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Wrong Fuel Fixer

Put the Wrong Fuel in Your Car?

It happens to hundreds of drivers a week. Don’t start the engine. We’ll come to you.

Ring Us

Three things, in this order.

1Don’t start the engineNot even to move it off the pump. If you’ve already driven, pull in the second it’s safe and switch off.2Get out and stay safeHazards on. Everybody well back from the traffic. On a forecourt, tell the staff inside.3Ring us and we’ll sort itOne call. We tell you the price first, then the nearest engineer heads for you.
Call now01 506 0386
Free advice on the phone. It costs nothing to ring and ask.

Answered 24 hours · an engineer to you in about 46 minutes · anywhere in Ireland

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Europe’s Largest24/7Misfuel specialist, answering around the clock

Every day of the year, bank holidays included. Most misfuels happen at the start or the end of a journey, which is rarely office hours.

IrelandNorthern IrelandEnglandScotlandWalesGermanySwitzerlandLiechtensteinLuxembourgBelgiumNetherlandsFrance

● Corporate offices in Ireland, the United Kingdom and Germany. Engineers working across all twelve.

46 minAverage arrival
250,000+Rescues since 2009
9,800+Reviews across 3 platforms
32 countiesCovered, north and south
No towing
No garage bill
Price agreed first

Why choose Wrong Fuel Fixer

We are an international fuel draining business with a dedicated Irish operation, and the most technologically advanced one in the field. Our engineers carry Gespasa European pump technology, the best in the industry.

Gespasa ATEX transfer pumpEuropean technology

It clears the tank and the fuel lines in minutes, self-priming and explosion-proof, with a recirculation bypass so the flow stays controlled throughout. Anti-rust treated, because it goes near your paintwork.

What that means for you

  • Tank and lines cleared in minutes, not hours
  • Controlled suction, so nothing in the fuel system is stressed
  • Certified for explosive atmospheres, safe on a live forecourt
  • Quiet enough to work outside a house at two in the morning

What older pumps do

  • Drag on for hours while you wait at the roadside
  • Risk damage to the pump, lines and injectors
  • Loud enough to be a problem in a residential street
  • Often need the vehicle recovered instead

We cover every county, north and south

All thirty two of them. Wherever you have pulled in, we offer coverage there, and the average arrival across the country is about 46 minutes.

We cover County CarlowWe cover County DublinWe cover County KildareWe cover County KilkennyWe cover County LaoisWe cover County LongfordWe cover County LouthWe cover County MeathWe cover County OffalyWe cover County WestmeathWe cover County WexfordWe cover County WicklowWe cover County ClareWe cover County KerryWe cover County LimerickWe cover County TipperaryWe cover County WaterfordWe cover County GalwayWe cover County LeitrimWe cover County MayoWe cover County RoscommonWe cover County SligoWe cover County AntrimWe cover County ArmaghWe cover County CavanWe cover County DerryWe cover County DonegalWe cover County DownWe cover County FermanaghWe cover County MonaghanWe cover County TyroneCork office, and we cover County Cork
We cover hereOffice
  • LeinsterCarlow, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Longford, Louth, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Wexford, Wicklow
  • MunsterClare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary, Waterford
  • ConnachtGalway, Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon, Sligo
  • UlsterAntrim, Armagh, Cavan, Derry, Donegal, Down, Fermanagh, Monaghan, Tyrone

What happens if you put the wrong fuel in

You want to know how bad this is. Here is the honest answer, both ways round, before you ring anybody.

Petrol in a diesel car

What happens if you put petrol in a diesel engine?

  • If you haven’t started it. Nothing has happened yet. The petrol is sitting in the tank, a drain puts it right, and you are about half an hour from driving away.
  • If the engine has run. Diesel lubricates the high pressure pump and petrol strips that lubrication, so the pump and injectors start wearing immediately. You get knocking, smoke, loss of power, then it cuts out.
  • If you kept driving. Metal from the pump travels through the fuel system. That is the difference between a drain and a rebuild, and it is why we say stop now rather than at the next exit.

The common one. Petrol nozzles fit straight into a diesel filler.

Diesel in a petrol car

What happens if you put diesel in a petrol engine?

