Wrong fuel......please read.

[RGuk]

I visited a friend this morning who had filled the diesel car with petrol and got charged £165.

I said I had done this and emptying the tank cost me ONLY £35......


Looking on t'internet, I found this article, which might be worth a read.
It is clear to me that garages are taking the p*** completely and unsuspecting punters are being fleeced unnecessarily

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...high-5-000.html

For those of you interested (and it could save you quite a bit on money) rather than "opt" for the garage which is doing 2 or 3 or these A DAY! I phoned the RAC and got them to take me to my own garage/service place.

I watched the whole process....it took about half an hour and involved nothing more than removing the top "cap" off the fuel tank (under a back seat) and using a hoover-type syphon to suck it all out. Easy.....and I've had no bother at all since.....according to my guy, small remnants of petrol are not damaging to the engine and unless you have started it (which is a TOTALLY DIFFERENT STORY), the odd bit of petrol knocking around the system is not a worry. He (my man) siphoned a BMW 530d years ago on about 50k, it's now done over 200k and shows no signs of ever having suffered.

If this should happen to you, DON'T under any circumstances start the car (try not to even turn the key one notch, which I did to unlock the steering column, to roll it away from the pump). Phone your recovery company (if you have one) and take it to your local guy. If he can't do it, ask for another local guy and get towed there......

Please pass it on......

As for me, I put a little ball inside my filler cover which falls out and reminds me to beware. I will invest in one of these special adapter caps designed by the dragon's den people, if they ever come onto the retail market.

 

[cm_qs]

As an add on to this, I was told most modern diesel cars with remote central locking use the door unlocking signal as a cue for the engine management system to prime the fuel pump.
I was told this by a guy who did this in a Mazda 6 then unlocked the doors in the forecourt and buggered the pump without starting the engine.

Dunno if it's true or not?

 

[HartleyHare]

i saw a programme a few years back, might have been fifth gear, where they did this on 2 cars.

both fords same model, 1 diesel, 1 petrol.
they filled 'em up with the wrong fuel and ran them both till they conked out. then they drained the tanks and put the correct fuel in and after they (eventually) got them both going again, they were right as chips.

no major damage done and after the initial chugging no problems running them.

 

[vig]

You're right but they were older cars.
Apparently new models don't like it, Can be very expensive to repair

 

[RGuk]

You're right but they were older cars.
Apparently new models don't like it, Can be very expensive to repair

Newer models will presumably be a bit more touch and go. I HAD to move mine by unlocking the steering column (position 1 on the key) and that certainly starts things running in a modern diesel.

The point that I'm trying to make is that this is a very common occurrence. If you are miles away from home, you are at the mercy of the garage, so you're stuffed BUT if you are in your home town or can get towed/low-loader home, chances are the emptying can be done for a great deal less. My Beamer only needed emptying...all the crap about pulling the whole system apart is just that.....crap!!!
It doesn't take an expert in these things to realise that unless you've run the car the lines and primer processes are full of diesel.....a bit of petrol down near the start of the line is not really a problem.

To add insult to my friends woes, the garage claimed they had to top up the oil as well......at £18 for 3/4 of a litre!!

SO, if the car has not been running.....don't pay hundreds of pounds.....it's just a rip-off.

PLEASE PASS AROUND THIS STORY. It's a half hour job with a vax machine.....some people are paying thousands of pounds for unnecessary work.

 

[Basher]

Thanks for the heads up Dave.

I know when I turn the ignition switch on my car all sorts of weird and wonderful noises emit from inside the engine compartment!
Didn't actually know what they were, but fuel pump priming, engine management restting etc sounds about right when I think about it.

I think with most modern cars it is far easier to put petrol into diesel tanks than diesel into petrol tanks due to the smaller filling hole in petrol tanks.

The moral to Daves story is to not daydream when you go to fill up the motor. It's so easy to selct the wrong pump.

 

[RGuk]

I think with most modern cars it is far easier to put petrol into diesel tanks than diesel into petrol tanks due to the smaller filling hole in petrol tanks.

The moral to Daves story is to not daydream when you go to fill up the motor. It's so easy to select the wrong pump.

1. Almost impossible to do it the other way around....you'd need to bash up the filling hole pretty badly.
2. Daydream....lol....the moral is not to have a fleet of petrol cars and fill up HID's diesel to help her temporary cash flow.... I still don't know how I did it

In hindsight, what I thought was somewhat strange, was that as I was filling it up, I was staring at the BMW sticker saying diesel.....you know what colour the sticker is?
Yep.......unleaded green.....

 

[Dave3498]

If your fuel pump starts priming as soon as you turn on the ignition to release the steering lock, then it's best to remove the fuel pump relay first. Refer to the car handbook to locate this.

 

[RGuk]

If your fuel pump starts priming as soon as you turn on the ignition to release the steering lock, then it's best to remove the fuel pump relay first. Refer to the car handbook to locate this.

Good tip dave.....I'm sure the RAC would know to do this if the key has to be turned one notch. But I didn't and will remember to add this to the story as I pass it on.
Cheers