'Help, I´ve put petrol in a diesel engine' - Frequently Asked Questions
Petrol or diesel? Confused? You´re not alone
Author: Robin Brown
Published: 20 November 2007
As of October 2007 figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders showed that diesel models comprise 44.1% of all new-car sales.
Efficiency of the newest diesel engines are making them competitive with hybrid engines for fuel efficiency. In light of fuel costs that are threatening to top £1 per litre nationwide, with that figure already passed in many rural areas, diesels are becoming more popular than ever.
New ´clean diesel´ engines such as those from Volkswagen´s BlueMotion range and diesels equipped with BMW´s EfficientDynamics programme hugely reduce fuel consumption, sooty particulate matter and carbon dioxide emissions.
The Polo BlueMotion returns around 70mpg and emits just over 100g/km of CO2 while the MINI Cooper D returns 64.2mpg and emits 118g/km. Both models also feature Diesel Particulate Filters, making the new diesel a popular choice among those looking to purchase a ´green´ car.
But with the increasing number of diesel-engined cars on the road there´s a resulting rise in the number of incidents of misfuelling - filling diesel cars with unleaded petrol.
It´s thought to be happening more than 400 times a day with repair charges ranging from a few hundred to several thousand pounds.
So what do you do if you´ve made this mistake? Read on, and we´ll try to advise.
How does this happen?
Modern diesel engines can be hard to differentiate for drivers with an untrained eye, or ear. Where traditionally diesel engines were clattery, dirty and slow to warm up, modern diesels drive and sound very similar to petrol engines. People simply forget they are driving a diesel as the associated audio and visual clues are simply not there.
In light of the dash for diesel manufacturers are turning their attention towards the problem of misfuelling. Ford has been the first manufacturer to develop technology designed to prevent a misfuelling mishap, with its Easyfuel system, which prevents drivers filling up their diesel models with petrol.
An unleaded petrol pump nozzle cannot enter a diesel tank on Mondeo and Focus models equipped with the system. Typically diesel nozzles are too wide to fit into any petrol tank, so the problem rarely crops up.
To make matters more confusing the increasing uniformity of petrol pump colours does not provide motorists with a visual cue as to the fuel type.
Whereas diesel pumps were traditionally black, unleaded petrol green and four-star leaded petrol red, modern-day diesel pumps are often green to enhance fuel suppliers´ eco credentials, with BP being the most notable culprit.
With the massive rise in popularity of diesels misfuelling is an inevitable and growing problem which is only just starting to be addressed by manufacturers.
How does the wrong fuel type affect engines?
Petrol in a diesel engineBreakdown organisations put the figure of petrol misfuelling at around 150,000 cars a year, with repair bills totalling hundreds of millions of pounds.
Petrol will strip your diesel engine of the lubricant used to keep it ticking over and cause metal components to grate against each other and disintegrate.
This runs the risk of damaging the fuel pump and fuel-injection systems, or wrecking an engine completely if used for a significant amount of time.
To make matters worse pre-ignition systems start fuel pumps in new diesel models when car doors are unlocked. This cuts out the time it takes for new diesel engines to warm up, but means that diesel engines can be ruined by petrol by simply unlocking doors.
The fuel pump and injection systems and filters will likely need to be replaced on new models, while an entire engine could be wrecked beyond repair if it has been run for long enough. Regardless of the extent of the damage, the repair bill could potentially run into thousands of pounds.
Avoiding turning the engine over or stopping as soon as possible is vital to prevent more damage to the engine in these circumstances. A fuel-tank drain could be sufficient in such cases to prevent damage.
Diesel in a petrol engine
Theoretically it should be hard to fill a petrol tank with diesel, as diesel nozzles are too wide to fit into the tank. However using diesel in a petrol engine may destroy the engine´s catalytic converter, necessitating a costly replacement.
How much will this cost?
If you´ve avoided turning on the engine or stopped quickly after turning on the engine a fuel-tank drain may be sufficient. This should cost between £100-£200.
If you´ve driven the car for several miles and your car has a common-rail injection system you may be looking at a bill that runs into quadruple figures.
Am I covered on my breakdown cover?
Misfuelling is not covered by your manufacturer, though they make tow your car to a dealer or garage.
Am I covered on my insurance?
Misfuelling is generally excluded from insurance policies, even those offering comprehensive protection.
Anyone with third-party insurance is looking at stumping up for repairs themselves.
What if my car´s on contract hire?
You´ll have to meet the cost of any repairs yourself if your car´s on PCP or contract hire.
Will my warranty be invalidated?
That probably depends on the amount of damage. Your manufacturer may threaten to invalidate your warranty on your fuel system and related parts unless you let them do the repair work, but there may be room for negotiation.
Can I dilute the petrol with diesel?
Diluting contaminated fuel may be possible on older cars that lack the fine, high-pressure diesel injection systems of modern diesels. However, this is a high-risk move which could result in the destruction of your engine.
It may be possible to dilute a proportion of petrol to diesel under 10% in such cars, though there´s no guarantee this will work. Your car may run roughly for a while and you may risk long-term damage that is not immediately apparent.
