Wrong Fuel

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Have you put the wrong fuel in your car?

It’s best not to start your engine after placing the wrong fuel in the tank. Doing so will mean that you are circulating the wrong fuel through the system which can increase the risk of real damage due to contamination. As soon as you realise the mistake, push the car to a safe place and call us.

Petrol in a Diesel Car

If you have put petrol in a diesel car, then you need to act quickly. Putting the wrong fuel into your vehicle can cause havoc to your journey and potentially cause extensive damage to your car engine.

It’s a common mistake to make. On average, it happens every three minutes in the UK with roughly 150,000 motorists filling their tank with the wrong fuel every year. That includes putting diesel in a petrol car too – but putting petrol in a diesel is more serious.

If you put petrol in a diesel car, the most important thing to remember is not to try to start your car. Starting your engine will circulate the mixed fuel around your engine, which can cause more damage.

What to do if you’ve put Petrol in a Diesel Car

Remember – do not switch on your ignition. You want to make sure that the fuel is drained so that you can be on your way.

What Happens if You Put Petrol in a Diesel Car?

Putting petrol in your diesel car may damage your fuel system if not dealt with properly. When you put petrol fuel in, the mix of petrol in diesel acts as a solvent, reducing lubrication and causing damage to the pump as the metal parts come into contact and rub together. Other parts of the fuel system which might not be compatible with petrol, can also be damaged.

Switching on your car’s ignition will circulate this mix of petrol in diesel through your fuel system, causing further contamination to other components.

Ultimately, this could mean that the entire fuel system requires costly repairs, or replacing completely

Diesel in a Petrol Car

If you have made the mistake of putting diesel in a petrol car, you run the risk of causing serious damage to your vehicle. It’s important to act quickly when you have put the wrong type of fuel into your car, so you can limit that potential damage.

It’s actually a surprisingly common and easy mistake to make. There are approximately 150,000 motorists in the UK who put diesel in a petrol car or the opposite – petrol in a diesel car – and that works out as an average of a fuel-based mistake every three minutes. So, you’re definitely not alone in refuelling incorrectly – but you still need to act quickly.

If you have put diesel in a petrol car, it’s vitally important that you don’t start the engine if possible. Once the car’s engine is running, it will start to circulate the newly added diesel around your petrol engine.

What to do if you put Diesel in a Petrol Car

The most important thing to do if you have put diesel in a petrol car is nothing. Don’t start the engine – hopefully you will have realised your mistake before attempting to drive off – and make sure the keys are well away from the ignition.

Unless you have put only a very small amount of diesel in your petrol car, you will need the fuel draining from your vehicle before driving it again.

What happens if you put Diesel in a Petrol Car?

Putting diesel in a petrol car is the less serious mistake to make, and the damage is usually not so severe. What damage can it cause? If the engine is started the diesel will coat the spark plugs and the fuel system – typical diesel in a petrol car symptoms include the vehicle misfiring. Other signs of diesel in a petrol car include the engine smoking and of course, the vehicle stopping. The engine may cut out or fail to start at all.

24 Hour Mobile Fuel Evacuation Service

We remove incorrect fuel from all vehicles including cars, motorcycles, vans and lorries, regardless of whether you’ve put petrol in a diesel engine or diesel in a petrol engine. We are able to drain your tank onsite, or at the roadside, and re-fuel you to get you back on the road. We aim to reach our customers within 30 – 60 minutes and will complete most fuel drains within 30 minutes of arrival.

Qualified Technicians

All work is carried out in a very safe, professional and efficient manner by fully qualified motor vehicle technicians holding A.D.R licences, all of whom have at least 5 years experience in the breakdown industry.

Specialist Vehicles

All our vehicles are modified for the job in hand and we always ensure that our fleet are displayed in an immaculate condition, with the use of top quality equipment that is maintained on a regular basis.

Equipment

We use a mobile fuel system that is designed for the recovery of fuels from all types of vehicles and whether you’ve put petrol in a diesel engine or diesel in a petrol engine and for draining of contaminated fuel from misfuelled vehicles. Our recovery vehicles are fitted with an UN certified 330-litre tank approved for the carriage of contaminated fuel with ATEX approved pumping systems.

Customer Care Training

We provide this service to all our team members to ensure a relaxed atmosphere to help the driver by dealing with the situation in a calm, courteous and professional manner. We continuously monitor and train our technicians on all aspects of the job from meet and greet to safe disposal of contaminated fuel.

Safe Waste Disposal

At Eurotow we take the disposal of fuel and other contaminated material very seriously, operating under strict Environment Agency guidelines. Our waste disposal conforms to all current hazardous substances and health and safety legislation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is putting wrong fuel in car covered by insurance?

According to insurer MORE TH>N you would be covered if you put the wrong fuel in your car and damaged the engine. But if you broke down as a result you would need to have breakdown cover in place to rescue you. Some insurers will not specifically cover misfuelling in their policies

How long does it take to drain fuel from a car?

Some unrun vehicles can be fully drained and ready to go in a matter of 20 minutes– others drain more slowly and could take almost an hour to empty out. Run vehicles always take longer than unrun ones due to the extra process of flushing the fuel system. This process alone could take 15 to 30 minutes.