What Now? AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Ruislip Common
One fact matters most once AdBlue is in a diesel tank, and that is if the motor has been started since. If it hasn't, keep it that way, whether the vehicle is around Ruislip Common itself or out in Eastcote Village. Usually that is draining and properly cleaning it on the spot in Ruislip Common — so keep the ignition and motor off then ring 0333 366 0103. Already run? Stop once you safely can, then switch it off. The job is bigger, yet the first stage is the same.
Anywhere across Greater London it took place, one of the situations below matches yours.
AdBlue in a diesel on a Ruislip Common forecourt
Picture it: stood by the petrol pump, gripping the bottle, you spot the filler you opened was not the right one. Anywhere in Ruislip Common, then — BP, Murco, or anywhere else close by.
In short: no better place to be to discover it. Nothing has drawn it through, and so the AdBlue stays only inside that tank.
Freeing the petrol pump is no reason to run it — and so do not get back in. Get the attendants to help pushing it to a space, save the receipt, then ring us right there. Our equipment is explosion-proof and safe on a live forecourt, and so a vehicle that cannot be pushed clear is emptied right at the pump.
AdBlue in the diesel tank on a Ruislip Common drive?
The warning light had been on for days. A bottle bought at the shop, tipped in at the driveway — and it was only at the recycling that the cap caught a second look. Driveways close to Abercorn Grove get it as much as any other street.
What it means: if you haven't driven since, this is almost as good as the forecourt. As it is unable to mix, AdBlue settles low inside that tank and stays. A night parked alters none of that.
What to do: leave the keys inside the house so nobody moves the car in the morning. Then call. Your driveway is where it gets emptied, be it around Ruislip Common or Ruislip. Our pumping kit runs quietly enough not to disturb the neighbours at night.
On the road around Ruislip Common with AdBlue in a diesel
Lumpy running, smoke, falling power or a glowing dashboard arrived a short way beyond the fill. Reservoir Road, perhaps, or the route towards St Albans — a run of under 15 miles.
The point: the system has drawn AdBlue in by now. It's been through your filter and the fuel lines and, the further you went, into the high-pressure fuel pump and the injectors. It travels further with every mile covered and every restart.
Do this: stop anywhere sensible, then turn the engine off. On the M40, under 3 miles from Ruislip Common, that means the next exit, not the services further on. It will not have cleared, and so there is no point restarting to find out. Roughly what distance had it gone? Say so as you phone.
AdBlue in the wrong tank: hire, lease and company vehicles
You've only driven the car for days. Unbeknown to you, the AdBlue and diesel fillers sit next to each other here — not like your own car, which has no AdBlue or stores it in another spot. It can happen to anyone, anywhere around Greater London.
The upshot: just as above, divided by if it ran, but with an added step. Plenty of hire and company contracts want the owner to approve work on your car.
Next: phone the rental company or your fleet manager first, then us — sorting it before our arrival is faster. Keep the vehicle switched off as the reply arrives, even if you are parked outside West Ruislip or near East Chapel.
Ruislip Common: unsure if it was AdBlue in your diesel tank?
At times, "I think so" is the most you can honestly say. Too light, the bottle; a trace of ammonia round your filler; a hazy memory of which cap. Sound familiar? Maybe at a friend's drive in Northwood Hills, or in a rush by Whiteheath Infant & Nursery School at the school run.
Meaning? Spills outside the inlet never touch the engine at all. AdBlue inside your diesel tank does. You cannot tell which by turning the ignition, and doing so would draw in any AdBlue that is in the tank.
What to do: treat it as if it was put in. Don't start the car. Phone and give what you saw: we'd rather find a clean tank than drain one once the engine has run.
The common ground in each Ruislip Common AdBlue drain
Each case gets the same start to the work. Our technicians come to the vehicle, whether it's on a forecourt, a driveway, the car park at Arens Bar & Grill at the Six Bells or a side street near Hillingdon Athletics Club, and ask three things: what was put in, roughly how much, and if your engine has run. Those replies settle this work, and you hear the quote on the phone, before anybody heads out.
A thorough flush comes after the drain. With petrol it's standard; with AdBlue it's essential, because crystals build up and certain metals corrode, and none of it washes away unaided. Then comes the filter — flushed, or replaced where needed — then clean diesel, and a test of the vehicle. Never started? Then about half an hour once we are there is most jobs.
Lastly, we start the car. With new diesel in, it runs while our engineers confirm it is running properly, and then we go. Our technicians do the whole job where the car is, and permanent damage is very uncommon when it has been noticed quickly. For your insurer: the engineer's report and the VAT invoice. For you: payment on the day, nothing in advance. Worth knowing: lots of insurers include misfuelling cover, so a quick look at your policy as we travel pays.
About Ruislip Common and where it is
Ruislip Common is a suburban area in northwest London, situated near several lakes and surrounded by woodland. Ruislip Common has a relatively low elevation of 51 metres and is located close to the neighbouring areas of Ruislip, Newyears Green, and West Ruislip. Ruislip Common is characterized by its predominantly detached housing stock and is home to a population of around 1548 residents.
Ruislip Common and Greater London: AdBlue drains across the area
Ruislip Common is a residential suburb, and the same vans that cover it work the places around it too, Newyears Green and West Ruislip among them, across the HA postcode area. Fastest of all: a HA4 7 postcode to show your location.
Whether the car is on a lay-by on the way to Ruislip Woods National Nature Reserve or in a car park in the middle of Ruislip Common, it does not need to move. We drain it where it stands. Guessing doesn't help near West Chapel, on a county line or somewhere awkward to describe; phone and ask.
Your situation, summed up
Engine never started: phone, leaving it switched off. Already run: stop, switch off and ring. Either way, Petrol in Diesel takes it from there around Ruislip Common and anywhere across Greater London on 0333 366 0103.