AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Pontcanna, and What to Do Next
Has the engine run since the AdBlue got in? That one question settles nearly everything else from here. If it hasn't, keep it that way, whether your car is around Pontcanna itself or out in Victoria Park. Leave the engine and your ignition off and phone 0333 366 0103; it's generally a drain and a thorough flush, done where the car is in Pontcanna. Stop the moment it is safe and switch off, if it has been run. It's a larger job, though stage one doesn't change.
Wherever across Cardiff it happened, one of the cases below fits yours.
On a Pontcanna forecourt with AdBlue in a diesel
You're at the petrol pump, the nozzle or the bottle still in your hand, and you have just noticed the cap you opened was the wrong one. It could be the Tesco, or perhaps the Texaco, or a different forecourt around Pontcanna.
What it means: this is the ideal location to find out. Only that tank has AdBlue; not one component past it has taken it in.
Clearing the petrol pump is no reason to run it — so don't get back in. Ring us from the forecourt once your car is in a space — the attendants will lend a hand to roll it — and save the bottle. If it cannot be moved, it can be emptied at the pump: the equipment is explosion-proof and safe on a busy forecourt.
At home in Pontcanna with AdBlue in your diesel tank
On the dash, a reminder had shown all week. Only at the recycling bin, the empty bottle in your hand, did you glance back at the cap you had opened on the driveway. Drives near Fields Park Road see it as much as any other street.
The upshot: no driving since leaves it nearly as good to spotting it at the petrol pump. AdBlue does not mix with diesel; it sinks to the bottom of the tank and waits there. Overnight doesn't change that.
Keep your keys in the house tonight — or someone might take it away first thing — and phone us. Your driveway is where it is emptied, whether in Pontcanna or Maindy. The pumps are quiet enough to use outside a house after dark.
Pontcanna: drove off with AdBlue in a diesel?
A short way beyond topping up, your engine started misbehaving: rough running, smoke, lost power, lights on your dash. Somewhere on Heol Wilf Wooller or on the road towards Cardiff — under 3 miles away.
Put simply: the AdBlue has been sucked into the fuel system. Distance sets how far it goes: filter and lines first, then the high-pressure pump and each injector. More driving, more starts: further it travels.
Stop safely — that's the first step — then switch everything off. On the M4, under 3 miles from Pontcanna, that means the next exit, not the services further on. It will not have cleared, so there's no sense restarting to find out. Call us and say how far you drove.
Hire, lease or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank
It's a vehicle you have had for a week. Unbeknown to you, the AdBlue and diesel fillers are side by side here — not like your own vehicle, which has none or stores it in another spot. Any driver, wherever across Cardiff, could do the same.
Put simply: one extra step on top of the cases above, which depend on whether it has run. Plenty of hire and fleet agreements need the owner's approval for repairs.
Do this: hire firm or your fleet manager to begin with, us next, because settling it beforehand saves time. Stuck near Llandaff Rugby Football Club or at Waun-Gron Park till someone replies, your car stays switched off the whole time.
Unsure about AdBlue in the diesel tank in Pontcanna?
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 the filler, and you cannot remember which cap you took off. The gates of the local primary school in a hurry, say, or a friend's driveway over in Gabalfa.
What it means: a little spilled around the filler does no damage to the engine. The diesel tank with AdBlue inside is another story. If there is AdBlue in the tank, starting the car will suck it in, and it wouldn't tell you which either.
Your move: act as if it did, and never start your engine. Ring us and describe what you saw; we would rather check a tank that turns out free of AdBlue than drain one that has already been run.
Each AdBlue drain in Pontcanna shares these stages
Whatever the situation, one opening is used. Our engineers come to the car, whether it is on a forecourt, a drive, the car park outside The Halfway or a side street near Conway Road Methodist Church, and ask three things: what went in, roughly how much, and whether the motor has run. Replies set the work; the quote comes on the call whilst no one has left yet.
Draining that tank comes first, followed by a careful flush — more vital after urea than after petrol, because crystals and corrosion won't clear on their own, however long it sits. The fuel filter is flushed, or replaced where it needs to be; fresh diesel goes in; and your car is tested. Where the motor has not been started, expect about half an hour once we arrive, in most jobs.
Our technicians fire it up at the end. Our engineers confirm it runs correctly on new diesel before we leave. We do the whole job where your car is, and lasting damage is very rare if it has been noticed soon. Paying comes that day, never in advance. For your insurer, you get a VAT invoice and a written report from the engineer. Worth remembering: lots of insurers include misfuelling cover, so a check of your documents while we travel is worthwhile.
About Pontcanna itself
Pontcanna is a coastal suburban area in Cardiff, situated near the River Taff and close to the city centre. Pontcanna is characterized by its predominantly terraced housing and its proximity to nearby places such as Maindy, Blackweir, and Canton. Pontcanna sits at a low elevation of around 10 metres above sea level, reflecting its coastal setting. Pontcanna is home to a population of approximately 2930 residents, who live in close proximity to Cardiff's amenities.
AdBlue drains about Pontcanna and across Cardiff
Being a residential suburb, Pontcanna shares its vans with the nearby towns — Canton, Blackweir — all the way across CF postcodes. A postcode starting CF11 9 is the quickest way to tell us where you are.
No moving is needed, whether parked in the centre of Pontcanna or in a layby en route to Llandaff Fields, so leave it where it is. The van drains it where it stands. Awkward to pin down? Close to Canton Gospel Hall or a border? Asking beats guessing, and so phone.
Your scenario, in one line
Engine never started: phone, and leave it alone. Whatever case fits, Petrol in Diesel takes over the rest on 0333 366 0103, across Cardiff and in Pontcanna — after you pull over, turn off then phone, if it's run.