What Now? AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Roseburn
What to do about AdBlue in a diesel tank comes down to one thing more than any other: if the engine has been run since it went in. Out in Dalry or here around Roseburn, an unstarted motor should stay that way. Normally this is draining and thoroughly purging it on the spot around Roseburn — and so leave the key and motor off then call 0333 366 0103. If it's run, stop as soon as it is safe and switch off. Step one remains the same, even if the job grows.
Below: the situations our technicians meet, anywhere across City of Edinburgh. Choose the one that fits.
On a Roseburn forecourt with AdBlue in a diesel
Just now, nozzle still in hand, you realise that the cap you took off was the wrong one, there at the petrol pump. Be it Sainsbury's, Esso or anywhere else in Roseburn, the situation is identical.
In short: there is no better place exists to discover it. Only that tank has AdBlue; not one component past it has drawn it in.
What to do: do not get back in and start the vehicle to clear the petrol pump. Ring us from the forecourt once the vehicle is in a bay — the attendants will help push it — and save the receipt. If it cannot be shifted, it can be emptied at the pump: the equipment is explosion-proof and fine on a working forecourt.
AdBlue in the diesel tank at home in Roseburn
Several days had gone by with the warning light on. A bottle from the shop, tipped in on the drive — and it's only at the recycling that the cap got a second look. Drives near Roseburn Avenue see it as much as anywhere.
Put simply: if your car has not moved since, it is nearly as good as spotting it at the forecourt. At the bottom of that tank is where AdBlue waits, because it will not blend with diesel — and a night going by makes no difference.
What to do: leave the keys inside the house so nobody moves the vehicle in the morning. Then ring. Gorgie or Roseburn: wherever your driveway sits, that's where it is cleared. The pumps are quiet enough to use outside a house at night.
AdBlue in a diesel and already driving around Roseburn?
You filled up, set off, and a mile or two later the engine began to run unevenly, smoke, lose power or light up the dashboard. Possibly it was on Roseburn Crescent, maybe on the way out towards Edinburgh, under 3 miles away.
What it means: the system has drawn the AdBlue in. Distance decides how far it gets: filter and pipework to begin with, then the high-pressure pump and each injector. Each restart, like each mile, carries it on.
What to do: pull over where it is safe to do so and switch off. Roseburn lies under 5 miles from the M8; there, pull off at the next junction rather than pressing on to the services. It won't have cleared, so there's no point restarting to find out. Tell us know the distance covered when you ring.
AdBlue in the wrong tank of a hire, lease or company car
It is a motor you have had for a week. On your own vehicle, AdBlue is absent or somewhere else. On this one, its cap is right next to the diesel inlet — a surprise to you. Across City of Edinburgh, no one is immune.
Meaning? Whatever applies above applies too — run or not — and one further stage. Any work on your car frequently requires the owner's go-ahead under rental or company agreements.
What to do: call the hire firm or your fleet manager first, then us. That is quicker settled before our technicians get there than after. Stuck near War Memorial or outside Haymarket until the firm answers, your vehicle stays turned off throughout.
Roseburn: unsure whether it was AdBlue in the diesel tank?
At times the fair answer is "I think so". Lighter, the bottle; a hint of ammonia round your filler; no clear recollection of which cap. Sound familiar? Maybe at a friend's driveway in Coates, or in a rush outside the local primary school on the school run.
What it means: a little spilled about your filler does no harm to the motor. AdBlue inside your diesel tank does. If there is AdBlue in the tank, starting your car would suck it in, and it would not tell you which either.
Assume it went in, and never turn your key. Ring us and describe what you saw; we'd rather check a tank that turns out free of AdBlue than drain one that has already been run.
What each AdBlue drain around Roseburn has in common
Whichever situation you are in, this job starts the same way. Forecourt, driveway, Murrayfield Bar & Kitchen's car park or a road beside Murrayfield Stadium — our van comes to your vehicle, and three answers come next: what liquid, which amount, and if it ran. Those replies settle the work, and you get the quote on the phone, before anyone heads out.
AdBlue crystallises and is corrosive to certain metals in fuel systems, so it won't rinse out unaided; that is why a full flush, after the drain, matters much more with AdBlue than with petrol. Clean diesel goes in once your filter is cleaned or replaced, and your car is then checked. If the motor has not run, the majority of jobs take about half an hour once we're there.
The last step is firing it up. With clean diesel in, it runs while our engineers make sure it is running correctly, and then we leave. We do the whole job where the vehicle is, and lasting damage is very unusual if it has been noticed early. Paying comes that day, never upfront. For your insurer, there is a VAT invoice and a report from the engineer. Dig out your insurance before we arrive: cover for misfuelling is built into many policies.
About Roseburn and where it is
Roseburn is a suburban area in the City of Edinburgh, situated approximately 2 miles west of Edinburgh's city centre. Roseburn occupies a coastal setting, with its elevation at around 45 metres above sea level, and is characterised by predominantly flat-type housing. Roseburn is close to nearby places such as Gorgie, Murrayfield, and Saughtonhall, and is home to a population of around 7259 residents.
AdBlue drains round Roseburn and across City of Edinburgh
Over EH postcodes, the vans serving Roseburn — a residential suburb — reach nearby towns too, Murrayfield and Saughtonhall among them. Your location comes quickest from a postcode beginning EH12 5.
No moving is needed, be it parked in the centre of Roseburn or on a layby heading to Roseburn Park, so leave it where it is. Where it stands, that's where it gets cleared. Awkward to explain? By Quantum or a county line? Checking is better than assuming, and so ring.
The one-line version
Motor never started: phone, leaving it alone. Run by now: pull over, switch down, phone 0333 366 0103. Petrol in Diesel handles the remainder, in Roseburn or anywhere across City of Edinburgh.