What Now? AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Shap
What to do about AdBlue in a diesel tank depends on one thing more than any other: whether the motor has run since it was put in. Wherever the car stands — Sweetholme, Shap — never start a motor that has not run yet. Leave the engine and the ignition off then phone 0333 366 0103; it is usually a drain and a thorough flush, done where the vehicle is in Shap. Already started? Stop once safe, then turn everything off. The job is bigger, yet the first step is the same.
Match what happened to one of the list below, wherever in Cumbria you happen to be.
Shap forecourt: AdBlue in a diesel at the pump
Picture it: stood by the petrol pump, holding the nozzle, you realise the cap you opened wasn't the right one. Anywhere around Shap, then — Kirkland Garage, another forecourt nearby, or somewhere else nearby.
What it means: this is the ideal location to find out. Just your tank holds AdBlue; no part beyond it has taken it in.
Next: resist the urge to fire it up only to move away from the pump. Three jobs: a shove into a bay with the attendants assisting, the bottle kept, and a ring to us from the forecourt. Stuck by the pump? Our explosion-proof kit makes a busy forecourt sensible, and so we can drain the vehicle in place.
AdBlue in your diesel tank on a Shap drive?
Several days had gone by with the warning light on. Bought a bottle, tipped it in outside the house, binned the empty — and only then looked at the cap again, after the fact. Driveways near Main Street see it as much as any other street.
Put simply: if your car has not moved since, it is almost as good as finding out at the pump. Diesel and AdBlue stay separate: the AdBlue drops to the floor of the tank and remains there, however long the night.
Next: stop any early-morning drive by keeping your keys in the house, then phone us. Our engineers drain the car on your driveway, whether that's around Shap or out in Keld. Late-night clears outside a house are no problem: the pumps are low-noise.
AdBlue in a diesel and already driving around Shap?
A short way beyond topping up, the motor started playing up: roughness, smoke, lost power, warnings on the dash. Foster Street, perhaps, or the route to Carlisle — a run of under 50 miles.
The point: the system has drawn AdBlue through by now. The high-pressure pump and every injector see it as well on a bigger trip, after the filter and lines have it. More miles, more restarts: further it goes.
What to do: pull over where it's safe then switch off. Shap lies under a mile from the M6; on it, come off at the first junction rather than pressing on to the services. No trial restarts: clearing itself is not something AdBlue does. Phone, and say what distance your vehicle went.
Hire, lease or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank
You have had this car hardly a week. The AdBlue filler is right next to the diesel filler, which you didn't know, since your own vehicle either has no AdBlue or keeps it somewhere else. Across Cumbria, nobody is immune.
The upshot: just as above, divided by if it ran, only with an added step. Many hire and company agreements want the owner to approve work on your car.
What to do: ring the hire firm or your fleet manager first, then us. That is faster settled before our technicians get there than after. Hanging on for a reply at the car park outside Appleby, or near St Michael's? Keep your engine off meanwhile.
Not sure it was AdBlue in your diesel tank, Shap?
Occasionally 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. It might have been at a friend's drive in Towcett, or in a rush outside Shap Endowed CofE Primary School at the school run.
Meaning? Spills around the inlet don't touch your engine at all. A diesel tank with AdBlue in it is a different matter. You cannot tell which by turning the ignition, and doing so will suck in any AdBlue that is in that tank.
What to do: treat it as if it went in. Don't crank it. Call us and explain what you saw; we'd rather check a tank that turns out clean than drain one that has already been run.
Every AdBlue drain in Shap shares these stages
The job begins identically, whichever the case. Our engineers come to the car, whether it's at a forecourt, a drive, the car park outside The Crown Inn or a side street near Shap Village Hall, and ask three things: what was put in, about how much, and whether the engine has run. On the phone, before dispatch, you are told our price, and those replies shape the job too.
A thorough flush follows this drain. With petrol it is standard; with AdBlue it is crucial, because deposits build up and certain metals are attacked, and none of it rinses away unaided. Fresh diesel goes in once your filter has been flushed or replaced, and the car is then checked. Most unstarted cars are a half-hour visit after the moment our technicians arrive.
Our technicians start it at the end. With clean diesel in, it runs while our technicians make sure it's running correctly, and then we leave. The whole job is done where the car is, and if it's spotted soon, long-term damage is very unusual. Paying is on the day, never upfront. For the insurer, you get a VAT invoice and a written report from the engineer. Dig out your insurance while we're en route: cover for misfuelling is included in many policies.
About Shap, briefly
Shap is a village in Cumbria, situated on the banks of a river at an elevation of 256 metres. Shap lies near the villages of Keld, Hardendale, and Rosgill, and is approximately 26.9 miles from Carlisle. Shap has a population of around 603 people, predominantly living in terraced housing. Shap is located in the North West region of England, about 234.3 miles from London.
Shap and Cumbria: AdBlue drains across the area
Over CA postcodes, the vans serving Shap — a village — work surrounding places as well, Hardendale and Rosgill among them. Quickest of all: a CA10 3 postcode to show your location.
No moving is required, whether parked centrally in Shap or in a layby heading to Shap Memorial Park, and so leave it where it is. The drain is done on the spot. Tricky to explain? Close to Shap Library or a county line? Checking is better than guessing, so phone.
In one line: your scenario
Engine never started: phone, and leave it alone. Run already? Stop, switch off, phone. Petrol in Diesel takes over the rest whatever it is, across Shap and Cumbria, on 0333 366 0103.