AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in St Margarets, and What to Do Next
One fact counts above all once AdBlue is in a diesel tank, and that is if the motor has run afterwards. Anywhere the vehicle is — Sutton at Hone, St Margarets — never start an engine that hasn't been started yet. Normally that is emptying and thoroughly purging it right there around St Margarets — so keep the key and engine off and call 0333 366 0103. If it's run, stop as soon as it is safe then switch off. Step one stays unchanged, even if the job grows.
Further down: the situations our technicians see, anywhere in Kent. Pick yours.
St Margarets forecourt: AdBlue in a diesel at the pump
You're at the pump, the nozzle or the bottle still in your hand, and you have just noticed the cap you opened was the wrong one. Be it Shell, BP or somewhere else around St Margarets, the case is identical.
The point: of all places to find out, this is the best. Only that tank has AdBlue; not one component beyond it has taken any in.
Your move: stay out of the driver's seat, even if the queue needs clearing. Ring us from the forecourt once your vehicle is in a space — the staff will lend a hand to roll it — then keep the bottle. The equipment is explosion-proof and safe on a live forecourt, so a vehicle that can't be pushed away is emptied where it is at the pump.
AdBlue in your diesel tank at home in St Margarets
For days the dashboard had been nagging you. A bottle from the garage, emptied in on the drive — and it was only at the recycling that the cap got a second look. Houses just off Holmesdale Hill are caught out as often as anywhere else.
What it means: if you haven't driven since, this is nearly as good as the forecourt. Diesel and AdBlue stay apart: the AdBlue drops to the base of your tank and stays put, however long it waits.
Keep the keys in the house tonight — otherwise someone might drive it off at breakfast — then phone us. Out in South Darenth or here in St Margarets, the drain is done at your driveway. Even at night, the pumps are quiet enough for a driveway.
AdBlue in a diesel and already driving in St Margarets?
You filled up, set off, and a mile or two later your engine began to run roughly, smoke, lose power or light up the dashboard. Anywhere along Gills Road or else on the road towards London — under 25 miles away.
The point: your system has pulled AdBlue in already. It has been through the fuel filter and the lines and, the further you went, into your high-pressure pump and your injectors. It goes further with each mile driven and each restart.
Pull in safely — that is the first step — then switch everything off. Service stations farther on are too far: from the M25, under 3 miles out of St Margarets, use the next junction. Starting it again to check gets nothing — AdBlue never clears itself. Call us and say how far you travelled.
AdBlue in the wrong tank of a hire, lease or company car
You have had the car barely a week. Your own vehicle either does without AdBlue or keeps it elsewhere, so nothing warned you the AdBlue cap sits right next to the diesel. Any driver, wherever in Kent, might make the same.
Meaning? Whatever applies above applies here — run or unrun — plus one further step. The owner frequently needs to sign off any work, under many rental and company contracts.
Next: phone the hire company or the fleet manager first, then us — sorting it before we arrive is quicker. If you're stuck in the car park outside Farningham Road, or by Darenth Village Hall, while you wait for an answer, leave the car off.
Not sure it was AdBlue in the diesel tank, St Margarets?
At times the honest answer is "I think so". What cap was taken off, you can't say; meanwhile the bottle feels less than it ought to, and a whiff of ammonia lingers by the filler. A rushed stop by the gates of Greenlands Primary School, or a visit to a friend in Grubb Street: either fit.
What it means: a little spilled around your filler does no damage to the engine. Inside the diesel tank, by contrast, AdBlue harms it. Turning on your car cannot tell you which, and if there is AdBlue in that tank it will draw it in.
Next: act as though it went in, and leave the motor off. Phone with what you saw: we'd sooner find a clean tank than empty one once your engine has run.
The common ground in each St Margarets AdBlue drain
Each case has the same start to the job. Filling station, drive, The Jolly Miller's car park or a street beside St John's Jerusalem — the van reaches your vehicle, and three answers come next: which liquid, what amount, and whether it ran. Replies set the job; the quote comes by phone whilst nobody has left yet.
Then your tank is emptied and the system purged 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. Finally come the fuel filter, flushed or renewed if necessary; clean diesel; and a check of the vehicle. Most unstarted vehicles are a half-hour visit from the moment our technicians arrive.
The last step is firing it up. Our technicians make sure it runs correctly on new diesel before leaving. We do the entire job where your car is, and lasting damage is very unusual when it has been noticed quickly. You pay on the day, with nothing upfront, and get a VAT invoice and an engineer report for your insurer. Worth remembering: many insurers include misfuelling cover, so a quick look at your policy as we travel pays.
About St Margarets
St Margarets is a small hamlet in Kent, situated inland at an elevation of 48 metres, and is located near the communities of South Darenth, Green Street Green, and Darenth. St Margarets is characterized by its predominantly detached housing stock and is home to a population of around 513 residents. St Margarets is positioned approximately 17.9 miles from central London, making it a commuter base for those working in the city. St Margarets sits in the South East region of England, with London being the nearest major city, about 16.7 miles away.
AdBlue drains across Kent, St Margarets included
Green Street Green and Darenth get the identical teams as St Margarets, a rural hamlet, plus further towns over DA postcodes. The whereabouts is clearest from a postcode that starts DA4 9.
Parked heading to Hill Rise Green, or right in the centre of St Margarets, your vehicle remains put — there's no need to move it at all. Where it stands, that's where it gets drained. Assuming doesn't help near St George's Catholic Church, on a border or anywhere hard to describe; ring and check.
Your situation, in one line
Not run yet: keep the vehicle off and call. Already run: stop, switch off then ring. Either way, Petrol in Diesel takes it from there in St Margarets and anywhere across Kent on 0333 366 0103.