You wouldn’t be alone. At least 150,000 drivers put the wrong fuel in their car every year. That’s one every three-and-a-half minutes. It could be a result of being new to the vehicle or simply being distracted while filling up.

Misfuelling’ seems to be associated particularly with the growth in diesel car sales. Modern diesels are so quiet it’s easy to forget you’re driving one, particularly if it’s a second family car or hire car.

Potential damage

Diesel fuel pumps operate on very fine tolerances and at very high pressures – modern systems run at between 350 and 1600 bar) – and are lubricated by the fuel. Petrol in diesel acts as a solvent, reducing lubrication, and can cause damage to the pump through metal to metal contact.

Metal particles from the damaged pump can be deposited in the fuel causing further damage to the rest of the fuel system.

Some fuel system seals can be affected by the compounds in petrol too.

The further the contaminated fuel goes in the system the more expensive the repair. In some cases it can be cheaper to fit a new engine!

Common rail (or HDi) diesel engines are particularly vulnerable – if fuel contaminated by pump wear debris gets as far as the common rail system you may have to replace the low and high-pressure fuel pumps, injectors, fuel rail, line filters and the fuel tank.

Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) petrol engines are particularly susceptible to damage too.

Many cars have a low-pressure electric pump in the tank which starts to work as soon as the ignition is switched on, circulating contaminated fuel through the pump and rail, so it’s important not to turn the ignition on.

Original Post on: http://www.theaa.com/breakdown-cover/wrong-fuel-advice.html

Dozens of vehicles broke down after motorists used diesel pumps at the station in Branksome in Poole, Dorset, on 18 September.

At the time, customers complained of damage running into thousands of pounds being done to their vehicles.

Tesco has previously said tests have not confirmed what caused the contamination.

The supermarket said it had provided courtesy cars to some of the customers affected.

Originally posted on:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-30079490

The force introduced the devices after it paid out £42,000 for repairs in five years because more than 200 cars were filled with the wrong fuel.

Automated messages will tell drivers whether their car is petrol or diesel.

A police spokeswoman said staff used a variety of petrol and diesel fuelled cars in a week. The device is one of several measures to combat the problem.

She said: “We have also fitted large yellow fuel flaps over the filling point, reminding the driver who has to lift them up to refill the vehicle with the correct fuel.”

Devices prevent petrol nozzles fitting into diesel tanks are also being introduced.

Gavin Hill-Smith, from the AA, said there were about 150,000 incidents of people using the wrong fuel each year.

Originally posted on: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/essex/7682212.stm

• RAC report revealed that 61% of those filling up with wrong fuel were men
• Mistake costs around £200 to put right – or £40m across country every year
• Research also found that 23% of motorists have ran out of fuel at least once

Fifty per cent more men than women fill up with the wrong type of fuel, a mistake that costs around £200 to put right – or £40million across the country each year.

An RAC report revealed today that 61 per cent of the culprits were men, while just 39 per cent were women.

It also reveals that 23 per cent of motorists admit to having run out of fuel at least once, with 12 per cent having done so on a motorway.

Men were the main offenders again, with 22 per cent more male drivers than women owning up to being caught out by an empty fuel tank.

In 2013, RAC patrols were called out by more than 22,000 motorists stranded after their fuel ran out.

The RAC says men are also more likely to be repeat offenders – 6 per cent compared with 4 per cent. 

But 76 per cent of drivers claim never to have been caught out.

The 48-year-old star was forced to take a taxi to work today after he ‘blew up’ his car by filling it with the wrong fuel.

The Radio 2 breakfast show host broke down around 90 seconds after putting diesel in his car instead of petrol – but he knows that he only has himself to blame.

Despite being around three miles from home, Chris decided to call a mini-cab to take him the remaining 30 miles to the BBC studios in London.

“I broke down on the way to work and a brilliant mini-cab driver called Rajah got me in earlier than normal,” he explained.

“I can’t blame it on the car. I have to blame it on myself. 90 seconds earlier I went to the petrol station, petrol being the operative word.”

He continued: “It should have been petrol, but I put in diesel and then an explosion seemed to happen, huge flashes from the bonnet and huge plumes of smoke which you can still see emanating from the Heathrow direction.

“I have never done it before. Rajah is the fastest minicab driver I have ever encountered, obviously within the limits of the law. Rajah, you are a superstar.”

However, Chris isn’t the only person to have made such a mistake recently as more than 120,000 motorists fill their car with the wrong fuel each year and a number of manufacturers now having safeguards to prevent it from happening.

Originally posted on http://www.express.co.uk/news/showbiz/506576/Chris-Evans-left-red-faced-after-filling-up-car-with-diesel-instead-of-petrol

At least they got to their pickup in time otherwise the driver would have really been trouble.

another shell garage pump operative put the wrong fuel in and required a fuel drain this one was shell aldershot on the high street A323

Not the first time we have been called to shell petrol stations after the pump attendant has put the wrong fuel in, and it propbably wont be the last.

The rest of the day comprised a few rep mobiles a ford mondeo, vauxhall vectra and a skoda octavia

will it be a busy night ? we shall see.