AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Winsley, and What to Do Next
Everything hinges on one fact: whether the motor has started after the AdBlue went in — far more than anything else. Not started yet? Then keep it that way, whether the vehicle sits — Winsley or Avoncliff. Switch nothing on, call 0333 366 0103, then count on a thorough flush after a drain, carried out just where your vehicle stands around Winsley. Already run? Stop once safe, then turn everything off. It is a bigger job, yet step one doesn't change.
Anywhere in Wiltshire it happened, one of the situations below matches yours.
Winsley forecourt: AdBlue in a diesel at the pump
Picture it: standing by the petrol pump, gripping the bottle, you spot the cap you opened was not the correct one. Possibly you are at the Essar, possibly at the Texaco, possibly somewhere else around Winsley.
Put simply: no better spot to be to discover it. Nothing has pulled it in, and so the AdBlue stays just in the tank.
What to do: don't get back in and fire it up to clear the pump. Have the staff to lend a hand pushing it to a space, save the bottle, then phone us from there. Emptying it right at the pump is fine if it cannot be moved, since the equipment is explosion-proof.
Winsley, at home: AdBlue in your diesel tank
The warning light had been on for days. Picked up a bottle, poured it in at home, binned the empty — and at that point looked at the cap again, after the fact. It happens on drives just off Belcombe Road as frequently as anywhere.
In short: if the vehicle hasn't been driven since, it's nearly equal to finding out at the pump. AdBlue does not mix with diesel; it sinks to the bottom of that tank and waits there. Overnight doesn't change that.
Next: prevent any early-morning drive by putting the keys in the house, then ring us. Turleigh or Winsley: wherever your drive sits, that is where it is cleared. Our equipment runs quietly enough not to disturb the street at night.
On the road around Winsley with AdBlue in a diesel
A short way beyond filling up, your engine began misbehaving: rough running, smoke, lost power, warnings on the dash. Dane Close, say, or the way to Bath — a run of under 5 miles.
What it means: your fuel system has pulled the AdBlue in. Distance sets how far it gets: filter and pipework to begin with, then the injection pump and every injector. Every restart, like every mile, pushes it on.
What to do: pull over where it's safe then switch off. Service stations further along are too far: on the M4, under 15 miles out of Winsley, use the next junction. It will not have cleared, and so there's no sense starting it again to find out. Call us and say how far you travelled.
A hire or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank?
You have had the car barely a week. Unknown to you, the two fillers sit side by side here — not like your own vehicle, which has no AdBlue or keeps it in another spot. Anywhere you happen to be around Wiltshire, any motorist could be caught.
What it means: the same as the situations above, depending on whether it has run, with one more step. Many hire and company contracts want the owner to approve work on the vehicle.
Sorting it before we arrives is quicker, and so ring the rental company or your fleet manager, then us. Keep it switched off while the reply arrives, even if you are parked outside Avoncliff or close to St Nicholas Church.
Unsure about AdBlue in the diesel tank in Winsley?
Sometimes the fair answer is "I think so". The bottle is lighter than it should be, there's a faint smell of ammonia around your filler, and you cannot remember which cap you took off. A rushed top-up by the gates of Winsley CoE VC Primary School, or a call to a friend in Upper Westwood: either fit.
The point: the engine isn't harmed by a little AdBlue splashed around the filler. The diesel tank with AdBlue inside is another matter. Turning on the car will not tell you which, and if there is AdBlue in your tank it would pull it in.
What to do: treat it as if it was put in. Do not fire it up. Inspecting a tank that proves clean is better than emptying one after it's been run — so ring then tell us what you noticed.
The common ground in each Winsley AdBlue drain
Each case has the same start to the work. Filling station, driveway, The Seven Stars's car park or a road beside Winsley Village Hall — the van reaches the car, and three answers follow: which liquid, which amount, and if it has run. Answers shape the work; the quote comes by phone whilst nobody has left yet.
AdBlue crystallises and eats at some metals in fuel systems, so it does not rinse out unaided; that's why a full flush, after the drain, matters much more here than with petrol. Then is the fuel filter — flushed, or replaced where necessary — then clean diesel, and a test of your car. Where the motor has not been started, expect roughly half an hour once we arrive, for most cases.
Our technicians fire it up last. Before our engineers head off, it is tested to be sure it runs smoothly on new diesel. The whole job is done where the vehicle is, and if it is spotted soon, long-term damage is very rare. Nothing is paid upfront, settlement happens on the day, and you receive what the insurer asks for: an engineer report and a VAT invoice. Worth remembering: many insurers include misfuelling cover, so a quick look at your documents while you wait is worthwhile.
About Winsley
Winsley is a village in Wiltshire, situated near the city of Bath and surrounded by nearby places such as Turleigh, Murhill, and Conkwell. Winsley sits inland at an elevation of 114 metres, with a mix of countryside and residential areas, including a predominance of detached housing. Winsley is located approximately 93 miles west of London, making it a relatively rural community within commuting distance of the capital. Winsley has a population of around 1703 residents, according to recent estimates.
AdBlue drains across Wiltshire, Winsley included
Being a rural village, Winsley shares its vans with the surrounding towns — Conkwell, Murhill — right across BA postcodes. A postcode starting BA15 2 is the quickest way to tell us where you are.
Whether the car is on a lay-by on the way to Winsley Cricket Club or in a car park in the middle of Winsley, it does not need to move. The van drains it in place. Phone and check instead of guessing if you're close to Avoncliff Aqueduct, on a boundary, or anywhere awkward to pin down.
Your scenario, in one line
Not run yet: keep it off and call. Already run: stop, switch off then call. Either way, Petrol in Diesel takes it from there in Winsley and anywhere around Wiltshire on 0333 366 0103.