  • If you haven’t started it. Same answer. Nothing yet, and a drain sorts it. Don’t turn the key to move it off the pump.
  • If the engine has run. Diesel does not ignite from a spark plug, so it coats the plugs and clogs the injectors. Heavy white smoke, misfiring, and it usually stops within a mile or two.
  • If you kept driving. Less catastrophic than the other way round, but the plugs, injectors and filter often need cleaning or replacing on top of the drain.

Rarer, because a diesel nozzle does not fit most petrol fillers.

I drove on it before I realisedMost people we attend have. It is the normal case, not the disaster case. Stop, switch off, don’t restart. We drain the tank, flush the lines and the filter, and refuel you at the roadside.
It was only a few litresIt still has to come out. Petrol doesn’t sit harmlessly on top of diesel, it mixes, and five litres in a full tank is enough to change the lubrication. Don’t try to dilute it by brimming the tank.
I put unleaded in a dieselUnleaded and petrol are the same thing, so the answer is the same. Unleaded in a diesel tank is the exact case we attend most.
The wrong fuel is in the tank, not the engineGood. That is the best position to be in. It stays that way as long as nobody turns the key.

Ring the specialist, not the garage

Wrong fuel is the whole business, and has been since 2009. When a misfuel lands on a garage ramp, the garage rings us. You may as well ring us first.

Whatever went in, we take it outPetrol in diesel. Diesel in petrol. Unleaded in diesel. Contaminated fuel. Roadside, forecourt, driveway or yard.
Do not try to dilute itPetrol strips the lubrication a diesel pump lives on at a few percent. Topping up removes nothing.
No tow. No garage billAbout thirty minutes on site, then you drive away on clean fuel. VAT invoice and engineer report in your hand.
Anything you driveCars and hybrids, vans, motorhomes, HGVs, boats, plant, hire cars, fleets. Bring us the problem.

What we are called out to

Petrol in diesel carPetrol in diesel enginePetrol in diesel tankDiesel in petrol carDiesel in petrol engineUnleaded in diesel carPut petrol in diesel carPut diesel in petrol carAccidentally put diesel in petrol carDiesel in petrol car by mistakeI put wrong fuel in my carPutting petrol into a diesel engineI have put petrol in a diesel carWrong fuel in tank

Whatever you drive

CarsVansMotorhomesHGVsCoachesPlant & machineryHire carsFleetsAgricultural

Wherever you have pulled in

We offer coverage right across Ireland, north and south. Tap wherever you are and we will tell you the price before anyone sets off.

DublinSwordsBrayTallaghtDroghedaDundalkNavanNaasPortlaoiseKilkennyWexfordCarlowAthloneMullingarCorkLimerickWaterfordClonmelEnnisTraleeKillarneyGalwaySligoCastlebarLetterkennyCavanMonaghanNewryBelfastLisburnDerryArmagh

Nine thousand drivers have already been exactly where you are

Independently collected on three public platforms, across the whole group. Go and check any of them.

Reviews.io 4.8★★★★★ 6,718 reviews · 95% recommend us
Trustpilot 4.8★★★★★ 2,212 reviews · rated Excellent
Google 4.6★★★★★ 895 reviews
ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015Quality and environmental management, independently audited. Certificate 467912024.
Pay however suits youOn the day, by card or over the phone. Nothing upfront, and nothing before you have agreed the price.
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The questions everyone asks

