What Now? AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Tuckton
One fact matters above all once AdBlue is in a diesel tank, and it is if the engine has run afterwards. If it hasn't, keep it that way, whether the car is in Tuckton itself or out in Christchurch. Phone 0333 366 0103 with the ignition and engine still off. Across Tuckton, such a case is typically drained and cleaned where it stands. If it has run, stop as soon as it is safe and switch off. It's a bigger job, though step one does not change.
Compare your case to a situation from the ones below, anywhere around Dorset you are.
On a Tuckton forecourt with AdBlue in a diesel
Picture it: stood by the petrol pump, holding the bottle, you spot the cap you took off was not the correct one. Whether Shell, Esso or anywhere else in Tuckton, the situation is identical.
The point: of all places to notice, the forecourt is the best. Still inside the tank, with nothing pulled onwards: that's where the AdBlue sits.
Next: resist the temptation to start it just to free up the petrol pump. Have the attendants to help pushing it to a space, hold on to the bottle, then phone us right there. If it can't be moved, it can be drained at the pump: the equipment is explosion-proof and fine on a busy forecourt.
Tuckton, at home: AdBlue in your diesel tank
The warning light had been on for days. Only at the recycling bin, the empty container in your hand, did you look back at the cap you had used at the drive. Driveways near Saxonbury Road get it as much as any other street.
What it means: if you haven't driven since, this is nearly as good as the forecourt. At the floor of that tank sits where AdBlue stays, because it will not mix with diesel — and a night passing changes no difference.
Keep the keys indoors overnight — otherwise a person may take it away at breakfast — and call us. In Iford or here in Tuckton, the drain is done at your driveway. Night-time empties beside a house are no problem: the pumps are quiet.
On the road in Tuckton with AdBlue in a diesel
A mile or two beyond topping up, the motor started playing up: roughness, smoke, lost power, lights on the dash. Perhaps it was on Iford Lane, possibly on the way out towards Southampton, under 25 miles away.
What it means: your fuel system has drawn the AdBlue in. The injection pump and every injector get it too on a bigger trip, once the fuel filter and lines have had it. Each mile and each restart takes it further.
Your move: stop somewhere sensible, then switch the engine off. Leave at the first junction — not the services beyond — if you are on the M27, under 25 miles from Tuckton. Restarting it to test gets nothing — AdBlue never clears on its own. Call us and say how far you went.
AdBlue in the wrong tank: hire, lease and company vehicles
You've only had the vehicle for days. The AdBlue filler is right next to the diesel filler, which you didn't know, because your own car either has no AdBlue or keeps it somewhere else. Across Dorset, no one is immune.
What it means: the same as the situations above, depending on whether it's run, with one more step. The owner frequently has to approve the work, under many rental and fleet contracts.
What to do: call the hire firm or your fleet manager first, then us. That is quicker settled before our engineers get there than after. Stuck near Tuckton Christian Centre or at Christchurch until someone answers, your car remains switched off throughout.
AdBlue in your diesel tank? Not sure, around Tuckton
Now and then, "I think so" is the most anyone can honestly say. The bottle is lighter than it should be, there is a faint smell of ammonia about your filler, and you cannot remember which cap you took off. Maybe on a friend's driveway in Wick, or rushing outside Stourfield Junior School at the school run.
The upshot: the engine isn't hurt by some AdBlue spilled on the outside. AdBlue inside your diesel tank does. Any AdBlue in the tank would be pulled in by firing up your car, and the start wouldn't settle which it is in any case.
Take it that it went in, and don't start your engine. Describe what you noticed on the phone. A clean tank looked at is a happier outcome than a run one drained.
The common ground in every Tuckton AdBlue drain
Whatever the situation, one opening applies. Our engineers come to the car, whether it's on a forecourt, a driveway, the car park outside The Athelstan or a side street close to Citygate Church Southbourne, and ask three things: what was put in, about how much, and if your motor has run. Those answers settle the work, and you hear our price on the phone, before anyone heads out.
AdBlue crystallises and eats at certain metals used in fuel systems, so it does not wash out unaided; that's why the flush, after the drain, matters far more with AdBlue than with petrol. The fuel filter is cleaned, or replaced where it needs to be; clean diesel goes in; and your car is tested. The majority of unstarted cars are a half-hour job after the moment we turn up.
Finally, our engineers start it. Our test that it runs smoothly on new diesel comes before our technicians go. If it is caught early, the car very seldom has lasting damage, and the entire job happens where it is. For your insurer: an engineer's report and the VAT invoice. For you: payment on the day, nothing in advance. Many insurance policies include misfuelling cover, so it is worth checking yours whilst we're on the way.
About Tuckton
Tuckton is a coastal suburban area in Dorset, situated near the mouth of the River Stour and close to the neighbouring communities of Iford, Southbourne, and West Southbourne. Tuckton lies at a low elevation of around 5 metres, with its detached housing stock reflecting the area's residential character. Tuckton is located near the city of Southampton, which is approximately 20 miles away, and is also within commuting distance of London, around 90 miles to the east. Tuckton has a population of around 5961 people, according to recent estimates.
Tuckton and Dorset: AdBlue drains across the area
Southbourne and West Southbourne get the same teams as Tuckton, a residential suburb, along with other towns over BH postcodes. Fastest of all: a BH6 5 postcode for where you stand.
Stopped heading to Iford Lane Playing Fields, or right in the centre of Tuckton, the car stays put — there is no need to move it anywhere. Draining is done right there. Tricky to explain? By Cranleigh Community Church or a county line? Asking is better than guessing, and so ring.
The one-line version
Unstarted? Keep the vehicle that way then phone. Already run: stop, switch off then call. Either way, Petrol in Diesel takes it from there around Tuckton and anywhere across Dorset on 0333 366 0103.