Sunday, August 05, 2007

ARRGHHHH!!!!!!!

We got up at 5am to go to a dog show. On the way I stopped at a garage to fill my car.

I filled my diesel engine with unleaded petrol !!!!!!!!!!!!

If it hadn't overflowed, I would not have realised my mistake until I had driven off and the car would have been ruined. Thankfully I knew not to turn the engine on.

Three hours later we are at home having been towed here by the AA. Now I am just waiting for the company to arrive that will empty the tank and flush the engine out.

This will cost £200 (about $400).

Honestly, I don't know where my brain is sometimes. On the Continent(mainland Europe) this couldn't happen because the Diesel pumps are not in the same place and the nozzle wouldn't have fitted my car anyway.

The man just arrived and told me that yes, the nozzles are made in such a way that
a diesel will not fit a petrol car but a petrol will fit a diesel! Fat lot of good that does me!

6 comments:

steel breeze said...

If it's any consolation, I once filled up my (leaded) car with diesel. Yes, the nozzle fitted just fine, alas. Got a few miles down the road before it started to stall and rev alternately. Cost me £240 to get towed home (I wasn't in the AA or anything) and get drained and a new fuel pump. Most expensive £10 of fuel I ever bought - plus, I got ribbed rotten at work (I'm an engineer, supposed to know better!)

This week? Clipped a curb in my 3 week old car, and gave myself a puncture in a place that scrapped the tyre. £58 for a new tyre, and more expense tomorrow when I get the car checked out (I drove for a mile before I realised something was wrong!). I've worked there for 7 years and never hit that curb!

So - these things happen. At least you didn't drive - that can seriously damage a diesel, 'cause diesel works by compression and petrol works by explosion. Coulda been a lot lot worse! :)

Anonymous said...

Yup, at least you didn't drive! Proof that your mind isn't that far gone.

Yarnhog said...

Oh, crud. Sorry to hear it.

Kate said...

You are not the only one - DH did the exact same thing about five minutes after we got off the ferry in Cork at the start of our hols. Took most of the day to sort out. Upside? We saw plenty of Cork.

Lovely socks,BTW.

Anonymous said...

You'll also miss the dog show, correct? If it's the same in the UK as it is in the US, you have also lost hefty registration fees. I'm sorry this happened to you. 5:00 a.m. is rather early for me to ever be thinking well, so don't worry about your mind. I can attest that your mind is quite healthy! -Iris

Suna Kendall said...

ARGH!! Here in the US they color the deisel pumps green, so it's pretty easy to notice if you are about to make a mistake. And I think the nozzles are different.

I hope to get a deisel vehicle next time, if they haven't made an even better option by then (I keep cars a long time and have a nice, practical Subaru).