Wrong Fuel in a Petrol Car
Don’t Worry, We All Make Mistakes
As soon as you realise you have filled your petrol vehicle mistakenly with diesel, stop your vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so. Don’t panic. Putting diesel in a petrol vehicle is an easy mistake to make. Contact us for immediate assistance to efficiently resolve your misfuelling emergency. You can trust our expert team to come to the rescue!
If you’ve mistakenly added diesel to a petrol engine, you may notice the following:
You may have difficulty starting the vehicle or it may not start at all
If you are able to start the vehicle, you may experience:
Poor performance including reduced power and acceleration
Rough idling and misfiring which feels like shaking or sputtering
Excessive and thick smoke coming from the exhaust
Stalling or complete engine failure
Putting diesel fuel into a petrol car can lead to various issues, primarily because diesel fuel and petrol are designed for different engines since they have different properties. Diesel is less flammable than petrol, but it may clog spark plugs, fuel rails, lines and other small components of the fuel system designed for petrol. It may also damage the fuel emission systems. Diesel fuel lacks the lubricating properties found in petrol, which can lead to increased wear and tear on engine components, such as the fuel pump, injectors and valves.
Help! What Do I Do?
If you have accidentally put diesel fuel in a petrol car, do not start the engine. Keep the keys away from the ignition so you don’t accidently prime the fuel pump. If damage occurs to your vehicle through misfuelling, it is not covered under warranty and insurance policies may not provide cover. You will need a professional service to safely extract and flush out the incorrect fuel from your vehicle’s system to avoid further damage.
