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25-01-2007, 01:45 PM
| | Wild Member | | Join Date: May 2006 Location: Hartley, Kent
Posts: 130
| | | Uh Oh... Don't Put Petrol in Your Diesel.
Last thursday our M.D., after a trip to Plymouth ,experience some rough running after filling his 1 year old C Class Mercedes diesel lease car ..... He filled up in Exeter and drove the 200 miles back to Dartford complaining of a missfire at 50mph but it semi cleared itself at around 110mph. Thinking that he had picked up some dodgy fuel he carried on regardless. On entering the M25 he said he could hear the fuel pump making a funny noise but still carried on. He drove home, started it up the next morning and drove it to work he then called out the local dealer to cure the rough running and lumpy tickover. The dealer removed a few pipes had a fiddle and a sniff and announced that it looked like he had filled it with unleaded and that he would have to take it back to the garage for further examination.
The dealer rang today to advise him that his car will be ready to pick up on monday but he wants to see some money first. Apparentley the deisel acts as a lubricant for the tank mounted fuel pump. Running on petrol quickly wrecks the fuel pumps bearings causing them to disintergrate causing iron fillings to find their way into every part of the fuel system.
Total cost?.....
Won't be less than £7,500.....
How would you find that sort of money if it was your own private car?
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25-01-2007, 03:00 PM
|  | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: N.E.SOMERSET
Posts: 6,455
| | | Re: Uh Oh... Don't Put Petrol in Your Diesel.
After workingfor several months at Northhampton(Carlsberg Brewery)
doing a daily drive from Bristol and back I inadvertently put about
3 litres in the tank of our Diesel Transporter it cost me £200 
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25-01-2007, 03:17 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Letchworth Garden City
Posts: 1,333
| | | Re: Uh Oh... Don't Put Petrol in Your Diesel.
Message seems to be don't buy a Mercedes, as repairing it will cost you a fortune 
We have one diesel and one petrol car and I have a constant fear that I'll pick up the wrong nozzle. Someone else I know put a big red label saying DIESEL inside the petrol cap cover on her new car to remind her. I have though of doing the same. |
25-01-2007, 03:42 PM
|  | Dame Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: North Kent
Posts: 6,171
| | | Re: Uh Oh... Don't Put Petrol in Your Diesel.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lol geoff 
Won't be less than £7,500.....
| Ouch! Bet that brought on the pains. 
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25-01-2007, 04:20 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Kent
Posts: 1,534
| | | Re: Uh Oh... Don't Put Petrol in Your Diesel.
Quote:
Originally Posted by smartie Message seems to be don't buy a Mercedes, as repairing it will cost you a fortune
We have one diesel and one petrol car and I have a constant fear that I'll pick up the wrong nozzle. Someone else I know put a big red label saying DIESEL inside the petrol cap cover on her new car to remind her. I have though of doing the same. | I have just got a diesel van and so i dont cock up i have written a Big D on key for the Tank and inside on Diesel cap to......and as not had van long i repeat Diesel ,Diesel all way to garage!!  |
25-01-2007, 04:24 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Gloucestershire
Posts: 1,373
| | | Re: Uh Oh... Don't Put Petrol in Your Diesel.
Can wreck an engine for good, especially if you drive before you realise! Happens quite a lot. Know of somebody who managed to claim on her insurance as accidental damage.
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25-01-2007, 04:47 PM
|  | Member of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Torquay
Posts: 338
| | | Re: Uh Oh... Don't Put Petrol in Your Diesel.
Quote:
Originally Posted by smartie We have one diesel and one petrol car and I have a constant fear that I'll pick up the wrong nozzle. Someone else I know put a big red label saying DIESEL inside the petrol cap cover on her new car to remind her. I have though of doing the same. |
On a newish unleaded car the filler hole is a much smaller diameter than the nozzle of a diesel nozzle making it unlikley that you will put diesel in an unleaded car. The nozzle on the unleded pump is of a smaller diameter or it would not fit into the unleaded cars filler.
The smaller diameter of the unleaded nozzle easily fits into the large diameter of a diesel filler a lesson that cost me £100+ and a free ride in a tow truck
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25-01-2007, 04:48 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Kent
Posts: 1,534
| | | Re: Uh Oh... Don't Put Petrol in Your Diesel.
Mines just got a big hole that all the nozzles fit into! But it is an old van!  |
25-01-2007, 09:50 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Laindon, Basildon, Essex.
Posts: 2,437
| | | Re: Uh Oh... Don't Put Petrol in Your Diesel.
I have always had petrol cars until my first diesel car in 2004.
I had heard that some damage can be caused by filling with petrol but I did not realise how costly it could be until I read this thread.
Great care required from now on!
Message to self .... concentrate and pay attention .... or pay through the bank account .
Richard |
26-01-2007, 07:45 AM
|  | Member of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Gtr Manchester
Posts: 267
| | | Re: Uh Oh... Don't Put Petrol in Your Diesel.
This happened to my friend. After taking advice and unsuccessfully syphoning the tank he was advised to instead fill up the whole engine with diesel and to keep it full so it diluted the petrol enough. I think a qurter of the tank was unleaded and it was kept topped up for a few weeks. Fortunately that solved the problem. But then this was a 15 year old car and not a new merc!!!
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26-01-2007, 08:19 AM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Wirral
Posts: 1,940
| | | Re: Uh Oh... Don't Put Petrol in Your Diesel.
Luckily my merc is petrol and does 40-45mpg on a run, overall I get 35mpg. Servicing costs at a merc dealer are astronomical. Last service I was quoted between £400 and £600 when I queried it they said they would review my service history, then they said it would probably be in the region of £280.
