What Now? AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in North End
Everything turns on one fact: whether your motor has been run after the AdBlue was added — far more than anything else. If it hasn't, keep it that way, whether the vehicle is around North End itself or out in Barnes Cray. Leave the engine and the ignition off and phone 0333 366 0103; it is generally a drain and a thorough flush, done where the vehicle is in North End. If it's run, stop as soon as it is safe and switch off. It is a bigger job, though stage one doesn't change.
Match what happened to a situation from the list below, anywhere across Greater London you are.
AdBlue in a diesel on a North End forecourt
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. It might be the Shell, or the Morrisons, or another station around North End.
Meaning? Spotting it here is as good as it gets. Still in your tank, and nothing drawn onwards: that's where the AdBlue sits.
Your move: keep out of the driver's seat, however much the pump wants freeing. Get the attendants to help pushing it into a space, hold on to the receipt, then phone us from there. If it cannot be moved, it can be cleared at the petrol pump: the equipment is explosion-proof and fine on a busy forecourt.
North End, at home: AdBlue in your diesel tank
On the dash, a warning had been lit for days. Only by the recycling, the empty bottle in your hand, did you look back at the cap you'd used on the driveway. Driveways close to Bridge Road get it as much as anywhere.
The upshot: zero driving since leaves it nearly as good to spotting it at the pump. Diesel and AdBlue stay separate: the AdBlue settles to the floor of the tank and remains there, no matter how long the night.
Next: prevent any early drive by keeping the keys indoors, then ring us. Out in Slade Green or right here in North End, the draining is done at your driveway. Night-time empties outside a house are no problem: the pumps are quiet.
AdBlue in a diesel and already driving in North End?
Rough running, smoke, falling power or a glowing dashboard arrived a short way beyond the fill. Maybe heading to London, under 15 miles away, or just down Burns Close.
Meaning? Your fuel pump has taken the AdBlue in. The high-pressure pump and each injector see it as well on a bigger run, once the fuel filter and pipework have had it. Every restart, like each mile, carries it deeper.
Stop safely — that is the first step — then turn it off. North End sits under 5 miles from the M25; on it, pull off at the next junction rather than pressing on for the services. It will not have cleared, so there is no point restarting to find out. Phone, saying what distance your car went.
A hire or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank?
It's a car you have had for a week. Your own vehicle either has no AdBlue or keeps it somewhere different, and so no one warned you the AdBlue inlet was right beside the diesel. It can happen to anyone, anywhere around Greater London.
The upshot: exactly as above, split by if it ran, but with an added stage. Many hire and company agreements need the owner's approval for repairs.
Next: phone the hire company or your fleet manager first, then us — sorting it before we arrive is quicker. If you are stuck in the car park outside Slade Green, or by St Augustine of Canterbury, whilst you wait for an answer, leave the vehicle off.
AdBlue in your diesel tank? Not sure, around North End
Now and then, "I think so" is the most anyone can truthfully say. The bottle is lighter than it should be, there is a faint smell of ammonia about the filler, and you cannot remember which cap you took off. The gates of Peareswood Primary School in a hurry, perhaps, or a friend's driveway over in Erith.
The upshot: the engine is not hurt by some AdBlue splashed around the filler. AdBlue inside your diesel tank does. If there is AdBlue in that tank, starting the car will draw it in, and it wouldn't tell you which either.
Next: act as though it went in, then keep the motor off. Ring with what you saw: we would rather confirm a tank free of AdBlue than drain one once the motor has been run.
What every AdBlue drain around North End has in common
Each situation gets the same start to the job. Anywhere your vehicle is — The Corner Pin's car park, a street beside Northend Baptist Church, a driveway, a forecourt — our van gets there and asks for the fluid, the amount, and if the motor has turned over. Those answers settle this work, and you get the quote on the phone, before anybody sets off.
AdBlue crystallises and is corrosive to some metals used in fuel systems, so it won't rinse out on its own; that is why a full flush, after this drain, counts much more here than with petrol. Last come your filter, flushed or renewed as needed; fresh diesel; and a test of your vehicle. Never started? In that case roughly half an hour on site covers most jobs.
Finally, we fire it up. Our test that it runs properly on clean diesel comes before our technicians head off. Long-term damage is very rare when it is spotted early, and the entire job is done where the car is. You pay on the day, with nothing upfront, and get a VAT invoice and an engineer report for your insurer. Worth remembering: many insurers offer misfuelling cover, so a quick look at your documents as we travel pays.
About North End and where it is
North End is a suburban area in Greater London, situated approximately 13.8 miles from central London and 12.4 miles from the city centre. North End is characterized by its flat landscape, with an elevation of around 9 metres, and is predominantly composed of flat housing. North End is located near other suburban areas, including Slade Green, Colyers, and Barnehurst, and has a population of around 10,529 residents.
AdBlue drains across Greater London, North End included
Colyers and Barnehurst have the identical teams as North End, a residential suburb, plus further towns over DA postcodes. Giving us your DA8 2 postcode pins you fastest of all.
Whether the vehicle is on a lay-by on the way to Howbury Lane Open Space or in a car park in the middle of North End, it does not need to shift. Our van empties it in place. Guessing doesn't help near Parkside Community Centre, on a border or somewhere awkward to pin down; phone and ask.
Your situation, summed up
Where it has not run, ring then leave it off. Whichever line fits, Petrol in Diesel takes over the rest on 0333 366 0103, across Greater London and in North End — once you pull over, switch off and ring, if it has run.