RE: Wrong Fuel

[grahamw48]

vetteheadracer said:

This is particularly easy now at BP stations as the BP Ultimate Diesel and BP Ultimate Unleaded seem to have the same colour surround for the pumps!

You're right.

I could understand one or two people confusing the BP pumps , despite what some of the cleverdick posters here have said.

I have diesel and petrol cars, and sometimes use BP Ultimate for the TVR.
You have to make a point of reading the label, as the hoses are all black. Much simpler at Tesco, with the different colours.

[numbnuts]

I have been told by an RAC patrolman that they have over 4000 calls a year to people filling there cars with the incorrect fuel, for this very reason i have just splashed out over £600 for a vacum pump that sucks the fuel out of the tank from the hoses.

[grahamw48]

Good on yer.

Think of all the nice girls you'll be helping out too.

[love machine]

My ex-birds mate noticed the coolant light come on in her fiat and filled the engine right to the top with water, in the oil hole!!!! I nearly died and it shat itself spectaculary as well. Classic moment. She was a militant feminist as well and I just killed her every time after that!

[fixedwheelnut]

I have seen some customers who have done it more than once One X5 customer has actually done it 6 times the last two times he managed not to drive the car and only had to pay for the drain & flush with a new filter.
Just a note it is the ones that put in a couple of gallons of petrol and top right up with diesel that do the most damage as the fuel is at a mix that will still run yet has enough petrol to dilute the lubrication properties and wreck the pump and contaminate the complete fuel system, I have only seen three engines damaged through fuel pumps seizing.

[jhoneyball]

bunglist said:

What A Bunch of Dumb Fg Idiots, is it really that difficult picking the correct fuel pump in a petrol station. If drivers are that oblivious to the world around them, to put diesel in a petrol car and vice versa then they should not be driving a car. Twats

Ah well. I put 55 litres of diesel into my 89 Vantage -- my only excuse was it was a BP garage and I mixed up the Ultimate petrol and Ultimate diesel

[pwd95]

jhoneyball said:

bunglist said: What A Bunch of Dumb Fg Idiots, is it really that difficult picking the correct fuel pump in a petrol station. If drivers are that oblivious to the world around them, to put diesel in a petrol car and vice versa then they should not be driving a car. Twats Ah well. I put 55 litres of diesel into my 89 Vantage -- my only excuse was it was a BP garage and I mixed up the Ultimate petrol and Ultimate diesel

Did the exact same thing Friday. I didn't know they did Deisel Ultra. I thought the Ultra name was the 97 ron petrol only. Pulled up, saw the Ultra pump, put it in.
Why are people so aggressive and nasty on here sometimes chill bunglist, you'll give yourself a stress related illness or something.

[grahamw48]

....and therein lies the confusion.

I NEARLY put Ultra diesel in the tiv one day.

Phew - almost had a heart attack at the thought.

Soooo careful now.

[pwd95]

grahamw48 said:

....and therein lies the confusion. I NEARLY put Ultra diesel in the tiv one day. Phew - almost had a heart attack at the thought. Soooo careful now.

Doesn't do any damage In fact it seems to go a bit better .I'll tell you what though... I was fairly annoyed If the pump emblem designer had come along at that moment
I nearly gave myself a stress related illness

[Mr Whippy]

Pump colours can be confusing at different stations.

I just put these mistakes down to people being miles away and not paying attention though, which there are probably more of these days with the hectic lifestyles alot of us choose. You could make them shout it out to you but there would still be people far enough gone in a day dream to put the wrong fuel in!


I was on reserve in my 405 Tdi a while back, went to Texaco (not the usual place) and BRIMMED the car with petrol
Whoopsie, about 4 miles up the motorway and chug chug chug, but managed to *just* get off at the A64 and get recovered by "family recovery services"

Doh! More than anything I was peeved because I'd just gave Gordon Brown a tank full of tax that was now ruined by the diesel that was already in it

Dave

[Yugguy]

It's not hard.

One says diesel the other says petrol.

Use the one appropriate for your vehicle.

