Have you yet put diesel into a petrol car ? It's a really dumb thing to do! and ... for 15+ years I have avoided such a stupid mistake, despite the fact that my wife runs a diesel and I run a petrol car and I often fill both up. However my many years of attention and good fortune came to a juddering end last Saturday evening when I realised as I pulled up at home with a spluttering, juddering 4X4 that finally I'd done the terrible deed!
First off I searched Google to read a Sunday Times article telling me that it could mean a new engine and that cost could be as high as £12,000 what !!!!! I also read that BMW charge a standard £5000 and Honda charge a standard £3000, in my case, a Toyota RAV 4 apparently costs £2500 to rectify at the main dealer - it's already out of warranty but if it wasn't that would be void as well ! - what on earth do these garages need to do to justify such a ludicrous amount? - they change a ridiculously long and detailed list of expensive parts, 99% of which are perfectly un-harmed and un-damaged!
I'm not having a go at the dealers, its the manufacturers who are treating us all like mugs in this instance. The Dealers have no choice but to comply with the authorised response.
Feeling fairly depressed and of course stupid at this point I decided to search a little further in google and then started to find the various small outfits that advertise an onsite drainage and replacement service - I settled on Petrol Diesel Fix, run by Jon Thomson from his base at Bear Green near Dorking. First of all Jon assured me that despite the scaremongering which had left me ashen faced, that in 90% of cases no harm was done whatsoever and that it was simply a matter of draining the petrol out and refilling with diesel - he arrived the next day, did just that, charged me just under £200 and then left - job done.
Jon is a qualified engineer and his day job is tuning Jaguar sports cars, the petrol diesel fix business is a sideline. Jon also told me that he had so far twice filled with the wrong fuel !
According to Jon, if (or should I say when) it happens to you for heavens sake don't go near or even talk to your local dealer - the moment you do, you are in for the cost of a small hatchback and your warranty if you have one will be instantly void - it is complete nonsense and a massive scam for garages to suggest that your engine is trashed ! This is the biggest rip-off of our century - there is always a chance of some minor damage and in this throw away society we live in, they (he manufacturers) simply don't want to inadvertently be responsible for any problems several years down the line!
The reality is that filling with the wrong fuel and driving your car is no big deal, providing it's only for a short distance - it's pretty obvious that something's wrong and you really would be an idiot to continue trying to drive it when it starts spluttering and juddering.
Jon and his crew will be with you within hours and have you back to normal within an hour or so - £200 may sound a lot out of the blue, but it isn't really especially when your local dealer will be quoting you up to £5000.
Jon has a long list of clients stretching back 5+ years, they've all had the fuel drained and changed and none have every had a single problem later in their cars life.
If you are unfortunate (as opposed to stupid) enough to do what I did, put it down to experience, contact Jon and pay a sensible price to have to car put back to normal!
Contact Jon at Petrol Diesel Fix