The answer? I go to the local village garage, both the previous services have been less then £200. Having said that the current one is just over £300 because I needed an auto transmission service which is about £140.
I reckon I will go diesel next but I will probably put a little note by the filler cap to remind me!! Jon
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26-01-2007, 10:03 AM
|  | Member of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: South Gloucestershire
Posts: 332
| | | Re: Uh Oh... Don't Put Petrol in Your Diesel.
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26-01-2007, 10:48 AM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Letchworth Garden City
Posts: 1,333
| | | Re: Uh Oh... Don't Put Petrol in Your Diesel.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blackdog I agree with the comments about Mercedes servicing costs. The first service on mine was over £450!! If you go to a Mercedes main dealer they charge for engine oil by the 100ml - it works out at over £70 a gallon, absolutely outrageous  | Much the same with BMW - and don't get me started on the cost of tyres and parts! I don't think we'll have ours much longer - a Prius is looking good. |
26-01-2007, 11:17 AM
| | Member of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: South Gloucestershire
Posts: 332
| | | Re: Uh Oh... Don't Put Petrol in Your Diesel.
Quote:
Originally Posted by smartie Much the same with BMW - and don't get me started on the cost of tyres and parts! I don't think we'll have ours much longer - a Prius is looking good. | Funny you should say that. I have been giving the Prius a little thought. I might just bin the Merc and get a second Smart. I can run two of them cheaper than one Merc with less emmisions too! |
26-01-2007, 04:24 PM
| | Dame Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: North Kent
Posts: 6,171
| | | Re: Uh Oh... Don't Put Petrol in Your Diesel.
He filled up in Exeter and drove the 200 miles back to Dartford complaining of a missfire at 50mph but it semi cleared itself at around 110mph.[/quote]
Erm...is there a stretch of autobahn between Exeter and Dartford I don't know about?
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26-01-2007, 04:44 PM
| | New Member | | Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 24
| | | Re: Uh Oh... Don't Put Petrol in Your Diesel.
Quote:
Originally Posted by smartie Someone else I know put a big red label saying DIESEL inside the petrol cap cover on her new car to remind her. I have though of doing the same. | Very good idea. Some years ago, when I was travelling in central and southern Africa, all diesel vehicles, excluding lorries etc., had manufacturer-applied transfers around the filling point to remind the fuel-station staff (no self-service there!) to use diesel. |
26-01-2007, 06:04 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Lincolnshire/Cambs/Norfolk border right on The Wash
Posts: 2,177
| | | Re: Uh Oh... Don't Put Petrol in Your Diesel.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brachystegia Very good idea. Some years ago, when I was travelling in central and southern Africa, all diesel vehicles, excluding lorries etc., had manufacturer-applied transfers around the filling point to remind the fuel-station staff (no self-service there!) to use diesel. | The car I have use of also has these stickers... and also a guard. Kia Sportage. I still have to remind myself that I have to put in diesel!!!
jaki
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26-01-2007, 08:36 PM
|  | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Chilterns
Posts: 7,720
| | | Re: Uh Oh... Don't Put Petrol in Your Diesel.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wild-Woman Erm...is there a stretch of autobahn between Exeter and Dartford I don't know about? | a certain member on here got up to 120mph on the m6 in the lakes not that long ago
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26-01-2007, 08:38 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Lincolnshire/Cambs/Norfolk border right on The Wash
Posts: 2,177
| | | Re: Uh Oh... Don't Put Petrol in Your Diesel.
Was it you eeyore?
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26-01-2007, 08:43 PM
| | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Chilterns
Posts: 7,720
| | | Re: Uh Oh... Don't Put Petrol in Your Diesel.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Garden Carpet Was it you eeyore? | no - I was a passenger in said vehicle - it was the same person who got 130 out of his car on an abandoned airfield back in october , but i'm mentioning no names
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26-01-2007, 08:48 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Lincolnshire/Cambs/Norfolk border right on The Wash
Posts: 2,177
| | | Re: Uh Oh... Don't Put Petrol in Your Diesel.
I think I know who you mean
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26-01-2007, 09:02 PM
| | Dame Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: North Kent
Posts: 6,171
| | | Re: Uh Oh... Don't Put Petrol in Your Diesel.
Quote:
Originally Posted by eeyore a certain member on here got up to 120mph on the m6 in the lakes not that long ago | Ooo. I wonder who that might be?
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The female of the species is more deadly than the male.:p |
26-01-2007, 09:43 PM
|  | Officer of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: North Anston, South Yorkshire
Posts: 502
| | | Re: Uh Oh... Don't Put Petrol in Your Diesel.
Quote:
Originally Posted by eeyore no - I was a passenger in said vehicle - it was the same person who got 130 out of his car on an abandoned airfield back in october , but i'm mentioning no names | I've just checked out the old posts and the person in question claims to have actually got to 120 before he ran out of runway |
26-01-2007, 09:50 PM
| | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Chilterns
Posts: 7,720
| | | Re: Uh Oh... Don't Put Petrol in Your Diesel.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Duke of York I've just checked out the old posts and the person in question claims to have actually got to 120 before he ran out of runway | thats your man - though it aint a "claim" its a fact - I was in the car with him then as well. I think we could have got a tad more out of it but he was being careful to be able to brake down to a relatively slow sixty before we reached the corner.
also the fact that the airfield wasnt as "abandoned" as we had at first thought meant we only got a couple of runs in before discretion suggested we blow the joint lest we get locked in
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