Volkswagen Golf 2010 Broken Down Due to Mixed Fuel

L[Deactivated] on 13/08/2018 - 15:57
Last edited 13/08/2018 - 16:14 by 1 other user

Hi guys
I’m writing for a friend

My friends car completely broken down and got it towed to the mechanic to get it checked and they said that there was a mix of diesel and unleaded 98 in her fuel tank.

She doesn’t recall ever filling diesel and the mechanic is suspicious that it may be the petrol stations fault.
She doesn’t have receipts or anything

Is there anything she can do???
She has a Volkswagen 2010 golf

Mechanic suggestion is that she changes the engine .. or sell her parts
Costing her about 5.4k to change engine..
is it worth it ? Or should she should try sell her car parts instead

Automotive Car Mixed Fuel Volkswagen

closed Comments

      • DarkOz on 16/08/2018 - 07:18

        I don't think she even knows what they did to fix it. She was very shaken when it happened and she was just glad that it could be fixed for $1,000.

        Based on what I have read here and else where the fuel system needs to be drained and flushed with the damaged parts replaced. I am sure the engine is fine when it's diesel into petrol engine. Petrol into diesel engine would be a lot more serious.

        I suggest your friend to email VW or their dealers directly and ask for their opinion. Or even give Wrong Fuel Rescue a call for their opinion.

  • EVA-01 on 14/08/2018 - 17:26

    Different vehicle and engine type, but a guy from my work filled up diesel in a petrol Hi-ace. Got it fixed @ $550.

    • moo on 14/08/2018 - 21:23
      +2

      and leave us out of it too

      Welcome to the world of social media and online communities. The only way to be left out of it is to block out everything digital/technology.

      I reckon you should change your username to something that is slightly less amazin.. might be more fitting with your analogue-era thinking 😬.

  • imurgod on 14/08/2018 - 18:34

    If you have decent insurance, it's covered. If you're with a cheap and nasty insurer though, it's likely an exclusion.

    • Herbse on 14/08/2018 - 19:53

      Could you please tell me which insurer you have come across that covers this?
      Every company I have been with has never had it mentioned in the PDS and clearly states no cover for mechanical failures.
      I'd be keen to shop around or bring it up with my current insurer if others are offering this.

      • imurgod on 14/08/2018 - 20:39

        From memory, qbe, vero, IAL, AIG and Allianz to name a few. You'll want to go through a broker who's part of steadfast if the direct policies exclude it, they have access to better wordings and the price should be equal or better too.

        Also, be mindful that this isn't a mechanical failure in the PDS, it specifically refers to incorrect fuel.

        • Austaurean on 15/08/2018 - 13:10

          Accidental damage perhaps

      • gbarlett on 16/08/2018 - 09:16

        Its not mechanical failure. Its accidental damage. Similar if you forgot to apply your park brake and your car rolled into another car. Its generally up to the assessor however i know that NRMA and GIO have paid for repairs. I know of one lady with a landrover who claimed 3 times after accidentally adding petrol to her diesel landrover, 20k damage first time it happened. The insurer told her that the 3rd will be her last as by now she should be aware that her vehicle takes Diesel.
        Also if anyone is interested, 99% of these cases its adding unleaded to Diesel. If you do this dont panic. Diesels characteristics wont change much if you dont add more than 5% unleaded, more than that and it changes the way Diesel behaves during combustion and also Diesel acts as a lubricate for the diesel system components, petrol washes that lubrication away. So for example, common size fuel tank is 60 litres , if you add 3 litres or less of unleaded to your diesel vehicle you are ok to continue filling with Diesel, 3 litres unleaded 57 litres diesel. Get to half a tank and refill with Diesel again and you will be ok, more than 5% then you will require draining of the tank and other repairs, depending if started/driven.
        Also seeing alot of issues with adblu. Drivers are accidentally adding adblu directly into the fuel tank. Adblu and Diesel are stored separately on a vehicle. If you add ANY adblu to diesel, the diesel is instantly contaminated and you are up for repairs whether you started the vehicle or not. Do not start the vehicle. Once diesel and adblu mix (in any volume) the diesel will crystallise and cause all sorts of damage to your fuel system.

  • Herbse on 14/08/2018 - 19:35
    +1

    There are safety measures to make sure petrol car owners don't put in deisel. You're sure she doesn't have a diesel and it's the other way around?

    Get another opinion. Call around and get quotes. It should just be a flush of the fuel system, replacement of fuel filters etc and at worst, a clean of the piston chamber. This has happened many times before and places know how to deal with this. Even get a quote from VW directly.