We don´t recommend you try this but if you do risk it you need to be completely sure about your car´s fuel tank and engine system - try this on a common-rail diesel and you´ll simply wreck your engine.
How much biodiesel/ethanol can I safely put in my car?
If you´ve accidentally filled your tank with biodiesel or ethanol the likelihood is you´ll need to drain your tank, unless your car is correctly modified to receive these fuels.
To read up on alternative fuels such as biodiesel and ethanol go to our Jargon section.
What can I do to prevent this?
Aside from buying a Ford model with the Easyfuel system the best thing you can do is to clearly label your vehicle with a sticker above the petrol tank, as car-hire companies generally do. This is particularly important if your car is used by a number of drivers.
Until manufacturers or fuel suppliers address the issue it´s simply a case of having your wits about you and bearing those astronomical repair costs in mind.
Recent moves to introduce such a system by BMW across its model range suggest that manufacturers are intent on tackling the problem.
Here´s a checklist:
• Have you checked if the car you´re driving is a petrol or diesel model? This is particularly important if using a hire car or company car.
• Is everyone who drives your car aware of the fuel-type it uses?
• Have you labelled your fuel tank with a ´Diesel Only´ sticker?
• Do you double-check fuel pumps at petrol stations? Green may not mean unleaded, black may not mean diesel.
• Think you might have filled up with unleaded? Your receipt should tell you.
• Remember NOT to start your engine if you think you´ve filled up with unleaded. If possible do not unlock doors. If you have misfuelled the amount of your repair costs could depend on this.
• If you are attempting to dilute unleaded petrol with diesel ensure your car is not a modern common-rail diesel. If it is do not even consider diluting.
• It should only be possible to dilute 10% of unleaded or under. Make sure you know the capacity of your fuel tank and make a judgement about whether it´s worth the risk.
• You may be able to drain a fuel tank yourself but if in doubt seek expert help. There are specialist companies that will come to your house and drain your fuel tank.
Have you filled up your diesel engine with unleaded? Share your experiences and tips with us below.
With misfuelling estimated to cost £800m a year in repair bills, a company is launching a product it says can put an end to using the wrong type of fuel.
RAC figures suggest that hundreds of motorists every day risk damaging their car by using petrol in a diesel engine.
BMW´s Incorrect Fuelling Protection System aims to prevent BMW owners using petrol in diesel-engined cars. Every three and a half minutes someone in the UK uses the wrong type of fuel in their car, risking damage that could cost thousands.
Petrol in a diesel engine - bad. Diesel in a petrol engine - bad. Ford´s Easy Fuel system that prevents you putting the wrong type of fuel in your engine - good.
Filled up with £15 of unleaded in my new citroen c2 when my car strted to shudder and kangaroo jump! my husband just looked at me and said ”you just bloody put petrol in didnt you?” the amount of times my dad has warned me about putting petrol in my diesel. the car is in the garage now so will keep you posted!!!!
My husband filled up our Honda CRV with unleaded fuel. Luckily he realised just as he put the nozzle back in the pump! We pushed the car off the forecourt and waited for the AA to recover it. They quoted £200 to drain the tank. Instead we got them to transport us to a Honda main dealer who drained the tank for £73, which included 1/3 tank of fuel! And it was a Saturday morning!
I put £35 worth of unleaded in my Volvo V70 two days before we drove it to Belgium on holiday. To say that the main dealers were unsympathetic would be putting it mildly, and would neither pick it up or undertake to look at it for a week (Stratstone Nottingham). The local garage made a tool to help drain the tank, but I lost an extra day´s work and it cost me £375 there, plus an extra £60 at the main dealer to reset the computer. That was without even switching on the engine.
If you put petrol in a diesel engine you can get away with putting an equal amount of vegitable cooking oil (rapeseed or sunflower oil) providing you don´t start up the engine first. Shake the car to mix the liquids in the tank. This increases the viscosity of the mixture to a manageable degree. I did this to my Seat Alhambra diesel.
Has anyone with a common-rail system had any experience of this? I´ve just done it in my newish Clio and don´t know what to do.
I have a 2006 Honda Accord 2.2CDI Common Rail Diesel with a 65 Litre Capacity Fuel Tank. I accidentally put 5.19 Litres of Unleaded into it (7.9%)Topped it up immediately with 47 Litres of Highest Grade Shell Diesel, drove it, slight pinking for 2 Seconds, reported it to the AA who came out and let me drive it 1/3 Mile to my local Garrage, who also advised topping it up and driving it. Drove it again the following day for 70 Miles, topped it up with BP Ultimate Diesel.I am still concerned that the % of Solvent in the Unleaded will have impacted the lubricant provided by the Diesel. I am very worried that there has been damage to the linings, Filters and Jets in the Injection System. Please advise.The Car is driving well and with no signs of irregular injection or idle. I gather from investigation and questions that the CRD is too technical for the run of the mill mechanics and punters, a bit of a black science.
Many thanks Richard (PS - Probably too late to drain it now anyway).
Richard - without closer inspection it´s impossible to tell what damage may be done. There´s a possibility that the unleaded may have damaged fuel pumps and the injection system, or damage may result after time. As a result I can only suggest you get the car checked over. I´m afraid beyond that I can´t advise further.
