Circle K diesel in petrol pump error on N7

Atlantic Dawn · 31-07-2023 2:17pm #1

This happend over the weekend on Saturday for about 5 hours, they think it was about 90 cars involved so if your car is running dodgy after a fill there you know why...

Almost 90 motorists inadvertently filled their petrol vehicles with diesel after a Circle K garage put the wrong fuel into its petrol pumps at the weekend.

In a statement, Circle K apologised to those affected after the incident on Saturday at its Kill North Service Station on the northbound lane of the N7.

The petrol pumps that were mistakenly filled with diesel, operated for five hours and Circle K said it believes that up to 87 drivers were impacted.

https://www.rte.ie/news/leinster/2023/0731/1397457-circle-k/

BlakeS94 · 31-07-2023 2:55pm

I smell a class action.

Feel sorry for the people that have potentially ruined their pride and joy due to this.

mikeecho · 31-07-2023 2:59pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120921550#Comment_120921550

No such thing as class actions in Ireland.

Anyway the company had publicly announced the error, and will correct the situation.

It's not like they are saying nothing happened, nothing to see here.. quite the opposite.

elperello · 31-07-2023 3:01pm

CK seem to be putting their hands up and offering to sort out the customers.

n.d.os · 31-07-2023 3:03pm

Wouldn't happen with an EV. Just saying. 😆

yoshiktk · 31-07-2023 3:08pm

I feel sorry for the lorry driver, any info how does it look in Ireland?

When I've worked in Shell in Poland, in situation like this, both the garage employee and lorry driver would be billed with the amount of fuel lost plus the bill for cleaning the tanks and machines. Cars would be covered by garage insurance.

antodeco · 31-07-2023 4:02pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120921591#Comment_120921591

I dont know. I get both my gas and electricity from electric ireland. Could accidently fill the car up with natural gas by mistake

The J Stands for Jay · 31-07-2023 4:09pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120921591#Comment_120921591

Have you never filled up a DC EV with AC electricity?

passatman86 · 31-07-2023 4:12pm

Imagine being someone out on the rob and syphoning one of those cars only for it to be diesel and causing damage to the robbers property.... Ah one can dream 😂😂

10-10-20 · 31-07-2023 4:21pm

It's being reported on BBC News now too:

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cl4mmrl66r2o

wassie · 31-07-2023 4:29pm

This could be very costly for the company. And its easy to say they will sort it, but there will be a range of cars in varying conditions affected by this.

I'd be very concerned if my car was still under warranty and I drove off. AA on their website note this (while also plugging their services of course!)

If the car’s still under warranty, you should check with the franchised dealer regarding their advice and correct remedial action – running with even a small amount of petrol in the tank might invalidate the warranty, while some manufacturers advise that seals and filters should be renewed even if the engine has not been run.

https://www.theaa.ie/aa-membership/fuel-assist/

kirk. · 31-07-2023 4:32pm

I don't think I'll be paying cash no receipt anymore

kirk. · 31-07-2023 4:35pm

You'd think they have a simple mechanical system to prevent this

Assuming the fuel in the tanker is correct

Sam Russell · 31-07-2023 5:15pm

Petrol in a diesel is very serious because a diesel car expects the lubricating effects of diesel oil, which petrol removes. As a consequence, fuel pumps fail, and this destroys the engine if it is serious enough. It happened to me through my own stupidity. I drove about 5 km, and realised the problem. Fuel was drained and serious damage was avoided but it took a lot of effort and cost to fix, and the total loss of a tank of diesel/petrol.

Diesel in a petrol car is bad but not as bad. Depends of the amount of diesel put in, and it could be ok if topped up with petrol.

Still bad though.

Jim_Hodge · 31-07-2023 5:31pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120922088#Comment_120922088

They say they can identify the vehicles from CCTV.

Mech1 · 31-07-2023 5:32pm

Diesel in a petrol car is just a flush out, no real worries about it long term.

Mech1 · 31-07-2023 5:34pm

To continue, as long as you have enough sense to park her up when it starts running rough and smoking a bit, if you can and do force her on then problems could be greater.

Mech1 · 31-07-2023 5:37pm

Unfortunately some people have no mechanical sympathy when it comes to cars running rough. "But I had to go home!"

kirk. · 31-07-2023 5:54pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120922229#Comment_120922229

Isn't it only the diesel nozzles that don't fit petrol tanks

That's weird if the damage ls the other way round mostly

the_amazing_raisin · 31-07-2023 6:16pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120921591#Comment_120921591

Don't tempt fate, they'll fill the Ionity chargers there with diesel next 😳

the_amazing_raisin · 31-07-2023 6:19pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120921970#Comment_120921970

You've been thunderstruck.... 😉

Mech1 · 31-07-2023 6:22pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120922351#Comment_120922351

Not fully sure, as I'm smart enough that I've never tried it😁.

