Sherburn: AdBlue in the Diesel Tank? Find Your Situation
Has your engine run since the AdBlue went in? That single point decides almost everything else from here. If it has not, keep it that way, whether your car is around Sherburn itself or out in Running Waters. Normally this means emptying and thoroughly flushing it on the spot around Sherburn — so keep the ignition and motor off and call 0333 366 0103. Stop the moment it is safe then turn off, if it has been run. A larger job, then, but the same first move.
Wherever around Durham it happened, one of the cases below matches yours.
At the petrol pump in Sherburn: AdBlue in a diesel
Imagine it: standing by the petrol pump, gripping the nozzle, you spot the cap you took off wasn't the correct one. Whether Tesco, Esso or anywhere else around Sherburn, the situation is the same.
Meaning? Finding out on the forecourt is as good as it gets. Just the tank holds AdBlue; not one component beyond it has drawn any in.
Do this: keep out of the car, however much the queue wants freeing. Three jobs: a shove into a space with the staff helping, the receipt saved, and a ring to us from where you stand. The equipment is explosion-proof and fine on a live forecourt, so a car that cannot be pushed clear gets cleared where it is at the petrol pump.
At home around Sherburn with AdBlue in your diesel tank
The warning light had been on for days. A bottle bought at the shop, emptied in at the drive — and it was only at the bin that the cap caught a second look. Drives near Hope Street see it as much as any other street.
What it means: if you have not driven since, this is nearly as good as the forecourt. AdBlue doesn't mix with diesel; it sinks to the bottom of that tank and waits there. Overnight does not change that.
What to do: leave your keys inside the house so nobody moves the car in the morning. Then call. Our technicians drain the car on your drive, whether that's in Sherburn or out in Sherburn Hill. Late-night clears outside a house are no problem: the pumps are low-noise.
Sherburn: set off with AdBlue in a diesel?
Filled up, drove away, and soon your engine was running unevenly, smoking, losing power, or flashing up your dash. Hallgarth Street, perhaps, or the route towards Durham — a run of under 5 miles.
Meaning? Your fuel pump has taken the AdBlue in. The injection pump and every injector see it as well on a bigger run, once the fuel filter and lines have it. Each mile and each restart takes it further.
Next: pick a safe spot, pull in, and turn your motor off. Services farther on are too far: from the A1(M), under 3 miles out of Sherburn, take the next junction. It won't have cleared, and so there's no point restarting to check. Tell us know the mileage covered when you call.
Hire, lease or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank
A week ago, the car was new to you. On your own vehicle, AdBlue is absent or somewhere else. On this one, its cap is just by your diesel cap — news to you. It can happen to anyone, anywhere in Durham.
The upshot: exactly as above, split by if it ran, but with an added step. Work on your vehicle often needs the owner's go-ahead under hire or fleet terms.
Next: phone the rental company or the fleet manager first, and then us — settling it before we arrive is faster. If you're stuck in the car park at Durham, or by Sherburn War Memorial, whilst you wait for an answer, leave the car off.
AdBlue in the diesel tank? Not sure, in Sherburn
Sometimes the fair answer is "I think so". Which cap was taken off, you cannot recall; meanwhile the bottle feels lighter than expected, and ammonia hangs by the filler. Maybe it happened in a hurry at the school gates at Sherburn Primary School, or on a friend's drive in Belmont.
The point: the motor isn't harmed by some AdBlue spilled around the filler. AdBlue inside your diesel tank does. You cannot tell which by turning the key, and doing so will draw in any AdBlue that is in your tank.
Take it that it went in, and never start the key. Phone with what you saw: we'd rather confirm a tank free of AdBlue than drain one once the motor has been run.
Each AdBlue drain around Sherburn shares these stages
The job opens the same way, whatever the situation. Filling station, driveway, Lambton Arms's car park or a street by Sherburn Community Centre — our van comes to the vehicle, and three questions come next: what liquid, what quantity, and if it ran. The price is given on the call, before a van leaves, and those answers set the job.
Draining the tank comes first, then a full flush — more vital with urea than with petrol, because crystals and corrosion won't clear by themselves, no matter how long it sits. Next is the fuel filter — cleaned, or replaced when necessary — then clean diesel, and a test of the car. If your engine hasn't run, most jobs take about half an hour once we are there.
Our engineers start the engine last. Our engineers confirm it runs smoothly on clean diesel before leaving. We do the entire job where the vehicle is, and long-term damage is very unusual when it has been noticed quickly. You pay on the day, with nothing upfront, and get a VAT invoice and an engineer report for your insurer. Check your insurance while we arrive: cover for misfuelling is included in plenty of policies.
About Sherburn and where it is
Sherburn is a village situated on the banks of a river in County Durham, England, with Sherburn standing at an elevation of 89 metres above sea level. Sherburn lies approximately 3.1 miles from the city of Durham and is part of the wider North East region. Sherburn has a mix of housing types, but semi-detached homes are predominant in the area. Sherburn is located near several notable places, including Sherburn Hill and Sherburn House.
AdBlue drains round Sherburn and across Durham
As a village, Sherburn has the same vans as the nearby towns — Sherburn Grange, Sherburn House — right across DH postcodes. A postcode starting DH6 1 is the quickest way to tell us where you are.
Stopped heading to Sherburn Village Park, or bang in the heart of Sherburn, your car stays where it is — there is no need to move it anywhere. We drain the vehicle where it sits. If you're somewhere hard to describe, close to Saint Mary the Virgin or close to a border, ring and ask rather than guessing.
The one-line version
If it hasn't started, ring then keep it that way. Whatever case applies, Petrol in Diesel handles from there on 0333 366 0103, throughout Durham and in Sherburn — after you stop, switch off and ring, if it has run.