Monday misery

[Satch]

Monday morning and I am trying to tank up but C270cdi is blocking access to diesel pumps.

Get out & find driver flapping around at the cash desk having just tanked her car with BP Ultimate petrol. (why, o why, do BP insist on siting all the Ultimate pumps together on the same island with near identical logos??)

She wanted to know if it would be OK to drive home as she lived half a mile away. Equipped with the collective wisdom of this fine forum stepped in & warned her not to drive it at all & get someone to drain the tank ASAP. Another customer said same and he even offered to tow it off to the parking area near the carwash.

But the spotty boy and the brainless bimbette on the cash desk did not have a clue and called the "manager". This towering genius said that it would be fine for a short distance. He clearly just wanted her off his forecourt and out of his face. She had whining child in arms, was panicked & hubby could not be contacted. So despite all warnings off she went.

Maybe she made it. Maybe not. But certainly not going to be a happy ending there.

 

[richard]

Oops, she's going to have one big bill. The diesel lubricates the fuel pump on MB (maybee on all diesel car's fuelpumps) - without it, (i.e with petrol), it breaks up very very quickly and destroys the injectors. So its new pump, fuel-lines, injectors ... no idea if it also needs a tank

My MB dealer lent me a S320Cdi when my SL55 was broken, and my friendly technician came out and gave me dire warnings, (I think he said something about £4k or more to fix it if you drove any distance, a few hundred pounds if you didnt drive it at all)

I've heard that "10%" petrol in a diesel is probably OK, more is destructive.

My answer (of course) was to buy a new SL55 as oppose to a S320CDi

R

 

[Dieselman]

Ohhh dear.

She's just wrecked her car. I hope her insurance company will pay up.

She will need everything including new tank. The metal filings go through the whole system.

Just to re-iterate. If you ever put any petrol in your CDi PUSH YOUR CAR OFF THE FORCOURT.

That push is worth about £100 a foot.

 

[jimmy]

Ouch,

I have just converted the other half to diesel, have explained to her the consequences of filling up with petrol, not sure if it has sunk in yet.

I envisage sticking little post-its all round the house just like the TV ad.

 

[WLeg]

Must admit.....I once did put in £0.76 worth of BP Ultimate Petrol into my C250 Td. However, it was also the only time (since I've had it) that it had got down to the fuel light coming on. Filled it to the to the pipe with diesel, and not had any problems.

I was lucky though, there were 6 AA vans/men in the forecourt, and their combined consensus was you can put in 5lts in on an empty tank without damage.

I blammed just having a baby, not sleeping etc.. And was lucky !!!!!!

 

[pluggers]

They should make the filling hole on the car and pump nozzel a different shape ,say square then for sure people will notice that they have got the correct pump,I hope

 

[sym]

Very true. Isn't it not possible to put LRP (4*) in unleaded cars - as the UL openings are narrower. . . . or is it the other way round . . . ?!

S.

 

[jaymanek]

unleaded is narrower.

 

[jaymanek]

by the way are you sure she comp filled it? A couple of quid would do no harm...

Jay

 

[Tony M]

My Daughter filled my Wife's ML with petrol instead of diesel and drove off.

About a mile later the car conked out.

It was 11.30 pm and she called MB emergency who came out within 20 minutes and towed the ML back to MB Gatwick.

While she waited they drained the Tank, changed the fuel filter and refilled with Diesel. They finished at about 1.00 am.

The Technician explained that when the engine management system detects a drop in fuel injector pressure ( caused by Petrol) it shuts the engine down before any real damage is done. That is not to say it saves the engine every time, but our ML suffered no effects from the drink of neat petrol