[black-k1]

I’m so humbled by all the posters on here who have never made a mistake and can be so critical of those who do. I just wish I could be half as perfect!

I have never made this mistake myself. I do agree that if you put the wrong fuel in your vehicle, it’s your fault but, we are all human and we all make mistakes. Simply standardising the colours of pump handles and hoses would make life sooooo much easier. Likewise, if it were Europe (world?) wide, it would also help when touring abroad. Could this actually be something constructive for an EU regulation???

[srebbe64]

Trust me it's an easy mistake to make if, like me, you've got both petrol and diesel driven cars! I fill up 3 cars each week (one with diesel, the other two with petrol).

This means that I fill the cars up about 150 times per year, which equates to 750 times over a five year period. So let's assume my mind is thinking aout other things at the garage (work or whatever) and I have a 99.8% success rate - I'm still going to cock up once every five years!!

www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&t=233784

[gforce]

Maybe plod has got the right idea..
Yesterday I saw a silver Vauxhall Astra squad car
with the words 'DIESEL' printed in large black letters
on the fuel filler flap..

[tvm]

Well for people that are EXTREMLY busy and are not necessarily concentrating on such a 'simple' daily chore like filling their car with fuel , it is VERY simple if you are used to driving an Unleaded car then jump into a Diesel to misfuel , habits are hard to break so after 20 yrs of automatically going to the GREEN pump you subconsciously keep doing it , its SUCCESFUL , busy people that have misfuelled , Directors , MP's News reporters etc so I PROUDLY admit to have done it more than the once !!!! BUT a solution is here go to www.magnecap.com watch the BBC News clip which is on the website. Happy motoring

[gena]

I recently misfuelled my car, It was new diesel always driven a petrol car, just picked up the nozzle and auto pilot switched on. I had the kids screaming, appointment which I was late for, it is VERY easily done. I don't appreciate people making out I'm useless. I drove the car out and then realised. A nice local mechanic helped me thankfully it didn't cost more than £200, he told me it could of been much worse. I searched the internet for help and information and came across a product call magnecap. They were very helpful brilliant service and I know everything there is to know about misfuelling having experienced it. I now have magnecap fitted to my car. Its so simple does the job and will help me the next time I'm stressed!!!!! Thanks

[Fitzpatrickx]

Yep, I've just made this near fatal mistake.. 25 years of using petrol and 1 month of owning a new Volvo XC70... Incredible sinking feeling halfway through fill up. Expensive mistake.. tow truck (£50), removal of contaminated waste, flushing through, new filters (£270.00) + cost of wrong fuel.. Just so glad I noticed before driving away.. As I understand new breed high pressure diesels are extremely fussy about their fuel.

Wouldn't go to main dealers though, I heard that they'd take you to the cleaners and also invalidate the warrantee.
Ok, I'm completely at fault here, but why cant something simple be done to restrict this from happening accidentally... it is 2006 after all.

Still, I have invested in an idiots device to assist at filling times (something that shouts put 'Diesel in youy plonker' or somthing to that effect).

Thanks to this forum for making me feel that I'm not alone...

[Polarbert]

T5-R said:

bunglist said: What A Bunch of Dumb Fg Idiots, is it really that difficult picking the correct fuel pump in a petrol station. If drivers are that oblivious to the world around them, to put diesel in a petrol car and vice versa then they should not be driving a car. Twats Harsh....but true

Agree here too.

[mybrainhurts]

Polarbert said:

T5-R said: bunglist said: What A Bunch of Dumb Fg Idiots, is it really that difficult picking the correct fuel pump in a petrol station. If drivers are that oblivious to the world around them, to put diesel in a petrol car and vice versa then they should not be driving a car. Twats Harsh....but true Agree here too.

I trust you three will own up here when it happens to you.....

[bennyboysvuk]

black-k1 said:

I do agree that if you put the wrong fuel in your vehicle, it’s your fault but, we are all human and we all make mistakes.

But it's a fairly critical thing. It's like changing a wheel after a puncture and not nipping up the wheel nuts.