Put AdBlue in the diesel tank around Teesside? Read this
Put AdBlue in the diesel tank? Do not start the engine. It is water-based, sinks to the fuel pickup and corrodes the pump — but caught early it is a drain. Call 01293 248666.
Why AdBlue does not belong there
AdBlue is 32.5% urea in demineralised water. It is dosed into the exhaust to clean up emissions and never goes near the engine. In a diesel tank it does not mix — it sinks to the bottom, which is precisely where the fuel pickup sits, and gets drawn straight into the lift pump and filter.
What it does once it is in the fuel system
Urea crystallises as it dries and is corrosive to several of the metals used in a fuel system. Run on it, and it reaches the high-pressure pump. Caught before the engine starts, it is a drain and flush like any other misfuel.
The reverse problem is worse
Diesel in the AdBlue tank is a different and far more serious failure, because hydrocarbon contamination can ruin the whole emissions system. That is covered in depth on adblueinfuel.co.uk, the network's specialist site. If you are not sure which tank it went into, say so when you call from Teesside — it changes the job completely.
Around Teesside
Teesside calls are more commercial than almost anywhere else in the network: process-plant fleets, port and freight traffic, and contractor vans. Drivers in a works vehicle they do not normally take out are the single most over-represented group in misfuel work. Shift patterns rather than rush hours, plus a summer coastal peak towards Redcar and Saltburn on the A174.
That applies across the villages we cover, including Thorpe Thewles, Carlton, Redmarshall, Bishopton, Stillington, Preston-on-Tees, Aislaby, Kirklevington, Hilton, Maltby, Thornton and Seamer.
- Leave the key alone This is the one that decides the price. Wrong fuel sitting in a tank is a drain; wrong fuel that has been through the engine is a different job.
- Do not push or coast it Moving the vehicle can slosh contaminated fuel toward the pickup. Leave it where it is unless staying there is unsafe.
- Make yourself safe Hazards on. On a forecourt, tell the cashier — they will almost always let you stay put once they know a drainer is coming.
- Call 01293 248666 Tell us the vehicle, which fuel went in, roughly how much, and whether the engine ran. You get a full price before anyone sets off.
- We drain, flush and prime Tank emptied, lines flushed, fresh fuel in, system bled and run up before we go.
- You drive away Most jobs finish on site in about an hour. The old fuel leaves with us under a waste transfer note.
Why the engine matters more than the litres
People assume a splash is fine and a full tank is a disaster. It is the other way round. Wrong fuel sitting in a tank is inert — it is a drain. Turn the key and it travels: lift pump, filter, high-pressure pump, injectors, and every stage it reaches adds a component to the bill. Five litres burned is worse than fifty litres left alone.
Downtime on a commercial vehicle costs more per hour than the job itself, which is why draining on site rather than recovering to a workshop is usually the only answer that makes commercial sense here.
The cost, honestly
Here is how the price actually moves. None of it depends on how many litres of the wrong fuel went in — all of it depends on whether the engine ran.
| Call-out | From just £89 misfuel callout fee |
|---|---|
| Engine never started | Usually the drain and flush only |
| Engine run briefly | Drain, flush, often a new fuel filter |
| Driven some distance | May need the high-pressure pump or injectors checking — a workshop job |
| When you hear the price | On the phone, before anyone travels |
Questions we get asked
Is there an out-of-hours surcharge?
The call-out is the call-out. Whatever the total is, you hear it on the phone before anyone travels.
What about a van or a hire car?
Same job. With a hire car, ring the hire company too — some policies cover a misfuel drain and it is worth knowing before you pay.
What if it is not safe to drain where I am?
Then we tell you that on the phone rather than after arriving. Being told honestly costs nothing; being told on arrival costs a call-out.
Do you work at night?
Yes, around the clock, every day. A large share of misfuels happen after dark, so the rota reflects that.
Can you come to a supermarket forecourt?
Yes, and it is where a good proportion of jobs happen. Tell the cashier a drainer is on the way; they are used to it.
What people actually said
4.8 out of 5 from 2,190 Trustpilot reviews. Two themes dominate the positive ones — how fast someone arrived, and how calm they were about it.
The recurring negative is price. Publishing that alongside the answer seems more useful than hiding it: From just £89 misfuel callout fee is the call-out, the total is quoted before a technician moves, and there is no charge for being told on the phone that this is a job for a workshop.
More local guides
- Winter misfuelling in Teesside: what changes
- Misfuelled in Middlesbrough? The local guide to the first hour
- Misfuelled around Billingham? Read this before you call
- Misfuelled in Yarm? The local guide to the first hour
- Misfuelled around Eston? Read this before you call
- Misfuelled in Saltburn-by-the-Sea? A local guide
More on wrong fuel in Teesside
For coverage by postcode district, see the postcode index; for the roads we cover, the road guides; and for every town and village by name, the area index.
Who you are dealing with
Wrong Fuel Teesside is a service by Forecourt Assist. Forecourt Assist is a trading name of Fuel Fixer Ltd, company no 08520551, a company of Fuel Fixer International. Registered at Fairway House, Portland Road, East Grinstead, RH19 4ET. Fuel Fixer International is owned by Stockbridge Capital Holdings.
Across the Fuel Fixer network
Wrong Fuel Teesside is one of the brands operated by Forecourt Assist. The full directory is on the operator site.
- Wrong Fuel Gateshead — Gateshead and the Derwent valley
- Misfuel Doctor — the national wrong fuel brand
- Wrong Fuel Penrith — Penrith and the Eden valley
- Wrong Fuel Gateshead — Gateshead and the Derwent valley
- Forecourt Assist — the complete network directory
- Fuel Fixer International — the operating group
- Stockbridge Capital Holdings — group owner
Background reading: Environment Agency.