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Your legal guide to motoring |
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Misfuelling
What to do if you've put the wrong fuel in your car
You're not alone. It's estimated that at least 150,000 drivers put the wrong fuel
in their car each year – one every three and a half minutes!
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And the scale of the problem has been getting bigger too, especially over the
last five years with growth in diesel car sales – modern diesels are so quiet
it's easy to forget you're driving one, particularly if it's a second family car
or hire car.
If you've put the wrong fuel in your car, don't turn on the ignition or start
the engine as this will circulate the contaminated fuel and increase the risk
of damage.
Potential damage
Diesel fuel pumps operate on very fine tolerances and are lubricated by the diesel
fuel itself.
Petrol in diesel acts as a solvent – it reduces lubrication and can cause damage
to the pump through metal to metal contact.
Some fuel system seals can be affected by the compounds in petrol too.
The further the contaminated petrol goes in the system the more expensive the
repair – it can be cheaper in more extreme cases to fit a new engine.
The newer common rail (or HDi) diesel engines are particularly vulnerable – if
fuel contaminated by pump wear debris gets as far as the common rail system you
may have to replace the low and high-pressure fuel pumps, injectors, fuel rail,
line filters and the fuel tank too.
Many systems use a low-pressure electric pump in the tank or sender unit and this
begins to work as soon as the ignition is switched on, circulating the contaminated
fuel through the pump and rail – so it's important not to turn the ignition on.
Petrol in Diesel
Do not turn on the ignition or start the car
If the car's still under warranty you should check with the franchised dealer
regarding their advice and correct remedial action – running with even a small
amount of petrol in the tank might invalidate the warranty while some manufacturers
advise that seals and filters should be renewed even if the engine has not been
run.
Generally a small amount of incorrect fuel should not damage the engine as long
as you have not started the car and top up fully with diesel fuel.
If you've added more than 10% (5 litres in a 50 litre tank) petrol – Drain the
tank and refill with diesel
If you've added less than 10% petrol (5 litres in a 50 litre tank) – Top up with
diesel and run normally unless the manufacturer has advised otherwise Diesel in
Petrol
Do not turn on the ignition or start the car
This is much less common because the standard diesel nozzle at fuel stations is
larger than the fuel filler neck on modern petrol cars – you have to be pretty
determined and patient to misfuel with diesel as a result.
If the car's still under warranty you should check with the franchised dealer
regarding their advice and correct remedial action.
Generally a small amount of incorrect fuel should not damage the engine as long
as you have not started the car top up fully with petrol.
If you've added more than 10% (5 litres in a 50 litre tank) diesel – the car shouldn't
be run and the tank should be drained
If you've added less than 10% (5 litres in a 50 litre tank) diesel – the tank
can be topped up with petrol and the car run normally unless the manufacturer
has advised otherwise
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