Possible dodgy fuel?

Undercovercarrot

Hi chaps and chapesses. Just wondering if I can pick your brains?

I have a 61 plate VW Polo Bluemotion. I was off to the Lake District at the weekend from Chester, and left home at around 6:30 on Saturday morning. My car was on the red for diesel, so I popped into my local Shell garage (also, luckily, about the cheapest around surprisingly). I popped in about 30 litres and toddled on up the M6 to the Lakes.

Just after getting off the M6 at Kendal, the car suddenly gave out a massive plume of white smoke from the exhaust, lost all power and made a godawful knocking noise from the engine. As I'm with VW assist, I coasted it to a stop and called them out. The mechanic came out and inspected it took a sensor out of a fuel pipe and said "oh, you've filled up with unleaded!" My immediate thought was "Carrot, have you been a moron and used the wrong pump?" I checked my receipt and nope...definitely says diesel! The mechanic said "they must have put unleaded in the diesel bunker at the garage then"

I suppose this is theoretically possible, but it seems quite unlikely to me. Speaking with a mate who is a mechanic, he says that modern cars tend to cut out if the fuel sensor detects anything dodgy, rather than make clouds of smoke like mine did. Also, this was 100 miles after I filled up - surely that can't be right?!

Car was recovered to my local dealer (is under Warranty) but now I am wondering if the mechanic was trying to shift the blame away from VW to a 3rd party? Obviously I have the receipt with everything on it, and I called the garage straight away - I am wondering if I may have a battle on my hands! Would value your opinions!

forgotmyname

On the red may still have 10 litres or more in there.

So adding 30 litres, I would have expected it to start playing up within a couple of miles. Did you notice it down on power or behaving any differently?

It will drive with a fair amount of petrol in there, But it wont rev properly. But at lightish throttle openings it will run.

Undercovercarrot

Not at all - drove well and just as expected all the way from Chester to J36 of the M6 (so mainly motorway miles). And certainly had some high rev acceleration - the slip road onto the motorway is a big pull up, so have to give it beans!

gilbert_and_sullivan

Stick your nose in the filler cap, you'll soon know if its had petrol contamination.

I seriously doubt it, no way would you have got 100 miles with such a high mixture.

Misfuelling seems to be the answer to Diesel engine problems these days when the code reader doesn't spell out the problem for them.

sexyshark

I work in a petrol station and we had a customer who filled up a diesel car with unleaded and she only managed to go 2 metres, so over a hundred miles is impossible if you put in the wrong fuel

maninthestreet

Have the garage who have your car for repair confirmed the diagnosis of petrol in the fuel as the cause of the engine failure? If so, get this in writing from them before pursuing any claim with the garage who sold you the fuel.

terrylamps

I accidently did this in my sisters car. Drove it home from the petrol station, about 1 and a half miles, and then went out about an hour later to go to the airport and it wouldn't start. Only then did i realise that i'd put petrol in instead of diesel :cool: Emptied the tank and filled up with diesel and the car was fine after that.

I learnt my lesson. Pay more attention when i'm borrowing someone elses car :rotfl:

missing_link_2

gilbert_and_sullivan wrote: »

Stick your nose in the filler cap, you'll soon know if its had petrol contamination.

Preferably when no-one else is watching you. Petrol sniffing,google it

Undercovercarrot

Well the response from the dealer is that they don't know what is wrong yet, but there is oil in the crank case and exhaust manifold. Something has gone pop in a big way.

Now off to not sniff petrol. Ahem.

bryanb

Oil in the crankcase sounds normal to me.

leftinamess

Undercovercarrot wrote: »

Hi chaps and chapesses. Just wondering if I can pick your brains?

I have a 61 plate VW Polo Bluemotion. I was off to the Lake District at the weekend from Chester, and left home at around 6:30 on Saturday morning. My car was on the red for diesel, so I popped into my local Shell garage (also, luckily, about the cheapest around surprisingly). I popped in about 30 litres and toddled on up the M6 to the Lakes.

Just after getting off the M6 at Kendal, the car suddenly gave out a massive plume of white smoke from the exhaust, lost all power and made a godawful knocking noise from the engine. As I'm with VW assist, I coasted it to a stop and called them out. The mechanic came out and inspected it took a sensor out of a fuel pipe and said "oh, you've filled up with unleaded!" My immediate thought was "Carrot, have you been a moron and used the wrong pump?" I checked my receipt and nope...definitely says diesel! The mechanic said "they must have put unleaded in the diesel bunker at the garage then"

I suppose this is theoretically possible, but it seems quite unlikely to me. Speaking with a mate who is a mechanic, he says that modern cars tend to cut out if the fuel sensor detects anything dodgy, rather than make clouds of smoke like mine did. Also, this was 100 miles after I filled up - surely that can't be right?!

Car was recovered to my local dealer (is under Warranty) but now I am wondering if the mechanic was trying to shift the blame away from VW to a 3rd party? Obviously I have the receipt with everything on it, and I called the garage straight away - I am wondering if I may have a battle on my hands! Would value your opinions!

No battle you will be fine, miss informed by roadside, he took wild guess and got it wrong! Don't worry if you receipt says what you put in is correct that's all that matters