UL Petrol filled in to Diesel Engine :-(

[lbasic]

Golf MK6 2.0 TDi 140 GT 3dr 09 Plate.

The tank capacity is 55 Litters for the above car and I accidently filled 22 Litters of UL Fuel so ended up with the mix 33 Litters of Diesel and 22 Litters of UL fuel. I have driven the car for 200 Miles on the motorway without noticing anything wrong. It was running perfect. I stopped to get some groceries at the local shop and then when trying to start the car it would not start.  It just turns and nothing. Called RAC who agreed who towed me home. I am planning to drain the tank and change the fuel filter this weekend. Is there anything else that I should try doing as I rely don’t want to pay ££££ to the Local Garage before I explore everything possible. Reading the forums some of the guys are suggesting to take the car to the scrap as it will cost too much to repair, they are talking about full engine failure not just the , pump, injectors and filters. Please help.




Thank you!

[am1w]

How unfortunate but easily done when you lack concentration.
You should not have driven the car with such a  Diesel/petrol mixture over such a distance. Surely you realised this was not good for the engine. Do you not think you should get it properly checked by a competent mechanic now?
Best of luck.

[Buck]

I've heard that running a diesel with UL is "catastrophic" in that the whole system is affected due to the high specification of the modern diesel engine and the tolerances required to run such.

Putting Diesel into a petrol car is recoverable relatively easily whereas the other way around as in your case is still recoverable but will require many £££s

Good luck

[AGB]

Golf MK6 2.0 TDi 140 GT 3dr 09 Plate.

The tank capacity is 55 Litters for the above car and I accidently filled 22 Litters of UL Fuel so ended up with the mix 33 Litters of Diesel and 22 Litters of UL fuel. I have driven the car for 200 Miles on the motorway without noticing anything wrong. It was running perfect. I stopped to get some groceries at the local shop and then when trying to start the car it would not start.  It just turns and nothing. Called RAC who agreed who towed me home. I am planning to drain the tank and change the fuel filter this weekend. Is there anything else that I should try doing as I rely don’t want to pay ££££ to the Local Garage before I explore everything possible. Reading the forums some of the guys are suggesting to take the car to the scrap as it will cost too much to repair, they are talking about full engine failure not just the , pump, injectors and filters. Please help.

Well, a work colleague of mine had his mother manage the same feat when she borrowed his car and it cost an obscene amount of money to rectify. I remember him joking that he was debating the offset of losing control and driving it into a brick wall versus the loss of his NCB. It was a diesel Tiguan, I think the 2.0 TDi which might be the same power plant as your GT. He ended up buying a number of new components as the labour cost of cleaning the existing parts worked out as being more expensive. It wasn't shy of £5k to fix if I recall correctly but given that his vehicle was worth around £35k with all the extras, it made sense to do it. He kept the car for 6 months after that but said that it didn't feel the same and sold it. I don't think his mother got a Christmas present last year as a result. 

Looking at the positives, it's a mistake you won't make again.

[R32UK]

My brother put petrol in his Golf GTGtdi 140 3 times over 2 years. Still went fine for another 80k or so... but i dont think he drove it for 200 miles after he had 

[MAW73]

Sounds like an Ibasic error 

Hope you get it sorted.

[lbasic]

Thank you all for your replies.

I am going to drain the fuel and change the fuel filter, will also attempt to flush the fuel pipes. Will perhaps need to dip the fuel filter in to diesel first. If this doesn’t make the car start up I will call the fleet company and tell them that it will not start. Forgot to mention it is a company car that company leases for me.  I agree it is a ultimate lbasic mistake but too late for that now.


Thank you!

[MAW73]

Thank you all for your replies.

I am going to drain the fuel and change the fuel filter, will also attempt to flush the fuel pipes. Will perhaps need to dip the fuel filter in to diesel first. If this doesn’t make the car start up I will call the fleet company and tell them that it will not start. Forgot to mention it is a company car that company leases for me.  I agree it is a ultimate lbasic mistake but too late for that now.


Thank you!

Good luck with it 

[Buck]

As you say, it's happened. Hope you get it sorted

[p3asa]

I've heard that running a diesel with UL is "catastrophic" in that the whole system is affected due to the high specification of the modern diesel engine and the tolerances required to run such.

Putting Diesel into a petrol car is recoverable relatively easily whereas the other way around as in your case is still recoverable but will require many £££s

Good luck

It must be the new modern diesel engines that are causing the problems then, as was one of the reasons that the diesel engine came about was to run on sh!te basically?

I know taxi drivers and HGV drivers used to put a 1/4 of a tank of petrol into their diesel engine to stop it freezing in winter.  Plus look at the diesel engines that you can basically put vegetable oil into and it will still run.

Now diesel into a petrol engine is a big no no. It probably wouldn't even make it out the garage!!

lbasic have a search on here as it was done not that long ago by someone and as far s I know things turned out fine.