[shamshers]

Coloneljasi that would be a great help if you could PM me.

So quick update on my saga. BMW dealership in Delhi (no names here) told me they would need to flatbed it and check the fuel pump among other things because "sir you know this car is very advanced, so we will have to check the fuel pump and bleed the fuel system" . Asked why couldn't this be done on site, response was "sir we have to put this car on a lift and then drain the fuel". Obviously we know this is not true, but kind of completely lost my faith in BMW service again. Having owned multiple bmw's across NY state and having dealt with multiple dealerships in NY state, SOP in USA is help the customer , here it seems to be, lets cook the customer.

Got a BMW mechanic who quit a few months ago from the dealership who's going to go with me to drain the petrol and flush the lines and replace the diesel filters to be double sure. Fingers crossed.

Yet again lost my faith in BMW service in India. I know some people will flame me that its better to be safe and we should take it to BMW, but c',mon, knowing already that they are greasing their poles waiting for my car to come in, don't really like the feeling that I'm in for a grease slide. Lets be reasonable and get the car back on the road. Lets not start fantasising about the owners next month rent cheque coming out of my pocket.

[dr.ashoka]

This is what can be done with my BMW 320d 2011 model to shift to neutral without starting the car and I tried it after reading this thread.
1)Insert the key in the key slot.
2)Pressed the start/stop button without pressing the brake so that the car doesn't start.
3)Saw the gauges active (like the diesel gauge)
4)Now pressed the brake pedal and shifted the gear lever and I am able to shift it to R/N/D from the P mode without the car being started.
Do try it out.
All the best
Ashoka

[StarScream]

This mess up is so common.

Yesterday, after leaving work, me and a colleague were going to a co-worker's party in Khan Market, when I noticed the low-fuel light and said I needed petrol. My colleague said the pump next to Taj Mansingh is a good one and we stopped there. I got off the car, left it running since my colleague was sitting inside with the A/C on, and asked the attendant to top up the tank with petrol.

He must have not heard me because he hurriedly pulled out a nozzle and started filling. 30 seconds later he must have noticed the 91/95 RON sticker on the fuel-filler cap or the nozzle didn't fit and he quietly asks me, "Is this a petrol or a diesel?" I looked at him and said "Petrol." And then realizing the import of the question, almost yelled "Why? What have you done?" He says quietly, "I've filled diesel." I asked him to stop immediately.

Hearing this commotion my colleague asked me what the issue was. I told him that diesel had been filled. He had the presence of mind to immediately tell me to stop the engine, which I hadn't realized was running because when I'm alone I always switch off the car. I did so and the fuel station guys asked me to steer the car to the side, while they push it.

Now being a DSG, I didn't know how to move it to neutral, without engine power. I know in the manual there is a section that tells you how to do this by removing the plastic surround around the gear shift. But I didn't have time with cars lined up behind me. Anyone who knows this pump, knows that it's a pretty narrow area. So I put the car on in accessory mode, being careful not to crank the engine and to my surprise the gear lever moved to neutral and the car could be pushed. We moved it to the side with some difficulty in steering it without power steering.

About 7 liters of diesel had gone in and since the reserve light had gone on fairly recently, I assumed about 7 liters of petrol was in the tank. The staff got a hydraulic jack and tried to open the tank from below.By this time, the owner of the pump, a very nice old gentleman, had noticed what was going on and asked us to wait in his office. We refused because we wanted to monitor what was going on and he waited with us.

The petrol pump guys couldn't open the tank valve and the owner sent for a mechanic from Khan Market. But it was 7 p.m. and everybody had packed off. The owner offered to keep the car overnight and get it drained the next day. I decided to give VW Roadside Assistance a try and they just offered to tow it to the nearest workshop. The owner had told me that is all VW will do, since he owns Jetta and knows how they operate.

While all this was being discussed, the staff had got a slim pipe and started to drain the tank from the inlet. They kept going for about 10 minutes and drained some 15 liters of an amber liquid, which is what happens when whitish diesel mixes with brownish petrol. Now since that is roughly what I assumed the tank had, I figured filling the tank up with petrol will sufficiently dilute any remnants of diesel.

So, I topped up the tank and filled 54.8 liters in a 55 liter tank. With some trepidation I started the car and it came to life and idled smoothly as if nothing had happened. There were no warning lights. I thanked everyone and the owner even paid me back for the 7 liters of petrol that had been ruined. I can't overstate how nice he was.

