AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Sandhams Green, and What to Do Next
Everything hinges on a single fact: whether your motor has been run since the AdBlue went in — more than anything else. Out in Peel Hill or here in Sandhams Green, an unstarted engine should remain that way. Phone 0333 366 0103 with the ignition and engine both off. In Sandhams Green, such a case is typically drained and cleaned on the spot. Where the motor has run, pull in somewhere safe straight away, then turn it off. The job is bigger, yet the first step is the same.
Below: the cases our technicians see, anywhere across Lancashire. Pick yours.
Sandhams Green forecourt: AdBlue in a diesel at the pump
The cap you unscrewed was the wrong one — and you only notice it while you are stood at the pump, bottle or nozzle in hand. Possibly you are at the Tesco, perhaps at the Esso, perhaps somewhere else around Sandhams Green.
What it means: this is the ideal place to find out. The AdBlue is in that tank and nowhere else. Nothing has sucked it in.
What to do: don't get back in and start it to clear the petrol pump. A few jobs: a shove into a space with the attendants assisting, the receipt kept, and a ring to us from the forecourt. Our equipment is explosion-proof and fine on a busy forecourt, and so a vehicle that cannot be pushed away gets cleared where it is at the petrol pump.
Sandhams Green, at home: AdBlue in the diesel tank
Days had gone by with the warning light on. A bottle bought at the garage, emptied in at the driveway — and it's only at the recycling that the cap got a second look. Driveways close to Clifton Road get it as much as anywhere.
Meaning? As long as your vehicle has not been driven since, it is second to the pump case. Diesel and AdBlue keep separate: the AdBlue settles to the base of the tank and remains put, however long the night.
Next: the keys in the house, and so nobody drives the car off at breakfast. Then, ring. Out in Mereside or here in Sandhams Green, the draining is done at your driveway. Even at night, our pumps are quiet enough for a residential street.
AdBlue in a diesel and already driving around Sandhams Green?
Filled up, pulled away, and soon your engine was turning roughly, blowing smoke, losing power, or flashing up the dash. Somewhere on or else heading to Preston — under 15 miles away.
What it means: your fuel system has sucked the AdBlue in. Distance decides how deep it goes: filter and lines to begin with, then the high-pressure pump and every injector. It goes deeper with each extra mile covered and every restart.
Stop somewhere safe — that is the next job — then switch it off. On the M55, under a mile from Sandhams Green, that means the next junction, not the services further on. It won't have cleared, so there is no sense starting it again to find out. About what distance had it gone? Say so as you phone.
AdBlue in the wrong tank of a hire, lease or company car
Seven days ago, the car was unknown to you. On your own vehicle, AdBlue is missing or somewhere else. On this one, the inlet is right by your diesel cap — news to you. Throughout Lancashire, nobody is safe from it.
What it means: the same as the situations above, depending on whether it has run, with one more step. Work on your vehicle often requires the owner's approval under hire or company agreements.
Settling it before the van arrives is faster, so phone the hire company or your fleet manager, and then us. If you are stuck in the car park outside Blackpool South, or by Langdale Library and Laundry Room, while you wait for an answer, leave your car off.
Unsure about AdBlue in the diesel tank in Sandhams Green?
At times the honest answer is "I think so". Lighter, that bottle; a hint of ammonia near the filler; a hazy recollection of the cap. Look familiar? The gates of Mereside Primary Academy in a hurry, perhaps, or a friend's drive out in Marton Moss Side.
In short: spillage near your filler leaves the motor no harm. In the diesel tank, by contrast, AdBlue harms it. You cannot tell which by turning the key, and doing so would pull in any AdBlue that is in the tank.
Take it that it got in, and don't turn your key. 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.
Each AdBlue drain in Sandhams Green shares these steps
The work begins the same way, whichever the situation. Three questions come once our technicians arrive — on a forecourt, a driveway, a road by Tarnside Community Centre or the car park outside Plum Tree Farm: the liquid, the amount, and whether the motor has been started. On the phone, ahead of dispatch, you are told our quote, and those answers shape the job too.
Then the tank is emptied and the fuel system flushed thoroughly, which matters more with AdBlue than with petrol: AdBlue crystallises and is corrosive to some of the metals in a fuel system, and so it doesn't rinse out on its own. The filter is flushed, or replaced where it needs to be; fresh diesel goes in; and the car is tested. Never started? Then roughly half an hour on site covers most jobs.
We fire it up at the end. Before we head off, it's checked to confirm it runs smoothly on clean diesel. When it is caught early, the vehicle very seldom has lasting damage, and the entire job happens where it is. For your insurer: an engineer's report and the VAT invoice. For you: payment that day, no money in advance. Dig out your insurance while we arrive: cover for misfuelling comes included in plenty of policies.
About Sandhams Green
Sandhams Green is a suburban area located on the coast of Lancashire, with an elevation of 16 metres above sea level. Sandhams Green sits near the cities of Preston and Blackpool, and is close to nearby places such as Mereside and Little Marton. Sandhams Green has a population of approximately 2758 people, and is characterised by predominantly terraced housing. Sandhams Green is situated in the North West region of England, around 198.5 miles from London.
AdBlue drains around Sandhams Green and across Lancashire
As a residential suburb, Sandhams Green shares its vans with the surrounding towns — Little Marton, Little Marton Moss Side — all the way through FY postcodes. Your whereabouts comes clearest from a postcode that starts FY4 4.
Parked en route to Mereside Park, or right in the heart of Sandhams Green, the vehicle stays where it is — there is no need to shift it at all. Our van empties it in place. Phone and ask instead of guessing when you're by Freedom Centre, near a boundary, or somewhere awkward to pin down.
Your situation, in one line
Not run yet: keep it off and call. Run by now: pull over, switch down, ring 0333 366 0103. Petrol in Diesel takes over the remainder, in Sandhams Green or anywhere in Lancashire.