What Now? AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Newtown
All of it hinges on one fact: if the engine has started after the AdBlue was added — far more than anything else. Not run so far? Then leave the vehicle that way, wherever your vehicle is — Newtown or Chipmans Platt. Leave the engine and your ignition off then call 0333 366 0103; it is generally a drain and a thorough flush, done where the car is around Newtown. Where the motor has run, pull in safely straight away, then switch it off. A bigger job, yes, yet the identical first step.
Below: the situations we meet, wherever in Gloucestershire. Pick the one that fits.
AdBlue in a diesel on a Newtown forecourt
Picture it: stood by the petrol pump, gripping the nozzle, you spot the filler you opened wasn't the right one. Somewhere in Newtown, then — Shell, Texaco, or anywhere else close by.
Meaning? Spotting it on the forecourt is as good as it gets. Only your tank has AdBlue; not one part past it has taken any in.
What to do: don't get back in and crank it to clear the pump. Three things: a shove into a space with the attendants helping, the bottle kept, and a call to us from the forecourt. Draining it there at the pump is fine if it can't be moved, since the equipment is explosion-proof.
AdBlue in the diesel tank on a Newtown drive?
The warning light had been on for days. Bought a container, poured it in at home, recycled the empty — and only then checked the cap again, after the fact. It occurs on drives just off A419 as frequently as anywhere.
The upshot: no driving since makes this nearly as good to finding it at the pump. AdBlue does not mix with diesel; it sinks to the bottom of that tank and waits there. Overnight doesn't change that.
Your move: keys indoors, and so nobody drives the vehicle anywhere at breakfast. Then, ring. Out in Oldend or right here around Newtown, the drain happens on your drive. Late-night empties outside a house are no problem: the pumps are quiet.
AdBlue in a diesel and already driving around Newtown?
You filled up, set off, and a mile or two later the engine began to run unevenly, smoke, lose power or light up the dashboard. Somewhere along Brunel Way or else heading to Gloucester — under 10 miles away.
The point: your system has drawn AdBlue in by now. Through the fuel filter, through the pipework, and — the further the distance — on into the injection pump and every injector. Each mile and each restart takes it further.
Pull in somewhere safe — that is the next job — then switch everything off. Newtown lies under 3 miles from the M5; on it, come off at the first junction instead of pressing on to the services. Starting it again to test gets nothing — AdBlue doesn't clear on its own. Ring us and say how far you travelled.
AdBlue in the wrong tank of a hire, lease or company car
You've just driven this vehicle for days. The AdBlue filler is right alongside the diesel one, which you did not know, since your own car either has no AdBlue or keeps it somewhere else. Throughout Gloucestershire, nobody is immune.
What it means: the same as the situations above, depending on whether it has run, with one more stage. Plenty of hire and company contracts want the owner to approve work on your car.
What to do: call the hire firm or your fleet manager first, then us. That is faster settled before we arrive than after. Hanging on for an answer at the car park outside Stonehouse, or beside Saint Michaels and All Angels? Keep the car off throughout.
AdBlue in your diesel tank? Not sure, in Newtown
Occasionally the fair answer is "I think so". What cap was taken off, you can't say; but the bottle weighs less than it ought to, and ammonia lingers by your filler. The gates of Eastington Primary School in a rush, perhaps, or someone's driveway out in Cress Green.
The point: your motor is not harmed by some AdBlue splashed on the filler. AdBlue inside the diesel tank does. If there is AdBlue in the tank, starting the vehicle will pull it in, and it would not tell you which either.
What to do: treat it as if it was put in. Don't fire it up. Phone and give the details: we would rather find a tank free of AdBlue than drain one after the motor has run.
Newtown: what each AdBlue drain has in common
Whichever situation you are in, this job starts the same way. Three questions come when our engineers reach the car — at a forecourt, a driveway, a street by Saint Cyr or the car park at Magpies Social Club: the liquid, the amount, and whether the motor has run. Answers shape the work; the quote comes on the call while nobody has left yet.
A thorough flush follows the drain. With petrol it is standard; with AdBlue it is essential, because deposits build up and some metals are attacked, and neither rinses away unaided. The filter is cleaned, or replaced where it needs to be; fresh diesel goes in; and the vehicle is tested. Most unstarted cars are a half-hour visit from the moment our engineers turn up.
Lastly, we start the engine. Our engineers make sure it runs correctly on fresh diesel before we go. Our technicians do the whole job where the vehicle is, and permanent damage is very uncommon if it has been noticed soon. Paying comes that day, never in advance. For the insurer, there is a VAT invoice and a written report from the engineer. Many insurance policies include misfuelling cover, so it is worth checking yours while we're on the way.
About Newtown, briefly
Newtown is a small suburban area situated on the riverside in Gloucestershire, with a relatively low elevation of 29 metres. Newtown lies near several other small places, including Oldend, Nastend, and Churchend, and is located approximately 8.4 miles from Gloucester. Newtown has a population of around 542 people and is characterised by predominantly terraced housing. Newtown is also within commuting distance of larger cities, being around 94.8 miles from London.
Newtown and Gloucestershire: AdBlue drains across the area
Nastend and Churchend get the same vans as Newtown, a new town, plus other places over GL postcodes. Telling us a GL10 3 postcode finds you fastest of all.
Stopped heading to Berryfields, or bang in the centre of Newtown, the vehicle remains where it is — there is no need to move it at all. Draining is done on the spot. Assuming won't help near Stonehouse Methodist, on a border or anywhere awkward to describe; ring and ask.
Your situation, in one line
Unstarted? Keep the car that way then phone. Run already: pull over, switch down, phone 0333 366 0103. Petrol in Diesel handles the rest, in Newtown or wherever across Gloucestershire.