AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in New Town, and What to Do Next
Everything hinges on a single fact: if the motor has been run since the AdBlue went in — more than anything else. Not started so far? Then leave the vehicle like that, whether the car is — New Town or Reading. Usually that means emptying and thoroughly flushing it right there in New Town — and so leave your ignition and motor off and ring 0333 366 0103. When the motor has been run, pull in safely first, then turn the car off. The job is bigger, yet the first step is the same.
Anywhere around Berkshire it took place, one of the situations below fits yours.
New Town forecourt: AdBlue in a diesel at the pump
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 in New Town, then — Tesco, BP, or anywhere else close by.
Put simply: there is no better place exists to discover it. No pump has drawn it through, and so the AdBlue sits just inside that tank.
Your move: keep out of the car, even if the pump needs clearing. Ask the staff to help you roll the vehicle into a parking space, keep the receipt or the bottle, and call us from the forecourt. Stuck by the pump? Our explosion-proof kit keeps a live forecourt sensible, so we can drain the vehicle where it is.
New Town, at home: AdBlue in the diesel tank
On your dash, a warning had been lit all week. You bought a bottle, poured it in on the drive, and only when you put the empty bottle in the recycling did you look a second time at the cap. It occurs on driveways just off Liverpool Road as frequently as anywhere.
What it means: if you haven't driven since, this is almost as good as the forecourt. AdBlue doesn't mix with diesel; it sinks to the bottom of your tank and waits there. Overnight doesn't change that.
Next: the keys in the house, so nobody drives the vehicle off at breakfast. Then, phone. We drain the vehicle on your driveway, whether that is around New Town or out in Whiteknights. Even at night, our pumps are quiet enough for a residential street.
On the road in New Town with AdBlue in a diesel
Rough running, smoke, falling power or a lit dashboard arrived a short way beyond the fill. Maybe heading to Oxford, under 25 miles away, or simply along School Terrace.
The point: your system has drawn AdBlue in already. Mileage sets how deep it goes: filter and pipework to begin with, then the high-pressure pump and every injector. Every restart, like every mile, carries it deeper.
Next: pick a sensible place, pull in, then turn your engine off. New Town sits under 3 miles from the A329(M); on it, come off at the next junction rather than pushing on to the services. Don't restart the vehicle to see if it has cleared; it will not have. Phone, saying how far the vehicle went.
A hire or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank?
A week ago, the car was unknown to you. On your own car, AdBlue is missing or elsewhere. On this one, its cap is just next to your diesel cap — news to you. Anyone, anywhere in Berkshire, might do it.
Put simply: an extra stage on top of the cases above, which turn on if it has run. Plenty of hire and fleet contracts require the owner's sign-off for repairs.
Do this: rental firm or fleet manager to begin with, us second, since settling it early cuts time. Keep it switched off while the answer arrives, even if you are parked at Reading or near Sun Street Community Centre.
Not sure it was AdBlue in the diesel tank, New Town?
"I think so" is sometimes as honest as it gets. A faint ammonia whiff hangs near your filler, the bottle seems too light, and which cap came off is hard to recall. Possibly it happened in a hurry at the school gates at New Town Primary School, or on a friend's drive in Caversham.
Put simply: spillage near your filler leaves the engine no harm. AdBlue inside your diesel tank does. You can't tell which by turning the ignition, and doing so would suck in any AdBlue that is in that tank.
What to do: treat it as if it went in. Do not crank it. Tell us what you noticed on your phone. A clean tank looked at is a better outcome than a run one drained.
What every AdBlue drain in New Town has in common
No matter the case, a single opening applies. Wherever your vehicle stands — The Fishermans Cottage's car park, a road beside The Parish St John the Evengalist and St Stephen, a driveway, a forecourt — the van arrives and we ask for the liquid, the amount, and if your engine has been run. Replies shape the work; the quote follows on the call while nobody has set off yet.
A thorough flush follows this drain. With petrol it is routine; with AdBlue it's essential, since crystals form and certain metals are attacked, and neither rinses away unaided. Next is your filter — flushed, or swapped when necessary — then fresh diesel, and a test of the car. If the engine hasn't run, most jobs take about half an hour once we're there.
Last, our technicians fire it up. Our check that it runs correctly on new diesel comes before we go. The entire job is done where the vehicle is, and when it's noticed early, lasting damage is very rare. For your insurer: an engineer's report and the VAT invoice. For you: payment on the day, no money upfront. Plenty of policies include misfuelling, and so look at yours while the van travels.
About New Town, briefly
New Town is a suburban area in Berkshire, situated on the lakeside at an elevation of 43 metres, with nearby places including Whiteknights and Lower Caversham. New Town has a mix of housing types, but is predominantly characterised by terraced homes. New Town is located near The Mount and is within commuting distance of Oxford, which is 24.3 miles away. New Town is also relatively close to London, at a distance of 35.5 miles.
AdBlue drains across Berkshire, New Town included
New Town is a residential suburb, and the same vans that cover it work the places around it too, Lower Caversham and The Mount among them, across the RG postcode area. Telling us a RG1 3 postcode finds you fastest of all.
Whether your car is on a lay-by on the way to Coal Woodland or in a car park in the middle of New Town, it doesn't need to shift. We drain it where it sits. Guessing won't help near Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara Reading, on a border or somewhere awkward to pin down; ring and check.
Your scenario, in one line
Where it has not run, ring and keep it off. Whichever case applies, Petrol in Diesel handles the rest on 0333 366 0103, across Berkshire and in New Town — once you stop, turn off and ring, if it has run.