    Always get a receipt when filling petrol. The one time they sell you contaminated fuel. Without it, you'll completely out of pocket for it.

    • [Deactivated] on 15/08/2018 - 22:46

      Will pass on that message.

  • Daemos on 14/08/2018 - 23:43
    +1

    I suggest you read this link:

    https://www.carsguide.com.au/car-advice/what-to-do-if-you-pu…

  • Mrgreenz on 15/08/2018 - 11:44
    +1

    I'm suspicious when the couisins get involved

    • [Deactivated] on 15/08/2018 - 22:10

      She s also suspicious of her cousins mechanic . Cause it was her first time going there too.

  • Count Shagula on 15/08/2018 - 11:58

    My friend did exactly this with his petrol golf. Filled it with diesel and didn’t realise. Kept driving till it died, bonnet material underneath caught on fire and parts of the engine were glowing hot. It cost him about $1400 to repair, unsure of the specifics.

    • [Deactivated] on 15/08/2018 - 22:47

      Oh wow , what was done for the repairs?

  • CocaKoala on 15/08/2018 - 15:35
    +2

    I’m writing for a friend

    Haha, LOL.

    How is it that people who do major screwups like getting into "at fault" crashes (often without insurance), running a red light, driving drunk and getting caught, reversing into a lake, filling in diesel in a petrol car, etc. have the greatest of friends who come and post on their behalf seeking advice?

    • Baysew on 15/08/2018 - 17:29
      +3

      What makes it useless, is that the posts are vague, lacking in vital details and the poster rarely comes back with answers to specific questions.

      Was it a diesel Golf with petrol added by mistake or a petrol Golf that 'somehow' got diesel added to it?

      • [Deactivated] on 15/08/2018 - 22:06

        The car is not a diesel golf. It is petrol golf and she had always been filling it with 98 cause it’s turbo

      • [Deactivated] on 15/08/2018 - 22:22

        Only reason why I wanted to close the case is because she ‘can’t be bothered’ anymore. I want to help and get opinions but if she isn’t asking for help then I can’t do much for her either.

        She says she’ll listen to the mechanic hence I said that’s the only solution at this point.

  • [Deactivated] on 15/08/2018 - 17:17

    To those who tried helping out in any way by writing their experience to suggestions thanks a lot for that.

    In conclusion there’s nothing she can do besides ‘leaving it in the mechanics hands or finding a new mechanic’ I guess the case is closed.

    • iDroid on 15/08/2018 - 19:50
      +1

      Case closed? There's a number of questions here that have gone unanswered/clarified that could certainly change the "case" conclusion.

      • [Deactivated] on 15/08/2018 - 22:27

        I’m trying to answer as much as I know but she’s not feeding me a lot of information either. She’s pretty much listening to her mechanic only at this point

        • Herbse on 15/08/2018 - 22:56

          Fair enough. Close the thread so people don't waste time replying.

  • b3no on 15/08/2018 - 17:17
    +2

    Not sure if this is related, might be:
    https://ibb.co/iJx55p

    There are a ton of comments about fuel being contaminated there

  • MagicOZ on 15/08/2018 - 18:41

    Is actually common thing to put wrong fuel, I watch this episode of Fifth Gear that put Diesel in Petrol car and Petrol in Diesel car. Petrol car works fine on Diesel, Diesel car don't like the petrol at all. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GL9-i9tcESU
    What damages can happen in modern car from wrong fuel that require engine replace?

  • abdalian on 15/08/2018 - 23:28
    +1

    Someone put PETROL in my Diesel VW CC 2013
    The car stopped after 1km,
    Towed
    Only had to flush the engine and change FUEL FILTER (total $300)

    The car runs perfectly normal since then (2 years)

  • [Deactivated] on 16/08/2018 - 05:15

    Never in my life heard of diesel actually killing a petrol engine. It will usually run really sluggish with a lot of smoke so you'll know something's up, very hard to ignore for long enough to actually do major damage…

    You will need a professional to drain the diesel, clean fuel lines, replace fuel filter, etc etc… But an engine replacement doesn't sound right at all.

    I'd recommend considering a new mechanic if they're saying it needs an engine change…

  • syousef on 16/08/2018 - 06:15

    Never actually got as far as trying to put the wrong nozzle into my tank but I do remember doing a double take recently at a BP when I saw the BP "ultimate diesel" logo on the nozzles at a petrol station recently. It looks the same as BP ultimate (98 unleaded) but black replaces blue. I wondered at the time how many people had just blindly tried to fuel their car with diesel.

  • Moderatormoocher on 16/08/2018 - 09:29

    As OP has disabled account, this thread will be closed.

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