What Now? AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Willington
What to do about AdBlue in a diesel tank comes down to one thing more than any other: if your engine has been run since it went in. Not run so far? Then leave the vehicle that way, whether the car is — Willington or Shepway. Ring 0333 366 0103 with the key and engine still off. Across Willington, such a case is generally drained and flushed on the spot. Already run? Stop once you safely can, then switch it off. It's a larger job, though stage one does not change.
Further down: the situations our technicians meet, wherever in Kent. Pick the one that fits.
At the pump around Willington: AdBlue in a diesel
You're at the petrol 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 Shell, or perhaps the another forecourt nearby, or another forecourt in Willington.
The upshot: of all places to find out, this is the best. Just the tank holds AdBlue; no component beyond it has taken any in.
Clearing the pump is no reason to start it — and so don't get back in. Get the attendants to lend a hand pushing it to a bay, hold on to the receipt, then ring us right there. If it can't be shifted, it can be drained at the petrol pump: the equipment is explosion-proof and fine on a working forecourt.
AdBlue in the diesel tank on a Willington drive?
For days the dash had been nagging you. Only by the recycling, the empty bottle in your hand, did you glance back at the cap you'd opened at the driveway. Houses just off Longham Copse are caught out as much as anywhere else.
What it means: if you haven't driven since, this is nearly as good as the forecourt. AdBlue doesn't mix with diesel; it sinks to the bottom of your tank and waits there. Overnight does not change that.
Next: stop an early move by keeping the keys in the house, then phone us. Your drive is where it gets emptied, whether in Willington or Green Hill. The pumps are quiet enough to use outside a house after dark.
On the road in Willington with AdBlue in a diesel
You filled up, set off, and a mile or two later your engine began to run roughly, smoke, lose power or light up the dashboard. Maybe it was on Horton Downs, possibly on the way out towards Southend-on-Sea, under 25 miles away.
What it means: your fuel system has sucked the AdBlue in. Past your filter, through the lines, and — the more the mileage — deeper into the high-pressure pump and every injector. More driving, more starts: further it travels.
Pull in safely — that is the first job — then turn everything off. Service stations further along are too far: on the M20, under 3 miles out of Willington, use the first junction. Restarting it to check gets nothing — AdBlue never clears on its own. About how far had it gone? Tell us when you call.
AdBlue in the wrong tank: hire, lease and company motors
You've just driven this car for days. Your own car either does without AdBlue or puts it elsewhere, and so no one warned you the AdBlue cap sits right next to your diesel. Any driver, wherever around Kent, could make it.
The point: just as above, split by if it ran, but with one added step. The owner often has to approve the work, under many rental and company contracts.
Next: phone the rental company or your fleet manager first, and then us — settling it before our arrival is faster. Stranded near St Nicholas or at Bearsted till someone replies, the car stays turned off the whole time.
AdBlue in the diesel tank? Not sure, in Willington
At times, "I think so" is all you can truthfully say. The bottle is lighter than it should be, there is a faint smell of ammonia round the filler, and you can't remember which cap you took off. Perhaps it happened in a hurry at the school gates at Madginford Primary School, or on a friend's drive in Roseacre.
Put simply: spillage near the filler leaves the motor no harm. AdBlue inside your diesel tank does. You can't tell which by turning the ignition, and doing so would suck in any AdBlue that is in the tank.
Next: assume it went in, then leave your engine off. Checking a tank that proves clean is better than draining one once it has been run — so phone and tell us what you saw.
The common ground in each Willington AdBlue drain
Every situation has the same start to the work. We come to your car, whether it is at a forecourt, a driveway, the car park at The Orchard or a side street close to St Peter, and ask three things: what got in, roughly how much, and whether the engine has run. Replies shape the work; the quote comes on the call whilst no one has left yet.
AdBlue forms crystals and eats at certain metals in fuel systems, and so it won't wash out unaided; that is why the flush, after this drain, counts much more with AdBlue than with petrol. Then comes the fuel filter — cleaned, or replaced when necessary — followed by clean diesel, and a test of your car. Where your engine has not been started, allow about half an hour on site, for most jobs.
Our technicians fire it up last. Our check that it runs correctly on new diesel comes before our engineers leave. If it is spotted quickly, the car very rarely has long-term 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 plus a VAT invoice. Dig out your insurance while we're en route: cover for misfuelling comes included in many policies.
About Willington and where it is
Willington is a suburban area in Kent, situated on the banks of the River Medway at an elevation of 42 metres. Willington lies approximately 34 miles from London and is close to the nearby settlements of Green Hill, Bearsted, and Otham. Willington has a population of around 4704 people and is characterised by its predominantly semi-detached housing stock. Willington is also near the city of Southend-on-Sea, which is 20 miles away.
Willington and Kent: AdBlue drains across the area
As a residential suburb, Willington has the same vans as the nearby towns — Otham, Bearsted — right across ME postcodes. A postcode starting ME15 8 is the quickest way to tell us where you are.
Central Willington or a lay-by towards Old Spot Lane Nature Area: either way it sits, your vehicle doesn't need to shift an inch for us. The drain is done on the spot. Phone and ask rather than guess when you're close to Volunteers Pavilion, on a border, or anywhere tricky to explain.
Your situation, in one line
If it has not started, phone then keep it that way. Already run: stop, switch off then ring. Either way, Petrol in Diesel takes it from there around Willington and anywhere across Kent on 0333 366 0103.