What Now? AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Stratton
What to do about AdBlue in a diesel tank depends on one thing more than any other: whether the engine has run since it went in. Anywhere the car stands — Cirencester, Stratton — never start an engine that hasn't run yet. Leave the motor and your ignition off then phone 0333 366 0103; it is normally a drain and a thorough flush, done where the car is in Stratton. Already run? Stop when safe, then turn everything off. The job is bigger, but the first step is the same.
Match your case to one of the list below, wherever in Gloucestershire you are.
On a Stratton forecourt with AdBlue in a diesel
You are 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. It might be the Texaco, or perhaps the BP, or another forecourt in Stratton.
The upshot: of all places to notice, the forecourt is the best. Still in the tank, and nothing drawn through: that's where the AdBlue is.
Freeing the petrol pump is no excuse to run it — and so do not get back in. Ring us from the forecourt after your vehicle sits in a space — the attendants will lend a hand to roll it — and keep the receipt. If it cannot be moved, it can be drained at the pump: the equipment is explosion-proof and fine on a busy forecourt.
Stratton, at home: AdBlue in your diesel tank
Days had gone by with the dash light on. Picked up a bottle, tipped it in outside the house, binned the empty — and only then checked the cap again, after the fact. It occurs on drives just off Vaisey Road as often as anywhere.
Meaning? As long as the car hasn't been driven since, it is close to the pump case. AdBlue doesn't mix with diesel; it sinks to the bottom of the tank and waits there. Overnight does not change that.
Put the keys indoors overnight — or a person might drive it away first thing — then call us. Out in Baunton or right here around Stratton, the drain is done at your driveway. Night-time clears outside a house are no problem: the pumps are quiet.
AdBlue in a diesel and already driving around Stratton?
Filled up, pulled away, and before long the motor was turning unevenly, smoking, losing power, or lighting up the dash. It might have been heading for Gloucester, under 15 miles away, or simply down Haresfield.
Meaning? The fuel pump has sucked the AdBlue up. Past the filter, through the lines, and — the further the mileage — on into the injection pump and each injector. It travels further with every mile covered and every restart.
What to do: pull over where it is safe to do so and switch off. Stratton sits under 15 miles from the M5; there, pull off at the next junction rather than pressing on to the services. It will not have cleared, and so there's no sense starting it again to check. Let us hear the distance driven as you ring.
Hire, lease or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank
A week back, it was new to you. The AdBlue filler is right beside the diesel filler, which you did not know, since your own motor either has no AdBlue or keeps it somewhere else. Across Gloucestershire, no one is immune.
What it means: the same as the scenarios above, depending on whether it's run, with one more step. Many rental and company agreements require the owner's sign-off for repairs.
What to do: call the hire firm or your fleet manager first, then us. That is quicker settled before our technicians turn up than after. Stranded near Stratton Village Hall or outside Kemble until the firm answers, your car stays switched off throughout.
Unsure about AdBlue in the diesel tank around Stratton?
Now and then, "I think so" is the most you can honestly say. What cap was taken off, you cannot say; meanwhile the bottle weighs lighter than it ought to, and ammonia hangs by the filler. Possibly it happened in a hurry at the school gates at Stratton Church of England Primary School, or on a friend's drive in Daglingworth.
In short: spillage near the filler does your engine unharmed. The diesel tank with AdBlue inside is another matter. If there is AdBlue in your tank, turning on the car would pull it in, and it wouldn't tell you which either.
Next: assume it got in, then leave your motor off. Call us and describe what you saw; we would rather check a tank that turns out free of AdBlue than drain one that has already been run.
What every AdBlue drain in Stratton has in common
The work opens identically, whatever your situation. Three things are asked when our engineers arrive — at a forecourt, a driveway, a road by St Peter or the car park at The Plough Inn: the fluid, the quantity, and whether it has been started. On the phone, before dispatch, you are told the quote, and those replies decide the work too.
Emptying that tank comes next, then a careful flush — more important with urea than after petrol, because crystals and corrosion will not go on their own, however long it sits. Finally are the fuel filter, cleaned or renewed if necessary; clean diesel; and a check of your car. If the motor hasn't run, the majority of jobs take about half an hour once we're there.
The last step is firing it up. We confirm it runs correctly on clean diesel before we leave. Long-term damage is very unusual when it's spotted quickly, and the entire job is done where your car is. Paying comes on the day, never upfront. For the insurer, there is a VAT invoice plus a written report from the engineer. Plenty of insurance policies include misfuelling cover, so it is worth checking yours whilst we are on the way.
About Stratton and where it is
Stratton is a village in Gloucestershire, situated on the banks of a river at an elevation of around 139 metres. Stratton lies near the villages of Baunton and Bowling Green, and is close to Perrotts Brook. Stratton has a population of approximately 2263 people, predominantly living in semi-detached houses.
AdBlue drains around Stratton and across Gloucestershire
Bowling Green and Perrotts Brook have the identical vans as Stratton, a village, plus other towns throughout GL postcodes. A postcode starting GL7 2 is the quickest way to tell us where you are.
No towing is needed, be it stopped centrally in Stratton or in a layby heading to Baunton Copse, and so keep it put. Wherever it sits, that is where it is emptied. Guessing won't help near St Mary Magdalene, close to a border or somewhere awkward to describe; phone and check.
The one-line version
Motor not started: ring, and leave it alone. Already run: stop, switch off then ring. Either way, Petrol in Diesel takes it from there in Stratton and anywhere across Gloucestershire on 0333 366 0103.