AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Westra, and What to Do Next
Everything turns on one fact: if the motor has started after the AdBlue went in — far more than anything else. Not run so far? Then leave it like that, whether the car is — Westra or Murch. Usually this means emptying and properly cleaning it on the spot around Westra — and so leave the ignition and engine off and call 0333 366 0103. Stop the moment it is safe then turn off, if it has already run. Step one stays unchanged, even if the work is bigger.
Find the situation below that matches yours, wherever across The Vale of Glamorgan it happened.
At the petrol pump around Westra: AdBlue in a diesel
Only now, bottle still in hand, it dawns on you that the cap you opened was the wrong one, there at the pump. Whether Texaco, Cardiff Gas - autogas or anywhere else around Westra, the situation is identical.
Put simply: there is no better spot to be to spot it. Only that tank holds AdBlue; not one part beyond it has drawn any in.
Freeing the pump is no excuse to run it — and so don't get back in. Have the attendants to lend a hand rolling it to a space, hold on to the bottle, then phone us right there. Our equipment is explosion-proof and safe on a busy forecourt, so a vehicle that can't be pushed clear gets emptied right at the petrol pump.
Westra, at home: AdBlue in the diesel tank
On your dash, a warning had been lit for days. A bottle from the shop, emptied in on the drive — and it's only by the bin that the cap caught your eye. Homes just off St Andrew's Road get caught out as often as anywhere else.
The point: zero driving since makes this almost equal to finding it at the petrol pump. AdBlue does not mix with diesel; it sinks to the bottom of that tank and waits there. Overnight does not change that.
What to do: leave the keys inside the house so no one moves the vehicle in the morning. Then ring. In Dinas Powis or here in Westra, the drain happens on your drive. Late-night drains beside a house are no problem: the pumps are low-noise.
Set off with AdBlue in a diesel around Westra?
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. Possibly it was on Westra Cross, maybe on the way out towards Cardiff, under 5 miles away.
Meaning? Your fuel pump has sucked the AdBlue up. Through your filter, through the pipework, and — the further the mileage — on into the injection pump and every injector. It travels deeper with every mile covered and each restart.
What to do: pull over where it's safe then switch off. Exit by the first junction — not the services further along — if you're on the M4, under 10 miles from Westra. No test starts: clearing itself isn't something AdBlue will do. Call us and say how far you went.
AdBlue in the wrong tank of a hire, lease or company car
A week back, the car was unknown to you. Unbeknown to you, the two inlets are side by side here — unlike your own vehicle, which has no AdBlue or stores it elsewhere. It can happen to anyone, anywhere around The Vale of Glamorgan.
What it means: the same as the situations above, depending on whether it's run, with one more stage. Plenty of hire and company agreements require the owner's approval before repairs.
Next: phone the hire company or your fleet manager first, then us — sorting it before we arrive is quicker. Stranded by Parish Hall or outside Dinas Powys till the firm answers, your vehicle remains switched off throughout.
Unsure about AdBlue in your diesel tank around Westra?
Now and then, "I think so" is the most you can honestly say. Too light, that bottle; a trace of ammonia round the filler; a hazy recollection of the cap. Sound familiar? Maybe at a friend's drive in Palmerstown, or rushing outside the local primary school on the school run.
What it means: a little spilled round the filler does no harm to the engine. The diesel tank with AdBlue in it is a different story. Firing up the car cannot tell you which, and if there is AdBlue in the tank it would pull it in.
Next: act as though it got in, and leave your engine off. Checking a tank that turns out clean beats emptying one after it's been run — so phone then tell us what you saw.
The common ground in each Westra AdBlue drain
Each situation has the same opening to the job. Forecourt, driveway, The Star Inn's car park or a road by Lee Hall — our van comes to your vehicle, and three questions come next: which liquid, which amount, and whether it has run. Those replies determine the work, and you get our quote on the phone, before anybody heads out.
Draining your tank comes next, then a careful flush — more important after urea than after petrol, because crystals and corrosion won't clear by themselves, however long you wait. Finally are the fuel filter, flushed or replaced if necessary; clean diesel; and a test of the car. Most unstarted cars are a half-hour visit from the moment our engineers get there.
The last step is firing it up. Before we go, it is checked to be sure it runs correctly on clean diesel. Our technicians do the entire job where your car is, and long-term damage is very unusual when it has been caught early. Nothing is paid upfront, settlement happens on the day, and you receive what your insurer asks for: an engineer report and a VAT invoice. Plenty of policies include misfuelling, and so check yours while the van travels.
About Westra
Westra is a suburban area in The Vale of Glamorgan, situated near the coast and approximately 4 miles from Cardiff. Westra sits at a relatively low elevation of around 40 metres, with detached housing being the predominant type of accommodation in the area. Westra is close to nearby places such as Dinas Powis and Eastbrook, and is part of the wider Cardiff urban area.
AdBlue drains across The Vale of Glamorgan, Westra included
Westra is a residential suburb, and the same vans that cover it work the towns around it too, Saint Andras and Eastbrook among them, across the CF postcode area. Giving us a CF64 4 postcode finds you fastest of all.
Centre of Westra or a lay-by towards Dinas Powys Common: either way it sits, your vehicle doesn't need to move an inch for the drain. The drain is done right there. If you're somewhere hard to explain, near St Peter's Church or close to a boundary, ring and ask rather than assuming.
In one line: your situation
Unstarted? Keep the car that way and phone. Run already? Stop, turn off, phone. Petrol in Diesel takes over the remainder whatever case, in Westra and The Vale of Glamorgan, on 0333 366 0103.