What Now? AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Queensville
What to do about AdBlue in a diesel tank depends on one thing more than any other: whether the engine has been run since it got in. Not started yet? Then leave the vehicle like that, whether your vehicle sits — Queensville or Kingston Hill. Call 0333 366 0103 with your key and engine still off. In Queensville, that is typically drained and flushed on the spot. Stop the moment you safely can then turn off, if it has been run. A bigger job, then, but the same opening step.
Further down: the situations our technicians meet, anywhere around Staffordshire. Choose yours.
AdBlue in a diesel on a Queensville forecourt
Imagine it: stood by the petrol pump, gripping the nozzle, you spot the cap you opened was not the right one. It might be the Esso, or perhaps the Asda, or a different forecourt around Queensville.
The point: of all places to notice, the forecourt is the best. The AdBlue is in your tank and nowhere else. Nothing has pulled it in.
Do this: stay out of the car, even if the pump needs freeing. Three things: a shove into a bay with the staff assisting, the receipt kept, and a ring to us from the forecourt. Draining it right at the pump is possible when it cannot be moved, because the equipment is explosion-proof.
Queensville, at home: AdBlue in the diesel tank
On the dash, a warning had shown for days. A bottle bought at the garage, emptied in at the driveway — and it's only by the recycling that the cap caught a second look. It takes place on driveways just off Silkmore Lane as frequently as anywhere.
What it means: if you haven't driven since, this is nearly as good as the forecourt. AdBlue does not mix with diesel; it sinks to the bottom of your tank and waits there. Overnight does not change that.
Next: prevent any early move by putting your keys indoors, then phone us. Out in Baswich or right here in Queensville, the draining happens on your driveway. The pumps are quiet enough to use outside a house at night.
Set off with AdBlue in a diesel around Queensville?
Rough running, smoke, lost power or a lit dashboard arrived a mile or two beyond the top-up. Somewhere on Ampleforth Drive or else on the road to Lichfield — under 15 miles away.
In short: the AdBlue has been pulled into your fuel system. Through the fuel filter, along the pipework, and — the further the mileage — deeper into the high-pressure pump and every injector. It travels deeper with every extra mile driven and every restart.
Pull in safely — that's the next step — then turn everything off. Exit by the next junction — not the services further along — if you are on the M6, under 3 miles from Queensville. It won't have cleared, so there is no sense starting it again to find out. Ring us and say how far you drove.
AdBlue in the wrong tank: hire, lease and company motors
You have just had the vehicle a week. On your own car, AdBlue is missing or elsewhere. On this one, its cap is right next to the diesel inlet — news to you. It can happen to anyone, anywhere around Staffordshire.
What it means: the same as the situations above, depending on whether it's run, with one more stage. Many hire and company contracts want the owner to approve work on the car.
Do this: rental firm or your fleet manager to begin with, us next, because settling it early cuts time. Leave it off while the answer comes, even if you are parked at Stafford or near TK Maxx.
Not sure it was AdBlue in your diesel tank, Queensville?
At times the fair answer is "I think so". A faint ammonia-like smell hangs around your filler, the bottle feels too light, and the cap you took off is hard to recall. A rushed stop by the gates of Silkmore Primary Academy, or a visit to a friend in Wildwood: either fits.
Put simply: spillage near your filler does the motor no harm. The diesel tank with AdBlue in it is another story. You cannot tell which by turning the ignition, and doing so will suck in any AdBlue that is in the tank.
Assume it was put in, and never start your engine. Describe what you noticed on your phone. A clean tank looked at counts as a better outcome than a run one drained.
Queensville: what every AdBlue drain has in common
Each situation has the same opening to the job. Forecourt, driveway, Spittal Brook's car park or a road by Asda Living — the van reaches the vehicle, and three answers follow: what liquid, which quantity, and if it ran. Over the phone, ahead of dispatch, you hear the price, and those answers decide the job too.
A thorough flush follows this drain. With petrol it's standard; with AdBlue it is essential, since crystals form and certain metals are attacked, and neither rinses away unaided. Next is the fuel filter — cleaned, or swapped where necessary — followed by fresh diesel, and a test of the vehicle. If the engine has not run, most jobs take about half an hour once we're there.
We fire it up at the end. Before our technicians go, it is checked to be sure it runs smoothly on new diesel. Our technicians do the entire job where the car is, and permanent damage is very uncommon when it has been caught soon. Paying comes on the day, never upfront. For your insurer, there is a VAT invoice plus a written report from the engineer. Worth knowing: lots of insurers offer misfuelling cover, so a quick look at your documents as we travel is worthwhile.
About Queensville, for a moment
Queensville is a suburban area in Staffordshire, situated on the riverside at an elevation of 76 metres. Queensville lies near the cities of Lichfield and Stafford, and is part of the wider West Midlands region. Queensville has a mix of housing types, with semi-detached homes being the most predominant. Queensville is close to nearby places such as Baswich, Forebridge, and Weeping Cross.
AdBlue drains around Queensville, and across Staffordshire too
As a residential suburb, Queensville shares its vans with the nearby towns — Weeping Cross, Forebridge — right across ST postcodes. Telling us your ST17 4 postcode pins you fastest of all.
Whether the vehicle is on a lay-by on the way to Meadowcroft Park or in a car park in the middle of Queensville, it doesn't need to shift. Our van drains it where it stands. If you're somewhere hard to describe, near Brian Westhead Pavilion or close to a border, ring and ask instead of guessing.
In one line: your situation
Unstarted? Keep the car that way then ring. Whatever line fits, Petrol in Diesel handles the rest on 0333 366 0103, throughout Staffordshire and within Queensville — once you pull over, turn off then ring, if it's run.