Help, just put €50 unleaded into my diesel

Lord Nikon

Stuck in Dublin. Anyone know of cheap recovery service and place in Dublin to drain the tank. I need it done but getting the best price is also essential. Car is on side of the road as we speak.

Car is Audi a4 1.9tdi.

Thanks in advance
Neuro

drunkmonkey

Please tell me you didn't start the engine yet? If you've already drove your in trouble.
Where about are you?

ronaneire

Where in Dublin?

ryaner777

There was an advert on newstalk the other day about a compny who a specialising in this service, Can't remeber their name though but am looking on line to see if i can find them, Might be worth calling newstalk Tel: 01-6445100 to see if they have any info on it. Sorry i couldn't be of more help but if i find anything on line I'll put the number straight up.

dahamsta

He doesn't need a specialist if he hasn't started it yet, it just needs to be drained and refilled.

ryaner777

ryaner777 wrote: »

There was an advert on newstalk the other day about a compny who a specialising in this service, Can't remeber their name though but am looking on line to see if i can find them, Might be worth calling newstalk Tel: 01-6445100 to see if they have any info on it. Sorry i couldn't be of more help but if i find anything on line I'll put the number straight up.

Found it. It's fuelrescue.ie Ph 012807661.

patentseven

ALL ROADS RECOVERY - 0862599674 - does petrol and diesel draining & repairs. Only one I could find that provide this svc.

ryaner777

Our standard charge is €200 plus VAT @ 13.5% = €227
We accept Laser, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Cash or Cheque with Guarantee card.

Fizman

dahamsta wrote: »

He doesn't need a specialist if he hasn't started it yet, it just needs to be drained and refilled.

Where does he say he hasn't started it? I'm assuming he has since he is on the side of the road. Unless he found pumps on the side of some road that is.

projectgtr

If you are any way decent with a spanner you can do it yourself in a few min, once you havent started your engine, just remove the drain bolt, drain it till empty then flush out with another 5 euro of diesel, re-tighten the bolt and filler her up, dont expect any help from the attendants :rolleyes:

voxpop

ryaner777 wrote: »

Our standard charge is €200 plus VAT @ 13.5% = €227
We accept Laser, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Cash or Cheque with Guarantee card.

Jeysus - 227 euro just to drain a tank. Thats madness

drunkmonkey

I done it a while ago but thankfully didn't start the car, got the car trucked away from the pumps and the whole things cleaned out, cost me about €300 along with the full tank of petrol I had to pay to be disposed of.

Hopefully it's a company car.

jimbobjones40

ryaner777 wrote: »

Our standard charge is €200 plus VAT @ 13.5% = €227
We accept Laser, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Cash or Cheque with Guarantee card.

Can do it for a lot cheaper then this if your anyway near me (say within 10km). €60 to pick it up and €90 to drain and clean the tank.

Although in your case it'll be alittle extra because the system needs to be bled of petrol. Shouldn't be any damage done if this was the first time you made this mistake.

drunkmonkey

Is the engine not toast once he's driven it?

x in the city

how is it possible in the year 2011 to put petrol into a diesel...

is it the same in the americas and the continent with this?

MagicMarker

x in the city wrote: »

is it the same in the americas and the continent with this?

Yes, people make mistakes even in the America's and on the continent.

man.about.town

what happens if you start it??

Max_Damage

Jesus, is everyone in this country incapable of doing some basic DIY work?

A few spanners and/or sockets and you'd get the tank out by yourself.

Eoin

x in the city wrote: »

how is it possible in the year 2011 to put petrol into a diesel...

I think that petrol pump nozzles fit into diesel tanks, but not the other way around.

drunkmonkey

Eoin wrote: »

I think that petrol pump nozzles fit into diesel tanks, but not the other way around.

That's how I learned my lesson.

jimbobjones40

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Is the engine not toast once he's driven it?

Really it depends on: was it the first time and what was the ratio of diesel to petrol.

x in the city

Its astonishing that there is not a standard nozzel size for petrol and diesel in this day and age tbh

*drafts up new proposal

Mr Benevolent

Max_Damage wrote: »

Jesus, is everyone in this country incapable of doing some basic DIY work?

A few spanners and/or sockets and you'd get the tank out by yourself.

