What Now? AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Wick
What to do about AdBlue in a diesel tank depends on one thing more than any other: if your engine has been run since it went in. Over in Abson or here in Wick, an unrun engine must stay that way. Usually that means draining and properly cleaning it right there around Wick — so keep your key and engine off then phone 0333 366 0103. Already run? Stop when safe, then turn everything off. It's a bigger job, yet stage one doesn't change.
Compare what happened to one of the list below, anywhere in Gloucestershire you happen to be.
At the petrol pump in Wick: AdBlue in a diesel
The cap you unscrewed was the wrong one — and you only spot it while you are standing at the petrol pump, bottle or the nozzle in hand. Somewhere around Wick, then — BP, Esso, or somewhere else close by.
Put simply: there is no better place to be to spot it. Only that tank holds AdBlue; no part past it has drawn it in.
Next: resist the temptation to start it just to move away from the petrol pump. Three things: a shove into a space with the attendants assisting, the receipt saved, and a call to us from the forecourt. Stuck by the pump? Explosion-proof equipment keeps a busy forecourt safe, and so it can be drained where it is.
At home around Wick with AdBlue in your diesel tank
Days had passed with the warning light on. You bought a bottle, poured it in on the driveway, and only when you put the empty bottle in the recycling did you look again at the cap. Just off High Street is not less likely from anywhere.
Put simply: if the car has not moved since, it is nearly as good as spotting it at the forecourt. AdBlue does not mix with diesel; it sinks to the bottom of the tank and waits there. Overnight does not change that.
Your move: the keys in the house, and so nobody drives the car off at breakfast. Then, phone. Our engineers drain the car on your driveway, whether that's in Wick or out in Wick Rocks. Even at night, the pumps are quiet enough for a driveway.
Set off with AdBlue in a diesel around Wick?
You filled up, set off, and a mile or two later the engine began to run roughly, smoke, lose power or light up the dashboard. It might have been driving for Bath, under 10 miles away, or simply down Church Road.
The point: your system has drawn AdBlue through already. Past your filter, along the pipework, and — the further the mileage — deeper into the high-pressure pump and every injector. Each mile and each restart takes it further.
Do this: pull up somewhere safe, then turn the engine off. On the M4, under 5 miles from Wick, that means the next junction, not the services further on. Do not restart it to see if it has cleared; it will not have. Call us and say how far you drove.
AdBlue in the wrong tank: hire, lease and company vehicles
You have only had the car a week. Unbeknown to you, the two fillers sit next to each other here — unlike your own vehicle, which has no AdBlue or stores it elsewhere. Any driver, anywhere in Gloucestershire, could do the same.
What it means: the same as the scenarios above, depending on whether it has run, with one more step. Many hire and company contracts need the owner's sign-off before work.
What to do: ring the hire firm or your fleet manager first, then us. That is quicker settled before our technicians get there than after. Stranded by Wick Village Hall or outside Keynsham till the firm replies, the car stays turned off throughout.
Unsure about AdBlue in the diesel tank in Wick?
Truthfully, the best answer may be that you think so. The bottle is lighter than it should be, there's a faint smell of ammonia around the filler, and you cannot remember which cap you took off. The gates of Wick Church of England Primary School in a hurry, say, or someone's drive over in Beach.
The upshot: the engine is not harmed by a little AdBlue spilled around the outside. AdBlue inside your diesel tank does. You cannot tell which by turning the ignition, and doing so would suck in any AdBlue that is in the tank.
Take it that it was put in, and never start your key. Tell us what you saw on your phone. A clear tank looked at is a better result than a run one drained.
Each AdBlue drain in Wick shares these stages
Each case has the same opening to the work. Three questions come once we arrive — at a filling station, a drive, a street beside Wick Tabernacle or the car park at The Rose and Crown: the liquid, the quantity, and if it has been started. Your price comes on the call, ahead of anyone setting off, and those answers set the work.
A thorough flush comes after this drain. With petrol it is routine; with AdBlue it's crucial, since crystals build up and certain metals corrode, and none of it washes away unaided. Then comes the fuel filter — cleaned, or swapped where needed — followed by fresh diesel, and a test of your vehicle. If your motor hasn't run, most jobs take about half an hour once we are there.
Finally, our technicians start it. Our check that it runs smoothly on new diesel comes before our technicians leave. Our technicians do the whole job where the vehicle is, and lasting damage is very uncommon if it has been caught soon. For your insurer: the engineer's report and the VAT invoice. For you: payment on the day, no money upfront. Worth knowing: lots of insurers include misfuelling cover, so a quick look at your documents as you wait pays.
About Wick, briefly
Wick is a village in Gloucestershire, situated on the riverside at an elevation of around 50 metres, with nearby landmarks including Wick Rocks and Holbrook Common. Wick lies close to the city of Bath, approximately 5.8 miles away, and is part of the wider South West region. Wick has a population of around 889 people, predominantly living in semi-detached housing. Wick is also near Bridgeyate, another local community.
AdBlue drains across Gloucestershire, Wick included
Holbrook Common and Bridgeyate have the same vans as Wick, a village, along with other towns throughout BS postcodes. Fastest of all: a BS30 5 postcode to show your location.
No moving is required, be it stopped in the centre of Wick or on a lay-by en route to Brockwell Park, so leave it where it is. Draining happens on the spot. Guessing doesn't help near St Bartholomew, close to a border or somewhere hard to describe; phone and check.
Your situation, summed up
Where it has not started, phone then leave it off. Started by now? Pull over, switch off, phone. Petrol in Diesel takes over the rest whichever case, across Wick and Gloucestershire, on 0333 366 0103.