What Now? AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Southgate
Has the motor run since the AdBlue was put in? This one point decides almost everything about what comes next. Wherever the car stands — West Green, Southgate — don't start an engine that has not been started yet. Usually that is draining and properly purging it right there around Southgate — and so leave your ignition and engine off and call 0333 366 0103. Where the motor has run, stop somewhere safe straight away, then switch the vehicle off. A larger job, yes, but the identical opening step.
Match what happened to a situation from the list below, anywhere in West Sussex you happen to be.
On a Southgate forecourt with AdBlue in a diesel
Only now, nozzle yet in your hand, you realise that the cap you opened was the wrong one, right at the petrol pump. Whether Shell, BP or anywhere else in Southgate, the situation is the same.
What it means: this is the best spot to find out. Still in your tank, and nothing pulled through: that's where the AdBlue sits.
Next: resist the temptation to fire it up just to free up the pump. Get the staff to lend a hand rolling it into a space, hold on to the receipt, then phone us right there. Can't move it beside the petrol pump? Our explosion-proof equipment keeps a busy forecourt safe, and so it can be drained where it is.
Southgate, at home: AdBlue in your diesel tank
On your dash, a warning had been lit for days. A bottle from the shop, tipped in on the driveway — and it was just at the recycling that the cap caught a second look. It takes place on drives just off Falmer Close as commonly as anywhere.
Meaning? As long as the vehicle hasn't been driven since, it is second to the forecourt case. At the bottom of the tank is exactly where AdBlue waits, since it won't mix with diesel — and a night going by makes nothing of the difference.
Next: prevent any early move by keeping your keys in the house, then ring us. Out in Crawley or right here around Southgate, the draining happens at your driveway. Late-night drains beside a house are no problem: the pumps are low-noise.
Southgate: set off with AdBlue in a diesel?
Lumpy running, smoke, falling power or a lit dashboard arrived a short way beyond the fill. Sunningdale Court, say, or the way towards Brighton and Hove — a run of under 25 miles.
What it means: the system has pulled the AdBlue in. It's been through the fuel filter and your lines and, the further you went, into the high-pressure pump and the injectors. Each mile and each restart takes it further.
Pull in safely — that is the next job — then turn everything off. Services farther along are too far: on the M23, under 3 miles out of Southgate, take the next junction. Don't restart the car to see if it has cleared; it will not have. Phone, and say how far your car was driven.
AdBlue in the wrong tank of a hire, lease or company car
It is a vehicle you have had for a week. The AdBlue filler sits right next to the diesel one, which you did not know, since your own motor either has no AdBlue or keeps it somewhere else. It can happen to anyone, anywhere around West Sussex.
The upshot: exactly as above, divided by if it ran, but with one added step. Work on your vehicle frequently needs the owner's approval under hire or company terms.
What to do: call the hire firm or your fleet manager first, then us. That's quicker settled before our engineers turn up than after. If you're stranded in the car park at Crawley, or by Southgate West Community Centre, while you wait for an answer, leave the car off.
AdBlue in your diesel tank? Not sure, in Southgate
Now and then, "I think so" is the most you can truthfully say. What cap came off, you cannot say; meanwhile the bottle feels less than it ought to, and ammonia hangs by your filler. A hurried top-up by the gates of Hilltop Primary School, or a visit to a friend in Gossops Green: either fits.
What it means: a little spilled about the filler does no harm to the motor. A diesel tank with AdBlue in it is a different matter. If there is AdBlue in that tank, turning on your car will pull it in, and it would not tell you which either.
Take it that it went in, and never turn the key. Call us and explain what you saw; we'd rather check a tank that turns out free of AdBlue than drain one that has already been run.
What every AdBlue drain around Southgate has in common
No matter the case, a single start is used. Wherever the vehicle is — Goff's Park Brewers Fayre's car park, a street by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a drive, a filling station — our van arrives and we ask about the liquid, the quantity, and whether your engine has been run. The price comes on the call, ahead of anyone setting off, and the replies shape the job.
AdBlue crystallises and eats at certain metals used in fuel systems, and so it does not rinse out unaided; that is why a full flush, after this drain, matters far more with AdBlue than with petrol. Next is the filter — flushed, or replaced when needed — followed by clean diesel, and a test of the car. Where the engine hasn't run, expect roughly half an hour on site, in most jobs.
The last step is firing it up. With new diesel in, it runs while our technicians check it's running smoothly, and then we head off. Long-term damage is very rare when it's noticed early, and the whole job is done where the vehicle is. For your insurer: the engineer's report and the VAT invoice. For you: payment that day, nothing in advance. It is worth knowing: lots of insurers include misfuelling cover, so a check of your policy while we travel is worthwhile.
About Southgate
Southgate is a suburban area in West Sussex, situated lakeside with nearby Tilgate Lake, and has a relatively low elevation of 83 metres. Southgate is located near several other suburban areas, including Northgate and Crawley, and is within commuting distance to Brighton and Hove. Southgate has a population of around 10,100 people and predominantly consists of flat housing. Southgate is also relatively close to London, being approximately 27.7 miles away.
AdBlue drains around Southgate, and across West Sussex too
Throughout RH postcodes, the teams covering Southgate — a residential suburb — reach nearby towns as well, Northgate and Tilgate among them. Fastest of all: a RH11 8 postcode to show where you stand.
Parked heading to Goff's Park, or bang in the centre of Southgate, the car remains put — there's no need to move it at all. Wherever it sits, that's where it gets drained. Tricky to pin down? Close to Crawley Sikh Temple or a county line? Asking beats assuming, so ring.
In one line: your situation
Not run yet: keep the vehicle off then call. Already run: stop, switch off and ring. Either way, Petrol in Diesel takes it from there in Southgate and anywhere around West Sussex on 0333 366 0103.