What Now? AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in West Didsbury
What to do about AdBlue in a diesel tank comes down to one thing more than any other: whether the motor has run since it was put in. Wherever the car stands — Northenden, West Didsbury — don't run an engine that hasn't been started yet. Leave your motor and your ignition off and call 0333 366 0103; it's normally a drain and a thorough flush, done where the vehicle is in West Didsbury. If it has run, stop as soon as it is safe then switch off. The job is bigger, but the first stage is the same.
Wherever across Greater Manchester it took place, one of the cases below matches yours.
West Didsbury forecourt: AdBlue in a diesel at the pump
You're at the petrol pump, the nozzle or the bottle still in your hand, and you have just noticed the cap you opened was the wrong one. Whether Independent, Asda or anywhere else around West Didsbury, the case is the same.
Meaning? Spotting it here is as good as it gets. No pump has pulled it through, and so the AdBlue stays only inside that tank.
Your move: stay out of the driver's seat, even if the queue needs clearing. Have the staff to lend a hand pushing it into a bay, hold on to the bottle, then ring us right there. Can't move the vehicle by the pump? Our explosion-proof equipment makes a busy forecourt sensible, and so it can be drained in place.
AdBlue in the diesel tank at home around West Didsbury
On the dash, a reminder had been lit for days. A bottle from the shop, emptied in on the drive — and it was only by the bin that the cap got a second look. Homes just off Walsingham Avenue get caught out as much as anywhere else.
In short: if the vehicle has not been driven since, it is nearly equal to spotting it at the pump. AdBlue doesn't mix with diesel; it sinks to the bottom of that tank and waits there. Overnight doesn't change that.
Next: stop an early-morning move by putting your keys indoors, then ring us. Out in Didsbury or here in West Didsbury, the draining is done at your drive. The equipment works quiet enough not to disturb the neighbours at night.
Set off with AdBlue in a diesel around West Didsbury?
You filled up, set off, and a mile or two later the engine began to run roughly, smoke, lose power or light up the dashboard. Barlow Moor Court, perhaps, or the way towards Manchester — a trip of under 5 miles.
Meaning? Your fuel pump has taken the AdBlue in. Distance decides how far it gets: filter and lines first, then the high-pressure pump and each injector. More miles, more starts: deeper it goes.
Do this: stop somewhere sensible, then switch the engine off. On the M60, under a mile from West Didsbury, that means the next exit, not the services further on. Don't restart the vehicle to see if it has cleared; it will not have. Ring us and say how far you went.
AdBlue in the wrong tank: hire, lease and company vehicles
It is a car you have had for a week. The AdBlue filler is right alongside the diesel filler, which you did not know, since your own vehicle either has no AdBlue or keeps it somewhere else. Wherever you are in Greater Manchester, every motorist can slip up.
Meaning? Whichever case above applies here — run or unrun — and one further step. Many hire and company agreements want the owner to approve work on the vehicle.
Next: ring the hire company or the fleet manager first, and then us — settling it before our arrival is faster. Keep the car switched off as the reply arrives, even if you're parked outside Burnage or close to Manchester Islamic Centre & Didsbury Mosque.
West Didsbury: unsure whether it was AdBlue in your diesel tank?
At times, "I think so" is the most you can truthfully say. A faint ammonia-like whiff lingers near your filler, the bottle feels too light, and the cap you took off is a blur. The gates of Cavendish Primary School in a rush, say, or a friend's drive over in Chorlton-cum-Hardy.
What it means: a little spilled round your filler does no damage to the motor. AdBlue inside the diesel tank does. Firing up your car will not tell you which, and if there is AdBlue in that tank it will pull it in.
Next: assume it went in, then leave the motor off. Ring 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.
The common ground in every West Didsbury AdBlue drain
The job begins identically, whichever the situation. Three things come when our engineers arrive — at a forecourt, a drive, a road by Little Orange or the car park at The Woodstock Arms: the liquid, the quantity, and whether it has run. Those replies decide this work, and you get our price on the phone, before anybody heads out.
Draining the tank comes next, followed by a full flush — more vital with urea than with petrol, since crystals and corrosion won't go on their own, however long you wait. Last come the fuel filter, flushed or replaced as needed; fresh diesel; and a test of the vehicle. Not started? Then about half an hour on site covers most jobs.
We start the engine at the end. Our engineers make sure it runs properly on fresh diesel before we go. Permanent damage is very rare when it is caught soon, and the whole job is done where the vehicle is. For your insurer: the engineer's report and the VAT invoice. For you: payment that day, nothing upfront. Many insurance policies include misfuelling cover, so it's worth checking yours while we are on the way.
About West Didsbury, for a moment
West Didsbury is a suburban area in Greater Manchester, situated on the banks of the River Mersey at an elevation of 38 metres. West Didsbury lies close to the city of Manchester, approximately 3.8 miles from the city centre, and is near neighbouring areas such as Didsbury and Withington. West Didsbury is characterised by its predominantly flat-type housing and a population of around 8228 residents. West Didsbury forms part of the larger Manchester urban area, with easy access to the city and its amenities.
AdBlue drains across Greater Manchester, West Didsbury included
Throughout M postcodes, the vans serving West Didsbury — a residential suburb — reach surrounding towns as well, Barlow Moor and Withington included. The location is quickest from a postcode beginning M20 2.
Whether your car is on a lay-by on the way to Merseybank Park or in a car park in the middle of West Didsbury, it does not need to move. We drain the vehicle where it is. Tricky to pin down? By WWI Memorial or a border? Checking is better than guessing, and so phone.
Your situation, in one line
If it has not started, phone and leave it that way. Run by now: pull over, power down, ring 0333 366 0103. Petrol in Diesel handles the rest, within West Didsbury or wherever in Greater Manchester.