AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Strathfoyle, and What to Do Next
One thing counts most once AdBlue is in a diesel tank, and that is if your engine has been started since. Not run yet? Then keep it like that, whether the vehicle is — Strathfoyle or Eglinton. Normally that is draining and thoroughly rinsing it on the spot in Strathfoyle — and so leave your ignition and engine off and call 0333 366 0103. Stop the moment it is safe and switch off, if it has already run. It's a bigger job, though stage one does not change.
Below: the situations our engineers see, wherever across County Londonderry. Pick the one that fits.
At the pump around Strathfoyle: AdBlue in a diesel
Picture it: standing by the petrol pump, holding the nozzle, you realise the cap you opened was not the correct one. Whether the nearest petrol station, another forecourt nearby or somewhere else around Strathfoyle, the case is identical.
What it means: this is the best spot to find out. Nothing has pulled it in, so the AdBlue sits just in your tank.
Do this: stay out of the car, however much the pump needs freeing. Have the staff to lend a hand pushing it to a bay, hold on to the receipt, then phone us right there. Our equipment is explosion-proof and fine on a busy forecourt, and so a vehicle that can't be pushed clear is emptied right at the petrol pump.
Strathfoyle, at home: AdBlue in your diesel tank
On the dash, a reminder had been lit for days. Only by the recycling, the empty container in hand, did you glance back at the cap you'd opened at the drive. Right off Crown Street is no different from anywhere.
The point: zero driving since leaves this nearly equal to finding it at the petrol pump. Diesel and AdBlue stay separate: the AdBlue drops to the base of the tank and remains put, no matter how long it waits.
Your move: keys indoors, and so no one drives your car off first thing. After that, phone. Maydown or Strathfoyle: whichever your drive is, that's where it is emptied. Late-night empties outside a house are no problem: the pumps are quiet.
On the road in Strathfoyle with AdBlue in a diesel
Filled up, drove away, and soon the engine was running unevenly, smoking, losing power, or flashing up the dash. Somewhere on Crom Street or else heading towards Derry — under 5 miles away.
Meaning? The fuel pump has sucked the AdBlue in. It has been through the filter and the fuel lines and, the further you went, into the high-pressure pump and the fuel injectors. Each mile and each restart takes it further.
Do this: pull up anywhere safe, then switch your engine off. Exit at the first junction — not the services beyond — if you are on the M77, over 50 miles from Strathfoyle. Don't restart the vehicle to see if it has cleared; it will not have. Call, and say what distance the vehicle was driven.
Hire, lease or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank
A week back, the car was unknown to you. Unbeknown to you, the AdBlue and diesel inlets sit next to each other here — unlike your own car, which has no AdBlue or keeps it elsewhere. Throughout County Londonderry, nobody is immune.
What it means: the same as the situations above, depending on whether it's run, with one more step. The owner often needs to approve any work, under plenty of rental and company contracts.
Sorting it before the van arrives is quicker, and so ring the rental company or your fleet manager, and then us. Waiting for a reply at the car park outside the nearest station, or near the centre? Keep the engine off meanwhile.
Not sure it was AdBlue in your diesel tank, Strathfoyle?
Truthfully, the only answer might be that you think so. Lighter, that bottle; a hint of ammonia round the filler; no clear recollection of which cap. Sound familiar? A rushed stop by the gates of the local primary school, or a visit to a friend in Lettershendoney: both fit.
Meaning? Spills outside the inlet don't touch the motor at all. Once it is inside the diesel tank, though, it does. Firing up the car will not tell you which, and if there is AdBlue in your tank it would pull it in.
What to do: treat it as if it was put in. Do not fire it up. Tell us what you noticed on your phone. A clear tank checked counts as a better outcome than a run one emptied.
The common ground in each Strathfoyle AdBlue drain
Whichever situation you are in, the job starts the same way. Wherever your car stands — the pub in the village's car park, a road beside a street just off the centre, a drive, a forecourt — the van gets there and we ask for the liquid, the amount, and whether the motor has been run. Those answers determine this work, and you hear our quote on the phone, before anybody sets off.
Then that tank is drained and the system rinsed thoroughly, which matters 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 the filter is cleaned or changed, and the car is finally tested. Where the motor has not run, expect roughly half an hour on site, in most jobs.
The last step is starting it. With fresh diesel in, it runs while our technicians confirm it's running smoothly, and then we go. We do the entire job where the car is, and long-term damage is very rare if it has been caught quickly. Nothing is paid upfront, payment is made on the day, and you get what the insurer asks for: an engineer report plus a VAT invoice. It is worth remembering: lots of insurers offer misfuelling cover, so a quick look at your documents while we travel pays.
About Strathfoyle
Strathfoyle is a coastal locality in County Londonderry, situated near the city of Derry and close to the villages of Maydown and Culmore. Strathfoyle sits at an elevation of 34 metres, overlooking the surrounding landscape. Strathfoyle is characterized by its predominantly semi-detached housing stock, reflecting its development as a residential area. Strathfoyle is located approximately 3.1 miles from Derry, making it a convenient base for those working in the city.
AdBlue drains about Strathfoyle and across County Londonderry
Strathfoyle is a coastal area, and the same vans that cover it work the towns near it too, Culmore and Derry among them, across the BT postcode area. Your whereabouts comes clearest from a postcode that starts BT47 6.
No towing is required, be it stopped centrally in Strathfoyle or in a lay-by heading to the green space at the edge of the village, so leave it where it is. Our van empties it where it stands. Assuming doesn't help near the far end of the built-up part, close to a border or anywhere awkward to describe; phone and ask.
In one line: your situation
Motor never started: ring, and leave it switched off. Already run: stop, switch off then call. Either way, Petrol in Diesel takes it from there around Strathfoyle and anywhere across County Londonderry on 0333 366 0103.