AdBlue delete on your driveway, or repaired at JF Automotive.
Maybe the warning will not clear, maybe there is a countdown to no-start, or the car has dropped into limp mode. You have two ways out. We switch the system off in software on your driveway, priced from the registration before we come. Or, if you want it repaired, the car goes to JF Automotive in Maidstone, the workshop we are part of, to be diagnosed and fixed. Tell us what the dashboard says and we will tell you which you are looking at.
- From £245
- Fully insured
- Fixed price before the visit
AdBlue fix, or AdBlue delete
A delete is a software job we do on your driveway. A repair is workshop work, and for that the car goes to JF Automotive in Maidstone, where it is diagnosed properly and put right. Which one you go for is up to you.
AdBlue fix
The car goes to JF Automotive in Maidstone. They test the whole SCR system, tank sensors, heater, pump, injector, NOx sensors and the wiring between them, find the part that has actually failed and replace it. The warning clears, the countdown resets, the system keeps working and the car stays exactly as the manufacturer built it.
A repair is not a mobile job, so we do not come out to diagnose it first. Book it straight into JF Automotive, the workshop we are part of, and they diagnose and fix it in one go.
Book it in for a repairAdBlue delete
The SCR system is switched off in the engine ECU. The warnings, the countdown and the limp mode stop, the car no longer uses AdBlue, and there are no more sensors, pumps or injectors to fail. It takes about an hour on the driveway and is written from your original file, which we keep so the car can go back to standard on one visit.
Priced from the registration, before we come, and the price does not change on the driveway.
Get a price for a deleteWhat the AdBlue warning looks like
There is no standard AdBlue symbol. Each manufacturer draws it differently, and some show only words. Read the message rather than hunting for a symbol, and quote it to us as it is written.
A canister pouring
VW, Audi, Skoda, SEAT and Cupra. This is the most common one on UK roads. It looks more like a fuel symbol than a warning, so people tend to ignore it.
“Add AdBlue (DEF)! No engine start in 350 mi.”A tank with the word on it
Mercedes, and most Peugeot, Citroen and DS models. Some say UREA instead of AdBlue, which is the same fluid under its chemical name.
“Refill AdBlue. No start in 47 mi.”Or just the engine light
Ford, BMW, Land Rover, Jaguar and many others report an SCR fault through the ordinary engine management lamp, with the detail in the driver display or not at all. The stored fault code is what tells us it is AdBlue.
“Emissions fault: starting prevented in 700 mi.”
How long have you got before it will not start?
On most VW group cars the dashboard counts down in stages, so it is already telling you how far you can still drive. Other makes give a single figure, as the Mercedes above did.
Just words in the display, with no lamp yet. The message comes back every few dozen miles until it is dealt with.
The lamp joins the message and the reminder comes more often. This is the point to book it.
The car runs until the counter reaches zero. Once switched off after that, it will not start again until the fault is fixed.
Topping up only helps if the tank is genuinely low. Where a sensor, a heater or an injector has failed, the countdown carries on after a refill, because the car still cannot prove the system is doing its job. Disconnecting the battery does not reset the counter either.
What an AdBlue fix, an AdBlue delete and an AdBlue off actually are
AdBlue and SCR
AdBlue is a urea solution sprayed into the exhaust ahead of a catalyst, where it turns nitrogen oxides into nitrogen and water. The system that does this is called Selective Catalytic Reduction, or SCR. The engine ECU watches it constantly, and when it cannot prove the system is working it warns you, then limits power, then refuses to start.
AdBlue fix
Finding the part that has failed and putting it right, so the system works again and the ECU stops complaining. A level sensor, a tank heater, a NOx sensor, a crystallised injector, a pump or bad fluid all look the same from the driver's seat, and only proper diagnostics on a ramp tells them apart. That is a workshop job, done at JF Automotive. The car stays as the manufacturer built it.
AdBlue delete, or AdBlue off
A change to the engine software so the ECU no longer monitors or runs the SCR system. The lamps, the countdown and the limp mode stop, and the car no longer uses AdBlue. It is a software job, about an hour on the driveway, and it is reversible from the original file we keep.
