…she has now filled the almost empty tank with petrol instead of diesel. And yes, then driven it until it started spluttering.

So, recovery are on there way to fetch her and the car home. It’s only two years old with three years left on the warranty, so my first instinct is to get Toyota to sort it out try and maintain the warranty.

Can’t see misfuelling as a specific exclusion on my policy, but that will be her third claim in three years if we go that way. Let’s have your guesses for the costs for Toyota to fix this.

Perhaps she just doesn’t like it?!

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEEWWTV8Xbg[/video]

I eliminate that risk by always filling both our cars.

Possibly just a statistical cluster though. When my wife got her last car she had a 50:50 car park bump within a week. The next week it got a dent from neds throwing a stone at it. Another 7 years later and not another scratch on it.

aa and rac offer a miss fueling service for women drivers.

Cost? Less than this.

So a tandem for you both to get around on then?

What about an electric car with a dodgy plug socket, you could sell it on as only used once.

with three years left on the warranty

Yes, and you might be quite fond of her, but the patio is the cheaper long-term option.

So, recovery are on there way to fetch her and the car home. It’s only two years old with three years left on the warranty, so my first instinct is to get Toyota to sort it out try and maintain the warranty.

Your warranty is safe no matter who you get to sort it out. As long as they use the right parts.

My last two new cars have ended up with a cracked windscreen within the first month. Just totally random clustering.

Rachel

We have 2 cars – the black one uses he black pump, the green one uses the green hose!!

Your warranty is safe no matter who you get to sort it out. As long as they use the right parts.

Even for something like this? The recovery people also run one of the local garages. The chap was trying to persuade me to let him take it there for them to do it and never to tell Toyota about it. While I’m not against the other local garage doing work on my cars, I won’t let this lot touch them – they’re nice enough, but the place is a shambles!

Even for something like this?

Yes. You don’t even have to have your servicing done at main dealers anymore to keep your warranty.
There are conditions to be met (correct parts, correct schedule etc )but it doesn’t have to go to the main dealers for anything really.

But for repairs, go wherebmver you want. As long as they use the right parts, you are fine.

Jokes aside (which I am starting to appreciate) do I need to go to Toyota (80 miles away) or shall I talk to my competent local garage in the morning? I’m sure they would use genuine Toyota parts if I asked them to. I would really like to not do anything to invalidate my warranty, it’s the main reason I chose this car. But if it’s a few hundred quid at the local rather than thousands at Toyota, that makes the difference between an insurance claim or not, and since she’s already on her second in three years, still ongoing, I could do without a third.

Crossed posts, thanks neal.

Have a read (this is regarding servicing) Lots of other info online about the regulations though.

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/consumer-news/35704/watchdog-keeping-your-warranty-valid

Main dealer Repairs have never been a requirement though, just stick with genuine parts and a decent independent garage and it’s all fine.

Petrol in a diesel? Diesel is oily and acts like, erm, oil, and she’s just stripped all that out of the engine. That’ll be expensive.

(IANAmechanic)

The vw van centre told me to just get it serviced at a vat registered garage with vw parts and warranty will be fine. Same guys pretty much refused to fit a towbar as it would be 50% less elsewhere.

I’m aware of the general rules about independent servicing. I’m just concerned with misfuelling being such a potentially monumental disaster.

I was under the (perhaps mistaken) impression that putting petrol in a diesel car is less calamitous than putting diesel in a petrol car. ?

I was under the (perhaps mistaken) impression that putting petrol in a diesel car is less calamitous than putting diesel in a petrol car. ?

I think that was true in the olden days before diesels got very complicated.

It still had about five litres of diesel in, and was driven 3/4 of a mile until she pulled over because it was a bit juddery. Might that be sufficiently not-too-bad that draining/flushing etc. might be enough?

Might that be sufficiently not-too-bad that draining/flushing etc. might be enough?

I seriously doubt it, driven for 3/4 of a mile on a practically full tank of petrol it’s gonna be a new engine as “it was a bit juddery” is indication of partial engine seizure and major expense

Can you actually hump a patio, though?

