AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Sydenham: What Now?
What to do about AdBlue in a diesel tank comes down to one thing more than any other: whether the engine has been run since it went in. Not started so far? Then leave the vehicle like that, wherever the car is — Sydenham or New Beckenham. Normally this means draining and thoroughly flushing it on the spot around Sydenham — and so keep the key and engine off and phone 0333 366 0103. Pull over the moment it is safe then turn off, if it has been run. It is a larger job, yet step one doesn't change.
Find the scenario below that matches yours, wherever around Greater London it happened.
Sydenham forecourt: AdBlue in a diesel at the pump
Imagine it: stood by the petrol pump, holding the bottle, you spot the cap you opened was not the correct one. Perhaps you're at the Texaco, maybe at the JET, maybe somewhere else around Sydenham.
In short: no better spot to be to spot it. The AdBlue is inside the tank and nowhere else. Nothing has drawn it in.
What to do: don't get back in and start the vehicle to clear the petrol pump. Phone us from the forecourt once the vehicle is in a bay — the staff will lend a hand to roll it — then save the receipt. Emptying it right at the pump is fine when it cannot be moved, because the equipment is explosion-proof.
AdBlue in your diesel tank on a Sydenham drive?
On your dash, a reminder had shown all week. Bought a bottle, tipped it in outside the house, recycled the empty — and only then checked the cap a second time, too late. Right off Canal Walk is no less likely from anywhere.
What it means: if you have not driven since, this is nearly as good as the forecourt. Diesel and AdBlue stay separate: the AdBlue drops to the base of the tank and remains put, no matter how long the night.
Next: the keys indoors, and so no one takes your vehicle off first thing. Then, phone. Our technicians drain the car on your drive, whether that's around Sydenham or out in Lower Sydenham. Late-night drains outside a house are no problem: the pumps are quiet.
On the road in Sydenham with AdBlue in a diesel
Rough running, smoke, falling power or a glowing dashboard arrived a short way beyond the top-up. It might have been heading for Westminster, under 10 miles away, or just along Venner Road.
What it means: the system has drawn the AdBlue in. Distance sets how deep it gets: filter and lines to begin with, then the high-pressure pump and every injector. It travels deeper with each extra mile driven and every restart.
Your move: stop anywhere sensible, then turn your motor off. Sydenham lies under 10 miles from the M25; on it, pull off at the first junction instead of pressing on for the services. Restarting it to check achieves nothing — AdBlue never clears itself. Call us and say how far you went.
AdBlue in the wrong tank: hire, lease and company vehicles
You've had this vehicle hardly a week. The AdBlue filler sits right alongside the diesel one, which you didn't know, since your own car either has no AdBlue or keeps it somewhere else. It can happen to anyone, anywhere in Greater London.
Meaning? Whichever case above counts too — run or not — and one further stage. Many hire and company agreements want the owner to approve work on the vehicle.
What to do: call the hire firm or your fleet manager first, then us. That's quicker settled before we arrive than after. Leave the vehicle switched off as the reply comes, even if you are parked outside the nearest station or close to Venner Road Hall.
Sydenham: unsure if it was AdBlue in your diesel tank?
Now and then, "I think so" is the most anyone can truthfully say. The bottle is lighter than it should be, there's a faint smell of ammonia about the filler, and you cannot remember which cap you took off. Maybe at a friend's driveway in Crystal Palace, or rushing by St Bartholomews's Church of England Primary School on the school run.
The point: the motor isn't harmed by a little AdBlue spilled around the outside. A diesel tank with AdBlue in it is another story. Firing up the car cannot tell you which, and if there is AdBlue in your tank it would draw it in.
Your move: behave as if it got in, and don't start the engine. Tell us what you saw on the phone. A clean tank checked counts as a happier result than a run one drained.
Sydenham: what each AdBlue drain has in common
The work begins identically, whichever your situation. Three things are asked once our engineers reach your car — at a filling station, a drive, a street beside Greyhound Mural or the car park outside The Pavillion: the liquid, the amount, and if it has been started. On the phone, before dispatch, you are told the price, and those replies shape the job too.
A thorough flush follows this drain. With petrol it's routine; with AdBlue it's essential, because deposits form and certain metals are attacked, and none of it rinses out unaided. Clean diesel goes in after the fuel filter is flushed or replaced, and the car is finally checked. If the engine has not run, most jobs take about half an hour once we're there.
We fire it up last. Our test that it runs smoothly on fresh diesel comes before our technicians go. When it is caught quickly, the car very rarely has long-term damage, and the entire job happens where it is. For your insurer: the engineer's report and the VAT invoice. For you: payment that day, no money in advance. Check your insurance while we're en route: cover for misfuelling is built into many policies.
About Sydenham
Sydenham is a suburban area in south London, situated approximately 6.5 miles from the city centre. Sydenham sits at an elevation of around 54 metres, with nearby areas including Lower Sydenham, Upper Sydenham, and Penge. Sydenham is predominantly composed of flat dwellings, and its population is approximately 13,739 residents. Sydenham is close to Westminster, which is about 6.1 miles away.
AdBlue drains around Sydenham and across Greater London
Upper Sydenham and Penge get the same teams as Sydenham, a residential suburb, along with other towns throughout SE postcodes. Quickest of all: a SE26 5 postcode to show your location.
No towing is needed, be it parked centrally in Sydenham or on a lay-by heading to Kirkdale Green, so leave it put. Wherever it sits, that is where it is drained. Phone and ask rather than guess when you're by St Bartholomew's, near a border, or somewhere awkward to explain.
Your situation, summed up
Not run yet: keep it off and ring. Run already? Pull over, turn off, phone. Petrol in Diesel takes over the remainder whatever case, across Sydenham and Greater London, on 0333 366 0103.