Before you book an AdBlue delete
An AdBlue delete means the vehicle no longer meets the emissions standard it was approved to. Under regulation 61A of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 it is then an offence to use it on a public road, and it will not pass an MOT. A delete is for vehicles used off the public road, on private land, or being exported; driving to have the equipment repaired and driving to a port for export are both permitted.
By booking a delete you confirm the vehicle's use and accept our delete conditions, which are set out in full in our terms and conditions. That is the whole of the notice. You now have the facts, and the decision on what to do is yours to make.
Read the delete conditions in our terms →From the message on your dash to a car that starts
A delete is priced from the registration and done on your driveway. A repair goes to JF Automotive, who price it once they have read the codes, before any work starts.
Tell us what the dash says
Send us the registration, the message as written, roughly how many miles the counter shows, and whether you want it deleted or repaired. The form below takes a minute.
A fixed price, usually the same day
For a delete, one figure from the registration. For a repair, we pass you to JF Automotive and they book the car in.
We send you a booking link
For a delete, pick a date and a time at home or at work. Your engineer's name is on the booking. For a repair, the booking is with the workshop.
A delete on your driveway, a fix at the workshop
For a delete, we read and keep the original file and write the new one, all on your driveway or at work, then road test it to prove the warning has gone. For a repair, JF Automotive read the codes and live SCR data, find the failed part, replace it and road test it.
What it costs
From £245, and every job is quoted on the car. A level sensor and a failed pump feel identical from the driver's seat and are not the same work, so a price list would be a promise we could not keep on your driveway. Every figure you are given is fixed, and it does not change when we get there.
A delete is a software job, priced from the registration before we come. A repair is priced by JF Automotive once the car is on the ramp and the codes have been read, and agreed with you before any work starts.
- Original file read and kept, so the car can go back to standard
- One fixed price from the registration, agreed before we come
- Done at your home or work, about an hour, no workshop visit
- Fully insured engineer, road test to confirm the warning has cleared. For a repair, JF Automotive quote the car on the ramp
Get my price
Give us the registration, what the dashboard says, and where you are. We come back with a fixed price, usually the same day, and a booking link if you want to go ahead. Pick the box that matches the job; if you are not sure, leave it and tell us the message.
- From £245, quoted on the car
- Fully insured, at your home or work
- No workshop visit, no courtesy car needed
The AdBlue faults behind almost every warning
Nine things account for nearly every AdBlue warning JF Automotive see. The fault codes are the generic ones your scanner would show; the make-specific ones vary.
- NOx sensor failure - P229F and the P2200 range. The commonest fault of all, and the one most often mistaken for low fluid.
- Countdown to no-start - The car has logged a fault it cannot clear on its own. Refilling does not reset it.
- Limp mode from an SCR fault - Reduced power because the ECU cannot prove the emissions system is working.
- Reductant level sensor - P203F. The tank is full but the car reads it as empty, or the other way round.
- Tank or line heater failure - AdBlue freezes at minus 11 C. A failed heater shows up on the first cold morning.
- Pump or pressure fault - P20E8. The dosing pump cannot hold pressure, often from crystallised fluid.
- Crystallised or blocked injector - P204F. The dosing is wrong or missing altogether, and the catalyst efficiency code usually follows.
- SCR efficiency below threshold - P20EE. The catalyst is not converting enough NOx, which can be the catalyst or anything upstream.
- Wrong or contaminated fluid - Water, diesel or old AdBlue in the tank. The quality sensor rejects it and the countdown begins.
Backed by JF Automotive
Remaps UK is the mobile arm of JF Automotive, a Maidstone workshop that has been tuning and repairing cars for thirty years. The files and the rolling road behind this work are theirs. A software delete is done on your driveway by us. An AdBlue repair is done by them, in Maidstone, so you are not passed to a stranger.
About JF Automotive →Any diesel with an SCR system
Most Euro 6 diesels sold in the UK since around 2015 have one. These are the makes and models that turn up most often; if yours is not here it almost certainly still applies.