My missus did it. She only slapped £15 quids worth of petrol in a diesel. Drove up the motorway till it spluttered.
Was flushed out and £30 worth of diesel put in. Ran fine afterwards. 12 months later still runs fine.

It will be fine, modern diesel isn’t very lubricating since they took sulphur out of it so fuel pumps are designed accordingly.
Drain it, flush diesel thru the system, start it up.
The fuel pump and /or injectors will probably have a reduced life compared to not misfueling it but you might have to change them at 100k miles rather than 150k. It sounds like your Mrs would have written it off way before then anyway.

A good mate did this with a nearly new L322 Rangie – full tank of petrol drove till it spluttered to a halt. Flushed, refilled fine ever since. Just changed main HP fuel pump and an injector at 130k miles.

That’s what I’m hoping RNP. Apparently, about half a mile along the road, it started to judder ‘like I was in the wrong gear’. Her initial thought was that it may have been caused by one of the hitch-hikers she had picked up at the petrol station ‘somehow getting in the car wrong’. So she pulled over and phoned me for an over the phone diagnosis. At this point the actual cause was discovered. The car is outside the house now, and I will go to the decent local independent in the morning.

I wouldn’t be going to Toyota. You’ll probably have to pay as its user error, and they’ll have you wrapped round their finger as its a newish valuable car, and end up paying for loads of new components ‘just in case’ and a voided warranty on anything fuel related in future.

Take it somewhere local, get it flushed etc, if something breaks in six months, thats the time to replace it. (whether you claim you were ‘just driving along’ or come clean and pay for it)

Her initial thought was that it may have been caused by one of the hitch-hikers she had picked up at the petrol station ‘somehow getting in the car wrong’.

You have my wife. That’s the exact sort of thing that she’d say 🙂

Do you want her back, I can’t afford her any more.

Her initial thought was that it may have been caused by one of the hitch-hikers she had picked up at the petrol station ‘somehow getting in the car wrong’.

I wouldn’t discount that being the actual cause The hitcher may, for example, have chosen to enter the car through the fuelling system then emerge via one of the wiring conduits. Forcing a human being through a tiny space like that could cause all sorts of damage. We had a similar incident with a mouse, though to be fair, most of the damage in the case was caused by putting some shopping in the boot funny.

I wouldn’t mention picking up the hitchhiker to Toyota in case that voids your warranty though. Don’t rule out a visit to a local exorcist either.

Sorry, I was being flippant about the exorcist. Very few of them are suitable for use with diesel cars.

Buy her a Zoé

She’d probably put petrol in that as well.

BWD – noted, I’ll mention all that to the garage.

BWD – noted, I’ll mention all that to the garage.

it’s not a coincidence that you see so few hitchhikers these days Much of the unreliability of older cars was simply down to picking up randoms who simply didn’t know how to get into a car safely. One tip is always to put hitchhikers in the boot where they can’t cause any harm. Be careful though, some cars have their engines misplaced at the wrong end.

AA or RAC cover ? They do mis fuelling call outs.
I would get it drained , then add 5ltr derv and run it for 2 mins at idle then drain again. Then refill and try it.
I am not a mechanic but if it were me thats what I would do.
Should be fine mechanically, juddering is just pre ignition as the petrol was detonating on compression .At least she stopped quickly enough and didnt try an italian tune up.
More importantly , what happened to the pesky hitch hikers?

Probably still in it, I ought to check.

My breakdown cover is through the Police Fed, it comes bundled with some other insurances, so it’s just local recovery contractors who get called.

Have a read
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/95327/wrong-fuel-a-guide-on-what-to-do-if-you-put-petrol-in-a-diesel-car

I filled my diesel Passat with petrol a few years ago. Drove it until it cut out before I realised. Cost me about £150/200 for the tow and flush iirc at an independent (car was out of warranty anyway). I was more annoyed at the full tank of petrol wasted

I wonder which tank at the filling station all this mix ends up in, petrol or diesel? The diesel tank I suspect.

come clean and pay for it

Why do that when the manufacturers know that petrol stations have to be delivered to which stirs up all the muck and the damage could easily have been caused by poor quality diesel. Diesel is sold on the international market, I can’t believe the UK is immune to the problems caused by palm oil among other additives. Diesel quality woes