[msaudf]

If the engine was switched off when the wrong fuel was being pumped in your tank, then you have nothing to worry about.
And after you found out about the mix up I'm sure you didn't start the car until all of the fuel was emptied from the tank and fresh diesel was filled in to the brim. If that is the case you have nothing to worry.
The fuel pump in the tank will activate only when you switch on the ignition, that means whatever was in you tank stayed in the tank until it was drained out. Relax man..

[samikc]

Originally Posted by dass

I follow a very simply rule, everytime I fill fuel wherever it is. I stop the car, unlock the seat belt, unlock the door, then open the fuel lid, then go stand next to it and then tell the attendent the fuel I need and the quantity. Guess, in future you should follow something similar to avoid this unnecessary worry.

Sure thing, I actually came out of the car before he started filling to clean wind shield. My bad or lack of experience (what ever you call it) but not to be repeated again.

Originally Posted by Vid6639

If you drained out the fuel from the tank and pipe even before it went to the fuel pump there should be no issues. Was the engine idling at the time of filling?

If it was off and fuel was drained out fully before starting the engine, there is nothing to worry.

The car was not started at all, first it was completely drained out and then 2 liters of diesel was put in the tank and taken out from an opening in the hood (do not know exact terminology of it). Then the car was pushed to the diesel section of the pump, the diesel got in (46.12 liters). Car started and kept for idling for about 10mins; once I saw no warning lights I drove off.

Originally Posted by Vid6639

There is also a sedimeter which removes water or something less dense than diesel. Petrol I think should be caught by this sedimeter. The sedimeter can be pumped/drained out also.

I do not know about this, I have Toyota Liva GD SP, hope they have it.

[RM2488]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

There is also a sedimeter which removes water or something less dense than diesel. Petrol I think should be caught by this sedimeter. The sedimeter can be pumped/drained out also.

Incorrect. The sedimenter removes sediments and water from Diesel- both are HEAVIER/DENSER than Diesel. Petrol, being lighter, would not be caught in it.

The second problem is that petrol and diesel will mix quite readily. You won't get a layer of petrol on a layer of diesel.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by RM2488

Incorrect. The sedimenter removes sediments and water from Diesel- both are HEAVIER/DENSER than Diesel. Petrol, being lighter, would not be caught in it.

The second problem is that petrol and diesel will mix quite readily. You won't get a layer of petrol on a layer of diesel.

Thanks, I did not know about this since I was never good in chemistry and all these properties

I was thinking the other way around completely. So does that mean petrol and diesel can actually be mixed up?

[RM2488]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

So does that mean petrol and diesel can actually be mixed up?

Yes, they are indeed mixed for special applications. Adding diesel to a petrol engine (within a reasonable concentration) drops the exhaust temperatures. Will seriously mess with the catalytic converter though.

[whitewing]

Originally Posted by dass

I follow a very simply rule, everytime I fill fuel wherever it is. I stop the car, unlock the seat belt, unlock the door, then open the fuel lid, then go stand next to it and then tell the attendent the fuel I need and the quantity. Guess, in future you should follow something similar to avoid this unnecessary worry.

Second that, in addition to ensuring the right fuel gets in it also discourages shady attendants from pulling a fast one in regards to the volume pumped in.
Also, helps to visit only a few good pumps.

I know one guy who got a tank full of diesel in a brand new petrol vento. He did not realize this since the transaction was done sitting in the car.

Needless to say, the car conked out after a few kilometers. Unfortunately since the guy persisted in pushing a smoking/croaking car till it died. The damage was more extensive, the bill was a lakh upwards... don't exactly recollect what the damage was. I guess the engine decarb and the cat converter replacement was done among others.

[samikc]

Originally Posted by whitewing

Second that, in addition to ensuring the right fuel gets in it also discourages shady attendants from pulling a fast one in regards to the volume pumped in.
Also, helps to visit only a few good pumps.

I know one guy who got a tank full of diesel in a brand new petrol vento. He did not realize this since the transaction was done sitting in the car.

