How you can save your car from costly repairs if you pump in wrong fuel

Published on 13 October, 2021

Overview

I vividly remember, many years ago, putting petrol in a diesel car and the horrible sensation of panic and potential destruction it sparked.

It was late in the evening, and I recall ringing around looking for advice.

I decided that given there hadn’t been much petrol pumped, I would drive the car at high revs and stop at nearly every open garage from Cashel to Dublin to fill up with diesel to lower the percentage of petrol.

It wasn’t the right thing to do, although the car showed no sign of damage subsequently (it was a test car and I did tell the owner).

I was lucky in the sense that a relatively small amount of the offending fuel had been pumped in.

Even so, it was a frightening episode – and it can happen so easily.

You can be distracted by something – a nice car at the pump in front, the children (or adults) going to war in your absence from your own vehicle.

OK, you should have known that things didn’t feel right when you put in the nozzle.

Then the horrible reality dawns.

There isn’t much consolation, but putting the wrong fuel into your car happens more frequently than you might think.

According to the AA, it has been called out to nearly 900 cases of motorists who have accidentally put petrol into a diesel or diesel into a petrol car.

The good news is that it needn’t be as catastrophic as you think – if you follow the right guidelines.

AA patrol supervisor Vijay Gangarh has the dos and don’ts of what to do if you find yourself in this fix.

“Should you realise that you have put the wrong fuel into your car, the first thing to do is not to start your vehicle,” he said.

“Get it pushed away from the fuel pump and call us for assistance.”

The AA mechanic will drain the fuel from your car, put an additive in to clean the fuel system and then refill the vehicle with the correct fuel and make sure it is all running OK.

People worry there might be additional measures or checks you should do after the fix and ask if there is likely to be any lasting damage.

“If you haven’t driven the car, there’s normally no damage, but if you have driven it, there could be some damage further down the line in the fuel pump,” Mr Gangarh said.

So, the AA recommends you get the vehicle checked at your garage, get the fuel filter changed and get them to do a final check, making sure the vehicle is running OK and everything else is reading all right with the sensors.

Which is worse, the – putting petrol into a diesel car or diesel into a petrol?

“Putting petrol into a diesel car is worse, as diesel fuel acts as a lubricant for the fuel pump,” Mr Gangarh said.

“If you put petrol in, it washes away the lubricant in the fuel pump and you can be looking at thousands of euro in repairs if you have to replace the fuel pump.

“Diesel into petrol isn’t good – it can still do damage. –Either way it isn’t good.”

And what happens with the fuel that has been taken out of the car?

The mechanic drains the fuel, takes it back to base and puts it into an explosive-proof container, then gets an environmental agency to come and take it away and dispose of it in the proper fashion.

I hope that puts people’s minds at ease as I have received a few enquires lately.

Mercedes C-Class has arrived, plug-in versions to follow

The new Mercedes C-Class has arrived and costs from €53,350.

Mercedes is effectively describing it as a scaled-down S-Class, such is the level of specification, safety and comfort elements it says has been channelled from the large flagship.

Prices start from €53,350 for the C180 petrol version.

From the launch, there are five petrol and three diesels, in saloon and estate guises.

All have four-cylinder turbo-charged engines and 9G-TRONIC automatic transmission.

The petrols are C180 (1,496cc), C200 and C200 4MATIC (1,496cc), C300 and C300 4MATIC (1,999cc).

Diesels include C200 d (1,951cc), C220 d (1,992cc) and C300 d (1,992cc).

Plug-in hybrid versions with a claimed electric range of around 100km will follow.

The new car is roomier, longer and wider, with a 25mm enhanced wheelbase. The boot is up 30 litres to 1,510 with the 40:20:40 split rear seats folded flat.

During the three decades of its existence, the C-Class has sold nearly 11 million units.

The EV that Cupra says was Born to be driven is due here in March

Cupra’s new electric car, the Born, arrives here around next March.

Exact pricing has yet to be finalised, but we’re told it will start from under €39,000, excluding grants and delivery charges.

It is the brand’s first 100pc electric model.

There will be three versions/outputs: a 45kWh, 150PS with a claimed range of 350km; a 58kWh, 204PS with 424km of range; and a 77kWh, 231PS with up to 540km.

The last includes an e-Boost performance pack that pushes power to 231PS and manages a 0 to 100kmh time of 6.6 seconds.

The Born paves the way for Tavascan in 2024, which in turn will be followed by an electric urban car in 2025.

The new car is powered trough the rear wheels and is built on the Volkswagen Group’s modular MEB platform.

It extends to 4,322mm in length, is 1,809mm wide and 1,540mm tall.

It has a wheelbase of 2,767mm and a 385-litre boot capacity.