How many People have put the wrong fuel in the car?

bryemycaz · 23/03/10 - 16:55

I just had to go and rescue my Wife at the garage after she put Petrol in our Diesel car. She only started the engine for a second and the car wasnt completly empty so I hope theres no major damage done. Towed the car to the mechanics who are going to drain the tank. Its just a shame thats £50 down the drain.

How many of us have done that.

[Deleted User] · 23/03/10 - 16:58

My mum put diesel (I think!) in her unleaded car, but luckily realized before she started the engine. She still had to have it towed, & drained to get rid of it though!

It amazes me that she managed it considering the fuel tank is shaped in a way that only the correct nozzle will fit, and the inside of it is actually green... which is a bit of a give away, no?

Teddybleads · 23/03/10 - 17:03

Mrs. Bleads has and she didn't realise until the car conked out on the M4.

TheMask · 23/03/10 - 17:03

In not sure...but

If you put diesel in a petrol car it needs draining

If you put petrol in a diesel car just keep adding more diesel

Depends on the amount

Alt-F4 · 23/03/10 - 17:05

I haven't but on my breakdown insurance I'm covered for wrong fuel.

(also it's all women so far I notice.....)

flakecake · 23/03/10 - 17:06

I've never done it but apparently it's very very common. I had to call the AA out once because I dangerously overfilled my oil and didn't realise until I was driving along with the biggest white clouds shooting out of my exhaust that you've ever seen. Feeling embarrassed and wanting to know if alot of people did something some stupid I was glad to be told that lots of people overfill the oil but even more put the wrong fuel in. I was suprised at that but it made me feel less stupid:o

TheMask · 23/03/10 - 17:10

bryemycaz wrote: »

I just had to go and rescue my Wife at the garage after she put Petrol in our Diesel car. She only started the engine for a second and the car wasnt completly empty so I hope theres no major damage done. Towed the car to the mechanics who are going to drain the tank. Its just a shame thats £50 down the drain.

How many of us have done that.

how old is your car....?

As in newer cars the nozzel ends are different sizes so they won fit the tank opening

[Deleted User] · 23/03/10 - 17:19

Put diesel in my petrol car once, luckily did not start the engine and there was a garage next door, two nice chaps pushed my car to their workshop, drained the diesel, then pushed it back to the pumps for me. Had to pay for diesel, said diesel to be taken out and then for the petrol. An expensive mistake!

[Deleted User] · 23/03/10 - 17:29

I put diesel in my petrol car years ago. I remember thinking why is the nozzle not going in easily and rammed it in the hole. My excuse was that I´d just had a number of booster injectons at the doctors and was not feeling well and very tired. I went to pay and the guy asked if I had a diesel car, so luckily didnt start it up. I´d only put half a tank in so put half a tank of petrol in as well. Nothing worked so was a full tank of fuel down, luckily only 20 quid in those days for a Clio and paid 50 quid to the garage to drain it.

I now have a diesel car and had to stop my OH from putting petrol in it the other day. But he then went on to put 2 euros of diesel in his petrol motorbike on the same day! Where was his head?

[Deleted User] · 23/03/10 - 17:31

TheMask wrote: »

how old is your car....?

As in newer cars the nozzel ends are different sizes so they won fit the tank opening

If you ram the diesel pump hard enough it will fit into a petrol car! :eek:

[Deleted User] · 23/03/10 - 17:32

Flossychick wrote: »

If you ram the diesel pump hard enough it will fit into a petrol car! :eek:

Mum? :eek:

bryemycaz · 23/03/10 - 17:37

TheMask wrote: »

how old is your car....?