Thank you Robin, may is a small word but with big consequences if realised. It is a lottery. I take your advice, thank you. I can´t believe that the Honda Technocrats would design a CRD inmjection System without a percentage tollerance of impurity management built in. BUT NOBODY WILL DISCLOSE THE TOLLERANCE IF IT EXISTS! Richard
Update from 11th December, above:- The Car has now done 160 Miles over 4 Days, NIL Visual or Audible impact on normal expectations. Compression, Performance under normal driving conditions (-4 to +6 Degs C). and the Idle is also stable at 800 r.p.m. Temp is also stable once fully warmed up. I still cant establih, even from Garages the impact of Unleaded solvent on CRD Systems. My Unleaded input to a 65 Litr Tank was 7.9% Unleaded (5.19 Lts). The more I research this, the more I suspect that the CRD Technicalities at the volume of contaminatin identifed are a closely guarded secret by the CRD Design Technocrats. I keep my fingers crossed. Hope this helps.
I will continue to top up with ultimate quality Diesel until 18,000 Mile Service in January.
Richard
My wife put 55 litres of unleaded into our bmw 318tds 1998 and ran it till it stopped, a sum total of half a mile.I drained the tank and kept the fuel to use in my two stroke outboard motor.After putting a new fuel filter in it started and ran as normal.That was thirty thousand miles ago and have not had any problems with it.Mileage is now 136,000
20% unleaded to 1.9tdi galaxy 2005. Run perfectly for about 15miles. Then I panicked and had it drained and flushed. Still perfect 10000 miles later.
help i have just put £20 of uleaded into my 1.9td1 golf drove home about 3 miles then realised what i have done . help !!
Alsion - impossible to advise without knowing more about the engine. How old is the car? By the sound of it you should at least have the fuel tank drained.
Lol.. I can´t believe how silly people can be! How can you not remember that you´re driving a diesel?? Anyway, apart from that, it was normal practice to put a small mount of petrol into my diesel lorry in the winter to stop the fuel gelling. As long as the ratio of petrol to diesel is very small, it won´t do any harm at all.
Dougie - not actually true of all engines - as it says in the article.
I was driving my wife´s 06 TDCI Focus and I filled it from empty with unleaded. I then drove it down the M4 at 60 mph until it died 10 mins later. It has been in 3 garages, had 2 drain downs and had the injectors removed and cleaned as well as the pump refurbished. It has cost me about £1500 so far. It runs great when warm but struggles to cold start and if it does catch, it runs on 2 cylinders for 2 minutes until warm, then its fine. The work was completed by a deisel injection specialist who could not find any further issue on his computer, so he gave it back to me...better but not fixed. I guess my next move is to book into the local Ford garage but I am scared of what the cost might be - any thoughts ?
Well, my hubby just put £20 unleaded in my 04 diesel Disco, but we realised just as he put the nozzle back in. So we paid for the petrol & pushed it to the back of the forecourt. nipped to supermarket for 6 fuel cans and Halfords for a syphon tube and screwdriver & undid the fuel filler outlet pipe just before the fueld filter/pump and drained off everything into the tubs. Then got another 5l diesel and put it in and rocked the car to swill it round and drained that out then fastened up again and filled up with new clean diesel. Took us 1hr and £15 in cans, but luckily we hadn´t got to unlock anything or start up and the tank had been on empty/ reserve for a while before the mis-fill. So here´s hoping it all goes well, got to admit though - she seems to be running a bit smoother now than she has done for a while, less chuggy........
Hello I put 10 pounds worth of unleaded into my polo tdi sport 1.9 pride and joy last night. I would say half petrol hald diesel mix. Drove the car 15 miles home then it conked. Why on earth can you put diesel in a petrol and it work but there is a restriction on the nozzle size surely it should be the other way round?!?! I am hoping and praying that my car is going to be ok with just a drain down.....it is a total lottery as to whether it will be by the sounds of things.....Wish me luck!!
I filled up my diesel Audi Allroad with unleaded petrol at a garage in Portugal because they switched the publicity on the nozzle diesel to petrol and vice versa. Even though they partially accept responsibility, neither they nor their insurance company will pay out as it is a self service garage. After going almost 2kms I parked and the car would not stard again. Audi have quoted 9,000 Euros to fix it and the garage owner says he can fix it. I find it difficult to know who is telling the truth as I am not into mechanics. Audi say that if I take my 6 month old car out of their garage I will loose my guarantee and my 120,000km or 5 year extended warranty. Who is telling the truth and what should I do? Please advise.
Howard - I´m afraid your case is far outside of our ability to advise. As a rule you will lose your warranty if you have any repairs done by a garage not approved by Audi.
After ten years driving diesels, I put in 20 litres of unleaded into my new Toyota Yaris, drove about 30 kms before it started playing up and belching smoke from the exhaust. My insurance company towed it to the Toyota garage. In a few hours they had drained the system flushed it through and replaced the fuel filter. The car now runs perfectly well and the total cost of repair was less than €100.
A lady customer has put petrol in her diesel Lexus 200D anybody know how to drain the tank on one of those?