I drove to Khan, attended the party and then drove the 15-odd kms back home. No issues whatsoever. I called my VW dealer today and they asked me to bring the car in because they need to check the fuel pump and fuel filter. I'm debating whether to do that because there is no symptom of any trouble.

[coolboy007]

Originally Posted by StarScream

I drove to Khan, attended the party and then drove the 15-odd kms back home. No issues whatsoever. I called my VW dealer today and they asked me to bring the car in because they need to check the fuel pump and fuel filter. I'm debating whether to do that because there is no symptom of any trouble.

That was a close shave and could have been fatal , i make it a point to personally check which nozzle is being pulled (petrol/diesel) while filling up and make sure correct thing is put in but mistakes do happen.

Regarding VW, i would suggest that if your car is driving fine and if it has no issues, avoid giving the car to them as VW is very strict and stingy with their warranty claims, a job card will be opened and an official record made that your car came in for a fuel pump check as you filled in wrong fuel, if some thing happens in future, they can use this incident to reject your warranty claim. These guys are so crazy that they even noted in their job card during my second service that i had used after market parking bulbs

You can get the diesel filter changed if you are too paranoid but as you quickly shut the car off, it seems all will be fine.

[StarScream]

Originally Posted by coolboy007

Regarding VW, i would suggest that if your car is driving fine and if it has no issues, avoid giving the car to them as VW is very strict and stingy with their warranty claims, a job card will be opened and an official record made that your car came in for a fuel pump check as you filled in wrong fuel, if some thing happens in future, they can use this incident to reject your warranty claim. These guys are so crazy that they even noted in their job card during my second service that i had used after market parking bulbs

You can get the diesel filter changed if you are too paranoid but as you quickly shut the car off, it seems all will be fine.

Yup my thoughts exactly regarding VW. I don't want to declare this incident if I don't have to. Even if my fuel filter/pump fails 6 months from now, it'll be a warranty replacement. I'll have to check to be sure, but any such misfuelling-type, wrong-usage issue will not fall under warranty, in my opinion. My insurance agency clearly told me it's not covered, despite having a top of the line, zero dep product with all possible damage riders.

[StarScream]

I ran a VCDS scan of the engine parameters and fuel system - no error codes found. Car is still running fine.

[biju1971]

I had a chance to be useful to somebody else being in team-bhp. While i was waiting for my turn to get petrol filled up, i saw a wagon-r in front of me not moving ahead. I was getting petrol filled up when the owner of the wagon-R came to me and asked "the attendant has filled up about 2 litres of diesel into his car and if it was ok to start the car and move on". I immediately told him not to. Apparently the attendant had told him that they could top up the tank with petrol and since the mixing ratio is less it wouldn't harm the engine. The car was one month old. It was six in the morning and he was at a loss on what to do. The car was pushed to the side. I asked him to get the service manual and showed him the toll free number and the contact details. It just beats me how the attendant filled diesel into a wagon-R.

[deehunk]

Refueling this thread with my friend's experience at a fuel station in Mangalore. My friend's Zest diesel vehicle was filled with petrol and he was asked to move the vehicle slightly to make way for another car. He being unaware of what happened started the vehicle and moved it about 300 meters. The vehicle is now at an ASS, he was told by the Service Advisor that there is nothing to worry and just cleaning of fuel lines, tank and replacing the fuel filter is sufficient. The vehicle reportedly has not suffered any damage.

[lurker]

Is there any device in India that can prevent misfuelling ?

More specifically is there any fool proof method to prevent petrol being pumped into a diesel fuel tank ??

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted by lurker

Is there any device in India that can prevent misfuelling ?

Yes, there are two of them actually; more commonly known as human eyes!

is there any fool proof method to prevent petrol being pumped into a diesel fuel tank ??

While a sticker on the fuel lid would be good, and a clear, firm and loud mentioning of the type of fuel to be filled in, desirable; there is no substitute for personal surveillance: get down from the car, see that the right nozzle is being inserted and (also) ensure that no tricks are being played in terms of the quantity of the fuel dispensed.

PS: I know this isn't the answer to your question, but I do feel that no technology can overcome human foolishness and/or lethargy .

