AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Sayers Common, and What to Do Next
What to do about AdBlue in a diesel tank comes down to one thing more than any other: if your engine has run since it went in. Anywhere the car stands — West Town, Sayers Common — never start an engine that hasn't run yet. Normally this is emptying and properly rinsing it right there in Sayers Common — so leave your key and engine off then phone 0333 366 0103. Already run? Pull over when safe, then turn everything off. The job is bigger, yet the first stage is the same.
Wherever in West Sussex it took place, one of the cases below matches yours.
Sayers Common forecourt: AdBlue in a diesel at the pump
Just at this point, nozzle still in hand, it dawns on you that the cap you took off was the wrong one, right at the pump. It could be the Shell, or perhaps the Tesco, or another station around Sayers Common.
Meaning? Finding out on the forecourt is the best it gets. Only your tank has AdBlue; no part beyond it has drawn it in.
Do this: keep out of the car, however much the queue needs freeing. Phone us from the forecourt once the vehicle sits in a bay — the staff will lend a hand to roll it — then keep the receipt. If it cannot be moved, it can be drained at the pump: the equipment is explosion-proof and safe on a working forecourt.
AdBlue in your diesel tank on a Sayers Common drive?
For days the dashboard had been warning you. Picked up a container, poured it in at home, recycled the empty — and at that point looked at the cap a second time, after the fact. Just off London Road is no less likely from anywhere.
Meaning? Provided your car hasn't moved since, it is close to the forecourt case. AdBlue does not mix with diesel; it sinks to the bottom of your tank and waits there. Overnight does not change that.
Next: stop an early drive by putting the keys in the house, then ring us. In Albourne Green or right here in Sayers Common, the draining is done on your driveway. Our equipment works quiet enough not to disturb the neighbours at night.
Set off with AdBlue in a diesel around Sayers Common?
You filled up, set off, and a mile or two later the engine began to run unevenly, smoke, lose power or light up the dashboard. Maybe driving to Brighton and Hove, under 10 miles away, or just down Nuthatch Lane.
Meaning? The fuel pump has sucked the AdBlue in. Distance decides how far it gets: filter and lines first, then the high-pressure pump and each injector. More miles, more starts: further it travels.
Your move: pull up anywhere sensible, then turn the motor off. On the M23, under 10 miles from Sayers Common, that means the next exit, not the services further on. Starting it again to test achieves nothing — AdBlue never clears itself. Call, saying how far the vehicle was driven.
AdBlue in the wrong tank of a hire, lease or company car
Seven days ago, the car was unknown to you. The AdBlue filler sits right next to the diesel filler, which you did not know, because your own vehicle either has no AdBlue or keeps it somewhere else. Anywhere you happen to be in West Sussex, every motorist can be caught.
In short: an extra step on top of the cases above, which turn on whether it's run. Many rental and company contracts require the owner's sign-off for work.
Next: ring the hire company or the fleet manager first, then us — settling it before we arrive is quicker. Hanging on for an answer in the car park outside Hassocks, or near Village Hall & Community Shop & Cafe? Keep your car off meanwhile.
Sayers Common: unsure whether it was AdBlue in your diesel tank?
At times the honest answer is "I think so". The bottle is lighter than it should be, there is a faint smell of ammonia about the filler, and you can't remember which cap you took off. Possibly it happened in a hurry at the school gates at Albourne Church of England Primary School, or on a friend's drive in Albourne Street.
Meaning? Drips outside the filler never touch your motor at all. Once it is inside the diesel tank, though, it does. Turning on the vehicle won't tell you which, and if there is AdBlue in that tank it will draw it in.
What to do: treat it as if it got in. Do not fire it up. Phone and give what you saw: we'd sooner confirm a tank free of AdBlue than drain one after the motor has run.
Sayers Common: what every AdBlue drain has in common
Every case gets the same opening to the job. Three things come when we arrive — on a filling station, a drive, a street by The Church Hall or the car park at Duke Of York: the liquid, the quantity, and if the motor has run. Those answers decide this work, and you hear the price by phone, before anyone sets off.
Emptying your tank comes next, followed by a careful flush — more vital after urea than after petrol, since crystals and corrosion won't go by themselves, however long you wait. Finally come the fuel filter, cleaned or renewed if necessary; fresh diesel; and a check of the car. If your engine hasn't run, most jobs take about half an hour once we're there.
Lastly, we start the engine. Our engineers check it runs smoothly on new diesel before we leave. Long-term damage is very uncommon when it's caught early, and the entire job is done where the car is. Nothing is taken upfront, settlement is made on the day, and you receive what your insurer wants: an engineer report plus a VAT invoice. Worth knowing: many insurers include misfuelling cover, and so a check of your policy as we travel pays.
About Sayers Common and where it is
Sayers Common is a village in West Sussex, situated near the River Adur and close to the South Downs National Park. Sayers Common has a low elevation of around 20 metres and is located near several other small villages, including Albourne Green and Twineham. Sayers Common is characterized by its predominantly detached housing stock and is within commuting distance of Brighton and Hove. Sayers Common is also relatively close to London, being approximately 38.5 miles away.
AdBlue drains across West Sussex, Sayers Common included
Sayers Common is a village, and the same teams that cover it work the towns near it too, Twineham and Hickstead among them, across the BN postcode area. Your location is clearest from a postcode that starts BN6 9.
Whether your car is on a lay-by on the way to Berrylands Farm Recreation Ground or in a car park in the middle of Sayers Common, it does not need to shift. We drain the car where it stands. If you are somewhere hard to explain, close to Christ Church or close to a border, ring and ask rather than assuming.
In one line: your situation
Engine never started: phone, leaving it alone. Already run: stop, switch off then ring. Either way, Petrol in Diesel takes it from there around Sayers Common and anywhere across West Sussex on 0333 366 0103.