AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in The Dock: What Now?
What to do about AdBlue in a diesel tank comes down to one thing more than any other: whether the motor has been run since it was put in. Wherever your vehicle is — Killen, The Dock — never start a motor that hasn't been started yet. Normally this means emptying and thoroughly cleaning it right there around The Dock — and so keep your key and engine off and call 0333 366 0103. If it's run, stop as soon as it is safe then switch off. Stage one stays unchanged, even if the work is bigger.
Anywhere around Highland it happened, one of the cases below fits yours.
On a The Dock forecourt with AdBlue in a diesel
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. Anywhere in The Dock, then — Fraser's Garage, another forecourt nearby, or anywhere else nearby.
Meaning? Spotting it here is as good as it gets. Only your tank has AdBlue; not one component past it has drawn it in.
Next: resist the urge to start it just to free up the petrol pump. Ask the attendants to help you push your car into a parking space, keep your receipt or the bottle, and call us from the forecourt. Our equipment is explosion-proof and safe on a busy forecourt, and so a vehicle that can't be pushed clear is emptied right at the petrol pump.
AdBlue in your diesel tank at home around The Dock
The warning light had been on for days. You bought a bottle, poured it in on the drive, and only when you put the empty bottle in the recycling did you look a second time at the cap. Right off Dock is no different from anywhere.
Meaning? As long as the car has not been driven since, it's second to the pump case. Diesel and AdBlue stay separate: the AdBlue settles to the floor of that tank and remains put, however long the night.
Next: keys indoors, so nobody takes your vehicle off at breakfast. Then, ring. Out in Avoch or here in The Dock, the drain happens on your driveway. Night-time empties beside a house are no problem: the pumps are low-noise.
The Dock: drove off with AdBlue in a diesel?
Rough running, smoke, falling power or a lit dashboard started a short way beyond the top-up. Shore Street, perhaps, or the route towards Inverness — a run of under 10 miles.
Meaning? The fuel pump has sucked the AdBlue up. Distance decides how deep it gets: filter and lines first, then the injection pump and every injector. More miles, more restarts: deeper it travels.
Your move: pull up somewhere safe, then turn your engine off. Services further along can wait: from the M90, over 50 miles out of The Dock, use the first junction. No test starts: clearing is not something AdBlue will do. Tell us hear the distance covered as you call.
AdBlue in the wrong tank: hire, lease and company cars
It's a vehicle you have had for a week. Your own motor either has no AdBlue or keeps it elsewhere, so no one warned you the AdBlue inlet was just beside your diesel. Anywhere you are around Highland, every motorist could slip up.
Meaning? Whichever applies above applies too — run or not — and one extra stage. The owner often has to approve any work, under plenty of rental and fleet agreements.
What to do: ring the hire firm or your fleet manager first, then us. That is quicker settled before our technicians arrive than after. Keep the car off as the reply arrives, even if you're parked at Inverness Airport or close to Steel Sails.
The Dock: unsure if it was AdBlue in your diesel tank?
At times, "I think so" is the most you can truthfully say. Too light, that bottle; a hint of ammonia near the filler; a hazy recollection of the cap. Look familiar? Maybe it happened in a hurry at the school gates at the local primary school, or on a friend's drive in Rosemarkie.
What it means: a little spilled round the filler does no harm to your engine. The diesel tank with AdBlue inside is another matter. Any AdBlue in that tank will be drawn in by turning on the car, and the start would not settle which it is in any case.
What to do: treat it as if it got in. Do not crank it. Ring and give what you saw: we'd rather find a clean tank than empty one after your motor has run.
What every AdBlue drain in The Dock has in common
Each case has the same start to the work. Our engineers come to the car, whether it is on a forecourt, a drive, the car park at Station Hotel Avoch or a side street near Avoch Parish Church, and ask three things: what got in, roughly how much, and if your motor has run. Over the phone, before dispatch, you are told the quote, and those replies shape the job too.
A thorough flush comes after the drain. With petrol it is standard; with AdBlue it's crucial, since crystals build up and certain metals are attacked, and none of that washes out unaided. Last are your filter, cleaned or replaced as needed; fresh diesel; and a test of your car. Most unrun cars are a half-hour visit from the moment we get there.
Last, our technicians fire it up. Our check that it runs correctly on clean diesel comes before we head off. The whole job is done where the car is, and if it's noticed early, long-term damage is very uncommon. You pay on the day, with nothing upfront, and get a VAT invoice and an engineer report for your insurer. Many insurance policies cover misfuelling, and so check yours while the van travels.
About The Dock itself
The Dock is a small suburban area situated on the coast of the Moray Firth in Highland, Scotland, with a population of around 794 residents. The Dock is characterized by its semi-detached housing and low elevation of 6 metres above sea level. The Dock is located near several other communities, including Avoch, Broomhill, and Fortrose, and is approximately 6 miles from the city of Inverness.
AdBlue drains about The Dock and across Highland
The Dock is a residential suburb, and the same teams that cover it work the places around it too, Broomhill and Fortrose among them, across the IV postcode area. Giving us a IV9 8 postcode pins you fastest of all.
Whether the car is on a lay-by on the way to Craig Wood or in a car park in the middle of The Dock, it doesn't need to move. Where it sits, that's where it gets cleared. Awkward to pin down? By Avoch War Memorial or a county line? Checking beats guessing, so phone.
Your situation, in one line
Where it hasn't started, phone then leave it that way. Already run: stop, switch off then call. Either way, Petrol in Diesel takes it from there in The Dock and anywhere around Highland on 0333 366 0103.