What Now? AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Newbiggin-by-the-Sea
Everything turns on one detail: if the motor has started after the AdBlue was added — more than anything else. Over in North Seaton Colliery or right in Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, an unstarted motor should remain that way. Leave the motor and your ignition off and ring 0333 366 0103; it is usually a drain and a thorough flush, done where the car is in Newbiggin-by-the-Sea. Pull over the moment it is safe then switch off, if it has been run. Step one remains the same, even if the work is bigger.
Match your case to one of the ones below, anywhere across Northumberland you happen to be.
On a Newbiggin-by-the-Sea forecourt with AdBlue in a diesel
You're at the petrol pump, the nozzle or the bottle still in your hand, and you have just noticed the cap you opened was the wrong one. Whether BP, Shell or anywhere else in Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, the situation is identical.
The upshot: of all places to find out, the forecourt is the best. Only that tank holds AdBlue; no part beyond it has taken any in.
Your move: stay out of the driver's seat, however much the queue needs clearing. Ring us from the forecourt once the car sits in a bay — the staff will lend a hand to push it — and keep the receipt. Our equipment is explosion-proof and fine on a busy forecourt, so a car that can't be pushed away is cleared right at the pump.
At home in Newbiggin-by-the-Sea with AdBlue in your diesel tank
For days the dashboard had been nagging you. 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. It happens on driveways just off Front Street as often as anywhere.
Meaning? As long as your car hasn't moved since, it's second to the pump case. AdBlue does not mix with diesel; it sinks to the bottom of the tank and waits there. Overnight doesn't change that.
What to do: leave your keys inside the house so no one moves the vehicle in the morning. Then ring. Our technicians drain the car on your driveway, whether that's around Newbiggin-by-the-Sea or out in Woodhorn Demesne. Late-night clears beside a house are fine: the pumps are low-noise.
Set off with AdBlue in a diesel around Newbiggin-by-the-Sea?
You filled up, set off, and a mile or two later your motor began to run unevenly, smoke, lose power or light up the dashboard. Perhaps it was on Sea View Terrace, maybe on the way out towards Newcastle upon Tyne, under 15 miles away.
The point: your system has pulled AdBlue in by now. Through the fuel filter, along the lines, and — the further the distance — on into the injection pump and every injector. More miles, more starts: further it goes.
What to do: pull over where it's safe and switch off. Newbiggin-by-the-Sea sits under 15 miles from the A167(M); there, pull off at the first junction instead of pressing on to the services. No test starts: clearing itself isn't something AdBlue will do. Phone, saying what distance your vehicle went.
A hire or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank?
It is a car you have had for a week. Your own car either has no AdBlue or puts it somewhere different, and so no one told you the AdBlue cap was right next to your diesel. Any driver, wherever across Northumberland, could make the same.
Meaning? Whichever applies above applies here — run or not — and one further step. Work on the vehicle often requires the owner's go-ahead under hire or company agreements.
What to do: call the hire firm or your fleet manager first, then us. That is quicker settled before our engineers turn up than after. If you are stranded in the car park at Ashington, or by The Cable House, while you wait for an answer, leave your car off.
Unsure about AdBlue in your diesel tank in Newbiggin-by-the-Sea?
Now and then, "I think so" is all anyone can honestly say. What cap came off, you can't recall; but the bottle feels lighter than it ought to, and a whiff of ammonia lingers by the filler. A rushed stop by the gates of NCEA Grace Darling CofE Primary School, or a call to a friend in Hirst: either fits.
The point: your engine isn't hurt by some AdBlue splashed around the filler. Inside your diesel tank, however, AdBlue damages it. Turning on the car won't tell you which, and if there is AdBlue in your tank it would pull it in.
What to do: treat it as if it got in. Do not start the car. Ring us and explain what you saw; we'd rather check a tank that turns out free of AdBlue than drain one that has already been run.
Every AdBlue drain in Newbiggin-by-the-Sea shares these steps
The job begins the same way, whatever your situation. Our engineers come to the car, whether it is at a forecourt, a driveway, the car park outside The Coble Inn or a side street near Bandstand, and ask three things: what went in, about how much, and whether your engine has run. Replies set the job; the quote comes by phone whilst no one has set off yet.
Then the tank is emptied and the fuel system cleaned thoroughly, which counts more with AdBlue than with petrol: AdBlue crystallises and is corrosive to some of the metals in a fuel system, and so it does not rinse out on its own. Next is the fuel filter — flushed, or replaced where needed — then clean diesel, and a test of the vehicle. If your engine hasn't run, most jobs take about half an hour once we're there.
Firing it up comes last. Our engineers confirm it runs smoothly on new diesel before we go. Lasting damage is very unusual when it's caught quickly, and the entire job is done where your car is. For your insurer: an engineer's report and the VAT invoice. For you: payment on the day, nothing upfront. It is worth remembering: lots of insurers offer misfuelling cover, and so a check of your documents as you wait pays.
About Newbiggin-by-the-Sea and where it is
Newbiggin-by-the-Sea is a small coastal town in Northumberland, situated on the north-east coast of England, with a population of around 5951 people. Newbiggin-by-the-Sea has a mix of housing types, but terraced houses are the most predominant, reflecting its history of industrial and maritime activity. Newbiggin-by-the-Sea is located near several nearby places, including Woodhorn Demesne, Woodhorn, and North Seaton, and is approximately 14.9 miles from Newcastle upon Tyne. Newbiggin-by-the-Sea sits at a low elevation of around 5 metres above sea level, making it a coastal community with a strong connection to the sea.
AdBlue drains around Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, and across Northumberland too
Woodhorn and North Seaton have the same teams as Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, a coastal town, plus other towns throughout NE postcodes. The location is clearest from a postcode that starts NE64 6.
Central Newbiggin-by-the-Sea or a layby towards The Couple Garden: either way it sits, your vehicle never needs to move at all for the drain. The drain is done on the spot. Assuming doesn't help beside Piazza, on a border or somewhere awkward to pin down; ring and ask.
The one-line version
Engine not started: ring, leaving it alone. Run by now: pull over, switch down, ring 0333 366 0103. Petrol in Diesel takes over the remainder, in Newbiggin-by-the-Sea or wherever across Northumberland.