What Now? AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Splott
Has your engine turned over since the AdBlue was put in? That single question decides nearly everything about what comes next. Wherever the vehicle stands — Cathays Park, Splott — never start an engine that has not run yet. Usually this is emptying and thoroughly purging it on the spot in Splott — and so leave your key and engine off then ring 0333 366 0103. If it has run, stop as soon as it is safe then switch off. Stage one remains unchanged, even though the job is bigger.
Anywhere across Cardiff it happened, one of the situations below matches yours.
Splott forecourt: AdBlue in a diesel at the pump
Only now, nozzle yet in hand, it dawns on you that the cap you opened was the wrong one, there at the petrol pump. Whether Esso, Sainsbury's or anywhere else in Splott, the case is the same.
In short: there is no better spot to be to discover it. Still in your tank, with no fuel drawn through: that's where the AdBlue is.
What to do: don't get back in and start the vehicle to clear the petrol pump. Get the attendants to lend a hand pushing it into a bay, hold on to the receipt, then phone us from there. The equipment is explosion-proof and fine on a busy forecourt, so a car that cannot be pushed away gets emptied where it is at the pump.
AdBlue in the diesel tank at home in Splott
Several days had passed with the dash light on. Bought a container, poured it in at home, recycled the empty — and at that point looked at the cap a second time, too late. Just off Pearl Street is not different from anywhere.
The upshot: zero driving since makes this almost equal to spotting it at the pump. On the bottom of your tank is where AdBlue stays, because it will not mix with diesel — and a night passing makes no difference.
Keep the keys indoors overnight — or a person might drive it away first thing — and call us. Adamsdown or Splott: wherever your driveway sits, that's where it gets cleared. Even at night, the pumps are quiet enough for a driveway.
On the road in Splott with AdBlue in a diesel
Filled up, pulled away, and before long the motor was running roughly, smoking, losing power, or lighting up your dash. Anywhere on Splott Road or else heading towards Cardiff — under 3 miles away.
In short: the AdBlue has been pulled into the system. Through the fuel filter, along the pipework, and — the further the mileage — deeper into the high-pressure pump and each injector. Every restart, like every mile, carries it on.
Next: pick a safe place, pull in, then turn your motor off. On the A48(M), under 5 miles from Splott, that means the next exit, not the services further on. It will not have cleared, so there is no sense starting it again to find out. Phone us and say how far you drove.
AdBlue in the wrong tank: hire, lease and company vehicles
It's a car you have had for a week. On your own car, AdBlue is absent or somewhere else. On this one, the cap is just next to your diesel inlet — news to you. Anywhere you happen to be in Cardiff, every motorist could be caught.
The upshot: exactly as above, split by whether it ran, but with an added stage. The owner often needs to approve the work, under many hire and fleet contracts.
Next: phone the hire company or your fleet manager first, then us — sorting it before we arrive is faster. Stranded near Redeemer Church or outside Cardiff Queen Street till the firm replies, the car stays switched off the whole time.
Not sure it was AdBlue in the diesel tank, Splott?
"I think so" is often the most honest answer there is. Which cap came off, you cannot recall; meanwhile the bottle feels lighter than it ought to, and a whiff of ammonia lingers by your filler. A rushed top-up by the gates of the local primary school, or a call to a friend in Pengam: either fit.
What it means: a little spilled about your filler does no harm to the motor. AdBlue inside the diesel tank does. Starting the vehicle cannot tell you which, and if there is AdBlue in the tank it will suck it in.
Take it that it went in, and never start the key. Ring and give the details: we would rather find a tank free of AdBlue than drain one after the motor has been run.
Each AdBlue drain around Splott shares these steps
No matter the situation, a single opening applies. Filling station, driveway, The Clifton's car park or a street by Saint Saviour's Church — our van reaches the vehicle, and three questions come next: which fluid, what amount, and if it has run. Answers shape the job; the price comes on the call whilst no one has set off yet.
Draining your tank comes first, followed by a full flush — more vital after urea than with petrol, since crystals and corrosion will not go by themselves, however long it sits. Finally come the filter, cleaned or renewed if necessary; fresh diesel; and a check of your vehicle. If your motor has not run, most jobs take about half an hour once we're there.
Our technicians fire it up at the end. Our check that it runs correctly on new diesel comes before our technicians leave. Permanent damage is very uncommon if it is spotted soon, and the entire job is done where your car is. Nothing is taken upfront, settlement is made on the day, and you get what the insurer wants: an engineer report and a VAT invoice. Many insurance policies include misfuelling, so look at yours as we head over.
About Splott
Splott is a suburban area in Cardiff, situated near the coast and approximately 1 mile from the city centre. Splott has a mix of housing types, but is predominantly characterised by terraced homes. Splott is close to nearby places such as Adamsdown, Tremorfa, and Roath, and is part of the larger Cardiff urban area. Splott sits at a relatively low elevation of around 14 metres above sea level.
AdBlue drains in Splott, and across Cardiff too
As a residential suburb, Splott has the same vans as the nearby towns — Roath, Tremorfa — right across CF postcodes. A postcode starting CF24 1 is the quickest way to tell us where you are.
Whether the vehicle is on a lay-by on the way to Railway Gardens or in a car park in the middle of Splott, it doesn't need to move. The drain happens on the spot. If you are somewhere hard to explain, near Gurdwara Nanak Darbar or close to a boundary, ring and ask instead of guessing.
In one line: your scenario
Motor not started: phone, and leave it switched off. Started by now? Pull over, switch off, ring. Petrol in Diesel handles the rest whatever case, across Splott and Cardiff, on 0333 366 0103.