Purfleet-on-Thames: AdBlue in the Diesel Tank? Find Your Situation
All of that turns on one detail: whether the engine has started after the AdBlue went in — far more than anything else. If it hasn't, keep it that way, whether the car is in Purfleet-on-Thames itself or out in Dartford Marshes. Usually that means emptying and properly purging it right there around Purfleet-on-Thames — and so keep the ignition and motor off then phone 0333 366 0103. Already run? Stop once safe, then switch it off. A bigger job, yes, but the same first move.
Wherever across Essex it happened, one of the cases below matches yours.
AdBlue in a diesel on a Purfleet-on-Thames forecourt
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 might be the Esso, or perhaps the Texaco, or a different station in Purfleet-on-Thames.
What it means: this is the ideal spot to find out. Only that tank holds AdBlue; no component past it has taken it in.
What to do: do not get back in and start the car to clear the pump. Three jobs: a push into a space with the staff helping, the receipt kept, and a call to us from the forecourt. Can't move it by the petrol pump? Explosion-proof equipment keeps a live forecourt safe, so we can drain the car in place.
AdBlue in the diesel tank at home in Purfleet-on-Thames
On your dash, a warning had been lit all week. Only by the recycling, the empty bottle in hand, did you glance back at the cap you had used at the driveway. Houses just off Tank Lane get caught out as much as anywhere else.
What it means: if you haven't driven since, this is nearly as good as the forecourt. As it is unable to blend, AdBlue settles low in that tank and waits. A night standing changes none of that.
Next: prevent an early-morning drive by putting your keys indoors, then ring us. We drain the car on your driveway, whether that's in Purfleet-on-Thames or out in Long Reach. Our pumping kit runs quiet enough that it won't wake the neighbours at night.
Purfleet-on-Thames: set off with AdBlue in a diesel?
You filled up, set off, and a mile or two later the motor began to run roughly, smoke, lose power or light up the dashboard. Maybe it was on Comet Close, maybe on the way out towards London, under 15 miles away.
In short: the AdBlue has been sucked through your fuel system. It has been through the fuel filter and your lines and, the further you went, into the high-pressure pump and the fuel injectors. Each mile and each restart takes it further.
What to do: pull over where it's safe and switch off. On the M25, under 3 miles from Purfleet-on-Thames, that means the next junction, not the services further on. It will not have cleared, so there's no sense restarting to find out. About what distance did it go? Tell us as you phone.
A hire or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank?
Seven days ago, it was unknown to you. On your own vehicle, AdBlue is absent or elsewhere. On this one, the inlet is right by your diesel cap — a surprise to you. Anyone, wherever around Essex, could do the same.
What it means: the same as the situations above, depending on whether it's run, with one more step. The owner frequently needs to sign off any work, under plenty of hire and company agreements.
Do this: rental firm or fleet manager first, us next, since settling it beforehand cuts time. Stuck by St Stephen, Purfleet or outside Purfleet till someone answers, the vehicle stays switched off throughout.
AdBlue in the diesel tank? Not sure, in Purfleet-on-Thames
Honestly, the best answer may be that you think so. Which cap was taken off, you cannot say; meanwhile the bottle weighs lighter than it ought to, and a whiff of ammonia lingers by your filler. Maybe at a friend's driveway in Wennington, or rushing by Purfleet Primary Academy at the school run.
In short: spillage round your filler leaves the motor no harm. Once it's inside your diesel tank, though, it does. If there is AdBlue in the tank, starting the car would pull it in, and it would not tell you which either.
Assume it went in, and don't start your engine. Call us and explain what you saw; we would rather check a tank that turns out clean than drain one that has already been run.
Purfleet-on-Thames: what each AdBlue drain has in common
No matter the case, one opening applies. Three questions are asked once we reach your car — at a filling station, a driveway, a street by Purfleet-on-Thames Library &Hub or the car park outside The Royal Hotel: the fluid, the amount, and whether it has run. Replies set the job; the price comes on the call whilst nobody has left yet.
Then the tank is emptied and the fuel system purged 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 doesn't rinse out on its own. Last are the fuel filter, cleaned or renewed if necessary; clean diesel; and a test of the car. Where the motor has not run, allow about half an hour once we arrive, in most jobs.
Finally, our engineers start the engine. Our check that it runs properly on fresh diesel comes before our engineers head off. The entire job is done where the vehicle is, and when it is noticed quickly, long-term damage is very rare. For your insurer: the engineer's report and the VAT invoice. For you: payment on the day, nothing upfront. Many insurance policies include misfuelling cover, so it's worth checking yours while we are on the way.
About Purfleet-on-Thames
Purfleet-on-Thames is a locality situated on the north bank of the River Thames in Essex, with a low elevation of around 15 metres. Purfleet-on-Thames is characterized by its predominantly flat housing stock, which reflects its modern development. Purfleet-on-Thames is located near other nearby places such as Long Reach, Purfleet, and Aveley, and is approximately 15 miles from central London.
Purfleet-on-Thames and Essex: AdBlue drains across the area
As a small village, Purfleet-on-Thames shares its vans with the nearby places — Aveley, Purfleet — all the way through RM postcodes. Your location is clearest from a postcode beginning RM19 1.
Whether your car is on a lay-by on the way to Spiderfield or in a car park in the middle of Purfleet-on-Thames, it doesn't need to shift. Our van drains it where it stands. Guessing doesn't help near Purfleet Heritage Centre, on a county line or anywhere awkward to pin down; phone and check.
The one-line version
If it has not started, phone then keep it that way. Whichever case applies, Petrol in Diesel handles the rest on 0333 366 0103, across Essex and within Purfleet-on-Thames — once you pull over, turn off then phone, if it has run.