What Now? AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Seafield
What to do about AdBlue in a diesel tank comes down to one thing more than any other: if your engine has been run since it was put in. Over in Alloway or right around Seafield, an unstarted engine must remain unrun. Leave your engine and your ignition off then call 0333 366 0103; it is usually a drain and a thorough flush, done where your car is in Seafield. Where the engine has run, pull in safely straight away, then switch the car off. Stage one remains unchanged, even though the job grows.
Find the scenario below that matches yours, wherever around South Ayrshire it happened.
At the pump in Seafield: AdBlue in a diesel
The cap you opened was the wrong one — and you only notice it while you are stood at the petrol pump, bottle or nozzle in hand. Maybe you are at the BP, maybe at the Morrisons, maybe somewhere else around Seafield.
Put simply: there is no better place to be to spot it. Only your tank holds AdBlue; not one component beyond it has drawn it in.
Clearing the pump is no excuse to start it — so do not get back in. Ask the attendants to help you roll your car into a parking space, keep the till receipt or the bottle, and call us from the forecourt. If it can't be moved, it can be emptied at the pump: the equipment is explosion-proof and safe on a working forecourt.
At home around Seafield with AdBlue in the diesel tank
Days had gone by with the warning light on. Only by the recycling, the empty bottle in hand, did you look back at the cap you had opened on the drive. Homes just off Carwinshoch View are caught out as often as everywhere else.
In short: if your vehicle has not been driven since, it is nearly as good as finding out at the forecourt. AdBlue does not mix with diesel; it sinks to the bottom of the tank and waits there. Overnight doesn't change that.
Put the keys indoors tonight — otherwise a person may drive it away at breakfast — and call us. We drain the vehicle on your driveway, whether that's in Seafield or out in Belleisle. Even at night, the pumps stay quiet enough for a driveway.
Seafield: drove off with AdBlue in a diesel?
Topped up, pulled away, and soon the engine was turning roughly, blowing smoke, losing power, or flashing up your dash. Arrol Drive, perhaps, or the way towards Glasgow — a run of under 50 miles.
What it means: your fuel system has pulled the AdBlue in. Mileage sets how far it gets: filter and pipework to begin with, then the injection pump and every injector. More miles, more starts: further it goes.
What to do: pull over where it's safe and switch off. Seafield lies under 25 miles from the M77; there, pull off at the next junction instead of pushing on to the services. No test starts: clearing itself is not something AdBlue does. Ring us and say how far you went.
Hire, lease or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank
It's a motor you have had for a week. On your own vehicle, AdBlue is absent or somewhere else. On this one, its inlet is just by the diesel cap — a surprise to you. It can happen to anyone, anywhere across South Ayrshire.
Meaning? Whatever applies above applies here — run or unrun — and one extra step. Plenty of hire and company contracts want the owner to approve work on your car.
Your move: rental firm or your fleet manager first, us next, because sorting it beforehand saves time. Keep it switched off while the reply comes, whether you're parked at Ayr or near Ayr Seafield Bowling Club.
Seafield: unsure if it was AdBlue in your diesel tank?
Honestly, the best answer may be that you think it did. Lighter, the bottle; a trace of ammonia near the filler; a hazy recollection of which cap. Sound familiar? The gates of the local primary school in a rush, perhaps, or someone's driveway out in Belmont.
Put simply: spillage near your filler leaves the motor unharmed. A diesel tank with AdBlue in it is another story. Firing up the vehicle cannot tell you which, and if there is AdBlue in the tank it would suck it in.
Assume it went in, and never start the engine. Describe what you noticed on your phone. A clear tank checked counts as a better outcome than an already-run one emptied.
The common ground in each Seafield AdBlue drain
No matter the situation, one start applies. Forecourt, drive, the pub in the village's car park or a street by Ayr Lawn Tennis Club — the van comes to your vehicle, and three questions follow: which liquid, which quantity, and if it has run. Over the phone, ahead of dispatch, you are told the price, and those answers decide the job too.
A thorough flush comes after the drain. With petrol it's routine; with AdBlue it is essential, because deposits form and some metals are attacked, and neither rinses away unaided. Finally come the fuel filter, flushed or replaced as needed; fresh diesel; and a test of the vehicle. Not started? Then about half an hour once we are there is most jobs.
We start the car at the end. Our test that it runs correctly on clean diesel comes before our technicians leave. If it is spotted soon, the car very rarely has permanent damage, and the entire job takes place where it is. Nothing is paid upfront, payment is made on the day, and you get what your insurer wants: an engineer report and a VAT invoice. Plenty of insurance policies include misfuelling cover, and so it is worth checking yours whilst we're on the way.
About Seafield
Seafield is a small coastal suburban area in South Ayrshire, situated near the towns of Ayr and Doonfoot. Seafield has a low elevation of around 4 metres, reflecting its coastal setting. Seafield is characterized by its predominantly detached housing stock, which is typical of many suburban areas in Scotland. Seafield is located near several nearby places, including Belleisle and Ayr, and is within commuting distance of Glasgow.
AdBlue drains in Seafield, and across South Ayrshire too
Being a residential suburb, Seafield has the same vans as the nearby places — Doonfoot, Ayr — right through KA postcodes. The whereabouts is quickest from a postcode that starts KA7 4.
Parked heading to Old Racecourse, or right in the heart of Seafield, the vehicle remains where it is — there's no need to shift it anywhere. Our technicians drain the car where it stands. Ring and check rather than guess if you are close to Ayr Wattfield Bowling Club, on a boundary, or anywhere tricky to pin down.
In one line: your scenario
Engine not started: phone, and leave it alone. Started already? Stop, turn off, phone. Petrol in Diesel takes over the remainder whatever it is, in Seafield and South Ayrshire, on 0333 366 0103.