According to recent statistics, at least 150,000 UK drivers every year put the wrong fuel in their car. Misfuelling your vehicle can be a costly mistake if you drive it, but there are solutions out there.
In this blog, we’ll be telling you exactly what you need to do if you put the wrong fuel in your car, how to prevent misfuelling moving forward and how to find wrong fuel recovery companies. Here’s everything you need to know…
What To Do After Putting The Wrong Fuel In Your Car
Step 1: Don’t Turn On Your Ignition
Have you turned the ignition on yet? If not, don’t! Starting the ignition can potentially cause permanent damage and causes you the most difficulty financially, as it is costly to repair.
Leave your ignition switched off and place your keys in a safe place away from the ignition.
Step 2: Get To A Safe Location
Put your vehicle in neutral and find a safe space to push your car to a safe spot. In most cases, you’re probably going to be at a petrol station, speak to the staff at the petrol station to let them know what has happened.
Step 3: Call Us
As a nationwide vehicle rescue and recovery company, we can help you no matter where you are across the UK. Call us on 0870 600 3444 and let our team know where you are.
What Happens If You Put Diesel In A Petrol Car?
It is far less common for people to misfuel in a petrol car as the diesel pump nozzle is bigger than most petrol nozzles. In the event that you do misfuel your petrol car, the damage isn’t typically as bad for a petrol engine.
When you put diesel in a petrol car the petrol ignites by a spark from the spark plugs and then the diesel in the petrol engine clogs up the spark plugs and the fuel system. These problems prevent the car from starting and your fuel will then need to be drained out.
What Happens If You Put Petrol In A Diesel Car?
Putting petrol in a diesel car has more serious consequences compared to putting diesel in a petrol car. As diesel acts as a lubricant and helps the fuel pump to do its job your car can run smoothly, but with petrol, it increases friction between parts in the diesel engine.
Depending on the amount of damage caused, it could mean new fuel pumps, injectors, pipes, filters, fuel tank and potentially even a whole new engine.
How To Prevent Misfuelling
Misfuelling is a common mistake and is something that can easily happen to anyone. Here are 3 top tips to prevent misfuelling going forward:
- Put reminders in your car such as a sticker inside the fuel cap.
- Spend extra time reading the pump’s labels and fuel grade indicators.
- If you own a diesel, purchase a stopper to go in the filler neck so the petrol nozzle can’t fit.
Finding A Wrong Fuel Recovery Company…
When you’ve put the wrong fuel in your car, it can be a stressful and panicking time. We work 24 hours across the whole of the UK providing vehicle rescue and recovery services for all types of cars and commercial vehicles.
Get in touch with our team today on 0870 600 3444 and we can help you get where you need to be.
