You're not the first. Wrong fuel goes in tanks every day.
We'll talk you through what to do, right now on the phone.
We come to you: servo, home, work or roadside.
One call and we handle everything. Most wrong fuel jobs are done in under two hours, start to finish.
Tell us your vehicle type and where you are.
Quick ETA confirmation, usually within the hour.
Drain, flush the lines, refill with the right fuel.
Running cleanly, report emailed, you drive away.
Some you'll catch at the pump. Some only show once you drive. Here's the full list.
The easiest sign to catch is the one at the pump. You clock that the nozzle in your hand is the wrong one, the pump was cheaper or dearer than you expected, or the receipt says unleaded when you drive a diesel. Spot it here and you're in the best possible position, the wrong fuel is still in the tank and hasn't reached the engine. Don't start it.
Petrol in a diesel, once it's running: hard starting or refusing to start, a loud knock or rattle, loss of power, thick white or grey smoke, then hesitating, surging and finally cutting out. The symptoms come on and get worse the longer you drive, because petrol strips the lubrication the pump needs.
Diesel in a petrol, once it's running: heavy white smoke, a rough idle, misfiring and spluttering, a strong diesel smell and the engine struggling to rev or stalling at lights. Diesel won't burn properly in a petrol engine, so it fouls the plugs and runs badly almost straight away.
Whatever the mix, a check engine light or limp mode is the car telling you something is wrong. For the full detail see our petrol in a diesel and diesel in a petrol pages. If any of this sounds like your car right now, stop driving and call us.
Most people who ring don't say "I put the wrong fuel in." They say the car's gone gutless, or it's blowing smoke, or it started rough and then died at the lights. Nine times out of ten, when we ask what they filled up with last, that's the answer.
The tell is usually the timing. Ran perfectly, filled up, and within a few kilometres it's coughing and losing power? That's wrong fuel until proven otherwise. A diesel that suddenly knocks and smokes after a fill, a petrol car that splutters and stinks of diesel, same story.
If you've caught it at the pump and haven't started the engine, that's the best call you'll make all day. Don't turn the key, just ring us. If it's already running rough, stop driving as soon as it's safe.
Don't panic, don't keep driving it, just call (08) 7083 9699 and tell us what it's doing. We'll know what we're dealing with before we get there.
Straight answers about spotting wrong fuel. If yours is not here, call and ask.
If you haven't started the car there are no running symptoms, the fuel is just sitting in the tank, which is exactly why catching it at the pump is best. Once you start and drive, petrol in a diesel usually shows within a few hundred metres to a few kilometres. Diesel in a petrol often shows almost straight away as rough running and smoke.
Sometimes, yes. Check the receipt against what your car takes, look at the pump you used, and if the fuel flap or cap says diesel and you grabbed unleaded, or the other way round, you've found it. If in doubt, don't start it, call us and we'll talk it through.
Maybe, if it was a small splash or you stopped quickly. But wrong fuel can cause damage that shows up later, especially petrol in a diesel. If you know you misfuelled, it's worth a call even if it's driving okay, better to drain it than gamble on the pump and injectors.
A hard knock or rattle, almost like the engine is pinging, along with a loss of power and thick smoke. It gets worse the longer you drive because petrol strips the lubrication the pump needs.
Not always, but combined with a recent fill up, rough running and loss of power, it's a strong sign. Heavy white or grey smoke after a fill is one of the most common wrong fuel symptoms people call us about.
It can be. A check engine light, limp mode, or fault codes after a fill up often point to wrong or contaminated fuel. Don't clear it and keep driving, stop and call so we can check before the car does more work on the wrong fuel.
Yes. A strong diesel smell from a petrol car, or an unburnt fuel smell from the exhaust, is worth taking seriously after a fill. Trust your nose, if something changed right after fuelling, that's the clue.
Stop driving as soon as it's safe, don't keep running the engine, and call (08) 7083 9699. We come to you across Adelaide, drain the wrong fuel, flush the lines and refuel so you can get going. No fix no fee.