What Now? AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Wellington
What to do about AdBlue in a diesel tank comes down to one thing more than any other: if the motor has been run since it was put in. Wherever your car stands — Chelston, Wellington — don't run an engine that hasn't been started yet. Switch nothing on, call 0333 366 0103, then expect a thorough flush plus a drain, done just where your vehicle stands around Wellington. Where the engine has been run, stop safely straight away, then turn the car off. A bigger job, then, yet the identical first move.
Anywhere across Somerset it happened, one of the situations below matches yours.
Wellington forecourt: AdBlue in a diesel at the pump
Only at this point, nozzle yet in your hand, you realise that the cap you opened was the wrong one, right at the petrol pump. It might be the Esso, or the BP, or a different station in Wellington.
The upshot: of all places to notice, this is the best. Still inside the tank, with no fuel pulled through: that's where the AdBlue is.
Freeing the petrol pump is no excuse to start it — and so do not get back in. Have the attendants to lend a hand rolling it into a space, hold on to the bottle, then phone us from there. The equipment is explosion-proof and safe on a busy forecourt, and so a car that cannot be pushed clear gets drained where it is at the pump.
AdBlue in the diesel tank on a Wellington drive?
The warning light had been on for days. Picked up a bottle, poured it in outside the house, recycled the empty — and only then looked at the cap a second time, too late. Just off North Street is no different from any other place.
What it means: if you haven't driven since, this is nearly as good as the forecourt. AdBlue does not mix with diesel; it sinks to the bottom of the tank and waits there. Overnight does not change that.
Keep your keys in the house tonight — otherwise a person may take it away first thing — and call us. Tonedale or Wellington: wherever your driveway sits, that is where it gets emptied. Even at night, the pumps stay quiet enough for a residential street.
Drove off with AdBlue in a diesel around Wellington?
A short way after topping up, your engine began playing up: roughness, smoke, lost power, lights on the dash. Anywhere along High Street or on the road towards Exeter — under 25 miles away.
The upshot: the system has drawn AdBlue in already. The injection pump and every injector see it as well on a longer trip, once the fuel filter and pipework have it. More miles, more starts: deeper it travels.
Stop somewhere safe — that's the first step — then switch it off. On the M5, under 3 miles from Wellington, that means the next exit, not the services further on. No trial restarts: clearing isn't something AdBlue will do. Roughly how far did it go? Say so when you phone.
A hire or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank?
It's a vehicle you have had for a week. On your own vehicle, AdBlue is absent or somewhere else. On this one, its inlet is just by the diesel cap — a surprise to you. Anywhere you happen to be around Somerset, any driver could slip up.
Meaning? Whichever applies above applies too — run or not — and one further step. The owner often has to sign off any work, under plenty of rental and fleet agreements.
Next: ring the hire company or your fleet manager first, and then us — settling it before our arrival is faster. Keep the car off while the answer comes, whether you are parked at Taunton or near Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Whitness.
Wellington: unsure whether it was AdBlue in the diesel tank?
Occasionally the fair answer is "I think so". Which cap came off, you can't say; but the bottle feels lighter than expected, and ammonia hangs by the filler. Perhaps it happened in a hurry at the school gates at Beech Grove Primary School, or on a friend's drive in Tone.
Meaning? Drips around the filler never reach the engine at all. If it is inside the diesel tank, though, that changes. If there is AdBlue in your tank, firing up the vehicle will draw it in, and it wouldn't tell you which either.
Your move: act as though it got in, and never start the motor. Phone and give the details: we would rather confirm a tank free of AdBlue than drain one after the motor has been run.
The common ground in every Wellington AdBlue drain
The job opens the same way, whichever your case. Our technicians come to the vehicle, whether it's on a forecourt, a drive, the car park at The Iron Duke or a side street close to Talent Gallery, and ask three things: what went in, about how much, and whether the engine has been run. On the phone, ahead of dispatch, you hear the quote, and those replies shape the job too.
A thorough flush comes after this drain. With petrol it is routine; with AdBlue it's essential, since crystals form and some metals corrode, and none of it rinses out unaided. The fuel filter is cleaned, or replaced where it needs to be; clean diesel goes in; and your car is tested. Most unstarted cars are a half-hour visit after the moment our engineers get there.
The final step is firing it up. With new diesel in, it runs while our technicians make sure it is running properly, and then we head off. The whole job is done where the car is, and when it's noticed quickly, lasting damage is very unusual. You pay on the day, with nothing upfront, and get a VAT invoice and an engineer report for your insurer. Plenty of policies cover misfuelling, so check yours while the van travels.
About Wellington and where it is
Wellington is a town in Somerset, situated inland at an elevation of 82 metres, with a mix of semi-detached housing and other residential properties. Wellington lies near the towns of Tonedale and Rockwell Green, and is also close to Poole, in the South West region of England. Wellington is located 22 miles from Exeter and 139 miles from London, making it a commuter town with a population of around 14321 people. Wellington has a range of local amenities and services, supporting its residents and surrounding communities.
AdBlue drains about Wellington and across Somerset
Wellington is a town, and the same vans that cover it work the towns around it too, Rockwell Green and Poole among them, across the TA postcode area. Your location comes quickest from a postcode beginning TA21 8.
Parked heading to Wellington Tennis Club, or right in the centre of Wellington, the vehicle stays put — there is no need to move it anywhere. Draining happens on the spot. If you're somewhere hard to describe, near Wellington Community Centre or close to a border, ring and ask rather than assuming.
In one line: your scenario
Not run yet: keep it off then call. Whichever line applies, Petrol in Diesel handles from there on 0333 366 0103, throughout Somerset and in Wellington — after you pull over, turn off and phone, if it's run.