You’ve pulled up to the petrol station with not much fuel left in your tank, you’ve gone to put fuel into your car and after putting a fair amount of fuel in your car, you realise that you’ve put the wrong fuel in your car.
It can be a pretty easy mistake to do, putting the wrong fuel in your car and then not knowing what to do afterwards.
We’ve all likely done this at some point in our driving time, put the wrong fuel in our car not realising and then either known about it, or driven off not knowing about it only to find that a few miles down the road, the car starts to stutter.
In this article, I’m going to help you take action if you’ve already put the wrong fuel in your car.
I’ve Put The Wrong Fuel In My Car – What Should I Do?
You’re at the petrol or diesel pump, and you’ve put the wrong fuel into your car…
You realise this a few minutes after fueling your car, by which time, it’s likely too late to withdraw the pump and put a different fuel into your car…
You stop fueling, after realising that you’ve put the wrong fuel into your car, so what’s next?
Follow these steps if you’ve already put the wrong fuel into your car:
- Firstly, leave your engine switched off, and don’t attempt to put your key into your car’s ignition as this could initiate a spark or the starter motor engaging.
- Next, you should inform the petrol station staff of what’s happened so that they know to prevent other drivers queuing at this pump.
- Then, make sure that your car is in neutral, and try to push your car to a safe place.
- You’ll then want to call breakdown cover, either by some well known breakdown company such as The AA or The RAC to drain and flush your car’s fuel system.
- Finally, make sure to call your car insurance company and let them know what’s happened.
If you follow the above steps if you’ve put the wrong fuel into your car, you should be able to then put the correct fuel into your car after having your car’s fuel system drained.
But this isn’t always that case, and sometimes you don’t realise until you start your car’s engine, in which case…
I’ve Started My Car’s Engine With The Wrong Fuel In It, What Do I Do?
More often than not, we’re busy humans and can forget things pretty easily!
We might put the wrong fuel into our car and might not realise it until we start our car’s engine, but don’t panic, remain calm and follow the below instructions:
- If you’ve started your car’s engine turn off your the engine immediately if it’s safe to do so, if it isn’t safe, pull over to a safe spot first.
- Put your vehicle into neutral.
- Call the breakdown service so that they can drain and flush your car’s fuel system.
- Finally, let your car insurance company know exactly what’s happened!
Putting the wrong fuel into your car can be easily done!
What To Do After Misfueling Your Car?
If you’ve recently misfueled your car, even after the core problem has been resolved, it’s always a good idea to get your car checked out by a trusted mechanic!
You might think that although the core problem of misfueling your car has been resolved that it’s perfectly fine to carry on for weeks and months after the incident.
This simply isn’t a great idea, get your car checked out first by a professional, even if it means calling up a well known breakdown cover company such as The AA or The RAC.
Next time you go to fuel your car, think twice about the type of fuel you’re putting into your car first! Double check, even if it means taking a few extra minutes!
Not sure if you’ve misfueled your car? Let’s take a quick look at some of the symptoms to look out for if you’ve put the wrong fuel in your car:
Wrong Fuel In Your Car – What Are The Symptoms Of Misfueling?
As I discussed earlier, misfueling your car can be quite an easy thing to do, and it’s certainly not uncommon!
But how do you know what the symptoms are of putting the wrong fuel into your car?
Let’s go over these now:
Diesel In A Petrol Car – Symptoms:
- You might notice that your engine is misfiring.
- Your engine might start cutting out.
- There’s an excessive amount of smoke coming from your car’s exhaust.
- Your car’s engine fails to restart when trying to restart the engine.
Petrol In A Diesel Car – Symptoms:
- Excessive smoke is coming from your car’s exhaust.
- The engine warning lamp has become illuminated (Engine Management Light).
- Your engine cuts out altogether!
- The car engine struggles to restart.
- Your car feels slow upon acceleration.
- There’s a loud knocking sound when you accelerate.
These are some of the most common symptoms when you’ve put the wrong fuel into your car.
Is Putting The Wrong Fuel Into My Car Dangerous?
So you might be wondering whether putting the wrong fuel into your car is actually dangerous right?
The short and sweet answer is…
Yes.
However, did you know that putting petrol into a diesel car is a far more serious matter than putting diesel into a petrol car.
Regardless of what the fuel type is, both are dangerous, and with a little bit of careful judgement you should be able to help reduce the risk of damage to your car’s engine.
Especially if your car is leased, on PCP or HP.
Imagine what that conversation will be like if you try to explain it to a car insurance company that you misfueled your car and put the wrong fuel into your car.
Luckily, you’re not alone!
Hundreds if not thousands of people all year round misfuel their car.
As long as you take our advice, and follow the instructions above, you’ll help minimise the risk involved.