- Audi A3, A4, A5, A6, Q3, Q5, Q7, Q8
- BMW 1 Series, 3 Series, 5 Series, X3, X5, X6
- Citroen C3, C4, C5, Berlingo, Dispatch, Relay
- Ford Focus, Mondeo, Kuga, Transit, Ranger
- Hyundai Santa Fe, Tucson, i800
- Jaguar XE, XF, F-Pace, E-Pace
- Land Rover Range Rover, Discovery, Evoque, Velar
- Mercedes A, B, C and E-Class, CLA, GLC, Sprinter, Vito
- Peugeot 208, 308, 508, Boxer, Partner, Expert
- Renault Megane, Kadjar, Trafic, Master, Kangoo
- Toyota Hilux, Proace, Land Cruiser, RAV4
- Volkswagen Golf, Passat, Tiguan, Crafter, Transporter, Caddy
Also Skoda, SEAT, Cupra, Vauxhall, Nissan, Kia, Volvo, Fiat and Iveco. Vans and pickups are a large part of this work, because a Transit or Sprinter off the road usually means a business off the road.
AdBlue questions, answered plainly
I topped it up and the warning is still on. Why?
Because on most vehicles the lamp is not reporting the level. It is reporting a fault the system has already logged. Topping up does not clear a stored fault, and on many makes the lamp only goes out after the system has completed a successful self-check, or after the fault is repaired and the code cleared. If it stayed on after a proper top-up, treat it as a fault rather than a fluid problem.
It says no start in X miles. What happens at zero?
Exactly what it says. The vehicle starts normally until the counter runs out, and then it will not restart once switched off. It is a legal requirement built into the emissions system, not a fault getting worse. The counter does not reset on its own and it does not reset by disconnecting the battery; it resets when the fault is fixed. Do not leave it to the last few miles.
Can I still drive with the AdBlue light on?
Usually yes in the short term, and the car may drop into reduced-power limp mode. But an illuminated emissions warning is an MOT failure, and if a countdown is running you are on a clock.
How much does an AdBlue delete or fix cost?
A delete is a software job from £245, one fixed figure from the registration, usually the same day you ask. A repair is quoted by JF Automotive once the car is on the ramp and the codes have been read, because a level sensor and a failed pump are not the same job, and the figure is agreed with you before any work starts.
How long does an AdBlue delete take?
About an hour on the driveway for most cars: the original file is read and kept, the new file written, and the car road tested. Some newer ECUs have to come out of the car to be read on the bench, which takes longer, and you are told which yours is when you get your price.
Do you come to me?
For a software delete, yes: everything is done at your home or your workplace, and Remaps UK is mobile only with no premises of its own. A repair is different. It needs a ramp and proper diagnostics, so we do not come out for it; the car goes to JF Automotive in Maidstone, the company we are part of, and they diagnose and fix it there.
Can a delete be reversed?
Yes. We keep your original file, and putting the car back exactly as it was takes one visit. If you are returning a lease car, selling it or visiting a dealer, tell us and we will book it in.
What if a main dealer software update overwrites the file?
It can happen. We will need to visit again to reload it, which carries a call-out charge starting at £50 depending on where you are. Tell the dealer the car has been modified before any update, and they will usually leave the engine software alone.
Kent, East Sussex, Essex, Surrey and London
One engineer covers a lot of towns. Kent, East Sussex and London have their own pages; Essex and Surrey are covered from Kent until their engineers are in place.
John F. Maidstone, Medway, Canterbury, Ashford, Tonbridge, Dartford and every town between.
This area → East SussexBrighton, Eastbourne, Hastings, Lewes and the coast.
This area →Chelmsford, Southend, Basildon, Colchester and the London fringe.
Guildford, Woking, Reigate, Epsom and the M25 towns.
South and east London, inside and around the M25.
This area →Related work, on the driveway or at JF Automotive
DPF delete or fix
A blocked particulate filter, a regeneration that never completes, or limp mode. Switched off in software on your driveway, or repaired at JF Automotive.
Read more → Often found alongsideEGR delete or fix
A sticking or clogged EGR valve gives a rough idle and an engine light. Cleaned or replaced at JF Automotive, or switched off in software on your driveway.
Read more → Not sure which it is?Engine light on
We come out and read the codes from every module, tell you which system they point at, and say where it goes from there.
Read more →