[lurker]

Well well .. human eyes and good sense work when the eyes and mind are fresh. So these work in case of relatively unstressed individual drivers driving private vehicles refuelling once every week at their familiar and favorite petrol bunk.

Now I will enumerate cases where these common sense rules do not apply.

1. taxi/auto/uber drivers who fill multiple times a week and often from relatively strange pumps and at odd times. They are stressed out and often are not able to concentrate during refill. And they realize quite late esp if petrol filled into diesel tank which is disaster.

2. Individual drivers in pvt cars having personal problems in moment of stress forget to inform bunk attendent on fuel type and newer diesel cars after running for a while can be very soft hum on the outside almost mimicking a petrol.

3. Crossed hose at the odd pump may confuse attendent and he may by mistake fill petrol though he may intend to fill diesel. Also long hours at work may make him/her lose focus.

4. Some silly mistakes can always happen at late hours when people may be in hurry and cannot take mechanic help even when they really need to because all shops are shut and dealer has skeletal staff.

More than diesel in petrol engine, the main problem comes because of petrol in common rail diesel engine. Diesel nozzles are usually bigger and do not fit into petrol fuel caps but smaller petrol nozzles can easily fit into diesel fuel caps.

This is what needs solutions.

[am1m]

Originally Posted by dailydriver

Yes, there are two of them actually; more commonly known as human eyes!

+1 to that! How many things can we really over-engineer and make fool-proof?!

You know what fuel the vehicle you're taking into the pump requires, how tough is it to remain alert for the couple of minutes it takes to state clearly what fuel you want? Anyway you'll need to remain alert at pumps to ensure they start from 0, they fill the required amount, they don't distract you with random talk about a 'free oil change' and to make sure they give you back change, swipe your card properly! Sure, mistakes do happen, but I really don't see the need for a complicated tech solution for something as basic as this.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by lurker

Is there any device in India that can prevent misfuelling ?

Here are some simple pointers to prevent misfuelling (Theme - Prevention is always better than Cure, so try to avoid misfuelling situations):
0. No brainer - Use a sticker on the Fuel lid that clearly mentions the fuel type. I don't like stickers like that on the car body, so I have it on the back/inside of the lid (hidden when shut) and also another one on the Fuel Cap itself

1. As @dailydriver mentioned use your eyes and also your mouth (in unfamiliar or new fuel stations that you visit). Roll down the glass and tell them what fuel your car runs on and then ask them which pump to use

2. Do not sit inside the car while the fuel is being filled. Always get out to see first hand what the attendant is doing. In fact, once I open the fuel lid, I ask the attendant not to begin fuelling till I get out of the car and tell him to

3. For regular top ups in your own city try to stick to one or two trusted fuel stations regularly (I prefer COCO pumps). This ensures you're familiar with the layout of the pumps and what fuels they dispense, also you tend to get better FE since you know their fuel quality

*@am1m, agree with the over engineering/tech part. Gosh, why can't we just be alert instead of relying on some other gadget/tech to tell us something could be going wrong or worse notify after something has gone wrong ?

[lurker]

I am asking a very specific question and need a specific answer from someone who knows any Indian products available.

In UK for example there are 3 specific products.

Fuel Angel - www.misfuellingprevention.co.uk/

Caparo RightFuel -- www.caparorightfuel.com/

SoloDiesel - http://solodieselmisfuellingprevention.co.uk/

My autowallah befell a calamity and misfuelled his mahindra jeeto during a long trip, he had earlier damaged water pump due to floods which was repaired with heavy bill, now calamity has befell twice in span of a month. This can happen to anybody, let us not kid ourselves.

[GeneralJazz]

Happened to me about a year back. My Baleno (1.6) was at about 10% when I drove into a HP pump near Palarivattom, Kochi. I always get out and stand by the attendant as he fills and I personally close the filler cap. This time I was searching for my wallet while my friend told the guy to fill for 500. By the time I got out, the idiot had already filled about 2-3 litres of diesel! Took a lot of self restraint not to punch him in the face. His explanation? "Saar valiya vandi ayonda njan diesel itte"


Translation: "Saar its a big car thats why I filled diesel"


I topped up with petrol (around 45 lites) and drove off. Didn't face any issue. By the way, I got a 500rs discount after a nice yelling match!