Bought a ´55 Passat 1.9 TDi diesel estate y´day. Just put a gallon of unleaded into it by mistake. Got the car home (4 miles) but unsure what to do now. With the unleaded the tank is showing about 2/5 full. Any advice gratefully received.
John - I´d recommend getting the tank drained. This should cost up to £100. Having driven the car you may need new fuel lines and injection system. It´s impossible to be more precise, but I´d recommend you get your car Passat looked at by a garage you trust.
I put £10 of unleaded in a Rover 200 diesel engine. Its an old car R reg. Thing is I didnt realise for over a week. She was driving, not well by any means not accelerating properly. But running. I only really use her for popping around, never driving for more than 15 mins. I realised when I went back to the garage a week later to refill and saw that they do premium unleaded aswell as premium dielsel (what I was aiming for) on alternate pumps. So I´ve put a full tank of diesel in (about £40) and she's running just fine. May I have buggered the car for good? What shall I do? She seems fine. Would love any advice, my first car, feel pretty silly.
Amanda - you might get away with it, as I´m fairly sure there´s no common-rail diesel technology in the Rover 200. I´d say there´s a chance you´ve reduced the life of your car a little.
As I see it you need to make a choice based on how much more life you think the car has left in it, how much it would be worth paying to get it looked at, were you planning to sell it on in a couple of years, and whether your insurance would pay out.
It´s a question of maths after that - do you think it´s worth paying for a clean-out or is it best to take a gamble? If you´re going to take action get the fuel tank cleaned, along with pipes, fuel pump and filter.
Phone around a few garages to get the best quote - you could probably get it done for around £200. After that it´s up to you. Hope that helps.
A month ago my hubby filled our 56 plate crv with unleaded at a cost of £4000 in repairs. Delighted to discover insurance covered it, but dealer claims warranty is invalid on those parts affected. Can this be right? Seems to be saying we´ll fix it but aren´t that confident it´ll be ok. Any advice please. Do you think its worth taking up with Honda?
Glen which insurance company are you with
Hi I hope someone can offer us some advice... My mum has just put £20 of unleaded into her VW Passatt 1.9 TD X reg... she had some diesel in the car, just under quarter of a tank she thinks. She managed to drive exactly 1 mile before it conked out and we had to get the car towed home. Does anyone have and advice or khow much this is going to cost... my dad is going to go mad when he comes home from work!!!
Louise - you should probably have fuel tank drained, fuel lines and fuel pump cleaned. This should cost between £100-£200. Insurance doesn´t generally cover this but it might be worth asking.
help, my partner has filled up £10 of petrol in my focus car. has done around 7 miles..what now please
Chris - fuel tank drain. Phone around for quotes. Something to bear in mind is whether you have a manufacturer warranty - it could be invalidated if you get the work done by someone other than the main dealer.
Glen - outside my field of knowledge I´m afraid. Take it up with Honda if you think it´s worthwhile. Some dealers will maintain this line, others will be more flexible. There´s no written rule.
just put a tenners worth of unleaded in my 1996 rover 220 sdi and drove it about half a mile. do you think it would be ok to top it up with diesel and run it?
Brendan - there´s every chance that by topping up with diesel you´ll be alright, particularly with older cars. However, there´s always a risk - no way to tell for sure. It´s ultimately up to you.
have a 1999 t reg, ford focus diesel. partner put 10 pounds of unleaded in, and drove for 7 miles. anyway this will be ok, and whats the worst that is wrong
Jamie - with Zurich and going to stay with them too! Amazing the amount of people who/ve contacted their ins co & found they/re not covered. Cost us £250 excess
Chris - check to see if your engine has a common-rail injection system. It probably won´t due to its age, in which case you need a fuel-tank drain. You may need the fuel lines and pump cleaned out too. If your engine is a common-rail there´s a risk of more extensive damage.
Thanks for your advice Robin we managed to find an excellent local garage who drained the tank and replaced the fuel filter for £75 this included £25 of diesel and the car is now running fine. Thanks again.
DDN Ltd also have a misfuel prevention device that stops Petrol being accidently put into Diesel vehicles, their blocker has no moving parts, fits in the filler neck using the original fuel cap securing system. This to is being currently sold to Emergency services and fleets.
With the Safety issues that misfuelling causes together with the enviromental cost of contaminated fuel disposal and repair bills surely this should be retro fitted to every diesel vehicle
HELP After sucesfully draining out diesel contaminated with petrol, What do I do with the 50 litres of contaminated fuel.
Brian - your council should have hazardous waste recycling centres. Try contacting them. Failing that you may have to contact the environment agency on Contact the Environment Agency on 0870 850 6506.
In Dec 2007 when filling up 50 litre tank I put 1 litre unleaded in 3 year old X5 Series before I realised my error I went in and told guy in self service he said fill up with diesel and will be OK I filled tank up and all was fine until middle of March 2008 when I had problem starting. BMW says I need new fuel system will cost £8000. Why did car go OK until now?
When refuelling in Dec 2007 I accidentally put 1 litre petrol in diesel X5 Series before I realised my mistake. I quickly told the guy in service station who told me to fill up 50 litre with diesel and all would be OK. My car has been fine until middle March 2008 when it wouldn´t start.By time AA came out it had started so i continued my 70 mile journey home.Took it to BMW garage who after asking me if I´d ever put fuel in tank say I need a new fuel system cost £7000! My insurance company won´t pay up. Why did the car go for so long before braking down? Am I being told the truth?
