AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in White-le-Head, and What to Do Next
What to do about AdBlue in a diesel tank depends on one thing more than any other: whether the engine has run since it went in. If it hasn't, keep it that way, whether the car is in White-le-Head itself or out in Flint Hill. Normally that means emptying and thoroughly purging it on the spot around White-le-Head — so leave the ignition and motor off and ring 0333 366 0103. Where the engine has run, stop somewhere safe straight away, then turn the car off. It is a bigger job, though stage one does not change.
Anywhere in Durham it took place, one of the situations below matches yours.
AdBlue in a diesel on a White-le-Head forecourt
You are at the pump, the nozzle or the bottle still in your hand, and you have just noticed the cap you opened was the wrong one. It might be the Esso, or perhaps the Texaco, or another forecourt in White-le-Head.
The point: of all places to find out, the forecourt is the best. No pump has drawn it through, so the AdBlue sits just inside your tank.
Do this: stay out of the driver's seat, even if the pump wants freeing. Ask the staff to help you push the car into a parking space, keep the till receipt or the bottle, then phone us from the forecourt. Can't move it by the petrol pump? Explosion-proof equipment makes a live forecourt sensible, so we can drain it in place.
AdBlue in your diesel tank on a White-le-Head drive?
Several days had passed with the dash light on. Only by the recycling, the empty container in your hand, did you look back at the cap you had opened on the drive. Driveways close to Bute Street see it as much as anywhere.
Meaning? As long as your car has not moved since, it is close to the pump case. At the bottom of your tank is where AdBlue stays, since it won't blend with diesel — and a night going by changes no difference.
What to do: leave your keys inside the house so nobody moves your car in the morning. Then ring. In Tantobie or here around White-le-Head, the drain is done at your drive. Even at night, our pumps stay quiet enough for a driveway.
On the road in White-le-Head with AdBlue in a diesel
Topped up, drove away, and soon your engine was turning unevenly, blowing smoke, down on power, or lighting up your dash. West Road, perhaps, or the way to Newcastle upon Tyne — a run of under 10 miles.
What it means: the system has sucked the AdBlue in. The injection pump and every injector see it as well on a bigger trip, once the fuel filter and lines have it. More miles, more starts: further it travels.
Do this: pull up somewhere sensible, then turn your engine off. Leave by the next junction — not the services further along — if you are on the A1(M), under 10 miles from White-le-Head. Starting it again to check gets nothing — AdBlue never clears on its own. About what distance had it gone? Tell us when you phone.
AdBlue in the wrong tank of a hire, lease or company car
You've only driven the vehicle for days. On your own car, AdBlue is missing or elsewhere. On this one, its cap is right next to your diesel inlet — a surprise to you. Any driver, wherever across Durham, might do it.
Put simply: one extra step on top of the situations above, which turn on whether it has run. The owner frequently needs to sign off any work, under plenty of hire and company agreements.
Your move: hire firm or your fleet manager to begin with, us second, because settling it beforehand cuts time. Stranded near White Le Head Methodist Church or outside Blaydon till someone replies, your car stays switched off the whole time.
AdBlue in the diesel tank? Not sure, in White-le-Head
Honestly, the best answer might be that you think it did. A faint ammonia-like smell lingers near the filler, the bottle feels too light, and the cap you took off is a blur. Perhaps it happened in a hurry at the school gates at Tanfield Lea Community Primary School, or on a friend's drive in Harperley.
Meaning? Drips around the filler never touch the engine at all. If it's inside your diesel tank, though, that changes. Starting the car cannot tell you which, and if there is AdBlue in your tank it will draw it in.
Your move: behave as though it did, and never start the engine. Describe what you saw on the phone. A clean tank looked at is a better outcome than an already-run one emptied.
Each AdBlue drain around White-le-Head shares these stages
Whatever the case, a single start is used. Our engineers come to the vehicle, whether it is on a forecourt, a drive, the car park outside Oak Tree Inn or a side street close to Tantobie Community Centre, and ask three things: what was put in, roughly how much, and if your motor has been run. Over the phone, ahead of anything else, you are told our price, and those replies decide the work too.
Emptying your tank comes next, then a full flush — more vital with urea than after petrol, since crystals and corrosion will not clear on their own, however long it sits. Finally come your filter, cleaned or replaced as needed; fresh diesel; and a check of your car. If the motor hasn't run, most jobs take about half an hour once we're there.
Starting it comes last. Before our engineers head off, it is tested to confirm it runs correctly on clean diesel. Permanent damage is very uncommon if it is caught early, and the entire job is done where the vehicle is. Nothing is paid upfront, payment is made on the day, and you get what your insurer asks for: an engineer report plus a VAT invoice. It is worth knowing: lots of insurers offer misfuelling cover, and so a quick look at your policy while you wait is worthwhile.
About White-le-Head, briefly
White-le-Head is a village in County Durham, situated inland at an elevation of 245 metres, approximately 8 miles west of Newcastle upon Tyne. White-le-Head has a population of around 656 people, predominantly living in semi-detached housing. White-le-Head is close to nearby villages such as Tantobie and Clough Dene, and is part of the wider North East region of England.
AdBlue drains across Durham, White-le-Head included
Clough Dene and Mountsett have the identical teams as White-le-Head, a rural village, plus other towns over DH postcodes. The location is quickest from a postcode beginning DH9 9.
Parked heading to Tantobie Cricket Club, or right in the centre of White-le-Head, your car remains where it is — there is no need to move it anywhere. Our van drains it in place. Ring and check instead of guessing if you're by Beacon of Light Spiritualist Church, near a boundary, or somewhere tricky to pin down.
In one line: your situation
Not run yet: keep it off then call. Already run: stop, switch off and call. Either way, Petrol in Diesel takes it from there in White-le-Head and anywhere around Durham on 0333 366 0103.