AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Wellesbourne, and What to Do Next
What to do about AdBlue in a diesel tank depends on one thing more than any other: whether the motor has been run since it went in. Not run yet? Then keep the vehicle that way, whether the car sits — Wellesbourne or Moreton Paddox. Switch nothing on, ring 0333 366 0103, then expect a thorough flush plus a drain, done just where the car stands in Wellesbourne. Already started? Pull over when safe, then switch everything off. It is a larger job, though step one does not change.
Anywhere in Warwickshire it took place, one of the cases below matches yours.
On a Wellesbourne forecourt with AdBlue in a diesel
The cap you opened was the wrong one — and you only spot it while you are standing at the pump, bottle or the nozzle in hand. It might be the Shell, or perhaps the BP, or a different station in Wellesbourne.
Meaning? Spotting it here is as good as it gets. Only that tank holds AdBlue; no component past it has taken any in.
Do this: stay out of the car, however much the pump wants freeing. Ring us from the forecourt once the car sits in a bay — the attendants will lend a hand to roll it — and keep the bottle. The equipment is explosion-proof and fine on a live forecourt, and so a car that cannot be pushed clear gets emptied right at the petrol pump.
AdBlue in the diesel tank on a Wellesbourne drive?
On your dash, a reminder had been lit all week. You bought a bottle, poured it in on the driveway, and only when you put the empty bottle in the recycling did you look again at the cap. Driveways close to Bridge Street see it as much as anywhere.
The point: no miles since makes it nearly equal to spotting it at the pump. As it is reluctant to blend, AdBlue settles to the base in that tank and waits. One night parked changes none of that.
What to do: leave the keys inside the house so nobody moves your car in the morning. Then ring. Your drive is where it is emptied, whether in Wellesbourne or Charlecote. Night-time drains outside a house are no problem: the pumps are quiet.
AdBlue in a diesel and already driving around Wellesbourne?
You filled up, set off, and a mile or two later your motor began to run roughly, smoke, lose power or light up the dashboard. Maybe heading to Coventry, under 25 miles away, or simply along School Road.
Meaning? The fuel pump has taken the AdBlue in. It has been through your filter and the lines and, the further you went, into the high-pressure fuel pump and the injectors. More driving, more restarts: further it travels.
Do this: stop anywhere sensible, then switch the motor off. Wellesbourne sits under 5 miles from the M40; on it, come off at the next junction rather than pushing on to the services. It will not have cleared, and so there's no point starting it again to find out. Phone us and say how far you went.
AdBlue in the wrong tank of a hire, lease or company car
You've just driven this car a week. The AdBlue filler sits right alongside the diesel filler, which you did not know, because your own motor either has no AdBlue or keeps it somewhere else. It can happen to anyone, anywhere across Warwickshire.
What it means: the same as the situations above, depending on whether it's run, with one more stage. Work on your vehicle frequently requires the owner's approval under rental or fleet terms.
Your move: hire firm or your fleet manager to begin with, us second, because sorting it beforehand saves time. Hanging on for a reply at the car park outside Stratford-upon-Avon, or near Wellesbourne Methodist Church? Keep your engine off meanwhile.
Not sure it was AdBlue in the diesel tank, Wellesbourne?
Sometimes the honest answer is "I think so". A slight ammonia smell hangs around your filler, the bottle seems too light, and which cap came off is a blur. It might have been at a friend's drive in Hampton Lucy, or in a rush outside Wellesbourne CofE Primary School at the school run.
Put simply: spillage near your filler does the motor no harm. AdBlue inside your diesel tank does. If there is AdBlue in that tank, starting the vehicle will pull it in, and it would not tell you which either.
Your move: act as if it did, and never start your engine. Checking a tank that turns out free of AdBlue beats draining one once it has been run — so phone and tell us what you noticed.
What every AdBlue drain in Wellesbourne has in common
Every situation has the same start to the job. Filling station, driveway, The King's Head's car park or a street beside Wellesbourne Village Hall — the van reaches your vehicle, and three answers come next: what fluid, what amount, and if it has run. Replies set the job; the price comes by phone whilst nobody has set off yet.
A thorough flush follows this drain. With petrol it is standard; with AdBlue it's crucial, because deposits form and some metals are attacked, and none of that rinses out unaided. Finally are the fuel filter, cleaned or replaced as needed; fresh diesel; and a check of the car. Where your engine hasn't been started, allow about half an hour once we arrive, for most cases.
The last step is firing it up. Our check that it runs correctly on clean diesel comes before our engineers go. When it is spotted quickly, the car very seldom has lasting damage, and the whole job takes place where it is. 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, so look at yours while the van travels.
About Wellesbourne
Wellesbourne is a village in Warwickshire, situated on the banks of the River Dene at an elevation of around 50 metres. Wellesbourne lies near the market towns of Warwick and Leamington Spa, and is close to the nearby villages of Charlecote and Newbold Pacey. Wellesbourne has a mix of housing types, with semi-detached homes being particularly prevalent, and is located approximately 15 miles from Coventry and 79 miles from London.
AdBlue drains around Wellesbourne and across Warwickshire
Newbold Pacey and Walton get the identical teams as Wellesbourne, a village, plus other places throughout CV postcodes. Giving us your CV35 9 postcode finds you quickest of all.
Central Wellesbourne or a layby near Dovehouse Pitches: wherever it sits, your vehicle never needs to move an inch for us. We drain it where it sits. Awkward to pin down? By Wellesbourne LIbrary or a border? Asking is better than guessing, so ring.
Your situation, in one line
Not run yet: keep the car off then call. Run by now: stop, switch down, phone 0333 366 0103. Petrol in Diesel handles the rest, in Wellesbourne or wherever in Warwickshire.