Tess - it´s quite possible for the damage to occur over a period of time. This is why I´d urge anyone to be cautious about topping up with petrol as opposed to having a fuel tank drained until they understand exactly what could happen to their car. It´s likely that your X5 has common-rail injection technology, which can be wrecked by petrol. £7K sounds like they´re replacing the entire engine - it may be worth shopping around but you may invalidate a warranty if you go elsewhere.
Having misfueled my 2005 Volvo diesel V70 I travelled 5 miles before it started to misfire. I stopped as soon as it did. Does anyone know if it has a common rail fuel system? What are the chances of getting away with just paying for a £200 flush out?
John - what size is the engine?
Have put 5.24 litres of petrol into our nearly empty diesel 1.9 1999 T reg VW Golf. Drove it for about 10 miles then my husband put in 10 litres of diesel and drove it approx 22 miles before we realised what I had done. Car was very sluggish to start with, but seems ok now. Any suggestions on what to do next would be appreciated.
Have put petrol into my tdci mondeo!! Anyone know if MMA ins. covers this - can´t find anything in my policy - I´m fully comp. Thanks
Phil - generally misfuelling is not covered by your insurer but it´s worth asking.
Jan - probably worth having the fuel tank drained. Try to find out whether the engine has a common-rail injection system. If it is the danger to the engine and related parts is greater.
Once bitten, NOT twice shy unfortunately.
a year ago I filled up my ´54 BMW 530d with unleaded. Fortunately I didn´t start the engine and the AA towed it away and I had it drained for the princely sum of £150 (Soon the tank of fuel will cost that much, but that´s another story).
A week ago I did the same thing. (why can´t they sort out the shapes of the pumps to obliterate this problem?). Anyway this time I realised after I had put in 11 litres of unleaded. The tank was already half-full of diesel. I then topped it up with more diesel so I had about 20% of the tank being unleaded, the rest diesel. The guy in the garage said that two days earlier a chap had put 6 litres of unleaded in his diesel car and the AA had towed it away saying it would stuff the engine if he drove it. As it was I was on an extreme timescale and couldn´t afford to take the time to have it drained again. Plus the fact I was in Birmingham, miles from Heathrow, where I needed to be. So I said a little prayer (no, actually a massive prayer) and risked it. Fortunately for me I saw no ill effects except it seemed to have difficulty at the top end when I put my foot down. Since then I have kept topping it up every time the gauge has gone down a quarter tank. Touch wood, it seems to still be working fine. Subsequently to that I have done at least 500 miles and it seems to be working alright. I wouldn´t necessarily recommend risking it, but just a data point for you.
Hi, My wife has just put £10 of unleaded into my 53 plate Vauxhall vectra TDI, drove it a few miles and it stalled, the engine turns over but will not start. The recovery truck has just brought the car back, could i risk filling the car up with diesel to dilute it ?? when she put the petrol in it it was virtually empty ? please help
Wayne - get the car towed to a garage and get it drained, and fuel filter replaced. Lines and pump may also need cleaning. You may get away with filling with petrol but there´s always the risk of long-term damage.
hi i put £10 unleaded in my audi a4 tdi the put £50 deisel iv done about 100 miles will it be ok.........
Hi I put £1.40 of unleaded petrol into diesel vauxhall van before realising what i had done. I immediatly filled the tank with diesel (about 45 litres). What should i do? Is a drain down required or will it be ok as this is under the 10% dilution mark. The van is a 53 plate vauxhall combo 1.7 DTi. It seems to be running fine after i took advice from a friend who knows abouengines. wondering now after reading the above if he is overplaying his knowledge
Johnny - what year and what engine?
Graham - sounds like a very small amount of petrol - I´d guess you´ll be OK. If you´re worried check whether the engine uses common-rail injection technology - this is the danger with petrol in diesels. If you´re worries get a drain done, but I´m not sure that will be required.
Car is a Peugeot 807 HDI 2004 plate, my husband put in £35 unleaded then a further £50 in diesel drove home about 1 mile. Not sure best thing to do now? Should I go to a Peugeot garage or any old place as not sure if it has this common rail injection system or not?
hi, just an update on my blonde moment! Luckily, I think, our golf isn´t common-rail injection. For reasons which are too long to go into, didn´t drain tank, but filled right up with diesel and have topped up again after using 1/4 tank. Have now done approx 250 miles since putting unleaded in and all seems well. My husband´s boss said he has lost count of the times the works vans have had petrol put in them and all they do is top them right up with dieseland they are still running fine.
Put 4 litres of petrol into my rover 200 turbo diesel (2000 plate)
Realised what i was doing and stopped and then filled the car with diesel.
Doesn´t seem to be any adverse performance.
Is it worth me getting it drained?
Anna - safety first is sensible - get it drained. Phone around for quotes.
Geraint - think you´ll be OK as I don´t think the rover 200 has a common-rail system, but the choice is ultimately yours.
Jan - good to hear a happy ending!
Robin - Thanks for your input so far.