Needless to say, the car conked out after a few kilometers. Unfortunately since the guy persisted in pushing a smoking/croaking car till it died. The damage was more extensive, the bill was a lakh upwards... don't exactly recollect what the damage was. I guess the engine decarb and the cat converter replacement was done among others.

You are right, I also follow the same rule and that's why I went to a COCO pump.

[Gannu_1]

I had a similar experience last May but the opposite - filled Diesel in our Swift Dzire VXi! Sharing my experience:

The two of us were going to Alapuzha from Palakkad and it was raining heavily that day. We drove into that fuel pump adjacent to the Indian Coffee House (just before Mannuthy) and filled the fuel only to realize there was some immediate jerking! I asked my friend what we had filled and he responded, “Diesel! Isn’t your car a VDi?!” to the shock of my life! Unfortunately, there was no indication of the type of fuel anywhere on outside or inside of the fuel lid. Neither did we bother telling the guy what had to be filled so this was our mistake.

We had just drove for about 20-25 m from the fuel pump and took a U-turn back to the pump. Fortunately, the owner was a good guy and they had a manual pump to suck the fuel out but the flexible hose wouldn’t reach the fuel tank. He called up a garage owner which was located nearby and after an hour or so, he drove to the fuel pump with his Mahindra Thar. He asked us to connect the towing hook at the front and to our shock, the towing hook’s threads wouldn’t properly screw/mate itself to the internal threading of the hole provided! We had used the wrench that came with the tyre removal kit, tightened it to the best of our limits and towed the car to the garage. This being a local garage for repairing rickshaws and trucks, I was initially a bit skeptical of what the mechanic would be capable of. But he did a fantastic job.

The car was stationed atop 2 raised platforms (we normally see those with the hydraulic raisers on good garages) with a passage way underneath to access the components underneath the car. He unscrewed a frame like component and the entire fuel tank out. Dismantled the piping and cables connected to the fuel gauging equipment. Emptied the fuel to a container and there was still some fuel left that refused to come out which had to be soaked using pieces of clothes. He then started the engine momentarily. The fuel pump owner had given us 10 litres of Petrol as a good gesture from his part. We filled the fuel before replacing the fuel gauge and reconnected the wiring/tubing.

With our fingers crossed, the mechanic turned the key, cranked the engine and after a brief while it started! With a huge sigh of relief, we left the garage. That wasn’t the best part! Despite our best attempts to pay the mechanic and his assistant, he refused to accept anything from us! He said the fuel pump owner has this taken care of. We drove back to the fuel pump, tried to pay the owner for the fuel and the service charges but he refused to accept anything! We kept telling ourselves what a great guy he is - not because he did not take any money but he helped us in every possible way he could when he could have refused to citing this was our fault and we had to deal with it.

Got a mouthful from my father for this event and the car was later taken to the Maruti authorized service centre after the trip but they never reported any damage to any component. Fortunately!

[MaxTorque]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

I had a similar experience last May but the opposite - filled Diesel in our Swift Dzire VXi! Sharing my experience.

A similar incident was happened in Nilambur, Kerala. The staff filled diesel in a petrol car and the car had to under go some major repair. After this incident, the Petrol pump operators association came with a caution message. As soon as the operator lift the trigger from the holder, the dispensing unit will announce the fuel type for three times.

It will be annoying for frequent visitors but make the drivers aware of the fuel which is being filled. So in short the pump makes the owner of the car also partially responsible for the mistake (if happen).

This story is narrated by a taxi driver so not sure about authenticity. Also I am not sure, whether such system exists in other places also.

[vvijay]

Originally Posted by kicksperliter

The million dollar question is how on earth did Indica travel at almost 80-90km/hr speed covered 360+kms with almost tank full of water. Even the service engineers at astonished

Happened to bump into this thread and my 2 cents to your question - one point is the relative density of respective interacting fluids, in this case diesel being lighter (863 kg/cu.m) than water (1000 kg/cu.m) would float on it.