But come cars (Landrover definitely) have a misfueling device fitted in the filler neck, if a petrol pump is used it triggers a blockage of the pipe to prevent tank filling.

A tool is included in the vehicle toolkit to reset the blockage.

ShatterProof · 01-08-2023 12:10am

It wasn’t the wrong pump. Is was the wrong fuel coming out of the pump.

jprboy · 01-08-2023 12:23am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120921970#Comment_120921970

Yes.

A shocking experience ........

amacca · 01-08-2023 12:29am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120922493#Comment_120922493

On a highway to hell.

big_drive · 01-08-2023 8:00am

On another point I'm surprised at this stage someone hasn't invented something where only a petrol nossle will fit a petrol car, same with diesel.

Like a nossle with a particular shape and then have cars with a fuel opening as standard that will only take that shape.

Then it's clear to the user they are trying to use the wrong fuel.

I've often heard of people making the mistake over the years, usually where there is more than one car in the house and they are using different fuel

pat_sconce · 01-08-2023 8:13am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120924185#Comment_120924185

The cost would be astronomical as you'd have to retrofit every petrol vehicle on the market and apply it worldwide. All because of a very small number of people who make a mistake. Then the frustration of trying to line it up to a precise shape and on top of that EV starting to become the dominant motor

In the circle K issue they have the records of every vehicle registration that used the pumps and they say "up to" as they may not be sure in some cases if the driver was getting petrol or diesel. Some may not have noticed till much later if it was a petrol/diesel mix going into a half full tank

Such an instance is extremely rare. I think the GO station in Kylemore had it happen to them about 5 years ago and a couple of instances in the UK. They nearly all make national headlines due to the rarity.

kirk. · 01-08-2023 8:26am

I thought that was standard on petrol cars

The diesel nozzle doesn't fit ? Or is that not the case

Quin_Dub · 01-08-2023 8:37am

The drivers didn't make a mistake though.

The underground tank had the wrong fuel put into it by the delivery driver or whoever.

The drivers used the correct nozzle for their vehicle.

kirk. · 01-08-2023 8:45am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120924310#Comment_120924310

I know different issues

dmc17 · 01-08-2023 9:51am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120921591#Comment_120921591

Very true. By the time you get to the top of the queue the error will have been noticed, corrected and any compensation cases settled.

Charles Babbage · 01-08-2023 10:14am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120924185#Comment_120924185

On another point, I would expect the nozzle on fillng station tanks to have some sort of protection like this. Some type of bracket that you lock down when filling the big tank from the delivery truck, there could be two or more types of these for different fuels. This would have stopped this incident.

yoshiktk · 01-08-2023 10:27am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120924794#Comment_120924794

Nope, its some standard connector on both sides.

At least when I've worked on petrol station we were required to check it with the driver. If he had few different types for us, we meant to check everytime he changed the tanks/lorry section.

newport2 · 01-08-2023 10:43am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120924261#Comment_120924261

I put diesel into a petrol car last Friday, the nozzle fitted fine unfortunately. Thankfully I noticed after only putting in a litre, so I got away with it. The garage I was at had identical pumps, the only thing different was "Petrol" and "Diesel" written in really small font over to one side. The pump and hose were green, looked like unleaded petrol normally does. The difference between the two pumps visually is usually much more obvious at any other garage I've been to.

When I went in to pay, I told the guy what I had done (I had to pay for both pumps obviously) and he replied, "Ye, that's happened here before".

hoodie6029 · 01-08-2023 10:47am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120922033#Comment_120922033

Given the time of year I wouldn’t be surprised if a few UK cars were affected. They must have gotten it published there for that reason.

Be a bugger for this to happen to a hire car, though if you were returning it, you’d probably get away with it.

Havenowt · 01-08-2023 11:27am

Don't know they didn't smell the diesel coming out of the car as they filled it..

Lewis_Benson · 01-08-2023 11:33am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120925140#Comment_120925140

The average irish motorist doesn't even pay attention to the road, let alone the fuel going into the car.

Charles Babbage · 01-08-2023 11:40am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120924850#Comment_120924850

Checking is fine, but it is always open to human error. If the thing wouldn't fit then it would be more reliable.

kirk. · 01-08-2023 12:04pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120924925#Comment_120924925

I was sure either petrol or diesel, one of the nozzles didnt fit the other , must be wrong so

That's why I was saying earlier , it cant be rocket science to prevent this at the tanks surely

cute geoge · 01-08-2023 12:09pm

Reminds me back in the good old days ,when every tom .dick and harry went off to work on a building site ,neighbour was given a start and !st job was told fill the mixer with petrol .

You can guess the rest😂

newmember2 · 01-08-2023 12:37pm

I filled a diesel car with a full tank of petrol before and only realised when I went in to pay, and at that point also realised I didn't have my wallet with me either...oh the laughs we had...