Mow Cop: Petrol in a Diesel Car? Here Is What Happens
Pause, then leave your engine off — not on, and not for a moment to shift the car. The next few minutes decide it far more than anything else: petrol in a diesel that has not run usually amounts to clearing then rinsing, on the spot. Wherever you are around Mow Cop, this is how things go from now.
Engine off: minute one with petrol in a diesel
Do the following before anything else, in this sequence.
- Priming the fuel system draws petrol from the tank towards the parts it harms, and turning the ignition on can be enough to do that. So your keys get taken out, and the ignition remains off altogether.
- No diesel on top. More fuel in removes none of that petrol — it only makes you with more of the same mixture.
- Being seen comes first beside moving traffic: switch your hazards on, and only then think about anything else.
- However short the way, starting it to shift it is the mistake. At a forecourt, roll the car clear of the pump by hand instead, and ask the attendants to help.
- Keep the till receipt. It says which fuel got in plus roughly how much, which is the first thing we'll ask.
Still on the move when you noticed? Come off the M6 at the next junction if that's where you are, under 5 miles from Mow Cop, and pull over somewhere sensible instead of pressing on to the services. Then begin at stage one.
Has it run yet? The fork in each Mow Cop fuel drain
From this point on, everything comes down to a single answer.
If your engine hasn't run at all:
- Nowhere but the tank: that's where the petrol still is.
- Draining and flushing, on the spot, is normally all of that.
- This is as good as it gets — which is the entire point of stage one.
If the motor has been run, even for a moment:
- From your tank, through your filter, into the fuel lines: that's how far that petrol has travelled.
- Run it further and the petrol gets to your injectors, having passed through the fuel pump first.
- The further it went, the larger the job — the lines, your filter, and sometimes more besides.
Petrol does not lubricate. Diesel does, oiling the high-pressure pump and injectors as it flows through, which is why the line sits where it does. Nothing is damaged by petrol that is only sitting in a tank. Move that petrol, though, and it wears the very parts doing the moving.
Mow Cop, petrol in a diesel: have these prepared before you call
Whether the technician goes round or finds you depends on a little preparation.
- Where you have stopped. A postcode beginning ST7 3 is the best start.
- A road name is a help: Top Station Road, say, or whichever street you've stopped in. A car park does the trick too.
- Or the nearest landmark. A car park is easier to find by what it serves, such as the one outside Aldi.
- The make and model of your vehicle, and the fact it is a diesel.
- What was put in. Petrol, or AdBlue. AdBlue is a different job with its own page for Mow Cop, so tell us which.
- How long the nozzle was in, or the litres on the receipt — whichever tells us how much.
- Has it run? If so, tell us how far it went, and the way it was driven.
- Sort who owns the car ahead of when our technicians arrive: some hire or company agreements want the owner to approve the work, and that is quicker beforehand.
Next, 0333 366 0103. Not pressing, the vehicle left at home with nowhere to be? Then works too.
Mow Cop fuel drain on its way? While you wait
During the wait, the harm comes from well-meant help — which is why these count.
- Your safety comes before the car. Somewhere dangerous? Get clear of the traffic and wait away from it. Safe where it sits? Stay with it.
- Nobody starts it. Not a passer-by being helpful, not to check it is all right, not to roll the vehicle a few yards.
- No additives. Two-stroke oil, injector cleaner, anything from your boot — none of that takes that petrol back out.
- No DIY emptying. Siphoning petrol into a can by the roadside is dangerous, and it leaves the fuel that has already gone beyond that tank.
- The ignition stays off. Even for your radio or the windows.
The fuel drain, step by step, after the van gets there
- The price comes after three questions, not before them — what got in, how much, and whether it's run — because the replies shape the job.
- Your tank is cleared. The polluted mixture comes from the tank.
- The lines are flushed. If it ran, the petrol has moved beyond your tank, and the lines are carrying it.
- Where the car has a usable filter, it's changed; otherwise, cleared.
- Fresh diesel goes in, then the system is primed.
- Starting the car. Once your system is bled with clean diesel, our technicians fire it up and check it runs smoothly.
Our technicians remain until it is running on clean diesel. It's very uncommon for a car spotted early to be left with lasting damage, and normal use starts again right away.
Mow Cop, after your fuel drain: back on the road
- Nothing unusual is needed after a start with fresh diesel — ordinary driving will do.
- Give the first miles your attention. Smoke appearing, a warning light coming on, your idle going lumpy or your throttle hesitating: pull over then ring us back.
- Keep the paperwork. A hire company, a fleet manager or an insurer may ask what was done.
- Read the label on the petrol pump next time, not the colour of its handle.
About Mow Cop and where it is
Mow Cop is a village in Cheshire, situated inland at an elevation of 302 metres, with views over the surrounding countryside. Mow Cop is located near the city of Stoke-on-Trent, approximately 6.5 miles away, and is close to other nearby places such as Dales Green and The Bank. Mow Cop has a population of around 1071 people, predominantly living in semi-detached housing. Mow Cop is also relatively distant from London, at a distance of 141.7 miles.
Fuel drains in Mow Cop and the locations nearby
Most of Cheshire has the same teams as Mow Cop for petrol in diesel call-outs, Dales Green, The Bank and The Rookery among them. Somewhere tricky to explain, or close to a border? Asking is better than assuming — ring.
Leave it off and ring: petrol in a diesel around Cheshire
Petrol in Diesel carries on from there — on your driveway, at the kerbside, on the forecourt — once you've done stage one: keys out, engine off, receipt in your pocket.