The much important point to note is the placement of fuel delivery module inside the fuel tank i.e., how deep or shallow is it placed and how is it oriented inside the tank cavity. If this orientation is in such a way so as to pick the lighter floating diesel first, so has your car run so much kilometers. And this orientation of course, varies from car to car which would pretty much explain different cars going breakdown/ responding differently to such potentially dangerous situations.

[shamshers]

Dear folks
I've been a wallflower observer on team-bhp for ages, and today it's my turn to ask for assistance.
Drove my 2011 bmw 520d to ambala from Delhi today, and on the way back realized I was running low on diesel, my guess is is about 8 liters in the tank and the reserve light went on. Stopped at a highway pump I normally stop at when on this highway, and despite asking the attendant to fill normal diesel, noticed after the transaction was down that he had pumped in close to 65 liters of petrol. gasp!!
So a couple of things
1. Car wasn't switched on during the pumping, and after we noticed the error, I didn't start it.
2. I did put the switch on (without starting) to see if the car could be put in neutral to push to the side, unfortunately in this series the gear doesn't switch without the car starting
3. I called bmw assistance, and realized that this was going to cost me an arm and a leg, and probably my next borns first name naming rights, so decided against asking them to help ( the car is out of warranty)
4. I did a quick search and popped the rear seat out and opened the round panel 5 nuts to expose the the tank cap which had the fuel sensors and the fuel pipes, but unfortunately this is where I stopped because the cap needs to be opened like a jar cap and I don't have the required tools. If this cap is opened, I can simply drain out all the diesel and hopefully be home free. But I am not entirely sure on the semantics on how to do this without screwing up anything further.

So !! The gas station owner, super nice guy asked me to leave the car there and we attack this tomorrow since it started to rain and was getting dark. I have spoken to him a few times before on previous journeys when I have tanked up my other vehicles, so he knows me. He offered me his Hyundai to drive back to delhi, about 75 km and put some old blocks around the car so some one doesn't bump into it at night. Obviously he's deputed someone to guard it, even though it's parked at the pump. So taking his offer, I drove his car home to attack This tomorrow.

Can anyone offer any advice and recommendation and what to watch out for from their experience. BMW owners only, and please don't flame me on being a cheapskate, it's my choice to keep bmw service out of this and talk to fellow automobile folks to figure this out.

Thanks

Sam

[Ray32825]

Don't you have an override for the gear shifter? Or you can do it like this -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-uY5EPXHMY

Mine goes into neutral, just turn on the ignition, keep your foot on the brake depress the button on the shifter and put it in neutral.

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[shamshers]

Ray32825 starting the engine is not an option. There's about 40 gallons of gasoline in a diesel powered vehicle. Starting the engine will push the gasoline into the fuel pipes and filters, then i'll have a whole new set of posts to write about.
The video you posted is for the older "manual" AT. The new 5's have an "electronic" AT. I didn't have the manual handy, but I'm going to see if I can find anything in the manual tomorrow morning. Guessing there has to be a way to load this on a tow truck without by putting it into n without starting it

[Ray32825]

Sam, I never said start the engine, I said turn on the ignition!

Ok, I agree its a newer tranny, but surely there is some way to put the damn thing in neutral!

Also check if your vehicle primes the diesel when you open the driver's door. Any way you cut it, it's going to have to be removed very carefully.

I suggest not using the pump in the tank to remove the mix, use a siphon or any other pump. You may have to clean out the lines and change the filters to be on the safe side.

I would never have called BMW, for now they know what has happened, even if the car is out of warranty.

PM me your phone number, or if you can't send it to me via email - ray32825@yahoo.com

[Turbanator]

Yes , we can shift to neutral in new ones as well - have a look

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VeyhBGOO78

If you have not started the Car after filling petrol , it should be OK to take out fuel & put fresh diesel without much fuss . But removing Fuel Tank at Petrol Pump wont be easy

Best option will be to get a Flatbed and take the car to Dealership , they should be able to do much cheaper when car is at there workshop . If you are around Karnal , Chandigarh Dealership should be friendlier based on my past experience , I can pass you numbers of service adviser's