Wrong fuel?

Putting diesel in a petrol, or petrol in a diesel - most people do it sooner or later. But don't worry - if you have made the mistake of putting in the wrong fuel we can fix it right away. One of our experienced mobile units will come to you quickly, and you'll be back on your journey. No drama, no garage and no towing bills. To avoid any chance of engine damage, don't drive on. Call us now for 24/7 wrong fuel in car recovery.

Our engineers really are experts: Fuel Fixer is the leading mobile misfuel specialist in the country, and our engineers are often consulted by major roadside assistance companies. Even if your car has been driven after misfuelling and now refuses to start – if the problem was caused by misfuelling, we fix it. Then and there - and get you on the road again.

Fuel Fixer is a fully 24/7, Nationwide rapid response wrong fuel drain service. If you have accidentally filled up with the incorrect fuel we will get you up and running with no mess and no fuss. Whether you are stuck at on a petrol station forecourt, or on the side of the road we can have someone out to you quickly and have you back on the road in minimal time. Our national average response time is only 46 minutes.

Fuel Fixer mobile units provide local coverage across the country 24 hours a day, seven days a week. So whether you are stuck with the wrong fuel on a petrol station forecourt near Southampton, broken down on the side of the road near Basingstoke, or stuck at home in London with an accidentally misfuelled car that won't start, we can help.
Give us a call and our operators will arrange a fast call-out for you wherever you are. In most areas help should be less than an hour away.

We have mobile fuel decontamination units in most of the main population areas ready to come out to help you any time of the day or night. If for any reason we can't get to you quickly ourselves, we'll get another trusted fuel-drain specialist out to you.
We won't leave you without help, and our telephone operators will stay in touch until the job is done and you are back on your way.

Your car simply won't run on the incorrect fuel. Diesel engines and petrol engines work differently: diesel does not ignite with a spark, like petrol - and petrol won't ignite without one. If you have put petrol in a diesel car - the most common problem - the petrol will wash away some of the oil the fuel pump for lubrication. In either type of fuel contamination, the erroneous fuel needs to be removed.
Water and AdBlue in fuel creates different problems but - since it sinks to the bottom your tank - it usually needs our specialist equipment to drain it fully.

It’s unlikely that you’ve wrecked anything, but call us and we’ll give you more exact advice. If you have put the incorrect fuel in you shouldn’t drive the vehicle, and you should get it drained as quickly as you can. Driving with contaminated fuel can damage some engine parts, and the longer it’s driven the worse the damage could be. Of course you may not even be able to start the engine if there is a lot of wrong fuel in – but we don’t advise that you try. Call us and we’ll give you straightforward advice and tell you your options.

We do a lot of work for dealers, who know as well as us that you would have to drive a long way with wrong fuel to do serious damage to your car. Most dealers will give you sensible advice, but sadly we have heard too often of repair bills running into thousands of pounds which just weren’t necessary. We also know that customers often pay considerably more for our services when we called in by a main dealer. The fact is that we can get your car going without huge bills and no damage done. Talk to our hotline operators for sensible advice.

Some insurers will cover the cost of a fuel drain, others will not. Some motorists however elect to pay for a fuel drain directly rather than face increased premiums even if the drain could be claimed for. We advise motorists to contact their insurer directly. In any case, we provide detailed VAT invoices for all work carried out.

Modern car designs certainly make it harder to drain the fuel tank, and it often requires special equipment and techniques. Many cars now have "saddle" design tanks or are hard to access. It is important to fully drain the petrol tank - our technicians are equipped to deal with all vehicles.

Water in your fuel tank can cause serious engine damage and will certainly badly affect the running of you vehicle. Our mobile units remove fuel contaminated with water, or other liquids, in the same way as we remove petrol from a diesel tank. Water and fuel do not mix, and water will sink to the bottom of the tank, so it is particularly important to have our specialist equipment to make sure that all the contamination is fully removed.

No, we don’t. We specialise in fuel draining and misfuel recovery, with a larger fleet of specialist-equipped vehicles than breakdown companies like the AA, RAC or Green Flag. We can usually be there much more quickly than services like AA Fuel Assist, RAC Wrong Fuel, or the Green Flag wrong fuel recovery service.

Motoring organisations recommend that any more than 5% of petrol mixed with diesel can cause problems, and should be drained rather than being topped up. Diesel has lubricating qualities for parts such as fuel pumps, whereas petrol washed away the oils which these parts require. Engine management systems, fuel pipes, injectors, cylinders and catalytic converters can also be damaged by misfuelling.

Rental agreements usually require that you inform the hire company in the event of any mechanical problem with the car. They will usually then arrange for a fuel drain through their own contracts with a fuel drain company. Unfortunately there are many stories around of motorists being hit with large bills for the work, well in excess of the fees of independent fuel drain companies. Since the hire company has your credit card and your authorisation to charge it, there is little you can do about such excessive fees after the fact.
We can and do attend and fix hire cars directly, and treat them exactly the same as any other vehicle, and for the usual (not inflated) fee. Feel free to talk to our operators on the phone number above.

If misfueling caused the breakdown it will usually be fine after draining it and restarting with the correct fuel. Damage to engine parts is a risk if the vehicle is driven with contaminated fuel, but in our experience it is rare provided the wrong fuel is drained before too long. Our phone lines are open 24 / 7 and we’re happy to give you impartial advice.