AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Wheathampstead: What Now?
Has the motor run since the AdBlue went in? That single point settles nearly everything else from here. If it has not, keep it that way, whether the vehicle is around Wheathampstead itself or out in Nomansland. Switch nothing on, phone 0333 366 0103, and expect a proper flush plus a drain, done just where the car sits in Wheathampstead. If it's run, stop as soon as it is safe then switch off. It is a bigger job, yet step one does not change.
Match what happened to a situation from the ones below, wherever in Hertfordshire you happen to be.
Wheathampstead forecourt: AdBlue in a diesel at the pump
The cap you unscrewed was the wrong one — and you just notice it while you are stood at the petrol pump, bottle or the nozzle in hand. Possibly you are at the Esso, perhaps at the BP, possibly somewhere else in Wheathampstead.
Meaning? Finding out on the forecourt is the best it can be. Still in the tank, and nothing drawn onwards: that's where the AdBlue sits.
Do this: keep out of the driver's seat, however much the queue needs clearing. Ask the staff to help you push the car into a parking space, keep the receipt or the bottle, then phone us from the forecourt. If it can't be shifted, it can be emptied at the petrol pump: the equipment is explosion-proof and safe on a busy forecourt.
At home around Wheathampstead with AdBlue in the diesel tank
The warning light had been on for days. A bottle bought at the garage, tipped in at the driveway — and it was just at the bin that the cap caught your eye. Drives near High Street see it as much as any other street.
What it means: if you have not driven since, this is almost as good as the forecourt. On the bottom of your tank is where AdBlue stays, because it will not blend with diesel — and a night going by changes nothing of the difference.
Next: the keys indoors, and so no one takes your car anywhere at breakfast. After that, ring. The Folly or Wheathampstead: whichever your drive is, that is where it gets cleared. The pumps are quiet enough to use outside a house after dark.
AdBlue in a diesel and already driving around Wheathampstead?
A mile or two after filling up, the motor started playing up: rough running, smoke, less power, warnings on your dash. Somewhere along Church Street or else heading towards St Albans — under 5 miles away.
In short: the AdBlue has been pulled through the system. Through your filter, along the pipework, and — the further the mileage — on into the injection pump and each injector. It travels further with each mile driven and each restart.
Your move: pull up somewhere sensible, then turn the motor off. Leave by the next junction — not the services beyond — if you're on the A1(M), under 3 miles from Wheathampstead. No trial starts: clearing isn't something AdBlue does. Phone, saying what distance your car went.
AdBlue in the wrong tank: hire, lease and company vehicles
Seven days ago, it was unknown to you. On your own vehicle, AdBlue is missing or somewhere else. On this one, its inlet is right by your diesel inlet — a surprise to you. It can happen to anyone, anywhere in Hertfordshire.
Meaning? Whichever case above counts here — run or unrun — plus one extra step. Work on the vehicle frequently needs the owner's go-ahead under rental or company terms.
Sorting it before we arrives is faster, and so phone the rental company or your fleet manager, then us. Stranded by Collins Corner or outside Harpenden until someone replies, your vehicle remains turned off the whole time.
Wheathampstead: unsure if it was AdBlue in the diesel tank?
Now and then, "I think so" is the most you can truthfully say. A faint ammonia-like smell hangs near the filler, the bottle feels too light, and which cap came off is hard to recall. Perhaps it happened in a hurry at the school gates at St Helen's Church of England Primary School, or on a friend's drive in Lea Valley.
In short: a spill near the filler does your engine no harm. Once it is inside the diesel tank, though, it does. You can't tell which by turning the ignition, and doing so would suck in any AdBlue that is in your tank.
Take it that it went in, and don't start the engine. Phone and give the details: we'd rather find a clean tank than drain one once the engine has been run.
The common ground in every Wheathampstead AdBlue drain
Each situation gets the same start to the job. Our technicians come to the vehicle, whether it is on a forecourt, a drive, the car park outside The Swan or a side street close to St Helen's Church Yard, and ask three things: what went in, about how much, and if your engine has run. Answers set the work; the price comes on the call while no one has set off yet.
A thorough flush follows the drain. With petrol it's routine; with AdBlue it is essential, since crystals form and certain metals are attacked, and neither rinses away unaided. Fresh diesel goes in after your filter has been cleaned or replaced, and the car is then tested. Most unstarted vehicles are a half-hour job from the moment our technicians turn up.
The last step is starting the car. With fresh diesel in, it runs while we confirm it's running smoothly, and then we leave. Our engineers do the entire job where the vehicle is, and long-term damage is very rare if it has been noticed quickly. You pay on the day, with nothing upfront, and get a VAT invoice and an engineer report for your insurer. Many policies include misfuelling, and so look at yours as we head over.
About Wheathampstead itself
Wheathampstead is a village in Hertfordshire, situated on the banks of the River Lea, with an elevation of around 91 metres. Wheathampstead has a mix of old and new housing, with detached homes being the predominant type, and is located near to The Folly, Amwell, and Leasey Bridge. Wheathampstead is close to the city of St Albans, which is approximately 4.5 miles away, and is also within commuting distance of London, at around 22.2 miles away.
AdBlue drains across Hertfordshire, Wheathampstead included
Wheathampstead is a village, and the same teams that cover it work the places around it too, Amwell and Leasey Bridge among them, across the AL postcode area. Fastest of all: a AL4 8 postcode to show your location.
Centre of Wheathampstead or a lay-by towards Crinkle Crankle Community Garden: either way it sits, the car doesn't need to shift at all for us. Our van empties it where it stands. If you are somewhere hard to explain, close to The Swan Inn or close to a boundary, ring and ask instead of guessing.
Your situation, summed up
If it has not started, phone then leave it off. Run by now? Pull over, turn off, phone. Petrol in Diesel handles the rest whichever case, across Wheathampstead and Hertfordshire, on 0333 366 0103.