COuld I just ask though -If nothing has happened yet, Is it unlikley that it ever will?
Also, Is it fact that the petrol will eventually work its way out of the system thereby progressively reducing the risk?
Many thanks for your help in advance
Geraint - that´s the problem with topping up. Petrol can damage fuel lines, filter and injection systems over time, so there´s really no way to know I´m afriad.
Will the petrol work through in the end though?
My husband has just put £9 worth of unleaded into his diesel Vectra (05 plate). Immediately topped up with diesel and topped up again (on advise from a mechanic). Has driven a few miles with no adverse reactions as yet. Any advice?
Yes it´ll work through, The question is whether it´ll damage the engine parts over time.
Julie - hard to say without knowing what engine. If the mechanic says it´ll be OK, having seen the car, I´d guess it´ll be OK.
Thanks Robin.
Comments on this site are really useful.
No adverse reaction from the car.
i will keep fingers crossed
Thanks again
Put 23 litres of unleaded into about 40 litres of diesel into Jeep Cherokee. Feel a bloody idiot -- just not concentrating. Havent started vehicle. Towed to Jeep dealer for drain; flush and refill. Why don´t ALL diesel pumps have diffrent nozzle sizes to avoid this problem? What´s prognosis plz for my vehicle -- the electrics were on for a while to shut windows, etc?
I have put up to 25% in on numerous occasions, but realised in time and just topped to the brim with diesel before starting. No ill effects whatsoever. All under 3 years old, fords, seats and toyotas.
Garage attendant filled 18litres of unleaded fuel in my 1.9TDI VW jetta 4.I had half tank diesel before it was topped up with petrol.I did not start the car.Got garage to drain tank.(tank specs 55litre).I topped it with 65litre diesel.I think there was still a bit of petrol in bottom of tank before topping with diesel. Do i need to change filters.Would this harm my engine .
Richard - probably no effects as you followed correct procedure.
Alan - if it was drained quickly you´ll probably be OK too. If you´re worries get the filters changed, though I´m not sure it´s necessary.
My partner has just gone to the garage to fill his car up and come back nearly in tears because he put petrol in instead of diesel.He realised what he had done before he filled the tank and stopped at 23 Litres.The petrol warning light had just come on before he went so there wasn´t much diesel already in the tank.Unfortunately he then drove it home-about a quarter of a mile maybe(I can see the garage from the bedroom window).The car is a Rover75 2004.Any advice please?He does belong to the RAC but doesn@t have home cover because that came 'free' with his insurance and I have any car cover with green Flag (I think) which does cover 'at home' on my insurance policy.Help.We are supposed to be taking his car to Ireland on the ferry on Wednesday!!
Nikki - get the fuel tank drained. Fuel lines, filter may also need cleaning out. You own´t know the damage until you get it checked out - it may be OK though.
Hi
Put 0.9 of a litre unleaded into a 6 month old common rail diesel car earlier this week.
Topped it up with 60 litres of diesel - so about 1.45% petrol all together. Since then have done about 250 miles in it so and have just topped it up with half a tank of more diesel so should be down to about 0.75 % petrol.
Whats my prognosis??
Should I keep topping it up or just run it all out now??
Too late to drain the tank I think but any advice opinion most welcome!
Hi, doesanybody know if my Peugot 406 R reg 1.9 td is common rail or not? Yes I refuelled (badly) done about 1.5 miles and pulled up before the engine totally died. Have towed it and need a little help?
Daniel - I´d be surprised if you have any trouble. Sounds like you acted correctly!
Dozey - google your car with the words ´common rail´. Either way I think you should have the tank drained.
Thanks for your advice Robin. Will google CR and my car CDTi Vauxhall engine. Surely not worth getting tank drained?? Just topped up with another 30 litres of diesel. Petrol must be so diluted now! Original 0.9 of a litre mist be down to 0.2 - thats 200ml petrol of it swilling around in 60 litres of diesel. As diesel is injected after compression stroke petrol will be ignited when diesel starts to burn??
Thanks Daniel
Daniel - yeah it will burn off. Damage occurs in fuel pipes, filter, injection systems but I´d´ve though you´d be OK at those levels. Get a drain if you´re still woried but I´d´ve thought by now it´s largely pointless.
have about 11 galls of diesel to 2 and a half galls of unleaded in my 1999 seat toledo 1.9 stdi and driven about 20 mls. whats my worst (or best) scenario?
Jim - worst case you´ve damaged your engine, fuel lines, injectors and filter. Best case you´ll get away scot free. On older cars you´ll tend towards the latter, though you may notice some under-performance. I´d top up immediately on unleaded and keep doing so for a while.
Thanks Robin. I;ll keep an eye on it and get a mechanic to check it out
i had about a 1/4 tank of diesel in my 02 zafira , i went to the gargae and put in £20 of diesel...drove 17 miles..then it conked out.the RAC got a local garage to collect it and drain and flush it for £100. it seems to be working fine now...but i see from other comments that maybe there might be some long term damage???
duh....lol, my comment above, i meant to say...i put £20 of unleaded in..
Ronnie - there´s a possibility but it´s impossible to say what it is. I´d suggest you keep an eye on it, and take it in to a garage if you notice any further problems.
