What Now? AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Sandford
Has your engine turned over since the AdBlue was put in? That one point decides almost everything else from here. Out in Wareham or here in Sandford, an unstarted motor must remain unrun. Usually this is emptying and properly flushing it right there around Sandford — so leave the ignition and motor off then phone 0333 366 0103. Pull over the minute it is safe and turn off, if it has been run. The job is bigger, yet the first step is the same.
Wherever in Dorset it happened, one of the situations below fits yours.
AdBlue in a diesel on a Sandford forecourt
Just at this point, nozzle still in hand, it dawns on you that the cap you opened was the wrong one, right at the pump. Somewhere around Sandford, then — Texaco, another forecourt nearby, or anywhere else close by.
Meaning? Spotting it here is the best it can be. No pump has pulled it in, so the AdBlue sits only inside the tank.
Do this: stay out of the driver's seat, however much the queue needs freeing. A few things: a push into a bay with the staff helping, the receipt kept, and a ring to us from where you stand. Draining it there at the petrol pump is fine when it cannot be shifted, because the equipment is explosion-proof.
At home around Sandford with AdBlue in the diesel tank
The warning light had been on for days. You bought a bottle, poured it in on the drive, and only when you put the empty bottle in the recycling did you look once more at the cap. It takes place on driveways just off Filleul Road as commonly as anywhere.
What it means: if you have not driven since, this is almost as good as the forecourt. Diesel and AdBlue stay apart: the AdBlue drops to the floor of your tank and stays put, however long the night.
What to do: leave your keys inside the house so no one moves the car in the morning. Then call. Your drive is where it gets drained, be it around Sandford or Sandford Woods. Late-night drains outside a house are fine: the pumps are quiet.
Set off with AdBlue in a diesel around Sandford?
Lumpy running, smoke, lost power or a glowing dashboard started a mile or two after the fill. Elwood Close, perhaps, or the route towards Salisbury — a trip of under 50 miles.
What it means: the fuel system has drawn the AdBlue in. Distance sets how deep it goes: filter and lines to begin with, then the high-pressure pump and each injector. More driving, more restarts: further it travels.
What to do: pull over where it's safe to do so and switch off. Sandford sits under 50 miles from the M27; there, come off at the first junction rather than pushing on for the services. No trial restarts: clearing is not something AdBlue will do. Roughly how far had it gone? Say so as you call.
AdBlue in the wrong tank: hire, lease and company vehicles
It is a car you have had for a week. Unbeknown to you, the two fillers sit side by side here — unlike your own car, which has no AdBlue or stores it elsewhere. It can happen to anyone, anywhere in Dorset.
The point: exactly as above, divided by whether it ran, only with an added stage. Any work on your car frequently needs the owner's approval under rental or fleet terms.
Your move: rental firm or fleet manager first, us second, because sorting it early cuts time. Stranded by St Martin's Community Worship Centre or at Holton Heath till the firm replies, your car remains turned off the whole time.
Unsure about AdBlue in your diesel tank in Sandford?
"I think so" is sometimes as honest answer there is. What cap came off, you can't recall; meanwhile the bottle feels lighter than expected, and ammonia hangs by the filler. It might have been at a friend's driveway in Cold Harbour, or in a rush by Sandford St Martin's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School at the school run.
Put simply: spillage near your filler does your engine no harm. The diesel tank with AdBlue inside is a different story. 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.
What to do: treat it as if it was put in. Do not fire it up. Phone with what you saw: we'd sooner find a clean tank than empty one once the motor has run.
Each AdBlue drain around Sandford shares these steps
Whichever situation you are in, the job starts the same way. Forecourt, drive, the pub in the village's car park or a street beside Sandford and Holton Heath War Memorial — our van comes to your car, and three answers follow: which liquid, what amount, and if it ran. Answers shape the work; the quote comes on the call whilst no one has set off yet.
Emptying the tank comes next, followed by a full flush — more important after urea than with petrol, since crystals and corrosion won't go by themselves, no matter how long it sits. Your filter is flushed, or replaced where it needs to be; clean diesel goes in; and the car is tested. Where the engine has not run, allow roughly half an hour on site, for most cases.
We start it last. Our engineers check it runs properly on clean diesel before we go. Permanent damage is very unusual if it is noticed quickly, and the whole job is done where your car is. For your insurer: an engineer's report and the VAT invoice. For you: payment on the day, no money in advance. Many insurance policies include misfuelling cover, and so it is worth checking yours whilst we're on the way.
About Sandford and where it is
Sandford is a small coastal village in Dorset, situated near the shores of Poole Harbour at an elevation of around 16 metres. Sandford lies within a short distance of Sandford Woods and other nearby places such as Northport and Holton Heath. Sandford has a population of approximately 1168 people and is characterised by predominantly detached housing. Sandford is located about 28 miles from Salisbury and around 102 miles from London.
AdBlue drains in Sandford, and across Dorset too
Being a coastal village, Sandford has the same vans as the surrounding towns — Holton Heath, Northport — all the way across BH postcodes. A postcode starting BH20 7 is the quickest way to tell us where you are.
Whether your car is on a lay-by on the way to Great Ovens Heath or in a car park in the middle of Sandford, it does not need to shift. The van drains it in place. Assuming won't help beside St Martin on the Walls, close to a border or somewhere awkward to describe; phone and check.
The one-line version
Motor not started: ring, leaving it switched off. Run already? Pull over, switch off, ring. Petrol in Diesel takes over the rest whatever it is, across Sandford and Dorset, on 0333 366 0103.