It’s shockingly simple to accidentally fill your car up with the wrong fuel. There’s always the risk of picking up the wrong pump at the gas station if you’re too weary or preoccupied to pay attention.
And if there’s a gas shortage, you could be tempted to use whatever is on hand to fuel your vehicle. Surely some fuel is preferable to none at all, right? Wrong!
Making the mistake of filling your car with the wrong fuel can be disastrous and expensive.
What happens if you happen to make this same crucial mistake? That’s what we’ll be discussing in this article.
What Actually Happens If You Fill Your Car with the Wrong Fuel?
You can’t put diesel in a gasoline engine and vice versa. If you put diesel in a gas car, you won’t travel very far. As soon as the gas in your tank is gone, your car will stop running. The gasoline engine will not ignite diesel fuel in your tank. As a result, you’ll come to a stop and be unable to restart your vehicle.
You’re asking for trouble if you put gasoline in a diesel car. Diesel is less flammable than gasoline. So, using gasoline in a diesel engine will cause the engine to overheat and explode. The exhaust will most likely produce black smoke. The longer you drive on petrol, the more damage you’ll do to your vehicle because petrol is more corrosive than diesel.
What Is the Right Approach If You Put the Wrong Fuel in Your Car?
It all depends on how early you were able to realise your error. Stop pumping if you accidentally add the wrong fuel while topping up.
Don’t even try to get the automobile going. Misfuelling is an expensive mistake in general, but attempting to drive with the incorrect fuel in the tank is quite dangerous.
Tell a staff member if you’re still at the gas station. They may arrange a professional tank drain service.
If you’re already on the road and have yet to stop for gas, pull over as soon as it’s safe to do so and only get back in the car once you’ve figured out what’s wrong.
If you have breakdown help, dial their number. In any other case, you can contact a misfuelling specialist for assistance. Among other things, they will empty your tank and engine, flush your gasoline lines, and fix any other problems that may exist.
It will cost you money to resolve this issue. Having a gasoline tank drained might cost as low as £200. However, the charges can be far larger if you have tried to drive your car with the incorrect fuel.
You might even have to buy a whole new engine if things get bad enough. However, you wouldn’t need to worry about this unless you’ve actually tried to drive your automobile with improper fuel.
Remember to Never Fill Your Car with the Wrong Fuel
As we’ve mentioned, using the incorrect fuel in an automobile is a disastrous mistake. You might destroy the engine beyond repair. But you may still have to pay several hundred pounds to empty your tank if you realise your error before starting the vehicle.
It goes without saying that you should never, ever, even in an “emergency,” be persuaded to use the wrong kind of fuel.
After hearing reports of a fuel crisis or scarcity, you may decide to fill up your tank with whatever is still on the shelves since you’ll never be sure when you’ll be able to refuel again. However, this would be a costly decision. Cars that take gasoline should only be refuelled with gasoline, while those that take diesel should only be refuelled with diesel, even in an emergency.
Conclusion
It is very important to take the right approach after filling your car with the wrong fuel. The first thing you should do is turn off the engine and do not try to start it again. Then, you should call a tow truck or the police. Once the car is towed, you should take it to a mechanic to have the fuel drained, and the system cleaned.
Take note of all our pointers above, and you will never have to worry about any costly repairs on your fuel-filled vehicle in the foreseeable future.
If you are looking for a company that offers gas tank draining services in the UK, look no further than our expertise here at Petrol in Diesel UK. We are a market leading fuel draining company with service units all over the UK. Visit our nearest branch today and let us drain your car of its wrong fuel or diesel in no time.