Hi, Please someone HELP ME. My girlfriend has put a half tank of petrol in my brand new BMW X5 3.0D. She then drove the car untill it stopped on her! i rang BMW assistance who took the car to dealers and they said they wud not cover this under warranty! I took the car from BMW and took it to a friend who drained all the petrol out and refilled it with diesel! The car started and drove uptp 40mph but stops. the engine mamgement light comes in and says ENGINE FAULT VISIT WORKSHOP! Have the injectors been knackerd? anyone have any idea what the problem is or what to do? the car has been off the road for 3 weeks and i simply dont know what to do! has she knackered the engine? Please Someone HELP
bmw are now asking for 6k to put it right!!
Just put 9 litre of unleaded in my 1993 diesel mondeo est. the tank was near empty and I topped it up with 15 litres of diesel and drove it 6 miles to get home with no problems. Should I top it right up with diesel or get it drained and flushed? Its an old run around so I don´t want to spend anything if I don´t need to. Thanks.
Mo - might be worth getting quotes elsewhere, but you may invalidate your warranty if you get the work done elsewhere. The engine may be OK but you´ll certainly need to get fuel lines, filter and injectors cleaned out.
Paul - keep topping up. It should be fine.
Anxiously waiting to find out if I put about a 1/4 tank of Unleaded in my 2.0L Fiat Scudo Common rail van. Cannot confirm as I use a fuel card from Texaco and my statement is due on Monday. Filled the van on Weds drove about 70 miles then it just spluttered to a halt. The thought hadn´t even entered my mind until the mechanic said about misfuelling.
I cannot see how I could have driven such a distance without noticing this?????
Very worried now....
Simon - it´s not unknown for vehicles to travel such distances before grinding to a halt if you have misfuelled, so it;s still a possibility I´d´ve thought.
Mechanic has got some of the fuel out and tried to ignite it - couldn´t, so this must be a good sign??! He cannot smell petrol either............
Texaco confirmed I filled with diesel, so it looks like Fiats problem now......
hi my brother has just put £40 of petrol in my dads passat 2.0 tdi and driven home from the petrol station...approx 1.5miles...car was smoking but thats all...what should we do?
nixyk - good chance do significant damage done, but the tank will have to be drained. best to get it towed to a garage, or you may be able to find companies that will come to your house. should cost around £100.
Simon - unlucky. Let us know what Fiat says.
its a 54 plate if it helps!
I´ve been told to show a local garage as opposed to a main VW dealer...because they´ll want to change lots of parts etc...what do you think? The guy i rang thinks just draining and refilling with diesel should be fine..
It´s possible, but you may invalidate the warranty if a VW dealer doen´t do the work - if it´s still in warranty.
My wife has put £20 of unleaded on our 1.9dci renault scenic. She then filled filled the tank with a further £45 of diesel after noticing her mistake. what do you recomend?
Martyn - what year is the car? You might be OK, but a fuel-tank drain is probably wise.
hi just put 9 litres of unleaded in my 2.0 litre focus 2007 ghia tdci, filled up car with diesel to full tank ,drove 45 miles to home would appreciate any advise what i should do next thanks
Steve - you can either keep topping with diesel and cross your fingers, or go and get the fuel tank drained. If you take the first option you may damage fuel lines, pump and filter though.
Yes, a woman again! Just put 38p of unleaded into my Merc A Class CDI 170. Then filled up with Diesel, so not even 1% of unleaded in there, am I panicking unnecessarily as all was fine when drove 10 miles home? Thanks.
Put 6 litres of unleaded into my 07 reg Santa Fe, then filled it up with 70 litres of diesel, have done about 300km now with no obvious ill effects! What can I do?
my hubby just put £20 petrol into my diesel car (had about 20 litres of diesel in already) he drove it 1 mile home then it conked out. what do i do now? i have no breakdown cover.
I put 77 pence worth of unleaded in my BMW320d auto 2002 model before I realised! I was advised that this was such a small amount and it would be ok. I then topped it up with £50 worth of diesel. It is running fine, will it be ok? I am worried about it, any advice would be great. thanks
I put 77 pence worth of unleaded in my BMW 320d 2002 model before I realised! (I own 2 BMW´s one diesel and one petrol)!! first time I have ever done that too.. I then put £50 worth of diesel in, the mechanic at the petrol station said it would be fine as it was such a small amount. I am still worried about it, will it be ok? thanks, Andy
2002 jetta tdi struggled to start this morning. Belched to a start, I made it to work 7km. Started the car again at lunch time. Very difficult start but started and drove for lunch another 4km. After lunch the car didnt start. I had lend my girlfriend the car over the weekend and she had put 25 liters of unleaded in the empty tank. Now the car is at the garage and I am waiting anxiously for the situation. ... to be continued ...
Ann, Lorna, Andy. I´d be very surprised if you had any trouble with the small amounts you´ve put in. If you´re worried have the fuel tank drained.
Louise - you need to get it towed to a garage and have the fuel tank drained. This should cost around £100.
