So who's ever misfuelled?

[danA3T]

So, I've had a diesel nearly three years, and after thirteen hours at work, I grabbed the green nozzle and stuck it in without a thought. Pretty much as soon as I squeezed the trigger, I realised I still had a derv and pulled out. So only 40p of unleaded and I'm not that worried about it after a seventy quid fill up of diesel.

But I'm curious, how often does this happen, as I thought you'd need to be particularly careless to misfuel but here I am. I suppose twelve years of driving and only three in a diesel is some excuse...

Perhaps it's all the fantasising over something faster and petrol.

 

[AndyA3170]

I use to work in a garage and saw countless of people make the mistake.

Best one to my knowledge though is my best pal who filled an aprillia rs250 with diesel, got about 2 miles from the petrol station and things went dramatically wrong. Still take the **** now and it must have been 8 years ago!

 

[danA3T]

Christ, that does make me feel better about my smoker A3

 

[BigWillyStyle]

Yup i put 35 quid in my A3. i only reallised when the pump stopped because the angle was wrong. Had to get it picked up and pumped out. My mate did it properly for 50 quid. Funny thing was a guy and had just done the same thing 10 mins before and was waiting for a recovery truck at the pump next to me! He had also put 35 quid in his Saab......freaky!

 

[max69vk]

Had this happen with my previous car, although it turned out I wasn't the only one to do it that day. The local garage had 4* in the diesel pumps! They paid for all the remedial work to be done along with everyone else's that sent them a bill from that day.

 

[Zak0123]

My old man did it with his A5. Put £40+ worth of unleaded into a diesel, got two minutes down the road and it started ticking over loudly.

'You did put diesel in didn't you?'

Rang Audi who said whatever you do don't start it. Too late..

 

[RedDejavu]

when its ok to put diesel into a petrol car doing it other way around can cause massive damage to the engine due to lack of lubrication.

 

[rjm180]

I put half a tank of unleaded into our 08 A3 diesel a couple of years ago. I realised what I'd done before I started it, but from memory I'm sure it cost a couple of hundred quid plus the cost of the wasted fuel, (the diesel that was already in it and the unleaded I added on top).


It is such a stupid mistake to make and you feel like kicking yourself as you can't believe you could have done it.


It is easily done though I think when your mind is on other things, car full of children and one of your cars is a petrol and the other is a diesel and you are constantly swapping from one to the other etc. Thankfully both our cars are now on the same fuel, petrol.

When you have done it you think, why, why are the nozzles able to interchange as such and this mistake could be possible but then you realise it's prob because it doesn't affect the fuel suppliers at all so why would they bother to do anything about it.

At least it was me who did it and not my wife as I think she was more understanding than if it had have been the other way round. Lol.

 

[fangio]

Years ago, I pulled up at the usual pump at a garage where I regularly fuelled my truck. After a minute or two I smelled petrol! They had swapped pumps and no notices! I had put about 40l of petrol into a nearly empty tank, so thought WTF and topped up with another 120l of diesel.

No problems whatsoever....

 

[Cozza McA]

I did this on once but only put in 95Ron and not 99Ron haha

Ill get my coat

 

[Ben2487]

You'd of thought that they made dirrerent shape nozzles and tank pipes so only a diesel pump would fit a diesel,
I could be onto something lol dragons den here we come!
Or just change the nozzles and sell some kind of plastic insert for the tank,

 

[Zak0123]

You'd of thought that they made dirrerent shape nozzles and tank pipes so only a diesel pump would fit a diesel,
I could be onto something lol dragons den here we come!
Or just change the nozzles and sell some kind of plastic insert for the tank,

Funny you say that, there was actually a dragons dens where some guy made a component that fits down your fuel filler pipe and blocks the smaller petrol pump but allows the larger diesel pump around the outside of it. Very clever! No idea why it's not on the market yet..

 

[danA3T]

@zak I wonder how much the manufacturers wouldn't like such a clever idea, call me skeptical, but I reckon the number of replies here is a good indicator as to how often misfuelling happens and how much work it must generate for garages!

Good to know I'm in good company mind you

 

[_G_]

when its ok to put diesel into a petrol car doing it other way around can cause massive damage to the engine due to lack of lubrication.

Good post.

Did this... through the brecon beacons... 4 litres of v power diesel into my 2.0T but then topped it off with v power unleaded as soon as I realised... passed emissions no problems but the intank fuel pump was damaged as with the intank pump o-ring which I am told was warped by the diesel contamination. All other fuel lines were fine but the fuel filter was a gonner too.

 

[Zak0123]

@zak I wonder how much the manufacturers wouldn't like such a clever idea, call me skeptical, but I reckon the number of replies here is a good indicator as to how often misfuelling happens and how much work it must generate for garages!

Good to know I'm in good company mind you

Good shout, didn't think about the revenue for garages! Must have been 2 years ago easily that I saw it on dragons den and as I recall the guy said he had spoken to ford about it...

Just googled it on google patents.. a patent was passed for a 'filler neck to inhibit user from pumping unleaded fuel into a diesel' in 2010. Similar original patent was issed by GENERAL MOTORS in... wait for it... 1977!

 

[jasonc]

You'd of thought that they made dirrerent shape nozzles and tank pipes so only a diesel pump would fit a diesel,
I could be onto something lol dragons den here we come!
Or just change the nozzles and sell some kind of plastic insert for the tank,

Thought they already did that - isn't the diesel nozzle bigger than petrol so you can't make the mistake of putting diesel into a petrol car because the nozzle won't fit.

I also think that Ford solved the problem the other way round so you can't insert a petrol nozzle into a diesel Ford. They have some kind of spring loaded cover which only opens if the nozzle is wide enough i.e. diesel.

 

[Zak0123]

Thought they already did that - isn't the diesel nozzle bigger than petrol so you can't make the mistake of putting diesel into a petrol car because the nozzle won't fit.

I also think that Ford solved the problem the other way round so you can't insert a petrol nozzle into a diesel Ford. They have some kind of spring loaded cover which only opens if the nozzle is wide enough i.e. diesel.

That's what we're talking about, there wasn't previously anything to stop you filling up a diesel with unleaded - hence the thread

Haven't seen anything on the market yet that stops this but maybe ford are starting to bring it in?

 

[jasonc]

Haven't seen anything on the market yet that stops this but maybe ford are starting to bring it in?

Think they have had for a little while - I've used a 2011 Galaxy that has it.

 

[AndyA3170]

I mean I've never personally never done it but they do have different colour pipes on the pumps and it tells you what fuel it is on the pump all over it and most cars tell you on the inside of the fuel cap what you should be putting in.

I understand accidents happen but there is quite a number of indicators to aid you from making the mistake.

I could understand car manufactures not wanting to put something in the fuel filler neck to stop you doing it cause they generally benefit financial when someone makes the mistake.

 

[Zak0123]

I mean I've never personally never done it but they do have different colour pipes on the pumps and it tells you what fuel it is on the pump all over it and most cars tell you on the inside of the fuel cap what you should be putting in.

I understand accidents happen but there is quite a number of indicators to aid you from making the mistake.

Agreed! They couldn't make it clearer which is which. Have never done it before but I can still see it only being a matter of time..