Penwortham: AdBlue in the Diesel Tank? Find Your Situation
What to do about AdBlue in a diesel tank comes down to one thing more than any other: whether your motor has run since it got in. Over in Broadgate or right in Penwortham, an unrun motor should stay that way. Usually that means draining and thoroughly rinsing it on the spot around Penwortham — so keep your ignition and engine off then phone 0333 366 0103. Stop the minute you safely can and turn off, if it has been run. The job is bigger, yet the first stage is the same.
Further down: the situations we meet, anywhere around Lancashire. Pick yours.
AdBlue in a diesel on a Penwortham forecourt
Just at this point, nozzle still in hand, you realise that the cap you opened was the wrong one, there at the petrol pump. It could be the the nearest petrol station, or perhaps the Gulf, or another station in Penwortham.
The point: of all places to find out, this is the best. Still inside that tank, and nothing drawn through: that's where the AdBlue is.
Your move: keep out of the car, even if the queue wants clearing. Three things: a push into a space with the staff helping, the bottle kept, and a call to us from where you stand. If it cannot be moved, it can be drained at the petrol pump: the equipment is explosion-proof and safe on a busy forecourt.
AdBlue in your diesel tank on a Penwortham drive?
Days had passed with the dash light on. You bought a bottle, poured it in on the driveway, and only when you put the empty bottle in the recycling did you look a second time at the cap. Homes just off Liverpool Road get caught out as much as everywhere else.
What it means: if you have not driven since, this is nearly as good as the forecourt. Diesel and AdBlue keep separate: the AdBlue settles to the floor of the tank and remains put, no matter how long it waits.
Next: prevent any early move by putting your keys indoors, then phone us. Our engineers drain the car on your driveway, whether that's around Penwortham or out in Higher Penwortham. The pumping kit runs quiet enough that it won't wake the neighbours at night.
Penwortham: set off with AdBlue in a diesel?
Topped up, pulled away, and soon your motor was turning roughly, smoking, losing power, or flashing up your dash. Somewhere along Lawrence Road or else on the road towards Preston — under 3 miles away.
Put simply: the AdBlue has been pulled through your fuel system. Past your filter, along the lines, and — the more the mileage — on into the injection pump and every injector. More miles, more restarts: further it goes.
Stop somewhere safe — that is the first step — then turn it off. Penwortham sits under 5 miles from the M65; on it, pull off at the next junction rather than pressing on to the services. No trial restarts: clearing isn't something AdBlue does. Phone us and say how far you drove.
AdBlue in the wrong tank of a hire, lease or company car
You have only had this vehicle for days. The AdBlue filler is right alongside the diesel one, which you didn't know, because your own motor either has no AdBlue or keeps it somewhere else. Anyone, anywhere across Lancashire, could make the same.
In short: an extra stage on top of the situations above, which depend on whether it's run. The owner often has to sign off the work, under plenty of rental and fleet contracts.
What to do: call the hire firm or your fleet manager first, then us. That's quicker settled before our technicians get there than after. If you're stranded in the car park outside Preston, or by Priory Lane Community Centre, whilst you wait for an answer, leave your car off.
Penwortham: unsure if it was AdBlue in the diesel tank?
At times the honest answer is "I think so". 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. A hurried top-up by the gates of Penwortham, St Teresa's Catholic Primary School, or a call to a friend in Howick Cross: both fit.
What it means: a little spilled round the filler does no damage to your engine. A diesel tank with AdBlue inside is another matter. Any AdBlue in that tank will be pulled in by firing up your car, and the start wouldn't settle which it is in any case.
Do this: act as if it did, and never start the motor. Inspecting a tank that turns out clean is better than emptying one once it has been run — so ring then describe to us what you saw.
The common ground in each Penwortham AdBlue drain
Whichever scenario you are in, this job starts the same way. Three questions are asked when we reach the car — at a filling station, a drive, a road by Penwortham Over 60’s Club or the car park at Fleece Inn: the liquid, the quantity, and whether it has run. Your price comes on the call, before a van leaves, and those answers shape the job.
A thorough flush follows the drain. With petrol it's routine; with AdBlue it is essential, because deposits form and certain metals are attacked, and none of that rinses away unaided. Last come your filter, cleaned or renewed if necessary; clean diesel; and a test of your car. The majority of unstarted cars are a half-hour job after the moment our technicians arrive.
We start it at the end. Before our engineers leave, it's tested to make sure it runs smoothly on new diesel. Long-term damage is very unusual when it's caught soon, and the entire job is done where the vehicle is. Nothing is paid upfront, payment happens on the day, and you get what the insurer asks for: an engineer report and a VAT invoice. Check your insurance before we're en route: cover for misfuelling is included in many policies.
About Penwortham and where it is
Penwortham is a locality in Lancashire, situated near the River Ribble and close to the city of Preston. Penwortham has a mix of housing types, but semi-detached homes are the most common, and its population is around 2827 people. Penwortham is located inland, with an elevation of 29 metres above sea level, and is part of the wider Preston urban area. Penwortham is also near several other places, including Higher Penwortham, Riverside Docklands, and Lower Penwortham.
AdBlue drains across Lancashire, Penwortham included
Riverside Docklands and Lower Penwortham get the same teams as Penwortham, a neighbourhood, plus further towns throughout PR postcodes. Telling us your PR1 0 postcode finds you fastest of all.
Stopped heading to King George V Playing Field, or right in the heart of Penwortham, the vehicle remains where it is — there's no need to shift it at all. The van empties it in place. Ring and check instead of guessing if you are by Penwortham United Reformed Church, near a border, or somewhere tricky to explain.
Your situation, summed up
Not run yet: keep the car off and call. Whatever case applies, Petrol in Diesel takes over from there on 0333 366 0103, throughout Lancashire and in Penwortham — once you stop, turn off then phone, if it has run.