Petrol Into a Diesel

[noosh]

Hi, I wonder if you could help.
A dispute really.

Company car, common rail diesel, broke down the other day, recovery driver said it was the turbo.
Basically had little to no drive but started all be it smokey.

Garage has since come back to the office and told them there was petrol in the tank.
Now okay, I know I didn't put petrol in it but as its my word against theirs and I'm quite fearful that I'm going to be landed with either most of or the entire bill which given the last diesel I had that needed a new engine/re-build I certainly cannot afford. I was looking for some advice. I know petrol into a diesel can cause massive damage but when it was filled the tank was litterally on zero, no miles, dial to the bottom, every fuel light flashing so next to empty bar what bare little may have been in the pipes. And it ran a good 10-15 miles to the pumps like that at least almost like a game of fuel ruelette. So empty.

So any petrol in the tank would not have mixed with much or any diesel. Then would have driven it the 70 miles home with a stop in between and another 10 miles before it "broke down" the next day. A mix of city, country roads and motorway.
Then driven from office to the garage/main dealers - who might I add said they would fix it for free despite not being from there in the first place.

I'm arguing at the moment that if there was that amount of pure petrol it would not have covered this distance. Granted started once but not have continued to run.

I can't recall if it was petrol but I know the difference and have never done it before, as far as im concerned i put diesel in it. Can't prove it since I didn't ask for receipt paid cash (can't put office runs on the expenses).

Would I be right?
Thanks

Edited by noosh on Thursday 17th May 19:51

Edited by noosh on Thursday 17th May 19:53

[anonymous-user]

Take a sample of analysis from the fuel tank. Also not sure how petrol would kill the turbo maybe the heat on intake..?

eta - if it was an incorrect fuel then should be covered by insurance.

Edited by billybob69 on Thursday 17th May 20:23

[Birdster]

Got to be worth chancing your arm and contacting the garage where you put the diesel in and asking if they can look at CCTV.

Highly unlikely I know, but anything is worth a try in this situation.

[davepoth]

Company car - surely you have the fuel receipts/fuel card to check?

[EvoBarry]

Is it a modern diesel? I did it (yes, yes, what a div) a few months back with my Octavia MK1 (PD unit), drained as much of the tank as we could, filled with fresh derv and drove it round for an hour to clear as much petrol as we could. Its driving round now as if nothing ever happened.. Older motors can handle it, but if its a modern unit with piezo injectors etc its more likely to cause issues. Too much petrol can cause wear on the pump and knacker the tolerances, and a new pump is expensive!

[MissChief]

it depends how much petrol was put in. I'm (almost) sure that a few litres of petrol 'diluted' with a much larger amount of diesel won't do much damage. I also find it rather unlikely that a full tank of petrol (I'm sure like most you only fill up when required) would take so long to have such a dramatic effect on the engine.

[Wise]

Someone put petrol in my MK7 transit. And drove it to the point there it broke down... Lost all power and was kangaroo-ing and wouldn't start again.
Got recovered to the Ford dealers as the van was just a few months old, and didn't know at the time that petrol had been put in it...

Anyway long story short, they drain the tank, new fuel filter and and think they had to clean out the injectors as well. And after a bill of around £500-800 and 3/4years on its still running perfect with no problems at all *touch wood*

[XG332]

Wise said:

Someone put petrol in my MK7 transit. And drove it to the point there it broke down... Lost all power and was kangaroo-ing and wouldn't start again.
Got recovered to the Ford dealers as the van was just a few months old, and didn't know at the time that petrol had been put in it...

Anyway long story short, they drain the tank, new fuel filter and and think they had to clean out the injectors as well. And after a bill of around £500-800 and 3/4years on its still running perfect with no problems at all *touch wood*

Garages really cash in on peoples mistakes!

[littleredrooster]

noosh said:

Hi, I wonder if you could help.
A dispute really....
I'm arguing at the moment that if there was that amount of pure petrol it would not have covered this distance. Granted started once but not have continued to run.

Would I be right?

As no-one has yet answered your question, I will have to burst your bubble.

Sorry, but a diesel engine will run on petrol for quite a while usually. It will rattle like buggery and won't do the HP pump and injectors much good, but it will run.

Diesel in a petrol won't, however, run for very long and will expire in a cloud of smoke.