Garage put petrol in our new diesel Rav 4

Joe_Horner

As a slight counterbalance to the above:

It depends a little who the dealer is and what they're doing to the car. 10 miles with petrol in (bear in mind it won't have been completely neat petrol because there will have been some diesel in the tank) won't necessarily have caused damage.

IF they're stripping and flushing the fuel system AND running pressure & leakage checks to the maker's specs to make sure everything (mainly injection pump and injectors) is still ok then there's no real reason to doubt the car afterwards despite the urban myths.

If (as is more likely) they're pumping the petrol out replacing the fuel filter and calling that "fixed" then it may or may not be ok but probably not worth the risk.

missile

I would suggest the car will be perfectly OK after the fuel and filter has been replaced.
However, I would not wish to take the risk.

AdrianC

The car is still under manufacturer warranty until five years or 100k miles. If they're going to sort it, then they need to sort it to Toyota's satisfaction, so that that warranty is not compromised. If they aren't a Toyota dealer, then you need to speak to a Toyota dealer - or Toyota GB - to get their view on that.

If they're willing to do that, then I'd accept it.
Otherwise, reject.

rdr

AdrianC wrote: »

The car is still under manufacturer warranty until five years or 100k miles. If they're going to sort it, then they need to sort it to Toyota's satisfaction, so that that warranty is not compromised. If they aren't a Toyota dealer, then you need to speak to a Toyota dealer - or Toyota GB - to get their view on that.

If they're willing to do that, then I'd accept it.
Otherwise, reject.

Indeed without the manufacturer's warranty it is not the car you agreed to buy, and they don't have a leg to stand on.

dannyrst

Poor person that buys the car afterwards!

Giles_K

Indeed without the manufacturer's warranty it is not the car you agreed to buy, and they don't have a leg to stand on.

I agree with Adrian C and rdr, the car needs to be restored to its 'warranty level'. If you own a vehicle that is lower than this condition, this could have serious repurcusions for you later on.

From a mechanical point of view then also yes, you've driven the car with the wrong fuel and this can cause damage later on. Metal particles, created via this process, can cause issues in the pump - even if the car seems like it handles fine for now. Combine this with any warranty and insurance issues and you're looking at expensive repair costs.

d0nkeyk0ng

dannyrst wrote: »

Poor person that buys the car afterwards!

Exactly what I thought. OP could reject the car and a new buyer could buy the car, completely oblivious to what's happened. And if they do have a prob, they may well be blamed for what is somebody else's mistake.

AdrianC

dannyrst wrote: »

Poor person that buys the car afterwards!

Which is exactly why I will never buy a used common-rail diesel.

jaydeeuk1

AdrianC wrote: »

Which is exactly why I will never buy a used common-rail diesel.

Or any second hand car for me!

dannyrst

jaydeeuk1 wrote: »

Or any second hand car for me!

This will be me when I've got my mortgage sorted. Leasing is the future, although, it isn't MSE.

MSE would be buying this Rav4 and having to replace thousands of pounds worth of damaged parts on an already depreciating asset.