According to the AA, over 150,000 people put the wrong fuel in their car every year. It’s an easy mistake to make, especially if
you’re not familiar with the car you are driving. In fact most of the mishaps occur when someone is driving a vehicle that belongs to friends or family members. Usually people make the mistake of putting petrol into a diesel. This is because the diesel nozzles at the pumps won’t fit through the fuel fillers on a petrol car.
If you do make the mistake of misfueling, DO NOT turn on your engine. This is the most important thing to remember, because if you do start your engine the wrong type of fuel will get into your engine and cause a lot of expensive damage. Instead simply put your car into neutral and attempt to safely roll it off the garage forecourt.
At this point it really isn’t the end of the world. In fact companies like Fuel Busters can come and fix the problem within an hour. Their services are very reasonably priced and your vehicle will be left undamaged. They simply drain the fuel safely so you can replace it with the correct type, allowing you to continue with your day.
Petrol in a Diesel Vehicle
If you make this mistake the petrol will ultimately reduce the lubrication process within the engine. This can result in considerable damage, especially to the fuel pump. But if you realise after only a small amount of petrol has entered the tank, don’t panic. So long as you only added less than 5 litres you should be OK. Unless the manufacturer suggests otherwise, continue filling the car with diesel until the tank is full. This will dilute the petrol enough for you to carry on as normal without causing any damage.
On the other hand if you add any more than 5 litres of petrol, you will need the help of a professional company to the drain the engine. If you started driving again before realising, stop ASAP but realise you may need some engine parts replacing.
Diesel in a Petrol Vehicle
As we outlined above, this event is less common due to the mix match in nozzle and filler sizes. However there are occasions when this still occurs. Like with petrol in a diesel you should be fine if less than 5 litres is added to the car. If any more goes in the diesel will stop the spark plugs from igniting and ultimately the vehicle won’t run. At this point you will need to have the fuel drained and replaced to get the vehicle running again.
The good news is that diesel in a petrol isn’t as damaging as the other way round.
Insurance for Misfuelling
If you don’t start the vehicle then this will not be a big job to fix. Either a local garage or roadside assistance company will simply drain the tank, clean the pipes and then replace the fuel. However if you started the car and worse drove it, then the repair bill could escalate into thousands of pounds. In most cases this will be covered under your insurance as ‘accidental damage’. However check this carefully with your personal provider as each policy differs some what. In fact, more recently insurance companies are leaving this extra cover off their premiums. The reason is that as more diesel cars enter the market, the misfueling mistake is becoming ever more common.