A tank weighing 50kg? In a petrol forecourt? On your own? Superman's got nothing on you. OP, if it's a new diesel car, you started it and it cut out I'd ring your insurance company to see if you can claim.

Tea 1000

Confab wrote: »

A tank weighing 50kg? In a petrol forecourt? On your own? Superman's got nothing on you. OP, if it's a new diesel car, you started it and it cut out I'd ring your insurance company to see if you can claim.

If you can lift up the car with one hand and take out the 50kg tank with the other hand, then you won't need spanners, you'll be able to undo the bolts with your fingers!

projectgtr

Confab wrote: »

A tank weighing 50kg? In a petrol forecourt? On your own? Superman's got nothing on you. OP, if it's a new diesel car, you started it and it cut out I'd ring your insurance company to see if you can claim.

I done one in the forecourt with a socket set, most cars dont need the tank to be dropped, mine had a drain plug thank god.Took a long time to drain, i had to buy some milk for containers as the staff were very unhelpfull to give me an old bucket or something, though they did give me some sawdust to tidy up after myself :rolleyes: , i left them some milk cartons full to dispose of diesel

Lord Nikon

To be honest I just assumed I picked up the correct pump. Was on my way to the doctor and just wasn't thinking. Anyway back in the car now, and hope I don't get creamed with all this traffic and at this bad junction.

Have a guy coming out to help me, but I might be a bit out of pocket

Greenman

neuromancer wrote: »

To be honest I just assumed I picked up the correct pump. Was on my way to the doctor and just wasn't thinking. Anyway back in the car now, and hope I don't get creamed with all this traffic and at this bad junction.

Have a guy coming out to help me, but I might be a bit out of pocket

Whats the latest?

Tea drinker

Sure if it's only a few bob wasted on juice and a man in a van then no biggie. Lesson learned and move on.

Hope it works out for ya.

Lord Nikon

Still sitting in a cold car. Some guy been sent out by the AA, he an drain the tank and get me going on the spot. Hadn't planned on being 250 quid less today.

projectgtr

neuromancer wrote: »

Still sitting in a cold car. Some guy been sent out by the AA, he an drain the tank and get me going on the spot. Hadn't planned on being 250 quid less today.

sorry to hear it bro, just take it as a lesson it happens to the best of us. Maybe take this opportunity to learn a bit about your car, and carry basic tools it can save you time and money.

Did you spot what you did before you started it?

Lex Luthor

you're not on your own..happens to the best of us especially when you head is filled with more important things...

wicklori

OH did the same with my car in Moate co. Westmeath, the garage rang a local mechanic who put the car on a tow truck; took it to his yard and together the three of us pumped the petrol out. €50 he charged us. It took about an hour though.

biko

I guess the different coloured handles isn't enough?
Too bad, neuromancer, but hopefully a once in a lifetime mistake.

Quazzie

I worked in a garage and we used to regularly tow cars in, put them on the lift. Drill a 4mm hole in the bottom of the tank to drain them and then stick a self tapping screw in the hole when we were finished. Ten minute job, we got fuel for the burner out the back, and all it cost us was the price of a screw.

We used to charge out €100 for it. :eek:

Danbo!

biko wrote: »

hopefully a once in a lifetime mistake.

I can imagine the OP will be quadruple checking the pumps for the rest of his life.

LK_Dave

A friend of mine did this once and I was able to sort it out by using a length of tube as a siphon from the fuel tank into a few 20 litre oil cans, removed the diesel filter and drained, refilled the filter with diesel and refitted, Then we just put €20 of diesel in the tank and cranked the engine till it started. we had a bit of smoke to start with but it soon cleared. He is still driving the same car three years on. It took about 30 minutes I think - must have looked dodgy as feck us there on the forecourt siphoning out the petrol.

I used the siphoned petrol in my 3.5 kva mobile generator (mixed it 50/50 with clean petrol) - never had a problem with it.

MagicMarker

biko wrote: »

I guess the different coloured handles isn't enough?
Too bad, neuromancer, but hopefully a once in a lifetime mistake.

Not all garages have different coloured handles.

dahamsta

The yanks must get very confused altogether, their pumps are coloured the other way around.

taintabird

projectgtr wrote: »

If you are any way decent with a spanner you can do it yourself in a few min, once you havent started your engine, just remove the drain bolt, drain it till empty then flush out with another 5 euro of diesel, re-tighten the bolt and filler her up, dont expect any help from the attendants :rolleyes:

Have you done this to an Audi before ? and the drain stud is where exactly ?

