What Now? AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Northover
What to do about AdBlue in a diesel tank depends on one thing more than any other: whether the motor has run since it was put in. Not run yet? Then keep the vehicle that way, whether the vehicle sits — Northover or Yeovilton. Usually that is draining and thoroughly flushing it right there around Northover — and so keep the ignition and motor off and call 0333 366 0103. Where the engine has been run, pull in somewhere safe straight away, then turn the vehicle off. It is a bigger job, yet step one doesn't change.
Find the situation below that matches yours, wherever around Somerset it happened.
AdBlue in a diesel on a Northover forecourt
The cap you unscrewed was the wrong one — and you only notice it as you are standing at the pump, bottle or the nozzle in hand. Somewhere in Northover, then — Texaco, Esso, or somewhere else close by.
Meaning? Spotting it on the forecourt is as good as it gets. No pump has drawn it in, and so the AdBlue sits just inside your tank.
Freeing the petrol pump is no excuse to start it — so don't get back in. Get the staff to help rolling it to a space, save the receipt, then phone us from there. Emptying it right at the pump is possible if it can't be shifted, since the equipment is explosion-proof.
AdBlue in your diesel tank at home in Northover
On the dash, a warning had been lit for days. Only by the recycling, the empty bottle in hand, did you glance back at the cap you had used on the driveway. Houses just off Northover are caught out as much as everywhere else.
Meaning? As long as the car hasn't moved since, it is second to the pump case. Being unable to blend, AdBlue drops low in the tank and stays. One night standing changes nothing.
Next: stop an early drive by keeping your keys in the house, then phone us. Out in Ilchester or here in Northover, the draining happens on your drive. Our pumping kit works quiet enough not to disturb the neighbours at night.
AdBlue in a diesel and already driving in Northover?
Filled up, drove away, and soon your motor was turning roughly, smoking, losing power, or lighting up your dash. Somewhere on Costello Hill or else heading to Wells — under 15 miles away.
What it means: the system has pulled the AdBlue in. It has been through your filter and the lines and, the further you went, into the high-pressure fuel pump and the injectors. It goes deeper with every mile driven and each restart.
Pull in safely — that is the next job — then switch everything off. Service stations farther on can wait: on the M5, under 25 miles out of Northover, use the first junction. It will not have cleared, so there is no sense restarting to check. Call, saying how far the car went.
AdBlue in the wrong tank of a hire, lease or company car
Seven days ago, the car was unknown to you. The AdBlue filler sits right beside the diesel filler, which you didn't know, because your own vehicle either has no AdBlue or keeps it somewhere else. It can happen to anyone, anywhere in Somerset.
Meaning? Whichever case above applies here — run or unrun — and one further stage. Plenty of rental and fleet agreements need the owner's approval before work.
Next: ring the rental company or your fleet manager first, then us — settling it before our arrival is faster. Stranded near Church of St Andrew or outside Yeovil Pen Mill till someone replies, the car stays switched off throughout.
AdBlue in the diesel tank? Not sure, around Northover
Truthfully, the only answer might be that you think so. A faint ammonia-like whiff hangs near the filler, the bottle seems too light, and the cap you took off is hard to recall. A rushed top-up by the gates of Ilchester Community School, or a visit to a friend in Draycott: both fits.
In short: a spill round the filler does your engine unharmed. AdBlue inside your diesel tank does. If there is AdBlue in your tank, firing up the car will pull it in, and it wouldn't tell you which either.
Do this: behave as though it did, and never start your motor. Describe what you noticed on your phone. A clean tank checked is a better outcome than an already-run one drained.
What each AdBlue drain around Northover has in common
Every case has the same start to the job. Anywhere the car is — The Bull Inn's car park, a road by Ilchester Town Hall, a drive, a forecourt — the van arrives and we ask about the liquid, the amount, and if your engine has turned over. Over the phone, ahead of dispatch, you are told our price, and those replies shape the work too.
Draining the tank comes first, then a full flush — more important after urea than after petrol, because crystals and corrosion will not clear on their own, no matter how long you wait. Your filter is cleaned, or replaced where it needs to be; fresh diesel goes in; and the vehicle is tested. The majority of unstarted vehicles are a half-hour visit after the moment our technicians arrive.
Our engineers start the engine at the end. Before our technicians head off, it is tested to be sure it runs properly on clean diesel. The whole job is done where the vehicle is, and if it is caught soon, lasting damage is very uncommon. Payment comes on the day, never in advance. For your insurer, you get a VAT invoice plus a written report from the engineer. Many insurance policies include misfuelling, so check yours while the van travels.
About Northover and where it is
Northover is a suburban area in Somerset, situated on the riverside at a low elevation of around 15 metres. Northover lies near the towns of Ilchester and Wells, and is close to other nearby places such as Ilchester Mead and Limington. Northover has a population of approximately 1753 people and is characterised by predominantly terraced housing.
AdBlue drains around Northover, and across Somerset too
Ilchester Mead and Limington get the same teams as Northover, a residential suburb, along with other places throughout BA postcodes. Quickest of all: a BA22 8 postcode for your location.
Whether the car is on a lay-by on the way to Town Square or in a car park in the middle of Northover, it doesn't need to move. Our van empties it where it stands. Assuming doesn't help beside Ilchester Museum, close to a county line or somewhere awkward to pin down; phone and ask.
Your situation, in one line
Not run yet: keep it off and call. Run by now: pull over, power down, phone 0333 366 0103. Petrol in Diesel takes over the remainder, in Northover or anywhere in Somerset.