Wrong fuel in the tank — do not start the engine
As long as the engine has not been started, the problem is draining the tank. Once started, it becomes fuel system repair.
Symptoms
- You realised the mistake at the pump
- The engine runs roughly and smokes
- The car cut out shortly after setting off
Do not turn the key. That is the only decision that matters in the first minutes. As long as the fuel pump has not run, the wrong fuel just sits in the tank and nothing more.
Why it matters
Petrol in a diesel engine removes the lubrication of the high pressure pump. That pump works to micron tolerances and lubricates itself with the diesel itself. A few seconds of running is enough to produce metal particles that then travel through the whole system — injectors, lines, filter.
The opposite case, diesel in a petrol engine, is usually milder. The engine smokes, struggles and stops, but the damage is rarely as expensive.
What to do
Do not start it. Do not repeatedly lock and unlock the car, because on some models this activates the pump.
If the car is at the pump, ask for it to be pushed aside rather than starting it.
Call and say it plainly: wrong fuel, the engine has NOT been started. That detail decides whether the car goes for draining or into a workshop.
If you have already driven off
Stop as soon as it is safe, switch off and do not try again. Every further start carries the fuel deeper into the system.
After draining and flushing most cars run normally. The price gap between the two scenarios is large — and it is decided in the first minute.
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If you are in a hurry, calling is fastest. The form is for when you cannot speak.