What Now? AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Northwood
All of it hinges on one fact: if the motor has been run after the AdBlue was added — more than anything else. Wherever your vehicle stands — Batchworth Heath, Northwood — don't start an engine that has not run yet. Usually this means draining and thoroughly cleaning it on the spot around Northwood — so keep the ignition and engine off then phone 0333 366 0103. Stop the moment you safely can then turn off, if it has been run. It is a bigger job, though step one does not change.
Match your case to one of the ones below, anywhere in Greater London you happen to be.
At the pump around Northwood: AdBlue in a diesel
Just at this point, bottle still in hand, it dawns on you that the cap you opened was the wrong one, right at the petrol pump. Whether Esso, Shell or somewhere else around Northwood, the situation is identical.
In short: there is no better spot to be to spot it. Still inside your tank, with nothing drawn onwards: that is where the AdBlue sits.
Next: avoid the temptation to start it just to free up the petrol pump. Ask the staff to help you roll the car into a parking spot, keep the till receipt or the bottle, then ring us from the forecourt. Can't move the vehicle by the pump? Our explosion-proof equipment keeps a busy forecourt sensible, so it can be drained where it is.
Northwood, at home: AdBlue in your diesel tank
Days had gone by with the dash light on. Picked up a container, poured it in outside the house, binned the empty — and at that point looked at the cap again, too late. Homes just off Green Lane are caught out as much as anywhere else.
Meaning? Provided your vehicle hasn't been driven since, it's second to the pump case. Being unable to mix, AdBlue drops low inside the tank and stays. A night parked alters none of that.
What to do: leave your keys inside the house so no one moves your car in the morning. Then call. Our technicians drain the car on your drive, whether that's in Northwood or out in Eastbury. Even at night, our pumps are quiet enough for a residential street.
Northwood: set off with AdBlue in a diesel?
Topped up, drove away, and before long your motor was turning roughly, smoking, losing power, or lighting up the dash. Somewhere along Maxwell Road or else on the road towards St Albans — under 15 miles away.
What it means: your fuel system has pulled the AdBlue in. It has been through the fuel filter and your lines and, the further you went, into the high-pressure pump and the fuel injectors. It travels further with each extra mile driven and every restart.
Your move: pull up anywhere safe, then turn the motor off. On the M25, under 5 miles from Northwood, that means the next exit, not the services further on. No test starts: clearing itself is not something AdBlue will do. Phone, saying what distance your car went.
A hire or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank?
Seven days ago, it was new to you. Your own motor either has no AdBlue or puts it elsewhere, so no one told you the AdBlue cap sits just next to your diesel. It can happen to anyone, anywhere around Greater London.
What it means: the same as the situations above, depending on whether it has run, with one more step. Work on the vehicle often needs the owner's approval under hire or fleet agreements.
Your move: hire firm or fleet manager first, us second, since sorting it early cuts time. Keep it off while the answer comes, even if you are waiting outside Carpenders Park or near St John's.
Northwood: unsure whether it was AdBlue in the diesel tank?
Sometimes the honest answer is "I think so". A slight ammonia-like whiff lingers around your filler, the bottle feels too light, and the cap you took off is hard to recall. A rushed stop by the gates of Frithwood Primary School, or a call to a friend in Pinner Green: either fit.
Meaning? Spills around the filler don't reach the engine at all. The diesel tank with AdBlue in it is a different story. You cannot tell which by turning the ignition, and doing so would pull in any AdBlue that is in your tank.
Assume it went in, and don't start your engine. Phone with what you saw: we would rather confirm a tank free of AdBlue than empty one once your motor has been run.
Northwood: what every AdBlue drain has in common
No matter the case, a single start is used. Wherever the vehicle stands — The Three Wishes's car park, a road by St Helen's School Sports Centre, a driveway, a forecourt — the van gets there and we ask for the fluid, the quantity, plus if your motor has been run. Those replies determine the work, and you get the price on the phone, before anybody heads out.
A thorough flush comes after the drain. With petrol it is routine; with AdBlue it is essential, because deposits form and certain metals corrode, and none of it washes away unaided. Your filter is flushed, or replaced where it needs to be; fresh diesel goes in; and the vehicle is tested. Where your engine has not run, expect about half an hour on site, in most jobs.
Starting it comes at the end. Before our engineers leave, it's checked to be sure it runs correctly on clean diesel. The entire job is done where your car is, and if it's spotted quickly, permanent damage is very unusual. Paying comes that day, never in advance. For your insurer, you get a VAT invoice plus a written report from the engineer. Check your insurance while we arrive: misfuelling cover is built into plenty of policies.
About Northwood
Northwood is a locality in northwest Greater London, situated approximately 14.6 miles from central London and 10.4 miles from St Albans. Northwood sits at an elevation of around 78 metres, near the neighbouring areas of Eastbury, Moor Park, and Northwood Hills. Northwood is predominantly composed of flat housing, which accommodates its population of around 3298 residents. Northwood is a residential area with a mix of local amenities and transport links.
AdBlue drains in Northwood, and across Greater London too
Moor Park and Northwood Hills get the identical vans as Northwood, a small village, along with other places over HA postcodes. Telling us a HA6 2 postcode pins you fastest of all.
Centre of Northwood or a lay-by near Frithwood Park: wherever it is, your car doesn't need to shift an inch for us. Our technicians drain the vehicle where it stands. Awkward to explain? By Northwood Methodist Church or a border? Asking beats assuming, so phone.
Your situation, summed up
Not run yet: keep it off and ring. Run already: stop, switch down, phone 0333 366 0103. Petrol in Diesel handles the rest, in Northwood or wherever in Greater London.