your phone. A clean tank looked at is a better outcome than a run one emptied.
What each AdBlue drain around Meadowbank has in common
Whichever situation you are in, this job starts the same way. Three questions are asked when our technicians reach the car — at a forecourt, a driveway, a road beside Edinburgh Palette or the car park outside Porters Bar: the fluid, the quantity, and if the motor has run. Answers set the job; the quote follows by phone while no one has set off yet.
Draining that tank comes next, then a careful flush — more important with urea than with petrol, since crystals and corrosion will not clear by themselves, however long it sits. Fresh diesel goes in once your filter has been flushed or changed, and your car is then checked. Where your engine has not run, allow roughly half an hour once we arrive, for most jobs.
We start the car last. Our test that it runs smoothly on fresh diesel comes before our engineers go. Long-term damage is very unusual when it's noticed quickly, and the whole job is done where the car is. Nothing is paid upfront, settlement happens on the day, and you get what your insurer asks for: an engineer report plus a VAT invoice. It is worth knowing: many insurers offer misfuelling cover, and so a check of your policy as you wait is worthwhile.
About Meadowbank and where it is
Meadowbank is a coastal suburban area in the City of Edinburgh, situated approximately 1.3 miles from Edinburgh city centre. Meadowbank sits at an elevation of 37 metres, overlooking the Firth of Forth, and is characterised by predominantly flat-type housing. Meadowbank is bordered by nearby places such as Sunnybank, Lochend, and Willowbrae, and has a population of around 8998 residents.
Meadowbank and City of Edinburgh: AdBlue drains across the area
Over EH postcodes, the vans covering Meadowbank — a residential suburb — work surrounding towns too, Lochend and Willowbrae included. The whereabouts comes clearest from a postcode that starts EH8 7.
Whether the car is on a lay-by on the way to Lochend Secret Garden or in a car park in the middle of Meadowbank, it doesn't need to shift. Draining happens right there. If you're somewhere hard to explain, near Meadowbank Sports Centre or close to a boundary, ring and ask instead of assuming.
Your scenario, summed up
Engine never started: phone, and leave it switched off. Run already: pull over, switch down, ring 0333 366 0103. Petrol in Diesel takes over the rest, in Meadowbank or anywhere in City of Edinburgh.