Misfuelling in Cars: All You Need to Know

Posted on: Jan 13, 2023 | | Written by:

Misfuelling in Cars: All You Need to Know

Published on January 13, 2023. EST READ TIME: 4 minutes

You are in a hurry and pull into a petrol station and ask the attendant to fill petrol worth Rs. 1000. The petrol pump is crowded, and the attendant hears the wrong type of fuel and fills Rs. 1000 worth of diesel in your car. This is a common occurrence that can happen to anyone. Either due to your mistake or due to the mistake of the attendant. It always helps to have a motor insurance policy. Here is all that you need to know.

Petrol and diesel engines are very sensitive to the fuel type entered into the car. If the wrong fuel gets in the car, it can cause a lot of damage. In the event that you have accidentally refuelled the wrong type of fuel, here is how you can save the car and the engine.

What happens when diesel enters a petrol car?

Refuelling diesel in a petrol car can have a lot of impacts. To start with, diesel is much heavier than petrol. And this property of the fuel makes it oilier as well. If you refuel a petrol car with diesel, the fuel filter is the first point of impact. As diesel is much heavier than petrol, it will clog the fuel filter almost instantly.

Once the fuel is past the fuel filter, it can cause a significant amount of stalling and stuttering in the car. And these are some symptoms that you can easily feel while driving. The spark plug is the next vehicle part that will get impacted due to the wrong fuel type. There will be a lot of soot that builds up in the spark plug once the fuel gets mixed. And as a result, the car will emit a lot of white smoke. This will eventually result in your engine losing all of its power and stalling completely.

This is one of the things that can possibly go wrong in car ownership. There are quite a lot of other possible hazards. You must renew car insuranceplan on time to ensure that your car has protection against those.

What happens when petrol enters a diesel car?

Unlike petrol cars, diesel cars are a lot more sensitive. You might not see a lot of symptoms like a petrol car since the damage can be quite quick and intense. The fuel injection pump on a diesel car will first get impacted by petrol’s presence. It is primarily due to the pump being dependent on the lubrication properties of diesel.

Something as simple as the rubber seals in the diesel engine will be heavily impacted by petrol. Petrol has a lot of cleaning properties, and it will affect rubber seals. When you put petrol in a diesel car, you will see a lot of black smoke since there is a lot of unburnt fuel. The car will eventually stop working. A motor insuranceplan might not necessarily cover the damages due to wrong fuelling. However, if you do not renew car insurance on time, it can have a lot of other impacts, including financial ones.

What to do if you’ve put in the wrong fuel?

Once you realise that you have the wrong fuel in the car, it is important not to continue driving or cranking the engine. Removing the fuel line to the engine of the fuel and then draining the fuel tank completely is one of the better ways to handle misfuelling. Depending on the fuel type of your car, here are some remedies that you can try.

General remedial instructions for wrong fuelling

For instances of diesel in a petrol car, the impacts are not that extreme. If your car has a diesel and it is just a very small fraction, about 5% of the fuel capacity, it will not have any major impacts. Both fuels will mix, and you can drive your car. However, a better solution is to drain your fuel tank completely.

Once you realise misfuelling, ensure that you do not crank the engine. Park your car in the petrol pump and inform your car manufacturer to provide roadside assistance or towing service. Once the car is in the service centre, you can drain the fuel tank completely and fill it with petrol. If you have driven your car a bit before realising the mistake, ensure that the fuel tank and fuel pipes are completely drained and the fuel filter is replaced.

For instances of petrol in a diesel car, the impacts can be quite severe. You must avoid cranking the engine at any cost. You must even avoid putting the key into the ignition. This is because in automatic cars, the fuel is pumped even on turning the ignition. You must take the car to the service centre at the earliest and drain the fuel tank and fuel lines.

If you have cranked the engine, the damage can be quite serious. At this point, you can only pray that the damages are not too severe since the monetary impacts can be considerable.

Tips to avoid misfuelling

There are a few simple tips that you can follow to avoid misfuelling in your car.

1. Never be in a hurry when you are at a petrol pump.

2. You must always be alert when you are in the petrol pump and keep a close eye on the hose that the attendant is using.

3. Ensure that you clearly communicate the fuel type that needs to go into the car.

4. Always double-check with the attendant about the fuel that they are using for your car.

Misfuelling can be quite disastrous. However, not having insurance for your car can be even more dangerous. Car insurance policies are mandated by the law, and not having one can result in hefty penalties. Always ensure that you renew car insurance policy on time to avoid paying these hefty penalties. Zero depreciation insuranceoffers the most protection for your car.

With a zero depreciation insurance cover, you can make claims and not pay anything from your pockets. Not even depreciation on the car. It can help you save a considerable amount of money in the long run.

Conclusion

Quite a few of us have come across stories or instances of wrong fuel being put in the cars. If this happens with a petrol car, you might still be lucky as the consequences are not too dire. On the other hand, the wrong fuel in a diesel car can result in significant damage to the engine, which can result in a lot of financial loss. To avoid such financial losses, you must always follow the tips to avoid misfuelling. Also, you must renew car insurance in a timely manner to protect yourself and your car from any type of issue.

Disclaimer: The above information is for illustrative purpose only. For more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before concluding the sales.

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