Performance
Diagnostics
£40–50
Performance
AdBlue delete
An AdBlue delete is a software change that stops the ECU running the AdBlue system, and we do it only for off-road, motorsport or export vehicles. If your car is used on the road, what you want is the AdBlue system repaired.
What an AdBlue delete is
AdBlue is the fluid a modern diesel injects into its exhaust to cut nitrogen oxides. The ECU watches the system through sensors, a pump and an injector, and when it decides something is wrong it warns you, then starts counting down the miles until the engine will not restart.
A delete is a recalibration of that ECU so it no longer operates or monitors the system. It is software only. The tank, the pump and the injector all stay on the vehicle exactly where they were. Leaving them there describes the work; it is not a way past an inspection, and it changes nothing about where the vehicle can legally be used.
It also does not fix anything. The fault that triggered the warning is still there; the vehicle has simply stopped being told about it. That limits the work to vehicles that are not driven on public roads.
Who this is for
Competition and track vehicles that never see a public road, machinery used off-road, and vehicles being exported to countries whose emissions rules are not the UK's. Those are the uses this is offered for, and we will ask which one applies to you.
Most people who enquire are not in that group. They are driving a road car with a countdown on the dash and a dealer quote they did not expect. For that car the answer is AdBlue system repair. We diagnose the fault and fix the sensor, injector or pump that caused it, and the vehicle stays road legal.
If you are not sure which situation you are in, book a diagnostics check first. Knowing what has actually failed costs less than acting on a guess, and it is the only way to have this conversation properly.
How we do it
We start by asking what the vehicle is and what it is used for. That is not a formality on this page. The answer decides whether we take the job at all, and if you describe a daily road car we will tell you so and talk about repair instead.
We run a diagnostics check before anything is written. If the car has a fault, tuning on top of it hides the fault rather than fixing it, so we deal with that first or we don't proceed.
The calibration is written with dealer-level tools rather than a generic cable, and nothing is unbolted at any point. The vehicle is then run and checked before it goes back to you, because a file is not proven until the vehicle has run on it.
Every job runs on a 100-amp battery support unit. Voltage dropping mid-write is how ECUs get bricked, and it is the single most common way a cheap remap goes wrong.
You can have a USB backup of your original file, so the car can be put back to how it left the factory whenever you want.
What's included
- A conversation about how the vehicle is used, before anything is agreed
- A diagnostics check before anything is written
- Software-only calibration on dealer-level tools, with no parts removed
- A 100-amp battery support unit on the vehicle throughout
- A USB backup of your original file, so the vehicle can be put back to factory settings
- Testing on the vehicle before it goes back to you
Why us for this
The work is done at our own unit at 85 Bogmoor Road in Glasgow, across from the Shieldhall test centre. Writing to an ECU is workshop work with the vehicle on a battery support unit, not something we do at the kerbside or at your address.
The work is done by an IMI-approved technician trained by The OBD Company, on dealer-level tools rather than a generic cable.
We are as willing to talk you out of this as into it. We repair AdBlue systems as well as delete them, and for a car that lives on the road the repair is the route that keeps it road legal. Tell us the registration and what the dash is showing, and we will tell you which of the two we think you need.
Common questions
Can I have this done on my road car?
No. It is offered strictly for off-road, motorsport or export vehicles. For a car used on public roads we will look at repairing the AdBlue system instead.
Will the car still pass an MOT?
Removing or disabling emissions equipment is not road legal in the UK, and the MOT includes emissions checks. Keeping a vehicle compliant is the owner's responsibility, not something this work helps with.
Can you repair the AdBlue system instead?
Yes, and on a road car it is the first option we would point you at. Faults usually sit in the sensors, the injector or the pump, and a diagnostics check tells us which before anyone spends money on parts.
Is anything taken off the vehicle?
No. It is a software change and the AdBlue hardware stays fitted. That describes what we do to the vehicle; it does not change the position on where the vehicle can be used.
Can it be put back to standard?
Yes, if you have taken the USB backup of your original file. That file is what puts the ECU back to how it left the factory.
The dash is counting down to no restart. What should I do?
Get it looked at rather than waiting. The countdown means the ECU has already logged a fault, and a diagnostics check will tell you what has failed, which you need to know before choosing between a repair and anything else.
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Let's get you a price
Tell us what you drive and what you want done to it. We will come back with a price for your car, not a range off a chart.