What Now? AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Orford
All of it hinges on a single detail: whether the motor has been run since the AdBlue went in — far more than anything else. If it hasn't, keep it that way, whether the vehicle is around Orford itself or out in Chillesford. Normally this means draining and properly purging it on the spot around Orford — and so keep your ignition and motor off and ring 0333 366 0103. Pull over the moment you safely can then switch off, if it has already run. It is a larger job, yet step one does not change.
Wherever across Suffolk it took place, one of the situations below matches yours.
Orford forecourt: AdBlue in a diesel at the pump
Imagine it: standing by the petrol pump, gripping the nozzle, you realise the filler you took off wasn't the correct one. Perhaps you are at the the nearest petrol station, perhaps at the another forecourt nearby, maybe somewhere else around Orford.
The upshot: of all places to find out, the forecourt is the best. Only the tank has AdBlue; not one component beyond it has taken any in.
Next: avoid the temptation to fire it up just to move away from the petrol pump. Ask the attendants to help you roll the car into a parking space, keep the till receipt or the bottle, then call us from the forecourt. Stuck beside the petrol pump? Our explosion-proof kit makes a live forecourt sensible, and so we can drain it where it is.
Orford, at home: AdBlue in your diesel tank
On the dash, a reminder had been lit all week. A bottle bought at the shop, tipped in at the drive — and it's only by the recycling that the cap caught your eye. Driveways near Church Street get it as much as any other street.
The point: zero miles since leaves it nearly equal to spotting it at the pump. Diesel and AdBlue keep apart: the AdBlue settles to the base of that tank and stays put, however long it waits.
Next: stop any early-morning drive by keeping your keys indoors, then phone us. Out in Gedgrave or right here around Orford, the draining happens on your driveway. Our equipment works quiet enough that it won't wake the neighbours at night.
AdBlue in a diesel and already driving around Orford?
Topped up, drove away, and before long your motor was running roughly, smoking, losing power, or flashing up your dash. Anywhere along High Street or on the road towards Colchester — under 50 miles away.
Put simply: the AdBlue has been pulled through the system. Distance decides how deep it goes: filter and lines to begin with, then the injection pump and each injector. Each mile and each restart takes it further.
What to do: pull over where it is safe then switch off. Service stations further along are too far: from the M11, over 50 miles out of Orford, take the next junction. Starting it again to check achieves nothing — AdBlue never clears itself. Let us hear the distance covered when you call.
Hire, lease or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank
A week back, the car was new to you. Unbeknown to you, the two inlets sit side by side here — not like your own car, which has no AdBlue or stores it in another spot. Anyone, anywhere around Suffolk, might make the same.
The upshot: exactly as above, split by if it ran, only with one added stage. Plenty of hire and company contracts want the owner to approve work on your car.
Do this: hire firm or fleet manager first, us second, because settling it beforehand saves time. Stranded by St Bartholomew, Orford or outside Wickham Market till the firm replies, your vehicle remains turned off the whole time.
Orford: unsure whether it was AdBlue in your diesel tank?
Truthfully, the only answer may be that you think it did. The bottle is lighter than it should be, there's a faint smell of ammonia round your filler, and you can't remember which cap you took off. Possibly it happened in a hurry at the school gates at Orford Church of England Primary School and Nursery, or on a friend's drive in Butley Low Corner.
What it means: a little spilled around your filler does no damage to the engine. If it's inside your diesel tank, though, that changes. Any AdBlue in your tank would be pulled in by starting the car, and the start would not settle which it is in any case.
Take it that it was put in, and don't turn your engine. Inspecting a tank that turns out clean is better than emptying one after it's been run — so ring then describe to us what you noticed.
Every AdBlue drain in Orford shares these stages
Whichever situation you are in, the job starts the same way. We come to the vehicle, whether it's on a forecourt, a drive, the car park at The Kings Head Inn or a side street near Orford Village Hall, and ask three things: what went in, about how much, and if your engine has been run. Those answers determine the work, and you hear our price by phone, before anyone sets off.
Draining the tank comes next, followed by a full flush — more important with urea than after petrol, since crystals and corrosion won't clear on their own, no matter how long it sits. Your filter is flushed, or replaced where it needs to be; fresh diesel goes in; and the car is tested. Most unrun vehicles are a half-hour visit after the moment our engineers turn up.
Starting the car comes last. Our technicians make sure it runs correctly on new diesel before we leave. Lasting damage is very uncommon if it is spotted 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 that day, nothing upfront. Worth remembering: many insurers offer misfuelling cover, so a quick look at your documents while you wait pays.
About Orford itself
Orford is a small coastal village in Suffolk, situated near the mouth of the River Alde and close to the nearby settlements of Gedgrave and Sudbourne. Orford has a population of around 593 people and is characterized by semi-detached housing. Orford sits at a low elevation of 12 metres above sea level, looking out over the coastal waters of the North Sea. Orford is located approximately 81.8 miles from London and 30.5 miles from the city of Colchester.
AdBlue drains round Orford and across Suffolk
Orford is a coastal village, and the same teams that cover it work the places near it too, Gedgrave Hall and Sudbourne among them, across the IP postcode area. Quickest of all: a IP12 2 postcode to show your location.
No moving is needed, whether stopped in the centre of Orford or on a layby en route to Castle Green, so leave it put. Wherever it sits, that's where it is drained. Tricky to pin down? By Orford Methodist Church or a county line? Checking beats assuming, and so ring.
In one line: your situation
Where it has not run, phone and keep it that way. Whatever case applies, Petrol in Diesel takes over from there on 0333 366 0103, across Suffolk and in Orford — once you stop, switch off then ring, if it has run.