What should I do if I’ve put the wrong fuel in?
Don’t start the engine. If you’ve already driven, pull in the second it’s safe and switch off. Hazards on, everybody out and well back from the traffic. Then ring us. We tell you the price on the phone before anyone sets off, and an engineer is with you in about 46 minutes.
What’s worse, petrol in a diesel or diesel in a petrol?
Petrol in a diesel is the more serious of the two. Diesel lubricates the high pressure pump, and petrol strips that lubrication away, so the pump and injectors start wearing the moment the engine runs. Diesel in a petrol car won’t ignite from a spark plug, so it fouls the plugs and clogs the injectors instead: messy and expensive to clean, but rarely structural. Either way it has to come out before the car is driven.
Have I damaged my engine?
Almost certainly not, if you haven’t started it. The wrong fuel is sitting in the tank and a drain puts it right. If the engine has run, it depends how long for, which is why the advice is always to stop straight away. Most of the cars we attend have been driven at least a little, and most of them drive away on clean fuel the same visit.
I put petrol in my diesel car and drove. What now?
Stop, switch off and don’t restart it. This is the normal case, not the disaster case. We drain the tank, flush the lines and the filter and refuel with clean diesel, at the roadside. The longer it runs the further through the fuel system it travels, so the sooner you stop the better the outcome.
Can I drive it home if it seems to be running?
Please don’t. A diesel will often run a few miles on petrol before the damage shows, and a petrol car on diesel usually protests almost immediately. In both cases the car being drivable is not the same as it being safe to drive, and every mile pushes the wrong fuel deeper. Pull in, switch off, and we come to you.
Does it matter how much wrong fuel went in?
The amount changes the risk but not what you should do. A splash in a full tank is lower risk than twenty litres, but petrol strips lubrication in a diesel at a few percent, so no amount is safe to simply top up and drive on. Tell us roughly how much went in and how full the tank was, and we plan the drain before the engineer sets off.
I put unleaded in a diesel. Is that the same thing?
Yes. Unleaded and petrol are the same fuel, so unleaded in a diesel tank is exactly the case we attend most. The advice doesn’t change: don’t start the engine, and ring us.
How long does it take, and where do you come to?
The drain, flush and restart takes about thirty minutes. We come to you: roadside, forecourt, driveway, car park or yard, anywhere in Ireland, with an average arrival of about 46 minutes. No tow and no garage.
Do you cover the whole of Ireland?
Yes. All thirty two counties, north and south: Leinster, Munster, Connacht and Ulster. Wherever you have pulled in, we offer coverage there, and the average arrival across the country is about 46 minutes.
How much does it cost to fix?
It depends on the car, where you are and whether the engine has run, so we give you the figure on the phone before anyone sets off. The call and the advice are free even if you decide against it. It is almost always a small fraction of a tow plus a garage bill, and in most misfuels there is nothing to replace at all, only the wrong fuel to remove.
Why not just go to a garage or a main dealer?
Most garages don’t keep the equipment needed to fully drain a modern fuel system, so they ring us anyway. Some main dealers treat a misfuel as a windfall and replace expensive components that didn’t need replacing. A proper roadside drain costs a fraction of that, and you drive away the same day.
Do you come to the petrol station forecourt?
Yes. Forecourt, roadside, at home or in a yard. If you’re still at the pump, don’t start the car. Tell the staff inside, push it clear to a safe spot if they ask, and ring us. We drain it where you are standing and you drive off on clean fuel.
Do you come out at night and at weekends?
Yes. The lines are answered 24 hours a day, every day of the year, bank holidays included. Most misfuels happen at the start or the end of a journey, which is rarely office hours.
What happens to the fuel you take out?
It is never dumped. A licence is required to transport and store it, it is held securely, and it is ultimately re-refined and returned to the fuel supply chain. We are ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified and our disposal is fully compliant.
Do you attend vans, HGVs and fleets?
Yes. Cars and hybrids, vans, motorhomes, HGVs, coaches, boats, plant and agricultural machinery. Roadside, yard or depot, with a VAT invoice and an engineer report for fleet records.

Can’t talk right now?

A forecourt is loud and a hard shoulder is louder, and some people would simply rather not be on the phone. Leave your number and we will ring you straight back. If you can ring us, that is still the faster route.

We only use this to ring you back about this job. Nothing else, and no marketing, ever.

Or call now, 01 506 0386

Stop reading. Pick up the phone.

Free advice either way, and we tell you the price before anyone sets off.

Call now01 506 0386
Free advice on the phone. It costs nothing to ring and ask.
Fuel Fixer Ltd · wrong fuel rescue and mobile fuel draining, across Ireland since 2009.
Ring 01 506 0386, 24 hours a day
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Fuel Fixer Ltd, Fairway House, Portland Road, East Grinstead, RH19 4ET. Company no. 08520551. Calls may be recorded for quality and training.
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