What Now? AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Rainhill
Has the motor run since the AdBlue was put in? That one point decides nearly everything else from here. Not run so far? Then keep the car that way, whether the vehicle is — Rainhill or Whiston. Phone 0333 366 0103 with your key and motor both off. In Rainhill, that is typically drained and cleaned on the spot. Stop the minute it is safe and switch off, if it has been run. The job is bigger, but the first stage is the same.
Further down: the cases we see, anywhere around Merseyside. Choose yours.
On a Rainhill forecourt with AdBlue in a diesel
Just at this point, nozzle still in your hand, it dawns on you that the cap you opened was the wrong one, right at the petrol pump. Possibly you're at the Shell, possibly at the Texaco, possibly somewhere else in Rainhill.
What it means: this is the ideal place to find out. The AdBlue is in that tank and nowhere else. Nothing has drawn it in.
Clearing the pump is no reason to start it — and so do not get back in. Ask the staff to help you roll your car into a parking space, keep your receipt or the bottle, then phone us from the forecourt. Can't move the car beside the petrol pump? Explosion-proof equipment keeps a busy forecourt sensible, and so it can be drained where it is.
Rainhill, at home: AdBlue in your diesel tank
On your dash, a warning had shown for days. Bought a container, tipped it in at home, recycled the empty — and only then checked the cap again, too late. Just off View Road is not less likely from anywhere.
What it means: if you haven't driven since, this is almost as good as the forecourt. At the floor of that tank is where AdBlue stays, since it won't mix with diesel — and a night going by changes nothing of the difference.
Your move: the keys in the house, and so no one drives your vehicle anywhere first thing. Then, ring. Your driveway is where it gets emptied, whether in Rainhill or Holt. Even at night, the pumps are quiet enough for a driveway.
Rainhill: drove off with AdBlue in a diesel?
A mile or two beyond topping up, your engine began misbehaving: rough running, smoke, lost power, warnings on your dash. Somewhere along The Priory or else heading to Liverpool — under 10 miles away.
The upshot: the system has pulled AdBlue through already. Distance decides how far it goes: filter and pipework to begin with, then the high-pressure pump and every injector. More miles, more starts: deeper it goes.
What to do: pull over where it's safe to do so then switch off. Rainhill lies under a mile from the M62; there, come off at the next junction rather than pressing on to the services. Restarting it to check gets nothing — AdBlue doesn't clear on its own. Phone us and say how far you went.
A hire or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank?
It is a car you have had for a week. Unbeknown to you, the two inlets are next to each other here — unlike your own car, which has no AdBlue or stores it in another spot. It can happen to anyone, anywhere around Merseyside.
In short: one extra step on top of the cases above, and those turn on if it's run. Any work on the car often requires the owner's go-ahead under hire or fleet terms.
What to do: ring the hire firm or your fleet manager first, then us. That's faster settled before we arrive than after. If you're stranded in the car park at the nearest station, or by Rainhill Railway Museum, whilst you wait for an answer, leave the vehicle off.
Not sure it was AdBlue in the diesel tank, Rainhill?
"I think so" is often as honest as it gets. A slight ammonia whiff hangs near your filler, the bottle feels too light, and the cap you took off is a blur. A hurried stop by the gates of St Ann's Church of England Primary School, or a call to a friend in Nutgrove: both fits.
Put simply: a spill round your filler leaves the engine no harm. Once it is inside the diesel tank, though, that changes. Any AdBlue in your tank would be sucked in by turning on your car, and the start wouldn't settle which it is in any case.
Do this: behave as though it did, and don't start your engine. Inspecting a tank that proves clean is better than emptying one once it's been run — so phone then describe to us what you saw.
The common ground in each Rainhill AdBlue drain
Whichever scenario you are in, the job starts the same way. Wherever your car stands — CookHouse Pub & Carvery (Victoria Hotel)'s car park, a street by Rainhill Community Library, a driveway, a filling station — our van arrives and asks about the fluid, the quantity, plus if your engine has been run. Replies set the work; the quote follows on the call while nobody has set off yet.
A thorough flush follows this drain. With petrol it's routine; with AdBlue it is crucial, because deposits build up and some metals corrode, and none of it rinses away unaided. Your filter is flushed, or replaced where it needs to be; clean diesel goes in; and the vehicle is tested. Never started? Then roughly half an hour once we are there is most jobs.
Finally, we start the engine. With new diesel in, it runs while we confirm it's running properly, and then we go. Lasting damage is very rare if it is noticed quickly, and the whole job is done where the vehicle is. For your insurer: an engineer's report and the VAT invoice. For you: payment that day, no money in advance. Dig out your insurance before we're en route: misfuelling cover is included in many policies.
About Rainhill
Rainhill is a suburban area in Merseyside, situated approximately 8.8 miles from Liverpool, and is characterized by its semi-detached housing stock. Rainhill sits inland, with an elevation of around 69 metres, and is located near other local places such as Holt and Lea Green. Rainhill has a population of around 4541 residents, and its proximity to Liverpool makes it a commuter-friendly location. Rainhill is also relatively distant from London, at around 172.3 miles away.
Rainhill and Merseyside: AdBlue drains across the area
Being a residential suburb, Rainhill shares its vans with the nearby places — Lea Green, Rainhill Stoops — all the way across L postcodes. A postcode starting L35 0 is the quickest way to tell us where you are.
Whether the vehicle is on a lay-by on the way to Rainhill Cricket Club Pitch or in a car park in the middle of Rainhill, it doesn't need to move. Our engineers drain the vehicle where it stands. Awkward to pin down? Close to St Ann's Church or a border? Checking is better than guessing, and so phone.
In one line: your scenario
Not run yet: keep it off and call. Whatever case fits, Petrol in Diesel takes over from there on 0333 366 0103, throughout Merseyside and within Rainhill — after you pull over, switch off and ring, if it's run.