AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Swinley: What Now?
What to do about AdBlue in a diesel tank comes down to one thing more than any other: whether your motor has been run since it got in. Anywhere the vehicle stands — Bull Hey, Swinley — don't start a motor that has not run yet. Normally this is emptying and properly rinsing it on the spot around Swinley — so leave your ignition and engine off then phone 0333 366 0103. If it's run, stop as soon as it is safe and switch off. A larger job, yes, yet the identical first move.
Find the situation below that matches yours, wherever in Greater Manchester it happened.
At the petrol pump around Swinley: AdBlue in a diesel
Only at this point, bottle yet in your hand, it dawns on you that the cap you took off was the wrong one, right at the pump. Possibly you are at the Tesco, perhaps at the BP, possibly somewhere else around Swinley.
Put simply: there is no better place to be to spot it. Still in the tank, and no fuel pulled through: that's where the AdBlue is.
Next: avoid the temptation to fire it up just to move away from the pump. Ask the staff to help you roll the car into a parking bay, keep the receipt or the bottle, and call us from the forecourt. The equipment is explosion-proof and safe on a live forecourt, so a vehicle that can't be pushed clear is drained right at the pump.
Swinley, at home: AdBlue in the diesel tank
For days the dash had been nagging you. A bottle bought at the shop, tipped in at the driveway — and it was only by the bin that the cap got a second look. It takes place on driveways just off Swinley Lane as frequently as anywhere.
The point: zero driving since leaves this nearly equal to finding it at the petrol pump. Diesel and AdBlue stay separate: the AdBlue settles to the floor of the tank and stays there, no matter how long the night.
Next: stop any early move by putting the keys indoors, then ring us. Our engineers drain the vehicle on your drive, whether that is around Swinley or out in Whitley. Even at night, the pumps stay quiet enough for a driveway.
AdBlue in a diesel and already driving around Swinley?
Rough running, smoke, falling power or a glowing dashboard started a short way beyond the top-up. Anywhere along Holme Terrace or heading towards Preston — under 15 miles away.
The point: the system has drawn AdBlue through by now. Mileage decides how deep it gets: filter and pipework first, then the injection pump and every injector. Each mile and each restart takes it further.
Next: pick a sensible spot, pull in, and switch your engine off. Leave by the first junction — not the services beyond — if you're on the M6, under 3 miles from Swinley. It will not have cleared, so there is no point restarting to find out. Call, saying what distance your car was driven.
A hire or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank?
It is a motor you have had for a week. On your own car, AdBlue is absent or somewhere else. On this one, the inlet is right next to the diesel cap — a surprise to you. Anywhere you happen to be across Greater Manchester, every driver could be caught.
Put simply: an extra step on top of the situations above, which turn on if it has run. Plenty of rental and fleet agreements need the owner's sign-off before repairs.
What to do: ring the hire firm or your fleet manager first, then us. That is faster settled before we arrive than after. If you are stuck in the car park outside Wigan Wallgate, or by St Michael & All Angels, while you wait for an answer, leave your car off.
Not sure it was AdBlue in your diesel tank, Swinley?
Sometimes the honest answer is "I think so". Which cap was taken off, you cannot recall; meanwhile the bottle weighs lighter than expected, and ammonia hangs by the filler. A rushed top-up by the gates of Mab's Cross Primary School, or a call to a friend in Bottling Wood: either fit.
Meaning? Drips around the inlet don't reach your engine at all. A diesel tank with AdBlue inside is a different story. You cannot tell which by turning the ignition, and doing so would pull in any AdBlue that is in your tank.
Do this: act as though it did, and never start your engine. Describe what you saw on the phone. A clean tank looked at counts as a better outcome than a run one emptied.
The common ground in each Swinley AdBlue drain
The work opens identically, whatever the case. Three questions are asked once our technicians arrive — at a filling station, a driveway, a street by Tyldesley Monument or the car park outside The Brocket Arms: the fluid, the amount, and if the motor has run. The price is given on the call, ahead of anyone setting off, and the replies shape the job.
Draining the tank comes next, followed by a full flush — more vital after urea than with petrol, because crystals and corrosion will not clear on their own, no matter how long you wait. Your filter is cleaned, or replaced where it needs to be; clean diesel goes in; and the car is tested. Never started? Then about half an hour once we are there is most jobs.
Firing it up comes last. Our engineers make sure it runs properly on new diesel before we go. Permanent damage is very unusual if it's caught soon, and the entire job is done where the car is. For your insurer: an engineer's report and the VAT invoice. For you: payment that day, no money in advance. Plenty of insurance policies include misfuelling cover, so it is worth checking yours whilst we are on the way.
About Swinley
Swinley is a suburban area in Greater Manchester, situated near the river and characterised by semi-detached housing. Swinley sits at an elevation of 56 metres, with nearby places including Whitley and Gidlow. Swinley is located near the city of Preston, which is 14.3 miles away, and is part of the wider North West region. Swinley has a population of approximately 7654 residents.
Swinley and Greater Manchester: AdBlue drains across the area
Being a residential suburb, Swinley has the same vans as the nearby places — Gidlow, Marylebone — right through WN postcodes. Giving us a WN1 2 postcode finds you fastest of all.
Whether the car is on a lay-by on the way to Pateley Square or in a car park in the middle of Swinley, it doesn't need to move. Our engineers drain the car where it sits. Awkward to pin down? By Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints or a county line? Checking beats assuming, and so ring.
In one line: your scenario
If it has not run, ring and leave it that way. Already run: stop, switch off then call. Either way, Petrol in Diesel takes it from there in Swinley and anywhere in Greater Manchester on 0333 366 0103.