AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Portsea, and What to Do Next
What to do about AdBlue in a diesel tank comes down to one thing more than any other: if the engine has run since it got in. Out in Landport or here around Portsea, an unstarted engine should remain unrun. Call 0333 366 0103 with the ignition and engine still off. Across Portsea, such a case is generally emptied and cleaned where it stands. When your motor has been run, pull in somewhere safe straight away, then turn it off. It is a larger job, though stage one doesn't change.
Further down: the situations our technicians see, wherever across Hampshire. Choose the one that fits.
On a Portsea forecourt with AdBlue in a diesel
Imagine it: standing by the petrol pump, gripping the bottle, you realise the cap you opened was not the correct one. Be it BP, Esso or anywhere else around Portsea, the case is identical.
The upshot: of all places to find out, the forecourt is the best. The AdBlue is in your tank and nowhere else. Nothing has drawn it in.
Freeing the pump is no reason to run it — and so don't get back in. Three jobs: a shove into a space with the attendants assisting, the bottle saved, and a call to us from where you stand. Our equipment is explosion-proof and fine on a live forecourt, so a car that can't be pushed clear is emptied right at the pump.
AdBlue in the diesel tank at home in Portsea
On your dash, a reminder had shown for days. Only at the recycling bin, the empty bottle in hand, did you look back at the cap you'd opened on the drive. Right off Bishop Street is not different from anywhere.
The point: zero driving since leaves it nearly as good to spotting it at the pump. Diesel and AdBlue keep apart: the AdBlue drops to the base of that tank and stays there, no matter how long it waits.
Next: the keys indoors, so nobody takes your car off at breakfast. After that, ring. In Portsmouth or here in Portsea, the draining is done at your driveway. The equipment runs quietly enough not to disturb the street at night.
AdBlue in a diesel and already driving in Portsea?
You filled up, set off, and a mile or two later your engine began to run unevenly, smoke, lose power or light up the dashboard. Anywhere on Queen Street or else heading to Portsmouth — under a mile away.
The point: the system has pulled AdBlue in by now. Distance decides how far it goes: filter and lines to begin with, then the high-pressure pump and each injector. Each mile and each restart takes it further.
What to do: pull over where it is safe then switch off. On the M275, under a mile from Portsea, that means the next exit, not the services further on. Don't restart the car to see if it has cleared; it will not have. Tell us hear the mileage covered when you call.
AdBlue in the wrong tank of a hire, lease or company car
You've only driven this vehicle for days. Your own vehicle either has no AdBlue or puts it elsewhere, and so nothing warned you the AdBlue cap sits right beside your diesel. Wherever you are across Hampshire, any driver could be caught.
Put simply: an extra step on top of the cases above, which turn on if it has run. Work on the vehicle frequently requires the owner's go-ahead under hire or fleet terms.
Sorting it before the van turn up is quicker, and so ring the hire company or your fleet manager, then us. If you're stranded in the car park at Portsmouth Harbour, or by John Pounds Corner, whilst you wait for an answer, leave the car off.
AdBlue in the diesel tank? Not sure, around Portsea
"I think so" is sometimes as honest as it gets. The bottle is lighter than it should be, there is a faint smell of ammonia round the filler, and you can't remember which cap you took off. A rushed top-up by the gates of St George's Beneficial Church of England (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School, or a call to a friend in Gosport: both fits.
Meaning? Spills around the inlet never touch the motor at all. AdBlue inside your diesel tank does. Any AdBlue in your tank would be drawn in by starting the vehicle, and the start would not settle which it is in any case.
Next: act as though it went in, then keep the motor off. Describe what you noticed on the phone. A clean tank checked is a happier result than a run one emptied.
Portsea: what every AdBlue drain has in common
Whatever the case, one start applies. Our technicians come to your car, whether it is on a forecourt, a driveway, the car park outside George Hotel or a side street near Groundlings Theatre, and ask three things: what went in, about how much, and whether your motor has been run. Your price is given on the call, before a van leaves, and the replies set the work.
A thorough flush comes after this drain. With petrol it's standard; with AdBlue it's crucial, since deposits form and certain metals are attacked, and neither washes away unaided. Then is the filter — cleaned, or replaced where needed — then clean diesel, and a test of the vehicle. Not started? Then roughly half an hour on site covers most jobs.
Starting it comes at the end. Our engineers confirm it runs correctly on new diesel before leaving. The entire job is done where the car is, and if it is spotted soon, permanent damage is very uncommon. Nothing is taken upfront, settlement happens on the day, and you get what the insurer wants: an engineer report and a VAT invoice. Many insurance policies include misfuelling cover, and so it is worth checking yours while we're on the way.
About Portsea, briefly
Portsea is a suburban area located on the coast of Hampshire, situated close to the city of Portsmouth. Portsea sits at a low elevation of around 9 metres, with its predominant housing stock consisting of flats. Portsea is part of the larger Portsmouth urban area, with nearby places including Somers Town and Old Portsmouth. Portsea is approximately 64.6 miles from London, making it a commuter destination for some residents.
AdBlue drains across Hampshire, Portsea included
Portsea is a residential suburb, and the same vans that cover it work the towns near it too, Somers Town and Old Portsmouth among them, across the PO postcode area. Fastest of all: a PO1 3 postcode for your location.
No towing is needed, whether parked in the centre of Portsea or on a lay-by en route to Powell Square, so leave it put. The van empties it where it stands. Assuming won't help near Charles Dickens, close to a border or somewhere awkward to pin down; phone and check.
Your scenario, in one line
Unstarted? Leave the car that way and ring. Already run: stop, switch off and ring. Either way, Petrol in Diesel takes it from there around Portsea and anywhere across Hampshire on 0333 366 0103.