I've put diesel into my petrol SLK

[zogsummer]

Help. I've been stupid. In my defence, the nozzle slotted in so easily that I didn't even notice.

So, I put in 20l of diesel into my petrol SLK. There was already 1/4 of a tank in the car. On the way home my car started to splutter so I limped home - at this stage I hadn't realised that I'd made the mistake. It's only since the garage diagnosed the problem that I've realised in retrospect.

My problem is that I phoned the dealership who called out RAC who then ran my engine trying to work out the problem. The RAC engineer got the engine to the stage that my right exhaust pipe was chucking out smoke. I think he has ruined my engine.

The car is now back at the dealership and it was at this stage that they told me that the tank has been contaminated (aka there's diesel in).

The car is still under warranty which means that they are going to recondition EVERYTHING back to brand-new status to keep the warranty validated. I am not insured for this. I have to pay everything. I've googled this and it could be up to £10k.

Fckkkk. Is there any come back with the RAC guy? I doubt it.

I don't know why I'm posting, but I don't know what else to do until Mercedes come back and tell me how much damage has been caused and how much the bill will be.

Is there anything I can salvage out of this nightmare? If the RAC man hadn't run the engine for an hour, I might have been OK.

Yes, I'm a woman. Sorry.

[WarnieV6GT]

Post this in general gassing as you will get more reply's

[RobXjcoupe]

Diesel is an oil compared to petrol and its octane rating is low. Personally I’d Just get most of the diesel out and fill the tank with petrol. It will run with less power if a lot of diesel is mixed with petrol but it should mechanically be ok.
Only thing I can think that may need changing are the catalytic converters in the exhaust system.

[eldar]

Don't panic. Diesel is a lubricant, so it isn't as bad as putting petrol in a diesel.

Don't start replacing bits unless they are actually damaged. Don't let MB start replacing stuff without proof.

Basically drain off all the diesel, refill with super unleaded and see how it behaves.

[zogsummer]

Thank you. I'm actually crying here. OK, so how do I stop MB from replacing the entire fuel injection, engine, CC, etc - won't they say that they know what they're doing? It's the fact that it's still under warranty which is worrying me.

Thanks for the replies, much appreciated.

[Wacky Racer]

Firstly, don't beat yourself up about it, hundreds of people do this every day, even done it myself (other way round), but realised before I left the forecourt. Ended up costing me £250 to call the AA out to pump it out and refill with diesel.

I hardly think you can blame the breakdown service, they were not to know, if you hadn't told them when they arrived, it could have been anything that caused your car to breakdown.

[Wacky Racer]

zogsummer said:

Thank you. I'm actually crying here. OK, so how do I stop MB from replacing the entire fuel injection, engine, CC, etc - won't they say that they know what they're doing? It's the fact that it's still under warranty which is worrying me.

Thanks for the replies, much appreciated.

Just tell them to stop the work, until you have had a chance to listen to some advice and decide the next course of action.....seems like they are going over the top.

[B17NNS]

zogsummer said:

I think he has ruined my engine.

He wasn't to know. You didn't tell him you'd put the wrong fuel in.

Petrol in a diesel is bad (I know, I've done it). Diesel in a petrol not so bad. As above, try the cheapest thing first. Empty the tank of diesel and re-fill with petrol and give it a try.

[Rob197]

If its under warranty, why would it cost you 10k?

[andym1603]

How did you manage to put diesel into a petrol engined car. The petrol filler neck is a smaller diameter than the diesel pump nozzle to stop this happening?

[cuprabob]

Rob197 said:

If its under warranty, why would it cost you 10k?

Misfueling and anything that fails as a consequence of the misfueling won't be covered under warranty.

[zogsummer]

andym1603 said:

How did you manage to put diesel into a petrol engined car. The petrol filler neck is a smaller diameter than the diesel pump nozzle to stop this happening?

I know, this is what is confusing me. I lifted the nozzle, put it in the filler neck and it slotted in happily, which is why I absent-mindedly started to fill the car. I've had a car for 18 years and I've never done this before. Does a MB SLK have a larger filler neck than normal petrol engines?

[irocfan]

sorry to hear this - that really is a pain in the posterior

Stuff like this does happen.

You may also want to give this site a try:

http://www.slkworld.com/

[Sheepshanks]

Did you get a receipt for the fuel - if so, does it say type of fuel?

May be contaminated fuel at the filling station - not unheard of, although usually the impact makes the local news.

[blearyeyedboy]

Have you considered that going to an independent, saying "stuff it" to your warranty (and then buying an independent warranty when the work's complete) might be a lot cheaper over the time you own this car rather than just letting MB charge whatever they will?

And have you asked your insurers whether you're insured, or just assumed? It's worth asking them, worst they'll do is say no.

PS- Before I sound like a know it all, I'm really sorry to hear of your troubles, OP. On a different day when I'm late/tired/distracted, I'm sure I could have made an equally easy mistake, as could any of us.

[eldar]

zogsummer said:

andym1603 said:

How did you manage to put diesel into a petrol engined car. The petrol filler neck is a smaller diameter than the diesel pump nozzle to stop this happening?

I know, this is what is confusing me. I lifted the nozzle, put it in the filler neck and it slotted in happily, which is why I absent-mindedly started to fill the car. I've had a car for 18 years and I've never done this before. Does a MB SLK have a larger filler neck than normal petrol engines?

If the car is 18, it is too old, I think, for the non-diesel nozzle restriction. If it is 18, you've even less to worry about diesel causing damage.

[cuprabob]

eldar said:

zogsummer said:

andym1603 said:

How did you manage to put diesel into a petrol engined car. The petrol filler neck is a smaller diameter than the diesel pump nozzle to stop this happening?

I know, this is what is confusing me. I lifted the nozzle, put it in the filler neck and it slotted in happily, which is why I absent-mindedly started to fill the car. I've had a car for 18 years and I've never done this before. Does a MB SLK have a larger filler neck than normal petrol engines?

If the car is 18, it is too old, I think, for the non-diesel nozzle restriction. If it is 18, you've even less to worry about diesel causing damage.

They said they have had a car for 18 years not that they have have had this car for 18 years. The SLK will be relatively new if it is still under warranty.

[eldar]

cuprabob said:

They said they have had a car for 18 years not that they have have had this car for 18 years. The SLK will be relatively new if it is still under warranty.

I did wonder, If its newish, it has an unleaded only tank filler.

[Blaster72]

You know when you read a thread from a new poster and it just doesn't smell right......

Anyway, diesel in a petrol - most likely needs a drain and refill plus a new set of spark plugs. It will smoke if it has the wrong fuel but not likely to cause permanent damage.

Where the £10k bill comes from I've no idea.

[zogsummer]

The £10k comes from Google plus a Guardian story about a guy who hired an enterprise car and mis-fuelled it. I wish this thread WAS a hoax. Sadly not.

I have been a car owner for 18 years. The SLK is 16 reg. It's bought under PCP so apparently (according to google) MB will make many repairs, probably more than is "essential" otherwise the warranty will become invalid. This is how I'm terrified the costs will escalate.

I will dig out the receipt, good tip.