As in newer cars the nozzel ends are different sizes so they won fit the tank opening

53 Plate

SlowRap · 23/03/10 - 17:41

3:09 legendary comparison

[Deleted User] · 23/03/10 - 17:44

no, i'm not stupid

caras · 23/03/10 - 17:47

Me!! I am stupid

gertrude hubble · 23/03/10 - 17:50

My ex put petrol in a diesel the night before he had an interview for a new job and I was due to give birth any day neither of us was very impressed. He had to borrow my Mum's car which was a bit of a rust bucket and I had the job sorting out our car with the garage who didn't seem to believe it was my husband who had put the wrong fuel in it!!

Richard46 · 23/03/10 - 17:57

25 Years of driving an assortment of fleet vehicles some petrol some diesel, lots of them Transits which otherwise looked similar never ever mixed them up. Baffles me how anyone can. But friend of mine managed to put £20 of petrol in her diesel last week somehow, and she is not stupid by any means. Mystery to me, you just pay attention at that crucial choosing the pump moment.

Bom Diddly Wo · 23/03/10 - 18:32

I once filled my petrol tank with tiny bits of coal. Boy did I feel stupid.

wench · 23/03/10 - 19:01

Not yet but only because I know my OH would go mental so I now repeat to myself "diesel diesel diesel" from the moment I stop the car at the garage to when I fill up!!!

I also stuck a big "DIESEL" sticker on the cap to remind me again!

[Deleted User] · 23/03/10 - 19:12

TheMask wrote: »

If you put petrol in a diesel car just keep adding more diesel

Depends on the amount

im not being nasty here but thats pretty iffy general advice to give - if you have a Cdi you can cause long term damage to the fuel pump by doing this. if the cars older then yes i agree a small amount of petrol in the diesel tank can be no issue.

as for the OPs question i reckon around 10 % of cases i arrange every day are down to incorrect fuel in vehicles.

The funniest one i had was a few years ago with someone who had been on holiday for a month driving a petrol car. 1st day back at work he filled his 40 tonne truck with petrol.... (at least that was his excuse).

Conor the Bold · 25/10/13 - 18:27

TheMask wrote: »

In not sure...but

If you put diesel in a petrol car it needs draining[

If you put petrol in a diesel car just keep adding more diesel

Depends on the amount

As always it depends on the amount put in versus the amount already in. A little splash of diesel in petrol, it won't matter so much.

Petrol in modern diesels is uniformly bad.
Diesel in Petrol is less bad.

Conor the Bold · 25/10/13 - 18:29

bryemycaz wrote: »

I just had to go and rescue my Wife at the garage after she put Petrol in our Diesel car. She only started the engine for a second and the car wasnt completly empty so I hope theres no major damage done. Towed the car to the mechanics who are going to drain the tank. Its just a shame thats £50 down the drain.

How many of us have done that.

I've done it twice.

On the Newer Volvo XC-60 they have to drop the fuel tank out of the car to drain it. Trust me on this particular point.

Watcher #1 · 25/10/13 - 18:55

Did it once in a pool car - put about 0.5l of petrol in, but realised my mistake, and necked it with diesel. No ill effects that I was aware of

Galaxy266 · 25/10/13 - 19:05

Put "Super Unleaded" into my car once by mistake.

Only found out when I went inside the petrol station to pay for it! No harm done to the car, only my wallet suffered

muggins14 · 25/10/13 - 19:14

Flossychick wrote: »

If you ram the diesel pump hard enough it will fit into a petrol car! :eek:

The fact that you have to ram it should be a big clue as to the fact that it's the wrong nozzle

kitty86 · 25/10/13 - 19:20

My OH did this twice last week, I don't know what he was thinking. 1st time he had to have his diesel van towed to the nearest garage from where he broke down and paid £181 to get it fixed, 3 days later he did it again this time taking on everyone's advice he topped it up with diesel, van drove for the whole day fine the next day it was thick black smoke, clunking and knocking sides and the van towed to the garage a second time. Not too hopeful on the diagnosis this time around but he hasn't told anyone except me and the mechanic that he did it a second time in less than a week.

I've never done it, i check, check and check the pumps again just to be sure.

Hey there!

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