AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Whiteside, and What to Do Next
One thing matters most once AdBlue is in a diesel tank, and that is whether the engine has run since. Out in Falside or here in Whiteside, an unrun motor must stay unrun. Normally that is emptying and properly flushing it right there in Whiteside — and so keep your key and motor off then ring 0333 366 0103. When your motor has been run, pull in somewhere safe straight away, then turn the vehicle off. The job is bigger, yet the first stage is the same.
Below: the situations our technicians see, wherever in West Lothian. Pick the one that fits.
On a Whiteside forecourt with AdBlue in a diesel
The cap you unscrewed was the wrong one — and you just spot it as you're standing at the pump, bottle or the nozzle in hand. Maybe you are at the Morrisons, perhaps at the BP, possibly somewhere else around Whiteside.
Meaning? Spotting it here is the best it can be. The AdBlue is in the tank and nowhere else. Nothing has pulled it in.
Freeing the petrol pump is no excuse to start it — and so do not get back in. Have the staff to lend a hand rolling it into a space, hold on to the receipt, then ring us from there. Emptying it there at the petrol pump is possible if it cannot be shifted, because the equipment is explosion-proof.
AdBlue in your diesel tank on a Whiteside drive?
For days the dash had been warning you. Only by the recycling, the empty container in hand, did you look back at the cap you'd used at the driveway. Just off B7002 is not different from anywhere.
Meaning? As long as the vehicle has not moved since, it's second to the pump case. As it is unable to mix, AdBlue settles low in your tank and waits. A night standing changes nothing.
What to do: leave the keys inside the house so no one moves your car in the morning. Then call. Standhill or Whiteside: wherever your driveway is, that's where it is drained. Even at night, the pumps are quiet enough for a driveway.
Whiteside: drove off with AdBlue in a diesel?
Topped up, drove away, and soon the engine was running unevenly, blowing smoke, down on power, or lighting up the dash. Maybe it was on Birniehill Avenue, perhaps on the way out towards Dunfermline, under 15 miles away.
Meaning? Your pump has taken the AdBlue up. Mileage decides how far it gets: filter and lines to begin with, then the injection pump and every injector. Each mile and each restart takes it further.
Your move: pull up anywhere sensible, then turn the engine off. Whiteside lies under 3 miles from the M8; on it, pull off at the first junction rather than pressing on for the services. Restarting it to check achieves nothing — AdBlue doesn't clear itself. Call, and say what distance the vehicle went.
AdBlue in the wrong tank of a hire, lease or company car
It is a car you have had for a week. On your own vehicle, AdBlue is absent or somewhere else. On this one, its inlet is just next to your diesel inlet — a surprise to you. It can happen to anyone, anywhere in West Lothian.
The point: exactly as above, split by if it ran, but with an added stage. Many hire and company contracts want the owner to approve work on your car.
Sorting it before the van arrives is quicker, so ring the rental company or your fleet manager, then us. Leave the vehicle switched off as the reply arrives, even if you're parked at Bathgate or close to Creamery Park.
AdBlue in your diesel tank? Not sure, around Whiteside
Now and then, "I think so" is the most you can honestly say. A slight ammonia-like smell hangs around the filler, the bottle feels too light, and the cap you took off is a blur. A rushed top-up by the gates of the local primary school, or a call to a friend in Bathgate: both fit.
The upshot: your engine isn't harmed by some AdBlue splashed around the outside. If it is inside your diesel tank, though, it does. Any AdBlue in the tank will be pulled in by firing up the car, and the start would not settle which it is in any case.
Your move: act as though it got in, and don't start your engine. Ring with what you saw: we'd rather find a tank free of AdBlue than drain one once the motor has been run.
What every AdBlue drain around Whiteside has in common
Whatever the case, a single opening is used. Filling station, drive, Railway Tavern's car park or a road by In Full Bloom — the van comes to the car, and three questions come next: which liquid, what quantity, and whether it has run. Those answers settle this work, and you hear the price by phone, before anyone heads out.
A thorough flush follows this drain. With petrol it is standard; with AdBlue it is essential, since crystals build up and some metals corrode, and none of that rinses away unaided. Clean diesel goes in after the fuel filter has been cleaned or changed, and your car is then tested. The majority of unrun vehicles are a half-hour job after the moment our technicians get there.
Our engineers fire it up last. With fresh diesel in, it runs while our technicians confirm it is running smoothly, and then we go. When it's noticed quickly, the car very rarely has permanent damage, and the whole job happens where it is. Nothing is paid upfront, payment happens on the day, and you receive what your insurer asks for: an engineer report and a VAT invoice. Check your insurance before we're en route: cover for misfuelling comes included in plenty of policies.
About Whiteside
Whiteside is a suburban area situated on the riverside in West Lothian, with a mix of detached housing and local amenities. Whiteside sits at an elevation of 145 metres, overlooking the surrounding countryside. Whiteside is located near several other suburban areas, including Standhill, Paulville, and Windyknowe, and is approximately 14 miles from Dunfermline. Whiteside has a population of around 3843 residents, living in predominantly detached homes.
AdBlue drains around Whiteside, and across West Lothian too
As a residential suburb, Whiteside has the same vans as the nearby places — Windyknowe, Paulville — right through EH postcodes. Giving us a EH48 2 postcode finds you quickest of all.
Whether your car is on a lay-by on the way to Meadow Park or in a car park in the middle of Whiteside, it doesn't need to move. Wherever it sits, that is where it is drained. If you are somewhere hard to describe, near Bathgate Partnership Centre or close to a border, ring and ask instead of assuming.
Your situation, in one line
Unstarted? Keep the vehicle that way then ring. Started by now? Stop, turn off, ring. Petrol in Diesel takes over the remainder whichever it is, in Whiteside and West Lothian, on 0333 366 0103.