AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Rowley Green, and What to Do Next
Everything turns on one fact: whether your motor has started after the AdBlue was added — far more than anything else. If it hasn't, keep it that way, whether the vehicle is in Rowley Green itself or out in Borehamwood. Usually that is draining and thoroughly cleaning it right there in Rowley Green — so leave the ignition and motor off then phone 0333 366 0103. If it has run, stop as soon as it is safe and switch off. The job is bigger, yet the first stage is the same.
Compare what happened to one of the ones below, anywhere across Greater London you happen to be.
On a Rowley Green forecourt with AdBlue in a diesel
Only now, bottle yet in hand, you realise that the cap you took off was the wrong one, right at the petrol pump. It could be the BP, or perhaps the Morrisons, or another station around Rowley Green.
In short: there is no better place to be to spot it. The AdBlue is in your tank and nowhere else. Nothing has sucked it in.
Do this: stay out of the driver's seat, even if the queue wants freeing. Ring us from the forecourt after the car is in a bay — the staff will lend a hand to push it — and keep the receipt. The equipment is explosion-proof and safe on a live forecourt, and so a car that can't be pushed away gets cleared right at the pump.
At home in Rowley Green with AdBlue in the diesel tank
Days had gone by with the dash light on. Only at the recycling bin, the empty container in hand, did you look back at the cap you'd used on the drive. It happens on driveways just off A5135 as often as anywhere.
In short: if your car has not been driven since, it is nearly as good as finding out at the pump. As it is unable to mix, AdBlue drops low in the tank and waits. One night parked changes none of that.
Keep the keys in the house overnight — or a person might take it off at breakfast — and phone us. Barnet Gate or Rowley Green: wherever your drive is, that is where it gets drained. Late-night empties outside a house are no problem: the pumps are low-noise.
AdBlue in a diesel and already driving in Rowley Green?
Filled up, drove away, and soon the engine was turning roughly, smoking, down on power, or flashing up the dash. Possibly it was on Barnet Bypass, perhaps on the way out towards St Albans, under 10 miles away.
What it means: the fuel system has pulled the AdBlue in. Past the filter, through the lines, and — the more the mileage — deeper into the injection pump and every injector. It travels deeper with each mile driven and every restart.
Next: pick a sensible place, stop, and switch your engine off. Service stations farther on are too far: on the M1, under 3 miles out of Rowley Green, use the first junction. Do not restart it to see if it has cleared; it will not have. Tell us know the distance driven as you call.
Hire, lease or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank
A week ago, the car was new to you. Unbeknown to you, the AdBlue and diesel inlets are next to each other here — not like your own vehicle, which has none or stores it elsewhere. It can happen to anyone, anywhere around Greater London.
The upshot: exactly as above, split by whether it ran, but with one added step. The owner often needs to sign off any work, under plenty of rental and company agreements.
Your move: rental firm or fleet manager to begin with, us next, since settling it beforehand saves time. Waiting for an answer at the car park at Elstree & Borehamwood, or beside Holy Cross? Leave the car off meanwhile.
Rowley Green: unsure if it was AdBlue in your diesel tank?
"I think so" is often as honest answer there is. The bottle is lighter than it should be, there's a faint smell of ammonia about the filler, and you cannot remember which cap you took off. Maybe at a friend's drive in Well End, or in a rush outside Saffron Green Primary School at the school run.
Meaning? Spills around the inlet never reach the motor at all. The diesel tank with AdBlue in it is a different story. Firing up the vehicle will not tell you which, and if there is AdBlue in that tank it would pull it in.
What to do: treat it as if it went in. Don't start it. Ring with the details: we'd sooner confirm a clean tank than drain one after the motor has run.
Rowley Green: what every AdBlue drain has in common
Whichever situation you are in, the job starts the same way. Filling station, driveway, The Gate's car park or a street by Kingdom Hall of Jehovah Witness — our van comes to your vehicle, and three answers come next: what liquid, what quantity, and if it has run. Answers set the work; the price comes on the call whilst nobody has left yet.
A thorough flush comes after the drain. With petrol it is routine; with AdBlue it's crucial, since deposits build up and some metals corrode, and neither rinses away unaided. Fresh diesel is put in after your filter is cleaned or changed, and your car is finally checked. Not started? In that case roughly half an hour on site covers most jobs.
Our technicians fire it up last. Before we go, it's tested to be sure it runs properly on new diesel. When it is caught soon, the vehicle very rarely has lasting damage, and the entire job takes place where it is. Nothing is taken upfront, payment is made on the day, and you receive what your insurer asks for: an engineer report plus a VAT invoice. It is worth knowing: lots of insurers include misfuelling cover, so a check of your documents while we travel pays.
About Rowley Green, briefly
Rowley Green is a small hamlet in Greater London, situated approximately 11.4 miles from central London and 7.8 miles from St Albans. Rowley Green sits at an elevation of around 110 metres, surrounded by nearby places such as Barnet Gate, Arkley, and Elstree Park. Rowley Green has a population of around 994 residents, with a predominance of flat-type housing. Rowley Green is located in a generally inland setting, characteristic of the surrounding area.
Rowley Green and Greater London: AdBlue drains across the area
Being a rural hamlet, Rowley Green shares its vans with the nearby towns — Elstree Park, Arkley — right across EN postcodes. Your whereabouts is clearest from a postcode that starts EN5 3.
No moving is required, whether parked centrally in Rowley Green or in a layby heading to Rowley Lane Sports Ground, and so leave it where it is. The van drains it where it stands. Tricky to explain? By Three Ways Community Centre or a county line? Checking is better than assuming, and so phone.
Your scenario, summed up
If it has not run, phone then leave it off. Already run: stop, switch off and call. Either way, Petrol in Diesel takes it from there around Rowley Green and anywhere in Greater London on 0333 366 0103.