What Now? AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Silverdale
What to do about AdBlue in a diesel tank comes down to one thing more than any other: whether the motor has been run since it got in. Wherever your vehicle stands — Poolfields, Silverdale — never start an engine that has not run yet. Switch nothing on, call 0333 366 0103, then count on a thorough flush after a drain, carried out just where the car stands in Silverdale. Already started? Stop once safe, then switch everything off. A bigger job, yes, but the identical first step.
Match your case to a situation from the list below, anywhere in Staffordshire you happen to be.
At the petrol pump in Silverdale: AdBlue in a diesel
Picture it: standing by the petrol pump, gripping the bottle, you realise the cap you opened wasn't the right one. Anywhere around Silverdale, then — Morrisons, Sainsbury's, or somewhere else nearby.
What it means: this is the ideal spot to find out. Nothing has drawn it in, and so the AdBlue sits only inside that tank.
Next: avoid the urge to fire it up only to move away from the pump. Three things: a shove into a bay with the attendants helping, the receipt kept, and a ring to us from where you stand. Emptying it there at the pump is possible when it cannot be shifted, since the equipment is explosion-proof.
AdBlue in your diesel tank on a Silverdale drive?
The warning light had been on for days. A bottle bought at the shop, tipped in at the drive — and it was only at the recycling that the cap caught a second look. Homes just off Crown Street are hit as often as everywhere else.
Meaning? As long as your vehicle has not moved since, it is close to the forecourt case. AdBlue does not mix with diesel; it sinks to the bottom of your tank and waits there. Overnight doesn't change that.
Keep your keys indoors overnight — otherwise a person may drive it away at breakfast — and phone us. Your drive is where it gets emptied, be it around Silverdale or Knutton. The pumps are quiet enough to use outside a house at night.
Drove off with AdBlue in a diesel around Silverdale?
A short way after topping up, your engine began playing up: roughness, smoke, less power, lights on the dash. Somewhere on Earl Street or heading to Stoke-on-Trent — under 5 miles away.
In short: the AdBlue has been sucked through the fuel system. Through your filter, through the pipework, and — the further the mileage — on into the injection pump and every injector. It goes deeper with every extra mile covered and every restart.
Pull in somewhere safe — that's the first step — then turn everything off. Silverdale sits under 3 miles from the M6; there, come off at the next junction rather than pressing on for the services. It will not have cleared, so there is no point starting it again to find out. Ring us and say how far you travelled.
A hire or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank?
It is a car you have had for a week. Your own car either does without AdBlue or puts it somewhere different, so nothing warned you the AdBlue cap sits right next to your diesel. It can happen to anyone, anywhere around Staffordshire.
What it means: the same as the situations above, depending on whether it has run, with one more step. The owner frequently needs to approve any work, under many rental and fleet agreements.
Sorting it before the van arrives is quicker, so ring the hire company or your fleet manager, then us. Hanging on for a reply in the car park outside Longport, or beside Silverdale Elim Church? Leave your car off throughout.
Not sure it was AdBlue in the diesel tank, Silverdale?
At times the fair answer is "I think so". Which cap came off, you cannot recall; but the bottle weighs less than expected, and ammonia lingers by your filler. A hurried top-up by the gates of Silverdale Primary Academy, or a visit to a friend in Cross Heath: both fits.
The upshot: your engine isn't hurt by some AdBlue spilled on the outside. 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 that tank.
What to do: treat it as if it got in. Do not start the car. Phone with what you saw: we'd rather find a tank free of AdBlue than empty one after your engine has been run.
The common ground in each Silverdale AdBlue drain
No matter the case, a single start applies. Anywhere your car is — The Crown's car park, a street beside Silverdale Methodist Church, a driveway, a filling station — the van arrives and asks for the fluid, the quantity, and if the motor has been run. Those replies settle the work, and you get our quote on the phone, before anyone sets off.
Emptying that tank comes next, followed by a full flush — more vital after urea than with petrol, since crystals and corrosion will not clear on their own, however long you wait. Next comes the filter — flushed, or swapped when needed — followed by clean diesel, and a test of the vehicle. The majority of unstarted cars are a half-hour visit from the moment our engineers turn up.
Starting the engine comes last. Before our technicians leave, it is tested to make sure it runs smoothly on clean diesel. Lasting damage is very unusual if it's caught early, and the entire job is done where the car is. Paying is on the day, never upfront. For your insurer, you get a VAT invoice plus a written report from the engineer. It is worth knowing: many insurers offer misfuelling cover, so a check of your documents while we travel is worthwhile.
About Silverdale and where it is
Silverdale is a suburban area in Staffordshire, situated near the city of Stoke-on-Trent, with a mix of terraced housing and local amenities. Silverdale sits at an elevation of around 135 metres, in a gently rolling landscape of inland England. Silverdale is close to nearby places such as Knutton, Keele, and Hawthorns, and is about 3.9 miles from Stoke-on-Trent. Silverdale has a population of approximately 2681 residents.
AdBlue drains about Silverdale and across Staffordshire
As a residential suburb, Silverdale shares its vans with the nearby places — Hawthorns, Keele — right through ST postcodes. Fastest of all: a ST5 6 postcode for where you stand.
Whether the car is on a lay-by on the way to Silverdale Park or in a car park in the middle of Silverdale, it does not need to move. Our engineers drain the vehicle where it sits. If you're somewhere hard to explain, near Bethel Centre or close to a border, ring and ask rather than guessing.
The one-line version
Motor not started: phone, and leave it alone. Already run: stop, switch off then call. Either way, Petrol in Diesel takes it from there in Silverdale and anywhere around Staffordshire on 0333 366 0103.