AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Shrivenham, and What to Do Next
What to do about AdBlue in a diesel tank depends on one thing more than any other: if the engine has run since it got in. Not run yet? Then leave the car that way, wherever your car is — Shrivenham or Sevenhampton. Keep nothing on, ring 0333 366 0103, then expect a thorough flush after a drain, carried out right where the vehicle sits around Shrivenham. Stop the moment it is safe and switch off, if it has already run. The job is bigger, yet the first stage is the same.
Compare what happened to a situation from the ones below, wherever in Oxfordshire you happen to be.
At the pump in Shrivenham: AdBlue in a diesel
Imagine it: standing by the pump, gripping the nozzle, you realise the cap you took off was not the correct one. It could be the Shell, or perhaps the Sainsbury's, or another forecourt around Shrivenham.
Meaning? Spotting it on the forecourt is as good as it gets. The AdBlue is inside your tank and nowhere else. Nothing has pulled it in.
Next: resist the urge to start it only to free up the pump. A few things: a shove into a space with the attendants helping, the receipt kept, and a ring to us from where you stand. Emptying it right at the petrol pump is fine if it can't be moved, since the equipment is explosion-proof.
AdBlue in the diesel tank at home around Shrivenham
The warning light had been on for days. A bottle bought at the garage, emptied in at the drive — and it was only at the bin that the cap got a second look. Just off Stainswick Lane is no different from anywhere.
Put simply: if the car hasn't moved since, it is almost as good as spotting it at the forecourt. AdBlue doesn't mix with diesel; it sinks to the bottom of that tank and waits there. Overnight doesn't change that.
Next: prevent any early move by keeping your keys indoors, then ring us. Watchfield or Shrivenham: whichever your drive sits, that is where it is emptied. Night-time clears outside a house are no problem: the pumps are quiet.
AdBlue in a diesel and already driving around Shrivenham?
A short way after topping up, your motor started misbehaving: roughness, smoke, lost power, lights on your dash. Anywhere on Charlotte Close or else on the road to Oxford — under 25 miles away.
What it means: the system has pulled the AdBlue in. The injection pump and every injector see it too on a bigger trip, after your filter and lines have it. Each mile and each restart takes it further.
Your move: stop somewhere safe, then switch your engine off. Shrivenham sits under 10 miles from the M4; there, come off at the next junction rather than pressing on for the services. Restarting it to check achieves nothing — AdBlue never clears itself. Ring us and say how far you went.
Hire, lease or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank
You have had the vehicle hardly a week. Unbeknown to you, the AdBlue and diesel inlets sit side by side here — unlike your own vehicle, which has none or stores it in another spot. Anywhere you are around Oxfordshire, any motorist can be caught.
What it means: the same as the scenarios above, depending on whether it's run, with one more step. Any work on your car frequently needs the owner's approval under hire or company agreements.
Your move: hire firm or fleet manager first, us second, since sorting it early cuts time. If you're stranded in the car park outside Swindon, or by Shrivenham Methodist Church, while you wait for an answer, leave the vehicle off.
Shrivenham: unsure whether it was AdBlue in the diesel tank?
"I think so" is sometimes as honest answer there is. What cap came off, you cannot say; meanwhile the bottle weighs less than it ought to, and ammonia lingers by the filler. A rushed stop by the gates of Shrivenham Church of England School, or a call to a friend in Longcot: either fits.
What it means: a little spilled round the filler does no damage to your engine. A diesel tank with AdBlue inside is another story. If there is AdBlue in your tank, turning on your car will suck it in, and it would not tell you which either.
Take it that it went in, and don't turn your key. 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.
The common ground in every Shrivenham AdBlue drain
The work begins identically, whichever the situation. Our technicians come to your car, whether it's on a forecourt, a drive, the car park at Barrington Arms or a side street near St. Andrew's, and ask three things: what was put in, about how much, and if your engine has run. Those answers determine this work, and you get our quote by phone, before anybody heads out.
Draining that tank comes first, then a careful flush — more vital with urea than with petrol, since crystals and corrosion won't clear by themselves, no matter how long it sits. Your filter is cleaned, or replaced where it needs to be; fresh diesel goes in; and your car is tested. If the motor has not run, most jobs take about half an hour once we are there.
We start it last. Our check that it runs correctly on fresh diesel comes before our technicians go. The entire job is done where the vehicle is, and if it's noticed early, lasting damage is very uncommon. For your insurer: an engineer's report and the VAT invoice. For you: payment on the day, nothing upfront. It is worth knowing: lots of insurers include misfuelling cover, and so a check of your documents while you wait is worthwhile.
About Shrivenham
Shrivenham is a village in Oxfordshire, situated in the south of the county, approximately 20 miles from Oxford and 66 miles from London. Shrivenham sits at an elevation of around 101 metres, in a rural area surrounded by nearby villages such as Watchfield, Lower Bourton, and Bourton. Shrivenham has a population of around 1117 people, predominantly living in detached houses.
AdBlue drains across Oxfordshire, Shrivenham included
Lower Bourton and Bourton get the same teams as Shrivenham, a rural village, plus further towns over SN postcodes. The location comes quickest from a postcode that starts SN6 8.
No moving is required, whether stopped centrally in Shrivenham or on a lay-by en route to Shrivenham Recreation Ground, so keep it put. Wherever it sits, that is where it gets cleared. If you are somewhere hard to describe, close to Shrivenham Memorial Hall or close to a boundary, ring and ask instead of assuming.
The one-line version
Motor never started: ring, leaving it switched off. Whatever line applies, Petrol in Diesel handles from there on 0333 366 0103, across Oxfordshire and within Shrivenham — after you stop, turn off and ring, if it has run.