CarMuppet

dahamsta wrote: »

The yanks must get very confused altogether, their pumps are coloured the other way around.

Got caught with this with a rental in a dodgy LA suburb. I was concentrating on the lads accross the road and not the size of the dam nozzle. The garage guy screamed at me was I nuts etc. Hard lesson learned. Scary night tbh.

jimbobjones40

taintabird wrote: »

Have you done this to an Audi before ? and the drain stud is where exactly ?

Most new cars cars don't have a drain plug .... this is to stop the fuel being stolen out of the tanks of parked cars as far as I'm aware .... so to do it properly it needs to be siphoned out.
Don't do as mentioned in an earlier post: drill a hole and use a screw :eek:

Gone Drinking

I know a guy who started a new job and after a life of driving petrols was given a diesel van of some sort.

He filled it with petrol on his first week in the job.. and did it AGAIN three weeks later.

We laughed, a lot.

Quazzie

jimbobjones40 wrote: »

Don't do as mentioned in an earlier post: drill a hole and use a screw :eek:

Just to clarify, in case there is any doubt about it. I was not recommending or condoning what was done. I was simply following the orders of the owner, and pointing out that it was a reputable main dealer so you really should be careful about where you send yours cars when the likes of this happens.

anto2

^ That a main dealer would do such a thing ? ....beware of main dealers ?

shogunpower

surely that would leak like hell in a year when the self tapping screw rubber washer broke up?

Quazzie

anto2 wrote: »

^ That a main dealer would do such a thing ? ....beware of main dealers ?

That always make sure you trust where you send your car, because some people see a main dealer and automatically assume that it means that they are competent and not cowboys. Mt advice, which applies to all work done on your cars, is make sure you trust the garage and the people that work on your car, and don't think that just because they are a large or long serving trader that they are reputable.

Not all garages are equal and a shiny shopfront is no indication between which are good or which are bad.

shogunpower wrote: »

surely that would leak like hell in a year when the self tapping screw rubber washer broke up?

I worked there for about two and a half years and we would've done this maybe three times a year. In mu time there, we never had one come back. Another problem with this would be about filings that would be in the tank aswell from the drilling.

Greenman

neuromancer wrote: »

Still sitting in a cold car. Some guy been sent out by the AA, he an drain the tank and get me going on the spot. Hadn't planned on being 250 quid less today.

So OP how did the story end?

TequilaMockingBird

Grim. Hope you got on okay at doctors.

Lord Nikon

Long story short.... Guy from AA showed up at about 8pm, had the tank drained in about 25 minutes. He also disconnected the fuel line up to the fuel filter, making sure to get all the unleaded out. No way to get the unleaded out of the fuel filter or injectors, for obvious reasons. Did it on the side of the road where the car had died.

€220 including VAT for, draining the tank, fuel lines and €20 worth of diesel to get me going. Done by the AA, so not some cowboy in a van, or someone charging me €170 to tow and "store" my car overnight until the garage opened.

All in all, three and half hours between walking around Clonee on the phone to everyone with a towtruck, to sitting in the car watching The Wire on the laptop eating cold M&M's.

Never got to the doctor yesterday, but today I did and have chest x-rays tomorrow. What a great way to celebrate my birthday

P.S. - Car is just as it was, i just love the hum from my A4

taintabird

jimbobjones40 wrote: »

Most new cars cars don't have a drain plug .... this is to stop the fuel being stolen out of the tanks of parked cars as far as I'm aware .... so to do it properly it needs to be siphoned out.
Don't do as mentioned in an earlier post: drill a hole and use a screw :eek:

I am fully aware there are no drain studs on modern cars and the reasons why and also on how to deal with is as I have to do it on a regular basis when Muppet's fill the wrong fuel in there nice shiny diesels, I was nearly pointing out other poster had not a clue what he was talking about...... and dont even start me on the cowboys that think drilling a hole in a plastic fuel tank and then pluging it with a screw is a good idea !:rolleyes::rolleyes:

ronaldo84

diesel in a petrol would be a lot worse. that fella dat drilled a 4mm hole in the fuel tank and pluged it with a screw!!! if he did this to me it b the last time he would do it.