Out of fuel — and why diesel is the harder case
With petrol, topping up is usually enough. With diesel the system often has to be bled.
Symptoms
- The engine loses power and stops
- The car runs in surges
- The gauge has been on red for miles
- The starter cranks but will not fire
Do not keep turning the key. The fuel pump is cooled by the fuel itself; cranking it dry destroys it, and a new pump costs many times more than a tank of fuel.
Petrol: topping up is usually enough and the car starts after a few attempts.
Diesel: air enters the system and it has to be bled, sometimes only at a garage. A jerry can does not always solve it on the spot.
Do not put the wrong fuel in while rushing. Petrol in a diesel engine is a far more expensive mistake than an empty tank — in that case do not start the engine at all.
When you need a tow: a diesel that will not start after refuelling, wrong fuel, or you have stopped on a motorway. We take the car to a petrol station or a garage.
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If you are in a hurry, calling is fastest. The form is for when you cannot speak.