Portesham: 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: if the motor has run since it was put in. Over in Abbotsbury or right in Portesham, an unrun motor must remain unrun. Usually this means draining and thoroughly flushing it on the spot in Portesham — so leave your ignition and motor off then ring 0333 366 0103. Already started? Pull over when safe, then switch everything off. The job is bigger, yet the first stage is the same.
Anywhere in Dorset it happened, one of the cases below fits yours.
At the pump in Portesham: AdBlue in a diesel
Just now, bottle still in hand, it dawns on you that the cap you opened was the wrong one, there at the pump. Be it Esso, BP or somewhere else around Portesham, the situation is the same.
What it means: this is the best place to find out. Just your tank holds AdBlue; not one part beyond it has taken any in.
What to do: don't get back in and start the vehicle to clear the petrol pump. Phone us from the forecourt after the car is in a bay — the attendants will help push it — and save the bottle. Emptying it right at the petrol pump is fine if it cannot be shifted, since the equipment is explosion-proof.
Portesham, at home: AdBlue in the diesel tank
On your dash, a warning had shown all week. A bottle bought at the garage, tipped in on the driveway — and it was just at the bin that the cap caught a second look. It happens on driveways just off Front Street as regularly as anywhere.
The upshot: no miles since leaves it nearly as good to spotting it at the pump. AdBlue doesn't mix with diesel; it sinks to the bottom of the tank and waits there. Overnight doesn't change that.
Next: prevent any early drive by keeping your keys indoors, then ring us. Your driveway is where it gets drained, whether around Portesham or Rodden. Late-night empties outside a house are fine: the pumps are quiet.
AdBlue in a diesel and already driving in Portesham?
Rough running, smoke, lost power or a lit dashboard started a mile or two beyond the fill. Maybe heading for Wells, under 50 miles away, or just along Bramdon Close.
What it means: the fuel system has pulled the AdBlue in. Mileage decides how far it gets: filter and pipework to begin with, then the injection pump and each injector. More miles, more starts: further it travels.
Pull in somewhere safe — that's the first step — then switch it off. On the M5, under 50 miles from Portesham, that means the next junction, not the services further on. Do not restart the vehicle to see if it has cleared; it will not have. Ring us and say how far you travelled.
A hire or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank?
A week back, it was new to you. The AdBlue filler is right alongside the diesel one, which you did not know, because your own car either has no AdBlue or keeps it somewhere else. Anywhere you are around Dorset, any driver can slip up.
Meaning? Whatever applies above applies here — run or not — plus one extra step. Work on your vehicle frequently needs the owner's approval under hire or fleet agreements.
Settling it before the van arrives is faster, so ring the hire company or your fleet manager, and then us. Stuck near St Peter or at Upwey till someone replies, the car stays turned off the whole time.
Portesham: unsure if it was AdBlue in your diesel tank?
"I think so" is often as honest as it gets. Lighter, the bottle; a trace of ammonia round the filler; a hazy memory of the cap. Look familiar? A rushed stop by the gates of Portesham Church of England Primary School, or a call to a friend in Coryates: both fit.
The point: your engine is not hurt by some AdBlue splashed on the filler. AdBlue inside the diesel tank does. If there is AdBlue in the tank, starting the vehicle will draw it in, and it wouldn't tell you which either.
What to do: treat it as if it went in. Don't crank it. Ring us and explain what you saw; we would rather check a tank that turns out free of AdBlue than drain one that has already been run.
What every AdBlue drain around Portesham has in common
Whichever situation you are in, this job starts the same way. Three things come when our engineers arrive — on a filling station, a drive, a road by Portesham Village Hall or the car park outside Kings Arms: the fluid, the quantity, and whether it has run. Over the phone, ahead of anything else, you are told our price, and those answers decide the work too.
A thorough flush comes after the drain. With petrol it's routine; with AdBlue it's crucial, since deposits form and some metals corrode, and neither washes away unaided. Clean diesel is put in once the filter has been cleaned or changed, and the car is finally tested. If the engine has not run, the majority of jobs take about half an hour once we are there.
Starting the car comes at the end. Before we head off, it's checked to confirm it runs properly on clean diesel. The entire job is done where the car is, and if it's caught early, lasting damage is very rare. For your insurer: the engineer's report and the VAT invoice. For you: payment on the day, nothing in advance. Worth knowing: many insurers include misfuelling cover, and so a quick look at your documents while you wait pays.
About Portesham
Portesham is a small village in south Dorset, situated near the coast at an elevation of around 70 metres. Portesham lies close to several nearby settlements, including Rodden, Waddon, and West Shilvinghampton, and is characterized by its predominantly detached housing stock. Portesham is located approximately 120 miles from London and 37 miles from the nearest city, Wells. Portesham has a population of around 610 people, according to recent estimates.
AdBlue drains across Dorset, Portesham included
Over DT postcodes, the vans serving Portesham — a coastal village — reach nearby places too, Waddon and West Shilvinghampton included. Quickest of all: a DT3 4 postcode to show your location.
No towing is needed, whether parked in the centre of Portesham or on a layby heading to Clover Copse, so leave it where it is. Our technicians drain it where it stands. Ring and ask instead of guessing if you're close to Hampton Down Stone Circle, on a border, or anywhere tricky to explain.
Your situation, in one line
Unstarted? Keep the vehicle that way then phone. Already run: stop, switch off and call. Either way, Petrol in Diesel takes it from there in Portesham and anywhere across Dorset on 0333 366 0103.