AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in St Anns Heath: What Now?
Has your motor run since the AdBlue went in? That single point settles almost everything about what comes next. Out in Trumps Green or right around St Anns Heath, an unstarted motor must stay that way. Normally this is draining and thoroughly purging it right there in St Anns Heath — so keep the key and engine off then call 0333 366 0103. Where your engine has run, stop safely straight away, then turn the car off. The job is bigger, but the first stage is the same.
Below: the situations we see, anywhere around Surrey. Pick the one that fits.
St Anns Heath forecourt: AdBlue in a diesel at the pump
Picture it: standing by the petrol pump, holding the nozzle, you spot the cap you opened was not the correct one. Possibly you're at the Shell, possibly at the BP, maybe somewhere else around St Anns Heath.
What it means: this is the best place to find out. No pump has pulled it in, and so the AdBlue sits only in the tank.
What to do: do not get back in and crank it to clear the pump. Ask the staff to help you roll the vehicle into a parking bay, keep the receipt or the bottle, and ring us from the forecourt. If it cannot be shifted, it can be cleared at the pump: the equipment is explosion-proof and safe on a working forecourt.
St Anns Heath, at home: AdBlue in your diesel tank
On the dash, a reminder had been lit for days. Only at the recycling bin, the empty bottle in your hand, did you look back at the cap you had used on the driveway. It takes place on drives just off Lime Tree Walk as frequently as anywhere.
In short: if your car hasn't moved since, it is nearly equal to spotting it at the forecourt. Diesel and AdBlue stay separate: the AdBlue drops to the floor of the tank and stays there, however long it waits.
Put the keys indoors tonight — otherwise someone may take it off at breakfast — and call us. In Virginia Water or right here in St Anns Heath, the drain is done at your driveway. Our pumping kit runs quietly enough that it won't wake the neighbours at night.
St Anns Heath: drove off with AdBlue in a diesel?
Lumpy running, smoke, lost power or a lit dashboard started a mile or two beyond the fill. Stroude Road, say, or the route towards Westminster — a trip of under 25 miles.
In short: the AdBlue has been sucked through the system. Through the fuel filter, along the lines, and — the further the distance — on into the injection pump and each injector. Each mile and each restart takes it further.
Pull in somewhere safe — that is the next job — then turn everything off. On the M3, under a mile from St Anns Heath, that means the next junction, not the services further on. Don't restart the car to see if it has cleared; it will not have. Call, and say how far the car went.
A hire or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank?
A week back, the car was unknown to you. Unknown to you, the AdBlue and diesel inlets are next to each other here — unlike your own car, which has no AdBlue or keeps it in another spot. Wherever you are across Surrey, any driver can slip up.
What it means: the same as the situations above, depending on whether it's run, with one more stage. Plenty of rental and company contracts need the owner's approval before work.
Do this: rental firm or fleet manager first, us second, since sorting it early cuts time. Stuck by Virginia Water Community Library or at Virginia Water till the firm answers, the car remains turned off throughout.
AdBlue in your diesel tank? Not sure, around St Anns Heath
At times the fair answer is "I think so". The bottle is lighter than it should be, there's a faint smell of ammonia about your filler, and you cannot remember which cap you took off. Perhaps it happened in a hurry at the school gates at St Ann's Heath Junior School, or on a friend's drive in Harpesford.
Meaning? Drips outside the inlet don't reach your engine at all. Inside your diesel tank, by contrast, AdBlue harms it. If there is AdBlue in your tank, starting the vehicle will suck it in, and it would not tell you which either.
Take it that it was put in, and never start the key. Call us and describe what you saw; we would rather check a tank that turns out clean than drain one that has already been run.
St Anns Heath: what every AdBlue drain has in common
The work begins identically, whatever your case. Three things come when our technicians reach the car — at a forecourt, a drive, a road beside Harvesttime Church or the car park at the pub in the village: the liquid, the amount, and if the motor has run. The price is given over the phone, before a van leaves, and those replies shape the work.
Then the tank is cleared and your system rinsed thoroughly, which counts more with AdBlue than with petrol: AdBlue crystallises and is corrosive to some of the metals in a fuel system, so it doesn't rinse out on its own. Fresh diesel is put in after your filter is flushed or changed, and the car is then checked. If the motor has not run, most jobs take about half an hour once we are there.
Firing it up comes at the end. Our test that it runs correctly on fresh diesel comes before we go. When it's noticed soon, the vehicle very seldom has long-term damage, and the whole job takes place where it is. You pay on the day, with nothing upfront, and get a VAT invoice and an engineer report for your insurer. Worth knowing: many insurers offer misfuelling cover, and so a check of your documents as you wait pays.
About St Anns Heath itself
St Anns Heath is a suburban area in Surrey, situated near the River Thames and close to Virginia Water and Thorpe Green. St Anns Heath has a relatively low elevation of 39 metres and is characterized by its detached housing stock. St Anns Heath is located approximately 19.9 miles from London, making it a commuter-friendly location. St Anns Heath is also near Stroude, with its population of around 2036 residents.
AdBlue drains around St Anns Heath, and across Surrey too
Thorpe Green and Stroude have the same teams as St Anns Heath, a residential suburb, plus further places throughout GU postcodes. Telling us your GU25 4 postcode pins you fastest of all.
Stopped heading to Edgell Close Play Area, or right in the centre of St Anns Heath, your vehicle stays where it is — there is no need to shift it anywhere. Our van empties it where it stands. Assuming won't help near British Legion, close to a county line or anywhere awkward to pin down; phone and ask.
Your scenario, summed up
Where it has not started, ring and keep it that way. Run by now? Pull over, turn off, phone. Petrol in Diesel takes over the remainder whatever it is, across St Anns Heath and Surrey, on 0333 366 0103.