What Now? AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Watersheddings
One fact matters most once AdBlue is in a diesel tank, and that is whether the motor has been started afterwards. Wherever the car is — Broadbent, Watersheddings — never start an engine that has not run yet. Usually that is draining and properly cleaning it on the spot around Watersheddings — and so keep the ignition and motor off then call 0333 366 0103. Already started? Pull over once you safely can, then turn everything off. Stage one stays the same, even if the work is bigger.
Further down: the situations our engineers see, anywhere around Greater Manchester. Pick yours.
At the petrol pump in Watersheddings: AdBlue in a diesel
Imagine it: standing by the petrol pump, gripping the bottle, you spot the filler you opened was not the correct one. Maybe you're at the Shell, perhaps at the Tesco, possibly somewhere else in Watersheddings.
The point: of every spot to find out, this is the best. Still inside the tank, and nothing drawn through: that is where the AdBlue is.
Next: resist the urge to start it just to free up the pump. Ask the staff to help you roll the car into a parking spot, keep the receipt or the bottle, then call us from the forecourt. If it cannot be moved, it can be cleared at the pump: the equipment is explosion-proof and fine on a working forecourt.
Watersheddings, at home: AdBlue in your diesel tank
On the dash, a warning had shown for days. Only by the recycling, the empty container in hand, did you glance back at the cap you'd used on the drive. Driveways near Almond Road get it as much as anywhere.
The point: zero miles since makes this nearly as good to finding it at the pump. Being reluctant to mix, AdBlue settles low in that tank and waits. A night parked alters nothing.
What to do: leave your keys inside the house so no one moves the vehicle in the morning. Then call. In Near Barrowshaw or right here in Watersheddings, the drain happens on your drive. Our equipment runs quiet enough not to disturb the street at night.
Watersheddings: drove off with AdBlue in a diesel?
Filled up, pulled away, and before long the motor was turning roughly, blowing smoke, losing power, or flashing up the dash. Perhaps it was on Bramble Avenue, maybe on the way out towards Manchester, under 10 miles away.
Meaning? Your pump has sucked the AdBlue up. The injection pump and each injector see it as well on a bigger run, once your filter and lines have it. Each mile and each restart takes it further.
Next: pick a safe place, stop, and switch the engine off. Watersheddings sits under 3 miles from the A627(M); there, pull off at the first junction rather than pressing on for the services. No test restarts: clearing itself is not something AdBlue will do. About how far did it go? Tell us when you phone.
AdBlue in the wrong tank of a hire, lease or company car
A week ago, it was unknown to you. Your own motor either does without AdBlue or puts it somewhere different, so nothing warned you the AdBlue cap was just beside the diesel. It can happen to anyone, anywhere in Greater Manchester.
Put simply: one extra step on top of the situations above, and those depend on whether it has run. Plenty of rental and company agreements require the owner's approval before repairs.
Sorting it before we arrives is quicker, and so phone the rental company or your fleet manager, and then us. Stuck by Oldham first Rugby League match or outside Greenfield until the firm answers, your car remains switched off the whole time.
AdBlue in your diesel tank? Not sure, around Watersheddings
At times, "I think so" is all anyone can honestly say. The bottle is lighter than it should be, there's a faint smell of ammonia round your filler, and you can't remember which cap you took off. It might have been at a friend's drive in Waterhead, or in a rush by Woodlands Primary Academy on the school run.
The point: the engine is not hurt by some AdBlue splashed on the outside. Inside your diesel tank, however, AdBlue harms it. If there is AdBlue in your tank, starting the vehicle will draw it in, and it would not tell you which either.
What to do: treat it as if it was put in. Don't crank it. Checking a tank that turns out free of AdBlue beats draining one after it has been run — so ring and describe to us what you saw.
What each AdBlue drain in Watersheddings has in common
Whichever scenario you are in, this job starts the same way. Wherever the car stands — The Black Horse's car park, a street by Watersheddings Rugby Ground, a driveway, a filling station — our van gets there and asks for the fluid, the amount, and if your engine has turned over. Those replies decide this work, and you hear our quote on the phone, before anyone sets off.
A thorough flush comes after the drain. With petrol it is standard; with AdBlue it is crucial, because crystals build up and some metals corrode, and neither rinses away unaided. Your filter is flushed, or replaced where it needs to be; clean diesel goes in; and the car is tested. Where your engine has not been started, allow about half an hour once we arrive, for most cases.
Finally, our engineers fire it up. With new diesel in, it runs while our engineers make sure it's running correctly, and then we go. Our engineers do the entire job where your car is, and long-term damage is very uncommon when it has been spotted early. You pay on the day, with nothing upfront, and get a VAT invoice and an engineer report for your insurer. Plenty of insurance policies include misfuelling cover, so it is worth checking yours while we are on the way.
About Watersheddings, for a moment
Watersheddings is a suburban area in Greater Manchester, situated near the riverside and characterised by its terraced housing. Watersheddings sits at an elevation of 248 metres, overlooking the surrounding landscape. Watersheddings is located near several other suburban areas, including Barrowshaw, Spring Hill, and Higher Barrowshaw, and is approximately 8.5 miles from Manchester.
AdBlue drains across Greater Manchester, Watersheddings included
Spring Hill and Higher Barrowshaw have the same vans as Watersheddings, a residential suburb, along with further towns throughout OL postcodes. Your whereabouts comes clearest from a postcode that starts OL4 2.
No moving is required, be it parked centrally in Watersheddings or on a lay-by en route to Waterhead Park, so leave it put. The van drains it in place. Tricky to pin down? Close to Holy Trinity Parish Hall or a county line? Asking beats guessing, and so ring.
The one-line version
Motor not started: phone, leaving it switched off. Run by now: stop, power down, ring 0333 366 0103. Petrol in Diesel takes over the remainder, in Watersheddings or anywhere across Greater Manchester.