AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Portwood, and What to Do Next
What to do about AdBlue in a diesel tank comes down to one thing more than any other: whether the motor has been run since it was put in. Wherever your vehicle is — Arden Park, Portwood — never run an engine that hasn't run yet. Usually that is draining and thoroughly flushing it on the spot in Portwood — so leave the ignition and engine off and phone 0333 366 0103. If it's run, stop as soon as it is safe then switch off. It is a larger job, though stage one doesn't change.
Further down: the situations we see, anywhere across Greater Manchester. Pick yours.
At the pump around Portwood: AdBlue in a diesel
You're at the pump, the nozzle or the bottle still in your hand, and you have just noticed the cap you opened was the wrong one. Anywhere in Portwood, then — Tesco, Shell, or somewhere else close by.
In short: no better spot exists to discover it. Still in your tank, and nothing pulled through: that's where the AdBlue sits.
Next: avoid the urge to start it just to move away from the petrol pump. Have the attendants to lend a hand pushing it into a bay, hold on to the receipt, then ring us right there. Our equipment is explosion-proof and safe on a busy forecourt, so a vehicle that can't be pushed away is drained where it is at the pump.
AdBlue in your diesel tank at home around Portwood
Days had passed with the warning light on. Only at the recycling bin, the empty bottle in your hand, did you glance back at the cap you had used on the driveway. It occurs on driveways just off Carrington Road as often as anywhere.
The point: no miles since leaves it nearly as good to spotting it at the pump. At the bottom of the tank is exactly where AdBlue stays, because it won't blend with diesel — and a night going by changes no difference.
What to do: leave the keys inside the house so no one moves the vehicle in the morning. Then ring. Your driveway is where it gets emptied, be it around Portwood or Lancashire Hill. Night-time drains outside a house are fine: the pumps are low-noise.
On the road around Portwood with AdBlue in a diesel
You filled up, set off, and a mile or two later your engine began to run roughly, smoke, lose power or light up the dashboard. It might have been driving to Manchester, under 10 miles away, or simply along Brinnington Road.
The upshot: your system has drawn AdBlue in already. Through your filter, through the pipework, and — the further the distance — on into the high-pressure pump and every injector. Each mile and each restart takes it further.
Stop somewhere safe — that is the first step — then turn everything off. Exit at the next junction — not the services further along — if you're on the M60, under a mile from Portwood. Don't restart the car to see if it has cleared; it will not have. Phone us and say how far you travelled.
Hire, lease or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank
Seven days ago, the car was new to you. On your own vehicle, AdBlue is absent or elsewhere. On this one, its inlet is just by your diesel inlet — a surprise to you. Anywhere you are across Greater Manchester, every driver could be caught.
What it means: the same as the situations above, depending on whether it has run, with one more stage. Many hire and company agreements require the owner's sign-off for repairs.
What to do: ring the hire firm or your fleet manager first, then us. That is quicker settled before we arrive than after. Stuck by St Pauls Church War Memorial or outside Stockport till the firm replies, your car stays switched off throughout.
Portwood: unsure if it was AdBlue in your diesel tank?
Now and then, "I think so" is the most you can honestly say. A faint ammonia whiff lingers near the filler, the bottle feels too light, and which cap came off is hard to recall. Maybe it happened in a hurry at the school gates at Vernon Park Primary School, or on a friend's drive in Brinnington.
Meaning? Drips outside the inlet don't reach your engine at all. Inside your diesel tank, by contrast, AdBlue damages it. Any AdBlue in that tank will be sucked in by starting your car, and the start would not settle which it is in any case.
What to do: treat it as if it got in. Do not start it. Call us and describe what you saw; we'd rather check a tank that turns out clean than drain one that has already been run.
What every AdBlue drain in Portwood has in common
No matter the situation, a single opening applies. Our technicians come to your car, whether it's at a forecourt, a drive, the car park at The Midway or a side street close to Fred Perry, and ask three things: what was put in, roughly how much, and whether your engine has been run. Replies set the work; the price follows by phone whilst no one has left yet.
Then the tank is cleared and the system flushed thoroughly, which counts more with AdBlue than with petrol: AdBlue crystallises and is corrosive to some of the metals in a fuel system, so it does not rinse out on its own. Last come your filter, flushed or replaced as needed; clean diesel; and a check of the car. Not started? Then roughly half an hour once we are there is most jobs.
Our technicians start the car at the end. Before our engineers head off, it is tested to confirm it runs correctly on fresh diesel. When it's spotted quickly, the car very rarely has permanent damage, and the whole job happens where it is. Nothing is taken upfront, settlement happens on the day, and you receive what the insurer asks for: an engineer report plus a VAT invoice. Check your insurance while we arrive: misfuelling cover is included in many policies.
About Portwood itself
Portwood is a suburban area in Greater Manchester, situated on the riverside at an elevation of around 50 metres. Portwood lies approximately 5.9 miles from Manchester and is near other local places such as Lancashire Hill and Stockport. Portwood has a population of around 2032 people and is characterised by predominantly terraced housing. Portwood is also relatively close to Lower Bredbury and other surrounding suburbs.
AdBlue drains in Portwood, and across Greater Manchester too
Stockport and Lower Bredbury have the identical vans as Portwood, a residential suburb, along with other places throughout SK postcodes. Telling us a SK1 2 postcode pins you quickest of all.
No towing is required, whether parked centrally in Portwood or in a layby heading to New Bridge Lane Woods, so keep it where it is. Our van empties it in place. Tricky to explain? Close to Portwood Water Turbine or a county line? Asking is better than assuming, so phone.
Your scenario, summed up
Still unrun? Keep the car that way and phone. Run already: stop, switch down, ring 0333 366 0103. Petrol in Diesel takes over the remainder, in Portwood or anywhere in Greater Manchester.