Incorrect fuel - remedy the old fashioned way

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Mon 4 Nov 2019 23:03
Incorrect fuel - remedy the old fashioned way - Andrew-T

Neither SWMBO nor I have fuelled wrongly yet, despite having a diesel and a petrol car between us, tho that is largely because she always drives the diesel. I drive both cars so have to be a bit careful.

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Tue 5 Nov 2019 08:05
Incorrect fuel - remedy the old fashioned way - paul 1963

Never actually done it myself but I did once tap a Audi driver on the shoulder who was merrily filling his tdi with unleaded, second time he had done it apparently.

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Tue 5 Nov 2019 08:48
Incorrect fuel - remedy the old fashioned way - Bromptonaut

Having just swapped from a diesel Roomster to a petrol Fabia after being diesel only since 1993 I'm acutely aware of risk.

IIRC the petrol pump 'pistol' is smaller than that for diesel so diesel in the Fabia is not possible. Just need to be doubly aware when refuelling the 'lingo.

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Tue 5 Nov 2019 08:59
Incorrect fuel - remedy the old fashioned way - Surreydriver

No help to the OP, but I was disappointed to find the RAC were more expensive and would take far longer to come and sort a mis fuel for me than a "local" outfit whose card was in the cashiers window of the filling station. I was totally distracted (wife unwell) and only noticed by the smell. We own one diesel and one petrol. I fill both as SWMBO has arthritic hands and finds it painful to grip the holster.

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Tue 5 Nov 2019 09:19
Incorrect fuel - remedy the old fashioned way - Happy Blue!

It is so easy to do; especially when on 'autopilot', I did it after a two week hoiday with a petrol rental car. I usually fill my car up before I go away, but this time I forgot, so on the day I returned I filled up and put petrol in the diesel tank. I was tired and in a rush...

Four hours later and £300 lighter (+ £70 for the lost petrol), I got to my appointment.

.

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Tue 5 Nov 2019 09:20
Incorrect fuel - remedy the old fashioned way - Andrew-T

IIRC the petrol pump 'pistol' is smaller than that for diesel

Makes sense for two reasons: diesel is 'thicker' than petrol (higher viscosity), and historically diesel was used mostly for vehicles with large tanks which had to be filled quickly.

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Tue 5 Nov 2019 09:46
Incorrect fuel - remedy the old fashioned way - 72 dudes

I did it once, in 1995, in my first diesel powered company car a Peugeot 405 GLX TD.

Fortunately as it was a company car, it didn't hit me in the pocket. What was more embarrassing was the constant mickey taking from other Marketing and Sales colleagues for months afterwards!

I work p/t at a supermarket filling station and it happens on average once every two weeks on our site. We can't and don't recommend any particular company but The Fuel Doctor seems to be 'popular' round here (a National Franchise I think). The current charge is around £150.

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Tue 5 Nov 2019 10:43
Incorrect fuel - remedy the old fashioned way - edlithgow

Twice.

Once to my (petrol) Nissan Sunny when I'd been driving my 40 quid diesel Maestro for a while. Start of a long trip dahn sahf for a party. Got a friend to tow the Nissan back home with the Maestro, parked it up, and took the friends car dahn sahf, where I lost my car keys, which I had no reason to take with me.

Duh!

Turned out the Sunny had a tank drain plug (the only "remedy" I'm aware of) so most of the hassle could have been avoided.

It pays to know your car.

Second time a few gallons of petrol in a hired Renault Clio. Agonized for a bit and then decided to drive on. Here I'd have put some 2-stroke in it but that doesn't seem to be very available in the Yook.

No obvious effect or comeback but on return they seemed to poke around a lot, so maybe some error was flagged.

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Tue 5 Nov 2019 13:44
Incorrect fuel - remedy the old fashioned way - Miniman777

Only done it once in a pool car. Luckily, cost me nothing as the agent had a more lucrative job rather than towing me 80 miles back to work, and they did the pump out for free. Family has one petrol and two diesel cars so since then, before filling, I have a 'method':

Check price of fuel on big display when entering forecourt

Check nozzle before picking up (green or black)

Check same price appears on display as you were expecting.

Check again correct nozzle is in tank, and only if all boxes ticked begin to fuel.

Others may have their own method, but seems to me more prevalent with pumps with 4 nozzles - normal and super fuels of both types. On these it's easy to pick up the premium priced nozzle too.

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Tue 5 Nov 2019 14:05
Incorrect fuel - remedy the old fashioned way - Lee Power

Many years ago a friend was loaned a diesel pool car for a training course, she was asked to return the pool car with a full tank of fuel.

She filled the tank up with unleaded & then broke down on the way home, a so called mechanic friend help drain the tank from the inspection point under the rear seat but somehow during removing the petrol a fire started - a resident watching out the window called trumpton who turned up to put the car out.

Her work where less then impressed at the total loss of a pool car, she got a final written warning.

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Wed 6 Nov 2019 16:34
Incorrect fuel - remedy the old fashioned way - concrete

I did it once too. First company diesel after years of petrol cars. Peugeot 405 GXL 1.9Tdi. The fuel warning light came on, and on autopilot I pulled into a service station and started putting petrol in the tank. Luckily I quickly realised the error and had only put in about 4 litres of unleaded. I thought for a minute and then filled to the brim with about 60 litres of diesel. Never noticed a problem or any ill effects. I was on my way to Scotland so travelled a couple of hundred miles at steady motorway speed after the event. Had the car for another 3 years and 110k miles without a problem. Just lucky I suppose.

Cheers Concrete

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Wed 6 Nov 2019 18:05
Incorrect fuel - remedy the old fashioned way - Engineer Andy

My mum once (late 1980s/early 90s) partially filled up our family's then G-reg Escort 1.4 with diesel rather than petrol - it couldn't have been much, as she stopped, and refilled the rest with petrol and the car worked ok, if a bit rough. Obviously not as bad as doing the opposite and especially in a modern common-rail diesel.

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Thu 7 Nov 2019 15:34
Incorrect fuel - remedy the old fashioned way - concrete

My mum once (late 1980s/early 90s) partially filled up our family's then G-reg Escort 1.4 with diesel rather than petrol - it couldn't have been much, as she stopped, and refilled the rest with petrol and the car worked ok, if a bit rough. Obviously not as bad as doing the opposite and especially in a modern common-rail diesel.

I committed my error back in 1998. I suppose a 6.5% dilution of the diesel with petrol managed to be tolerated by the engine system. Same as your Mums Escort. I suspect that engines and their management systems were less sophisticated then and able to tolerate such mistakes. It may not be the case these days. Cheers Concrete

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