What AdBlue does inside the wrong system and why the next few minutes matter.
AdBlue is a urea and water solution that's designed for the SCR exhaust system, not the engine. Put it in the diesel tank and it sits underneath the fuel, gets pulled through the lift pump and corrodes seals, hoses, the high pressure pump and the injectors. Put diesel in the AdBlue tank and it ruins the metering pump and SCR doser. Both are jobs for a specialist, not a fuel system gamble.
The most important thing is what you do next. If the engine hasn't been started, the AdBlue hasn't reached the pump yet. We drain the tank, flush the lines, refuel and most cars drive away with no lasting harm. If the engine has run, damage may extend beyond the fuel recovery. We handle the fuel side only and refer suspected internal damage to a workshop. Tell us which tank received the wrong fluid and whether the ignition or engine has been on.
We come to you wherever the misfill happened, at the truck stop, the depot, the servo or at home. A qualified technician identifies which tank got what, drains it cleanly, flushes the lines, refills correctly and checks the system runs cleanly before you leave. AdBlue is disposed of separately and legally.
The mechanics of an AdBlue drain are the same drain and flush process we use for petrol in diesel jobs, with a more thorough flush because AdBlue crystallises fast.
AdBlue in the diesel tank is the misfill we treat most carefully and the one that catches people out most. Ranger Bi-Turbo, Amarok V6, HiLux GR, Prado, MU-X, Colorado, every Euro diesel wagon, plus Iveco, Fuso and Hino light trucks all run AdBlue. On some models the SCR filler sits right next to the diesel filler and the AdBlue jug pours like any other fluid. One distracted minute at the servo and you've got water and urea sitting on top of the diesel. Recent ones: a Ford Transit at Parafield Gardens and a Nissan Navara at Elizabeth South.
Call us before you start the car. We come to you, drain the tank, flush the fuel lines and injector rail, put fresh diesel back in and run a full system scan before we hand you back the keys. On site, usually 60 to 120 minutes.
If you cranked it or drove before you realised, stop safely, switch it off and tell us on the call. AdBlue can contaminate and damage fuel system components. We handle the fuel side only. Suspected internal damage is referred to a workshop. Any additional check we carry out is priced separately and agreed with you first.
The other version of this misfill is diesel poured into the AdBlue tank. Different job, different price and we drain the SCR tank instead of the fuel tank. Either way, mention on the call whether the engine has been started so we plan the flush. If the engine has not been started yet, keep it that way. Call (08) 7083 9699. We'll come to you.
Real jobs, done recently, close to home and out in the regions.
Two litres of AdBlue in the diesel tank of a Ford Transit at Parafield Gardens. Never started, but the ignition had been turned on, so we treated it as contaminated past the tank. Drained and flushed on the kerb.
AdBlue in the diesel tank, never started. Drained, fresh diesel put in, idling clean by evening.
Ten years of stale fuel cleaned out of a 1971 Chrysler Valiant Regal at Woodville West, before it went to a workshop to be brought back to the road. Tank drained in the owner's shed.
A diesel Ford Everest misfuelled with 75 litres of petrol at a Murray Bridge servo, never started. We met the customer at home, drained it and had it back on the road for the weekend.
Straight answers about AdBlue misfills. If yours is not here, call and ask.
Every truck and ute is set up a bit different, but the job is the same. AdBlue is heavier than diesel so it sits at the bottom of the tank, we drain it all, flush the fuel lines and injector rail, put fresh diesel in and run a full system scan before we hand you back the keys. On site, usually 60 to 120 minutes.
AdBlue is a urea and water solution. Heat it inside the fuel system and it crystallises, blocks injector nozzles, corrodes steel and aluminium components and turns the inside of a common rail pump into a salt mine. A cold drain before starting is straightforward. If the engine has run or crystallisation is suspected, we cannot promise a roadside recovery will be enough. We handle the fuel side only. Suspected internal damage is referred to a workshop. Any additional check we carry out is priced separately and agreed with you first.
Do not start the engine. Do not turn the key. Even a few seconds of cranking pulls AdBlue up to the high pressure pump where the heat starts crystallising it. Call (08) 7083 9699 and we dispatch straight away. Typically inside the hour across Adelaide metro, actual ETA quoted on the call.
Our price is quoted on the phone before we move. Tell us which tank received the wrong fluid and whether the engine has run. We handle the fuel side only and refer suspected internal damage to a workshop. Any additional check we carry out is priced separately and agreed with you first.
Full Adelaide metro, the Hills, Barossa, Fleurieu Peninsula and Victor Harbor. Metro arrival is typically inside the hour, with the actual ETA quoted on the call. Regional arrival is 90 to 150 minutes for Hills and Barossa, 90 to 120 minutes for Fleurieu and Victor Harbor, and quoted on the call for other regional callouts. Common on Ranger Bi-Turbo, Amarok V6, HiLux, Prado, MU-X and Euro diesels, plus Iveco, Fuso and Hino light trucks.
We drain the tank, flush the fuel lines and injector rail, put fresh diesel in, then run a full system scan and listen to the engine before we hand you back the keys. You get a full comprehensive report and a written invoice on the spot. If diesel went into the AdBlue tank instead, that is a separate SCR tank drain, quoted on the call.
No. Once the engine cranks, the lift pump pulls AdBlue up into the high pressure pump and the heat crystallises it inside the injectors and rail. A cold pre start drain is straightforward. If the engine has run or entered limp mode, keep it off and tell us. We handle the fuel side only. Suspected internal damage is referred to a workshop. Any additional check we carry out is priced separately and agreed with you first.
AdBlue is the fastest of the misfills to cause trouble because heat crystallises the urea inside the fuel system. If the engine hasn't run, no damage is happening, cold drain and you're sorted. If it has run, keep it off and call us. We handle the fuel side only. Suspected internal damage is referred to a workshop. Any additional check we carry out is priced separately and agreed with you first.
Most standard comprehensive policies treat misfuelling as driver error, so an AdBlue misfill is often not covered. Fleet and business cover also depends on the policy. Check your product disclosure statement or call your insurer. Our invoice lists EPA Licence 52359, service type and time on site, which is what insurers ask for. Send us the claim number and we can send documentation direct.