AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Whalley, and What to Do Next
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 got in. Out in Barrow or here around Whalley, an unstarted motor should stay that way. Leave your motor and your ignition off and call 0333 366 0103; it's normally a drain and a thorough flush, done where your car is in Whalley. When your engine has run, stop somewhere safe straight away, then switch the car off. It is a larger job, yet stage one does not change.
Below: the situations we see, wherever around Lancashire. Choose yours.
Whalley forecourt: AdBlue in a diesel at the pump
Imagine it: standing by the pump, holding the nozzle, you spot the cap you opened wasn't the right one. Perhaps you're at the Asda, perhaps at the Gulf, maybe somewhere else in Whalley.
Put simply: no better spot to be to spot it. No pump has drawn it through, so the AdBlue sits only inside that tank.
What to do: do not get back in and crank it to clear the pump. Get the attendants to help rolling it into a space, save the bottle, then phone us from there. Our equipment is explosion-proof and fine on a busy forecourt, so a car that cannot be pushed away gets emptied right at the pump.
AdBlue in your diesel tank at home around Whalley
For days the dashboard had been nagging you. A bottle bought at the shop, emptied in on the driveway — and it's only at the bin that the cap caught your eye. Homes just off Station Road get caught out as much as everywhere else.
The upshot: zero miles since makes it almost equal to finding it at the pump. On the floor of the tank is exactly where AdBlue stays, since it will not mix with diesel — and a night going by makes nothing of the difference.
Next: prevent an early drive by putting your keys indoors, then phone us. In Billington or right here in Whalley, the drain happens on your driveway. The pumps are quiet enough to use outside a house after dark.
Drove off with AdBlue in a diesel in Whalley?
Lumpy running, smoke, lost power or a glowing dashboard started a short way after the top-up. Perhaps it was on Brookes Lane, possibly on the way out towards Preston, under 15 miles away.
The upshot: the system has drawn AdBlue through already. Distance decides how deep it gets: filter and lines to begin with, then the high-pressure pump and each injector. Each restart, like every mile, carries it on.
Next: pick a safe spot, stop, and turn the engine off. On the M65, under 5 miles from Whalley, that means the next exit, not the services further on. No trial starts: clearing isn't something AdBlue does. Call, saying what distance the car went.
Hire, lease or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank
Seven days ago, it was new to you. On your own vehicle, AdBlue is missing or elsewhere. On this one, its inlet is right next to the diesel cap — news to you. Anywhere you happen to be across Lancashire, every motorist can slip up.
The upshot: just as above, split by whether it ran, but with one added step. Many hire and company contracts need the owner's approval for repairs.
Settling it before the van turn up is faster, so phone the rental company or your fleet manager, and then us. If you're stranded in the car park at the nearest station, or by Forge Corner, whilst you wait for an answer, leave your car off.
Whalley: unsure whether it was AdBlue in your diesel tank?
Occasionally the fair answer is "I think so". Lighter, the bottle; a trace of ammonia near your filler; a hazy recollection of the cap. Sound familiar? A hurried top-up by the gates of Whalley Church of England Primary School, or a call to a friend in Wiswell: either fits.
What it means: a little spilled round the filler does no damage to the engine. Inside the diesel tank, by contrast, AdBlue harms it. Starting the vehicle won't tell you which, and if there is AdBlue in that tank it will draw it in.
Next: act as though it went in, and leave the motor off. Phone and give the details: we'd rather find a tank free of AdBlue than empty one once your motor has been run.
Each AdBlue drain around Whalley shares these stages
Every situation has the same opening to the work. Our engineers come to the car, whether it's at a forecourt, a drive, the car park at De Lacy Arms or a side street close to Whalley Methodist Church, and ask three things: what got in, roughly how much, and whether the motor has been run. Answers set the work; the price follows by phone while nobody has set off yet.
AdBlue forms crystals and is corrosive to certain metals used in fuel systems, so it won't wash out unaided; that is why a full flush, after this drain, matters much more with AdBlue than with petrol. Finally come the filter, flushed or renewed if necessary; clean diesel; and a test of your car. Most unstarted cars are a half-hour job after the moment we get there.
Our engineers start the car last. Our engineers make sure it runs smoothly on clean diesel before leaving. Long-term damage is very rare when it's spotted quickly, and the entire job is done where the vehicle is. Nothing is taken upfront, payment is made on the day, and you get what your insurer wants: an engineer report and a VAT invoice. Many insurance policies include misfuelling, and so check yours while the van travels.
About Whalley
Whalley is a village in Lancashire, situated on the banks of the River Calder, with Whalley having a relatively low elevation of 54 metres above sea level. Whalley lies near the cities of Preston and Blackburn, with Whalley being around 12 miles from Preston. Whalley has a mix of housing types, but Whalley is predominantly characterised by terraced homes.
AdBlue drains about Whalley and across Lancashire
Throughout BB postcodes, the vans covering Whalley — a village — reach surrounding places as well, Nethertown and Whalley Banks among them. A postcode starting BB7 9 is the quickest way to tell us where you are.
No moving is needed, be it stopped centrally in Whalley or on a lay-by en route to Whalley Park, so keep it where it is. The drain is done right there. If you are somewhere hard to explain, close to Whalley Library or close to a border, ring and ask rather than guessing.
Your situation, summed up
If it has not run, ring and keep it that way. Run already: pull over, power down, ring 0333 366 0103. Petrol in Diesel takes over the rest, in Whalley or wherever in Lancashire.