ever put the wrong fuel in you car?

I put diesel into my company petrol car 35 years ago after a very long day at work and it didn’t make it more than half a mile. I almost cried with frustration embarrassed and tiredness. I thought I had ruined the car and would have a lot of explaining to do..

However, I was rescued by an amazing man from the AA whose only responsibility was to tow me home.
He did tow me home , drained my tank, went to his home not too far away, returned with a can of petrol , topped up my tank and then followed me to the fuel station afterwards to make sure I got there OK.
An absolute legend, and I never needed to own up to it either!

Late one night, I filled a council owned diesel 14 seat minibus that was due to used for a school run the next morning with petrol.

‘Effing laissez-faire attitude to this role’ was the mildest thing my boss said in a fifteen minute telling off…

My husband did this once. We were on holiday in France and he put a little petrol in the diesel engine having mixed up the pumps.
He was horrified because he had never done this before!
We buzzed off to a garage to find out what , if anything we should do.
It was only a small proportion of the whole capacity of the fuel tank so the Garage thought it unlikely that any major harm would be done. If I remember correctly they advised him to keep topping up the tank so that the percentage of petrol would remain small/be reduced.
The car continued to function normally and the only lasting damage was to my OH's nervous system.

I started putting petrol in my diesel car many years ago, but realised my mistake very quickly and stopped after a few litres. Luckily I was at my local garage that also has a repair business so the lovely mechanic who always 'did' my car pumped it out for me and charged me a fiver (it was along time ago)... I've never done it again.

I haven't but my son once put petrol in his diesel car. Luckily he realised after just a few miles and it was sorted out for him quite quickly.

Georgesgran

I too thought it an impossible thing to do nowadays. DH once put a small amount of petrol in his diesel, (25 years ago) but then filled it up with diesel and topped it up every couple of days with no ill effects.

I think it is possibly more OK that way round. I'm sure I put in a tank of petrol instead of diesel and the garage attendant told me I was OK to limp home (2 miles). Something to do with the heavier density of one fuel over the other? The emptying lorry came to rectify the tank on my drive.

I did once along time ago before the pump nozzles were changed, it delighted my son who syphoned it out and used it in his petrol car, a free fill up but it did smoke for a few days.

My friend managed to fill her petrol tank with diesel a couple of years ago. She realised at the kiosk when she was paying for it. The assistant advised her not to turn on the engine and gave her a number to phone.

A guy turned up an hour later and drained her tank for £60. She’d paid £50 for the tank of wasted diesel then another £50 for the petrol to fill up before leaving the forecourt. An expensive mistake but at least she realised before she’d turned the engine on and caused problems.

No but my next door neighbour did
A good friend who lived next door was having trouble with her now X There was very little fuel in his car when he stormed out He had been doing some painting for us so he knew there was a can of fuel in our car port
It was in a green can so he presumed it was petrol. It was not. ‼️

I too thought it an impossible thing to do nowadays. DH once put a small amount of petrol in his diesel, (25 years ago) but then filled it up with diesel and topped it up every couple of days with no ill effects.

Marydoll

I too thought that diesel nozzles don't fit a petrol car.

Me too.
I was told this years ago.
Given that the nozzles are a different colour and clearly marked - surely this is a thing of the past?

I haven't but my husband has a nice full tank of petrol in his diesel car luckily he noticed as soon as he tried starting it and there is a garage right next door that sorted it out expensive mistake. Wouldn't been so daft but he has had diesel cars for years.

Yes, petrol in a diesel car. And in a car I had owned for 5 years too. Only sort of excuse was that I had the most awful menopause induced brain fog and I knew immediately what I had done once the car ground to a halt about 3 miles from the garage. It had to be recovered, cleaned out and to add insult to injury was that a full tank of leaded petrol had to be discarded.

I think putting petrol in a diesel cat is worse than diesel in petrol car. Not done it in car but sent daughter and friend to get petrol for lawnmower once. It seemed to start OK but after a few minutes emitted black smoke and stopped. Puzzled at first, but then figured out they had bought diesel by mistake! Drained mower tank and left for a while- then put the proper petrol in and mower was fine.

Yes, I too, wonder why the nozzles or caps haven’t been modified still, - especially as a mistake is so catastrophic 😦

I too thought that diesel nozzles don't fit a petrol car.

On the way back from the hospital with my mum after her cancer diagnosis/prognosis I started to put petrol in my diesel beast stopped after £3’s worth.

Had to wait at the pumps without turning engine on to be recovered.

Ooo yes, holding hands up here!
I had just returned from living abroad, and was driving a new right hand drive car and re adjusting to driving on the left. I was so pleased with myself for parking up nicely at an unfamiliar service station that my mind flipped back to putting in the fuel that I had been using abroad for many years! Oh dear, silly me. 🤣

I don’t think you can put diesel in a petrol car because the pump nozzle won’t fit, it’s too big?
My car is diesel, so far I’ve never done it, although I’ve witnessed a few people stuck at the garage waiting for the AA because they have - I’ve always wondered why they don’t make the pumps in completely different shapes to avid it ever happening, like those shape sorters toddlers have where you can only put the triangle in the triangle shaped hole etc.

My husband did it twice.
We are now electric so we should be alright now.

Never done it but having bought a petrol car after 10 yrs of diesel I have a label on my filler cap saying petrol in capitals just in case.