AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Podsmead: What Now?
Has your engine run since the AdBlue went in? This one question decides nearly everything about what comes next. Wherever the vehicle is — Hempsted, Podsmead — don't start a motor that has not run yet. Keep nothing on, call 0333 366 0103, and expect a thorough flush plus a drain, carried out right where the car stands in Podsmead. Stop the minute it is safe and turn off, if it has been run. It is a bigger job, yet step one does not change.
Further down: the cases our technicians meet, wherever across Gloucestershire. Pick yours.
On a Podsmead forecourt with AdBlue in a diesel
Imagine it: standing by the pump, gripping the bottle, you realise the cap you took off wasn't the right one. Be it Esso, Shell or anywhere else around Podsmead, the case is the same.
In short: no better place exists to spot it. Still in your tank, and no fuel drawn onwards: that's where the AdBlue is.
Do this: stay out of the driver's seat, however much the queue needs clearing. Get the attendants to lend a hand pushing it into a space, save the bottle, then phone us from there. Draining it there at the petrol pump is fine if it can't be shifted, since the equipment is explosion-proof.
Podsmead, at home: AdBlue in the diesel tank
The warning light had been on for days. A bottle bought at the shop, emptied in on the drive — and it was only by the bin that the cap caught your eye. Homes just off Podsmead Road are caught out as much as anywhere else.
In short: if your vehicle hasn't moved since, it is nearly as good as finding out at the forecourt. Diesel and AdBlue keep apart: the AdBlue settles to the floor of that tank and remains put, however long it waits.
Next: prevent an early drive by putting your keys in the house, then ring us. Your driveway is where it gets drained, whether in Podsmead or Lower Tuffley. The equipment runs quietly enough not to disturb the neighbours at night.
On the road in Podsmead with AdBlue in a diesel
You filled up, set off, and a mile or two later the engine began to run unevenly, smoke, lose power or light up the dashboard. Maybe it was on Scott Avenue, possibly on the way out towards Gloucester, under 3 miles away.
In short: the AdBlue has been pulled into the system. It's been through your filter and the lines and, the further you went, into your high-pressure pump and the fuel injectors. Each mile and each restart takes it further.
Next: find a sensible spot, pull in, then turn your engine off. Services farther on can wait: on the M5, under 3 miles out of Podsmead, take the first junction. Don't restart the car to see if it has cleared; it will not have. Tell us know the mileage covered when you call.
Hire, lease or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank
A week ago, the car was unknown to you. Your own car either has no AdBlue or puts it somewhere different, so no one told you the AdBlue cap sits right beside your diesel. It can happen to anyone, anywhere in Gloucestershire.
Put simply: one extra stage on top of the situations above, and those turn on whether it's run. Many rental and company contracts need the owner's approval before work.
What to do: call the hire firm or your fleet manager first, then us. That's faster settled before we get there than after. Stuck near English Martyrs or outside Gloucester until the firm replies, your car remains turned off the whole time.
Not sure it was AdBlue in your diesel tank, Podsmead?
At times the fair answer is "I think so". Which cap was taken off, you cannot say; but the bottle weighs lighter than it ought to, and a whiff of ammonia lingers by your filler. A hurried stop by the gates of Grange Primary Academy, or a call to a friend in Lower Rea: either fit.
The upshot: the engine isn't hurt by a little AdBlue spilled around the filler. AdBlue inside the diesel tank does. You cannot tell which by turning the key, and doing so will suck in any AdBlue that is in the tank.
Your move: act as though it did, and don't start the engine. Describe what you saw on the phone. A clear tank looked at is a better result than a run one emptied.
What every AdBlue drain around Podsmead has in common
Whichever scenario you are in, the job starts the same way. Wherever your vehicle stands — The Gladiator's car park, a street beside St George's Church, a driveway, a filling station — our van gets there and we ask for the fluid, the quantity, and whether your motor has turned over. Those replies decide this work, and you get the price on the phone, before anybody heads out.
Emptying that tank comes first, then a full flush — more vital with urea than after petrol, because crystals and corrosion will not clear on their own, no matter how long it sits. Next is the fuel filter — cleaned, or replaced when necessary — then fresh diesel, and a test of the car. Where your engine has not been started, expect roughly half an hour on site, for most cases.
Our engineers start it at the end. Our check that it runs smoothly on clean diesel comes before our technicians head off. When it's caught soon, the car very seldom has permanent damage, and the entire job takes place where it is. Paying comes on the day, never upfront. For your insurer, there is a VAT invoice plus a report from the engineer. Dig out your insurance before we arrive: cover for misfuelling comes built into plenty of policies.
About Podsmead and where it is
Podsmead is a suburban area located on the outskirts of Gloucester, beside the River Severn in Gloucestershire. Podsmead sits at a low elevation of around 17 metres, with residential areas including semi-detached housing. Podsmead is close to nearby places such as Lower Tuffley, Linden, and Tuffley, and is situated near the city of Gloucester, approximately 1.9 miles away. Podsmead has a population of around 4270 residents.
Podsmead and Gloucestershire: AdBlue drains across the area
Linden and Tuffley get the same teams as Podsmead, a residential suburb, plus other places over GL postcodes. A postcode starting GL2 5 is the quickest way to tell us where you are.
Whether your car is on a lay-by on the way to Milton Avenue Open Space or in a car park in the middle of Podsmead, it doesn't need to move. Our technicians drain the car where it is. Guessing doesn't help near Blackbridge Sports & Athletics Club, close to a border or somewhere awkward to describe; phone and ask.
Your scenario, in one line
Engine never started: ring, leaving it alone. Run by now: stop, power down, phone 0333 366 0103. Petrol in Diesel handles the rest, within Podsmead or wherever in Gloucestershire.