AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Runcorn, and What to Do Next
One fact matters above all once AdBlue is in a diesel tank, and that is whether your motor has run afterwards. Not run so far? Then keep the vehicle that way, wherever your vehicle sits — Runcorn or Stenhills. Keep nothing on, ring 0333 366 0103, then count on a proper flush plus a drain, done just where the car sits in Runcorn. Pull over the minute you safely can then switch off, if it has already run. It's a larger job, though step one doesn't change.
Further down: the cases our engineers meet, anywhere around Cheshire. Pick yours.
On a Runcorn forecourt with AdBlue in a diesel
Only now, bottle still in hand, you realise that the cap you took off was the wrong one, right at the petrol pump. Anywhere in Runcorn, then — BP, Texaco, or anywhere else close by.
Meaning? Spotting it on the forecourt is as good as it gets. The AdBlue is inside that tank and nowhere else. Nothing has drawn it in.
What to do: do not get back in and crank it to clear the pump. Ask the attendants to help you roll the car into a parking bay, keep the receipt or the bottle, and call us from the forecourt. Can't move the vehicle by the petrol pump? Our explosion-proof equipment keeps a live forecourt safe, and so we can drain the vehicle where it is.
AdBlue in your diesel tank at home in Runcorn
On the dash, a warning had been lit all week. Only by the recycling, the empty bottle in hand, did you look back at the cap you had opened at the driveway. It occurs on driveways just off Nelson Street as frequently as anywhere.
Meaning? Provided your vehicle has not moved since, it's second to the pump case. At the bottom of the tank is exactly where AdBlue waits, because it won't blend with diesel — and a night going by changes no difference.
Next: prevent an early-morning move by putting your keys in the house, then phone us. Your drive is where it is drained, whether around Runcorn or Dukesfield. Night-time drains outside a house are fine: the pumps are quiet.
AdBlue in a diesel and already driving around Runcorn?
A mile or two beyond filling up, the engine began playing up: rough running, smoke, lost power, warnings on your dash. Possibly it was on Church Street, perhaps on the way out towards Liverpool, under 15 miles away.
The upshot: your system has drawn AdBlue in already. It has been through the fuel filter and the fuel lines and, the further you went, into your high-pressure pump and the fuel injectors. Each restart, like each mile, carries it on.
Pull in safely — that is the next job — then turn it off. Exit at the first junction — not the services beyond — if you are on the M56, under 3 miles from Runcorn. It won't have cleared, and so there is no point starting it again to check. About how far did it gone? Tell us when you call.
A hire or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank?
You have just driven this car a week. The AdBlue filler sits right beside the diesel filler, which you did not know, because your own motor either has no AdBlue or keeps it somewhere else. It can happen to anyone, anywhere across Cheshire.
What it means: the same as the situations above, depending on whether it's run, with one more stage. Plenty of hire and company agreements want the owner to approve work on your car.
Next: phone the rental company or the fleet manager first, and then us — sorting it before our arrival is faster. Keep the car off while the reply comes, whether you are parked at the nearest station or near Runcorn Library.
Not sure it was AdBlue in your diesel tank, Runcorn?
Now and then, "I think so" is the most you can truthfully say. A slight ammonia smell hangs around the filler, the bottle feels too light, and the cap you took off is a blur. Maybe at a friend's drive in Westfield, or in a rush outside Runcorn All Saints CofE Primary School on the school run.
The point: your motor is not hurt by some AdBlue splashed around the filler. AdBlue inside your diesel tank does. Any AdBlue in the tank will be pulled in by firing up the vehicle, and the start would not settle which it is in any case.
Do this: act as if it got in, and never start the engine. Ring us and describe what you saw; we would rather check a tank that turns out free of AdBlue than drain one that has already been run.
Every AdBlue drain in Runcorn shares these steps
The job opens identically, whichever your situation. Wherever your vehicle stands — Wine Bar Café's car park, a street beside Power In Partnership, a drive, a filling station — our van arrives and we ask for the liquid, the amount, plus whether your engine has been run. Those replies determine this work, and you hear the quote on the phone, before anybody heads out.
A thorough flush comes after this drain. With petrol it's standard; with AdBlue it is essential, since crystals form and certain metals corrode, and neither washes away unaided. The fuel filter is cleaned, or replaced where it needs to be; fresh diesel goes in; and the car is tested. Where your motor has not run, expect about half an hour on site, in most jobs.
Last, we fire it up. With clean diesel in, it runs while we check it's running properly, and then we leave. Permanent damage is very uncommon if it is spotted early, and the whole job is done where the vehicle is. For your insurer: an engineer's report and the VAT invoice. For you: payment on the day, nothing in advance. Many insurance policies include misfuelling cover, and so it is worth checking yours whilst we are on the way.
About Runcorn
Runcorn is a town in north west England, situated on the southern bank of the River Mersey, near the mouth of the river where it flows into the Irish Sea. Runcorn sits at a relatively low elevation of around 18 metres above sea level, with nearby residential areas including Dukesfield, Higher Runcorn, and West Bank. Runcorn is characterized by its semi-detached housing stock and is located close to the city of Liverpool, approximately 11 miles to the north west. Runcorn is also within commuting distance of major cities, with London around 168 miles to the south east.
AdBlue drains around Runcorn and across Cheshire
Higher Runcorn and West Bank have the same vans as Runcorn, a new town, plus other towns throughout WA postcodes. A postcode starting WA7 1 is the quickest way to tell us where you are.
Whether the vehicle is on a lay-by on the way to Runcorn Promenade or in a car park in the middle of Runcorn, it doesn't need to move. Wherever it sits, that is where it gets drained. Assuming doesn't help beside Brindley Theatre, close to a border or somewhere awkward to pin down; ring and check.
Your scenario, summed up
Motor never started: phone, and leave it alone. Run by now: pull over, power down, ring 0333 366 0103. Petrol in Diesel takes over the rest, in Runcorn or wherever across Cheshire.