My other half has put a full tank of petrol in deisel tank (Mondeo ST). Drove 400 yards from garage home. Tried starting engine this morning, but it just made spluttering noises once started up. AA towed to garage. The garage have said will cost £500 to drain, and could possibly be thousands of pounds to put right. Is it really that bad!!
I have just put 3 ltrs of petrol in my 2004 2.0 ltr Diesel DTi Vauxhall Zafira. The petrol station attendant told me to fill the rest of the tank with diesel and that this should be fine. So its got 57ltrs of diesel and 3 ltrs of petrol in the tank. should this now be fine or do i need to get the tank drained and a new fuel filter???
Ez - it shouldn´t cost anywhere near £500 simply to drain the tank. Replacing fuel lines and filters may cost more. Damage to the engine could mean significant costs, but that seems unlikely if you´ve just driven 400 yards. Ask around friends and acquaintances and try and get a recommendation on a good garage. Use another if you´re not sure about the current one.
Quite likely that three litres to 57 litres of diesel will be fine. A tank drain is an option if you´re really worried though - the choice is yours.
thankyou, hopefully your a life saver!! or at least a money saver!!
From empty added about 15 lts of unleaded to my Audi A6 Tdi. Realising my mistake I topped up with 50 lts of diesel. Car ran like a dog but topped up again after 100 miles and again after another 100miles. All this occured at 30k miles on the clock. Car ran to over 100k miles without any further problems. Sold car to a friend who has taken the car to over 130k miles, again no problems at all.
help! just put 20quids worth of petrol in my diesel astra van 1.7 04 plate. i put a further 20quids worth of diesel in before running it. since driven about ten miles home and it seems fine. can i keep diluting it? there seems to be a lot of conflicting ideas.
Danny. The reason for the conflicting ideas is that it may depend on how new your engine is. Common-rail diesels can be much more affected by petrol, so special care has be taken with them. Try to find out if your engine has common-rail technology.
Two months ago my wife filled our 1-year old Volvo XC-90 with petrol and drove a mile home before realising. The RAC took the car to an independent garage, who flushed the system for £200. 1000+ miles later the car is running normally. However, the fuel gauge is not working properly. If i take the car to a franchise dealer is there a risk that they will find the root cause of the problem, if say the fuel sender unit is damaged, and then insist on replacing other fuel parts even though the car is running normally?
Any advice greatfully received!
Iain - I suppose it´s a possibility, though I don´t see how they could find out without noticing damage caused to fuel lines and the lie. In which case, the work will need to be done.
Sorry I can´t be more specific.
have just put 9 litres of unleaded in ford focus tdci. all fine when home then came out to retstart with nothing happening realsised that filled up with wrong fuel. have had car towed to garage and drained but doesn´t seem to have worked garage inform me that I may need lines, injection and everything else changed any ideas how much this might run to on a 2005 model have no idea if common rail but sounds likely?
Phil - no idea on how much that´s likely to cost I´m afraid, I imagine it varies between cars. maybe more expensive on a common-rail engine too.
Please everyone take heed of the comments re common rail diesel engines. I have a Berlingo 2.0 HDI Forte. It is a 2004 model. I put £20 of unleaded in it and took the advice of a garage in filling it up with diesel and driving it a mile home. In actual fact you shouldn´t move the car. I had to pay £198 to AA Fuel Assist to come and drain the tank. I have to hand it to them they were quick off the mark and arrived at my home within 20 minutes. Expensive mistake and hopefully no long term damage to the vehicle.
Very consoling to know i´m not the only idiot!Just waiting for AA to tow me to a garage.
good news, drained tank and motor running with no immediate effect, except on the bank balace £185. However my dad suggest that I should have my fuel filters and my oil changed due to the ill effects that unleaded could have had on my vehicle is this necessary?
Just put £5 petrol into my 05 plate Saab 93, drove about 300 yards before suddenly realising, I stopped and had it towed to a garage. They are going to drain it and flush it do you think it will be ok
Elaine - difficult to say but you did the right thing by stopping and having it towed. Fingers crossed.
filled up with 30 pounds on an empty tank with unleaded in my 99reg mondeo td.pushed it off forecourt and got a bit of hosepipe and kept sucking till i had 25 litres in jerry cans.filled up with proper fuel and been ok so far.cars done 260 thou and touch wood ok
I haven´t put petrol in my diesel atravan 2006 - but she started running mederately rough, i changed the fuel filter and the damned thing stinks of petrol - WHY??, any ideas - i definately have never put petrol in this thing! - and she still sounds like a ewing machine.
DDN ltd just introduced a product that stops you puttind petrol into your diesel tank. Was just on dragons den excelent product.
just put 14ish ltr of unleaded in diesel car... petrol light had just come on... haven´t started engine, will mix of veg oil and diesel save it?? Old citroen engine...
Don´t think veg oil is the solution Katrina. Older engines are more tolerant of petrol and can sometimes be topped up, but getting the tank drained is the safest option.
thank you x
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I put half a tank of unleaded in my four-year-old plate Astra yesterday, it ran fine until the ECU took exception to it and stopped the engine.
I had the tank flushed out and it is back to normal, last time I did it was 2 years ago to this very same car, that was nearly a full tank of unleaded, out of the service station, whipped onto the motorway quickly up to 70+mph and then conked out.