how stupid am i ?

onetomany

went of to work early this morning filled car up with petrol to 3 quarters of a tank drove about 2 and half miles and car broke down stupid me had put petrol in a diesil car:mad: rang green flag they qoted me £250 to drain it and sent someone out who wanted to take the car to the other side of huntiongton im in northamptonshire :mad: so i said its to far for me to collect, so im home car about 5 miles away and im trying to get hold of local garages for prices, just wanted to ask what the likley hood if ive damaged the engine? thanks in advance

Kilty_2

Quite high likelyhood of engine damage however there's only one way to find out. What car is it?

I think AA Fuel Assist will come to wherever the car is.....

onetomany

its a zafiria

Kilty_2

1.9 diesel?

onetomany

2.0 diesel i think (sorry i dont no northing about cars)

Kilty_2

Hmmm no idea about that engine tbh.

First things first you need to get it drained anyway - if you can't find an independent to do it then according to their website the AA will do it at the location the car is and for non members. Unfortunately it's going to cost about the same as what Green Flag quoted.

onetomany

ty will see if i can find somewhere cheaper

somech

make sure the fuel filters replaced also try phoning local recovery firms most have the equipment needed to drain fuel systems

darich

Reasonable chance of engine damage I'd suspect.
Diesel contains lubricants that petrol doesn't - running petrol through a diesel engine can strip away or clean the lubricant resulting in damage.
You may be lucky but I'd assume the worst while hoping for the best.

Good luck

SailorSam

I drove a taxi (Black Cab) and did it once, drove about a mile and it just stopped, the Rac towed me home where i drained it and put a new filter on.
Maybe i was lucky but had no problems.
Years ago when diesel engines were probably more basic, it was the norm to add a bit of petrol when you filled up in the winter, this stopped the derv from freezing up.

sassy_one

onetomany wrote: »

went of to work early this morning filled car up with petrol to 3 quarters of a tank drove about 2 and half miles and car broke down stupid me had put petrol in a diesil car:mad: rang green flag they qoted me £250 to drain it and sent someone out who wanted to take the car to the other side of huntiongton im in northamptonshire :mad: so i said its to far for me to collect, so im home car about 5 miles away and im trying to get hold of local garages for prices, just wanted to ask what the likley hood if ive damaged the engine? thanks in advance

Sorry to hear of your problems you had today, it happens to the best of us although this is something I personally haven't yet done, although been close to doing.

Regards engine damage, I wouldn't expect serious engine damage at this stage, you first need to find someone to come out, drain the tank and change the fuel filter and then see where that takes you.

You may be lucky that it has not caused any damage to your car/engine however it it has, the garage/person who attends to drain the petrol out will advise, but don't take there word for sure, as people are trying every trick in the book lately to get extra trade.


You should have the car taken to a well known garage that you have used, if they deal with this sort of thing, mis fueling and get a second option from them.

If you had AA Fuel Assistance then they would have come out to you, wherever you are - however you don't.

You could try filling the car up with diesel to the brim depending on how much was in the tank prior to you filling it with petrol, this make allow you to start the engine and drive it without any trouble.

The other thing to note is that the pumps on diesel can start making metal to metal contact when you put diesel in and there is no lubricate.

Is your car still under warranty?
If so, you need to contact them tomorrow and check with them what needs to be done regards warranty.

The AA upon checking now, can provide you with Fuel assistance even if you are not covered by the AA.

There costs start at £209.99.

There telephone number is: 0870 240 3985 - they are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week