AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Seabrook, and What to Do Next
All of it hinges on a single detail: if your engine has started after the AdBlue went in — more than anything else. If it has not, keep it that way, whether the car is around Seabrook itself or out in Cheriton. Ring 0333 366 0103 with your key and engine still off. Across Seabrook, such a case is typically drained and flushed on the spot. When your motor has run, pull in safely first, then turn the car off. Stage one stays unchanged, even though the job grows.
Anywhere in Kent it took place, one of the cases below fits yours.
On a Seabrook forecourt with AdBlue in a diesel
The cap you unscrewed was the wrong one — and you only spot it as you're standing at the pump, bottle or nozzle in hand. It might be the BP, or perhaps the another forecourt nearby, or a different forecourt around Seabrook.
The point: of all places to find out, the forecourt is the best. Nothing has drawn it in, so the AdBlue sits just in your tank.
Clearing the petrol pump is no reason to start it — so don't get back in. Ring us from the forecourt once your vehicle is in a bay — the staff will lend a hand to roll it — then save the receipt. Stuck beside the petrol pump? Explosion-proof equipment keeps a busy forecourt safe, and so we can drain the car in place.
AdBlue in the diesel tank on a Seabrook drive?
The warning light had been on for days. Only at the recycling bin, the empty container in your hand, did you look back at the cap you'd opened at the drive. Drives near Seabrook Court see it as much as any other street.
Put simply: if your vehicle hasn't been driven since, it is nearly as good as spotting it at the pump. AdBlue doesn't mix with diesel; it sinks to the bottom of the tank and waits there. Overnight does not change that.
Next: keys in the house, and so no one takes your vehicle anywhere first thing. After that, ring. Out in Horn Street or here around Seabrook, the drain is done at your drive. The equipment works quietly enough that it won't wake the neighbours at night.
AdBlue in a diesel and already driving in Seabrook?
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. Possibly it was on Naildown Road, possibly on the way out towards Canterbury, under 15 miles away.
In short: the AdBlue has been sucked through the fuel system. Mileage decides how far it goes: filter and lines to begin with, then the injection pump and every injector. Each mile and each restart takes it further.
What to do: pull over where it is safe to do so and switch off. Seabrook sits under 3 miles from the M20; on it, pull off at the next junction rather than pressing on to the services. No trial starts: clearing isn't something AdBlue does. About how far did it go? Say so when you call.
A hire or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank?
You have just had this vehicle a week. On your own vehicle, AdBlue is missing or elsewhere. On this one, its inlet is just next to the diesel cap — a surprise to you. It can happen to anyone, anywhere in Kent.
The upshot: exactly as above, divided by whether it ran, but with an added step. The owner often needs to sign off the work, under many rental and company agreements.
Do this: rental firm or your fleet manager first, us second, because settling it beforehand saves time. Stranded near Seabrook Church or at Folkestone West until the firm answers, your vehicle remains switched off throughout.
Seabrook: unsure if it was AdBlue in the diesel tank?
Truthfully, the only answer may be that you think so. Lighter, that bottle; a hint of ammonia near the filler; a hazy memory of which cap. Sound familiar? Maybe on a friend's driveway in Newington, or in a rush by Seabrook Church of England Primary School on the school run.
The point: the engine is not hurt by some AdBlue spilled around the outside. The diesel tank with AdBlue inside is a different story. If there is AdBlue in the tank, turning on the car will draw it in, and it would not tell you which either.
What to do: treat it as if it went in. Do not crank it. Call us and explain what you saw; we'd rather check a tank that turns out free of AdBlue than drain one that has already been run.
What each AdBlue drain in Seabrook has in common
The work begins the same way, whatever your situation. Wherever the car stands — The Fountain Inn's car park, a road beside Shorncliffe Redoubt, a drive, a filling station — the van arrives and asks about the liquid, the amount, and if the motor has been run. Answers set the work; the quote comes on the call while no one has set off yet.
Emptying that tank comes next, followed by a full flush — more important after urea than with petrol, since crystals and corrosion will not go by themselves, however long you wait. Next is the fuel filter — cleaned, or swapped when needed — then clean diesel, and a test of the vehicle. The majority of unstarted cars are a half-hour job after the moment our engineers arrive.
We fire it up at the end. With new diesel in, it runs while we make sure it's running properly, and then we go. The whole job is done where the vehicle is, and if it's spotted soon, lasting damage is very uncommon. Payment comes on the day, never in advance. For the insurer, you get a VAT invoice plus a written report from the engineer. Many policies include misfuelling, and so check yours as we head over.
About Seabrook, for a moment
Seabrook is a small suburban area situated on the coast of Kent, with a population of around 1787 people. Seabrook lies near the towns of Folkestone and Hythe, and is close to the nearby places of Horn Street, Shorncliffe Camp, and Sandgate. Seabrook is characterized by its semi-detached housing and low elevation of around 10 metres above sea level. Seabrook is located approximately 14 miles from Canterbury and 61 miles from London.
AdBlue drains around Seabrook, and across Kent too
Throughout CT postcodes, the vans covering Seabrook — a residential suburb — reach surrounding places as well, Shorncliffe Camp and Sandgate among them. A postcode starting CT21 5 is the quickest way to tell us where you are.
No towing is needed, be it parked centrally in Seabrook or in a lay-by heading to Sene Valley Golf Club, so keep it put. The van empties it in place. Ring and ask rather than guess if you're close to Small Arms Indoor Range, near a boundary, or anywhere awkward to pin down.
In one line: your scenario
Motor not started: ring, and leave it switched off. Already run: stop, switch off and ring. Either way, Petrol in Diesel takes it from there around Seabrook and anywhere around Kent on 0333 366 0103.