What Now? AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in West Wellow
Has the motor turned over since the AdBlue got in? That one question decides nearly everything about what comes next. If it has not, keep it that way, whether the vehicle is around West Wellow itself or out in Plaitford. Call 0333 366 0103 with your ignition and motor both off. Across West Wellow, that is typically drained and flushed on the spot. Pull over the moment you safely can and turn off, if it has already run. A larger job, yes, but the same first step.
Match your case to a situation from the list below, wherever across Hampshire you happen to be.
On a West Wellow forecourt with AdBlue in a diesel
The cap you unscrewed was the wrong one — and you just notice it while you're stood at the petrol pump, bottle or the nozzle in hand. It could be the Burmah, or the another forecourt nearby, or a different station in West Wellow.
Meaning? Finding out here is as good as it can be. Still inside that tank, with no fuel pulled through: that is where the AdBlue is.
Next: resist the urge to start it only to move away from the petrol pump. Have the staff to lend a hand rolling it into a bay, hold on to the bottle, then phone us from there. The equipment is explosion-proof and safe on a busy forecourt, and so a vehicle that can't be pushed clear gets cleared right at the pump.
AdBlue in your diesel tank at home around West Wellow
Days had passed with the warning light on. You bought a bottle, poured it in on the drive, and only when you put the empty bottle in the recycling did you look again at the cap. It happens on drives just off Salisbury Road as often as anywhere.
Meaning? As long as your vehicle hasn't been driven since, it's second to the pump case. AdBlue doesn't mix with diesel; it sinks to the bottom of your tank and waits there. Overnight doesn't change that.
Next: keys indoors, so nobody takes your vehicle off first thing. After that, phone. In Canada or here in West Wellow, the draining is done at your driveway. Our pumping kit runs quiet enough not to disturb the street at night.
On the road around West Wellow with AdBlue in a diesel
You filled up, set off, and a mile or two later your engine began to run unevenly, smoke, lose power or light up the dashboard. Anywhere along Lower Common Road or on the road to Southampton — under 10 miles away.
Put simply: the AdBlue has been pulled into the fuel system. It has been through the filter and the fuel lines and, the further you went, into the high-pressure pump and the fuel injectors. Each restart, like each mile, carries it deeper.
Do this: pull up somewhere sensible, then switch your motor off. On the M27, under 3 miles from West Wellow, that means the next exit, not the services further on. It won't have cleared, and so there is no sense starting it again to check. About what distance did it go? Say so as you call.
A hire or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank?
A week back, it was new to you. Your own motor either does without AdBlue or puts it somewhere different, and so no one warned you the AdBlue cap was just next to your diesel. It can happen to anyone, anywhere around Hampshire.
The point: exactly as above, divided by if it ran, but with one added step. Many rental and fleet contracts require the owner's sign-off before work.
Settling it before the van arrives is faster, and so phone the rental company or your fleet manager, and then us. Leave it off while the reply arrives, whether you're parked outside Romsey or close to West Wellow Scout Hall.
AdBlue in the diesel tank? Not sure, around West Wellow
"I think so" is often as honest answer there is. Lighter, the bottle; a hint of ammonia round the filler; a hazy memory of which cap. Sound familiar? The gates of Wellow Primary School in a hurry, perhaps, or someone's drive over in East Wellow.
Put simply: a spill round the filler does your engine unharmed. AdBlue inside the diesel tank does. If there is AdBlue in your tank, firing up the vehicle would draw it in, and it would not tell you which either.
Assume it was put in, and don't start your key. Ring with what you saw: we'd sooner find a clean tank than empty one after your engine has run.
Every AdBlue drain in West Wellow shares these steps
Each case has the same start to the job. Wherever the vehicle stands — The Red Rover's car park, a street beside Wellow Village Hall, a drive, a forecourt — our van gets there and we ask for the liquid, the quantity, and if your engine has been run. Replies set the job; the quote comes on the call whilst nobody has set off yet.
Then your tank is emptied and your system cleaned thoroughly, which matters more with AdBlue than with petrol: AdBlue crystallises and is corrosive to some of the metals in a fuel system, so it doesn't rinse out on its own. Finally are the fuel filter, flushed or renewed if necessary; fresh diesel; and a check of your car. Not started? In that case about half an hour once we are there is most jobs.
Lastly, our technicians start the engine. Our check that it runs smoothly on fresh diesel comes before we go. The whole job is done where your car is, and if it's spotted early, 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 insurance policies include misfuelling cover, so it's worth checking yours while we are on the way.
About West Wellow, for a moment
West Wellow is a small village in Hampshire, situated inland at an elevation of around 25 metres, approximately 9 miles north of Southampton. West Wellow has a population of around 902 people, predominantly living in detached houses. West Wellow is surrounded by nearby places such as Canada and Canada Common, and is located near the village of Blackhill. West Wellow is also within commuting distance of London, being around 73 miles to the southwest of the capital.
AdBlue drains in West Wellow, and across Hampshire too
Over SO postcodes, the vans serving West Wellow — a rural village — work surrounding towns as well, Canada Common and Blackhill included. Fastest of all: a SO51 6 postcode to show your location.
Central West Wellow or a lay-by towards Garden Plantation: either way it is, the car doesn't need to shift an inch for the drain. The van empties it where it stands. Tricky to explain? By World War One Memorial or a county line? Asking beats assuming, so ring.
Your scenario, summed up
Where it has not run, phone and keep it that way. Run already? Pull over, switch off, ring. Petrol in Diesel takes over the remainder whichever case, in West Wellow and Hampshire, on 0333 366 0103.