What Now? AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Uttoxeter
One thing matters most when AdBlue is in a diesel tank, and it is whether the motor has been started since. Wherever the car is — The Heath, Uttoxeter — don't run a motor that has not been started yet. Usually that means draining and thoroughly flushing it right there in Uttoxeter — and so keep your key and motor off then ring 0333 366 0103. When your motor has been run, stop safely straight away, then turn it off. It's a bigger job, yet stage one does not change.
Find the scenario below that matches yours, wherever around Staffordshire it happened.
At the pump in Uttoxeter: AdBlue in a diesel
The cap you opened was the wrong one — and you only spot it while you are stood at the pump, bottle or nozzle in hand. Anywhere around Uttoxeter, then — Tesco, BP, or somewhere else nearby.
The upshot: of all places to find out, the forecourt is the best. Still inside your tank, and no fuel pulled onwards: that is where the AdBlue is.
Next: avoid the temptation to start it just to free up the pump. Have the staff to help pushing it to a space, save the bottle, then ring us right there. Can't move it by the pump? Explosion-proof kit keeps a busy forecourt safe, so it can be drained in place.
Uttoxeter, at home: AdBlue in the diesel tank
For days the dash had been warning you. Only at the recycling bin, the empty container in your hand, did you look back at the cap you had opened on the driveway. It happens on drives just off Market Place as often as anywhere.
In short: if the vehicle hasn't been driven since, it's almost as good as finding out at the pump. On the floor of that tank sits exactly where AdBlue waits, since it will not mix with diesel — and a night going by changes nothing of the difference.
Next: keys indoors, so nobody takes the vehicle anywhere at breakfast. After that, phone. Your drive is where it gets drained, whether in Uttoxeter or Mount Pleasant. The pumps are quiet enough to use outside a house after dark.
On the road in Uttoxeter with AdBlue in a diesel
A short way beyond topping up, your engine began playing up: roughness, smoke, lost power, warnings on your dash. Maybe it was on Carter Street, maybe on the way out towards Lichfield, under 25 miles away.
Meaning? Your pump has sucked the AdBlue up. Mileage sets how far it goes: filter and pipework to begin with, then the injection pump and each injector. It goes deeper with each mile covered and every restart.
Stop somewhere safe — that's the first step — then switch everything off. Service stations farther along are too far: on the M6, under 15 miles out of Uttoxeter, take the first junction. It will not have cleared, and so there's no point restarting to find out. Call, and say how far the vehicle went.
AdBlue in the wrong tank of a hire, lease or company car
It is a motor you have had for a week. On your own vehicle, AdBlue is absent or somewhere else. On this one, its inlet is right next to the diesel cap — a surprise to you. It can happen to anyone, anywhere across Staffordshire.
In short: an extra stage on top of the cases above, which depend on whether it has run. Many rental and company contracts need the owner's approval before work.
Next: ring the hire company or your fleet manager first, and then us — settling it before we arrive is quicker. Stranded by Market Square or outside the nearest station until someone replies, your car stays switched off the whole time.
Unsure about AdBlue in your diesel tank in Uttoxeter?
At times, "I think so" is the most you can honestly say. The bottle is lighter than it should be, there's a faint smell of ammonia around the filler, and you can't remember which cap you took off. It might have been at a friend's driveway in Blounts Green, or rushing by Picknalls First School at the school run.
In short: a spill near your filler leaves your motor no harm. The diesel tank with AdBlue in it is a different story. Any AdBlue in the tank will be sucked in by starting your car, and the start wouldn't settle which it is in any case.
Your move: act as if it did, and never start the motor. Call us and explain what you saw; we'd rather check a tank that turns out free of AdBlue than drain one that has already been run.
Uttoxeter: what each AdBlue drain has in common
The job opens identically, whichever your situation. Anywhere the car stands — Ye Old Talbot's car park, a street beside United Reformed Church, a drive, a forecourt — the van gets there and we ask about the fluid, the amount, plus if your motor has turned over. On the phone, before dispatch, you hear our quote, and those answers decide the job too.
AdBlue crystallises and is corrosive to some metals in fuel systems, and so it does not rinse out on its own; that is why a full flush, after this drain, matters far more with AdBlue than with petrol. Next comes the fuel filter — cleaned, or swapped when necessary — followed by clean diesel, and a test of the car. Most unstarted cars are a half-hour job after the moment our technicians arrive.
Our engineers fire it up last. Before our technicians go, it is tested to be sure it runs smoothly on new diesel. Long-term damage is very rare if it's spotted soon, and the entire job is done where the vehicle is. Paying is that day, never upfront. For your insurer, you get a VAT invoice plus a written report from the engineer. Plenty of insurance policies include misfuelling, and so check yours while the van travels.
About Uttoxeter, briefly
Uttoxeter is a town in Staffordshire, situated on the River Dove at an elevation of around 92 metres. Uttoxeter lies approximately 15 miles east of Lichfield and 121 miles northwest of London, with nearby areas including Mount Pleasant, The Wharf, and Balance Hill. Uttoxeter has a population of around 11,211 people, predominantly living in semi-detached housing. Uttoxeter remains a significant settlement in the West Midlands region, with its riverside setting contributing to its character.
Uttoxeter and Staffordshire: AdBlue drains across the area
Over ST postcodes, the teams serving Uttoxeter — a riverside town — reach nearby places as well, The Wharf and Balance Hill among them. Your whereabouts comes quickest from a postcode that starts ST14 7.
Stopped en route to OldFields Sport Ground, or bang in the centre of Uttoxeter, your vehicle stays put — there's no need to shift it at all. Draining is done on the spot. Phone and ask instead of guessing when you are close to Uttoxeter Town Hall, on a border, or anywhere tricky to explain.
The one-line version
Unstarted? Keep the car that way then ring. Run already: pull over, switch down, ring 0333 366 0103. Petrol in Diesel handles the remainder, in Uttoxeter or anywhere in Staffordshire.