Kept Driving With Petrol in a Diesel BMW 3 Series?
The motor needs switching off and keeping off once you can pull in somewhere safe, if you have travelled with petrol in a diesel BMW 3 Series. It is very uncommon for lasting damage to follow when it's caught early, and it can still be put right where you have stopped.
Petrol in Diesel comes out to wherever your BMW 3 Series has ended up, drains your tank then flushes the petrol out of the fuel system. Once we head off, your vehicle is running on fresh diesel.
Signs of petrol in a diesel 3 Series
You might drive a few miles before noticing anything wrong, because petrol inside the fuel tank often keeps a diesel 3 Series running as usual to begin with. Drivers usually notice these signs when there is petrol or AdBlue inside your fuel tank:
- the motor is short of power, especially when it has to pull
- rough running, or an uneven idle
- there's more smoke than usual from the exhaust
- a warning lamp lights up
- it stalls and might not start again
Your receipt will show what went in, so look at it if one of these began after you fuelled up.
What driving does with wrong fuel in your BMW 3 Series
Driving is what takes wrong fuel in your BMW 3 Series from the tank then on through the fuel filter, your injection pump and your injectors. Until the engine pulls it out, it stays there. Diesel lubricates the fuel pump and the fuel injectors as it flows through them and petrol weakens it, so the farther the 3 Series is driven, the more of your system that mix gets to.
Stopping as soon as you can is better than finishing the journey because of that. A vehicle that is stopped early usually needs no more than a drain and a clean. What can do harm is covering a long distance on tainted fuel.
It makes no difference whether yours is the 320d EDE touring or a different version of the 3 Series.
Right where you pulled over
Moving the 3 Series anywhere is not necessary. The side of the road and outside your home are both places we come to, and so it does not need starting or towing.
With your hazard lights on, stand clear of the traffic somewhere safe when the road next to you is fast.
Before you ring 0333 366 0103, have your whereabouts to hand, along with the distance you drove and which 3 Series it is. It also helps if the badge gives the version, like the 330d xDrive.
Fuel drain on your BMW 3 Series once you have driven on it
A fuel drain on your BMW 3 Series after it was driven goes a step further than one on the forecourt. We empty your fuel tank first, then open up the lines and then rinse them through with the filter, so that no petrol is remaining between the fuel tank and the engine. Clean diesel goes in, the fuel system is primed, and our technicians start the engine to check it runs smoothly.
First comes emptying your tank, which takes 63 litres on the 318td compact.
After it's run: AdBlue in a diesel BMW 3 Series
Uneven running, smoke and warning lights are the usual signs once you have driven on AdBlue in a diesel BMW 3 Series, and the car may stall. Sinking to the base of the fuel tank, where your fuel pump picks up fuel, AdBlue reaches the fuel line fast, and it does not burn or lubricate. The urea forms crystals in your filter and the fuel lines once its water evaporates.
How AdBlue removal from a diesel BMW 3 Series works
Emptying the tank comes first in AdBlue removal from a diesel BMW 3 Series that has been run, then the crystals are flushed from the lines and your fuel filter, with your fuel filter replaced if it needs it.
Nothing here involves disabling or removing the AdBlue system. It deals with fluid in your diesel tank, and a separate AdBlue tank your 3 Series may have is left as it is.
The BMW 3 Series fuel tank capacity and its engines
The 318tds touring is at the top end and the 318tds compact at the bottom end of the BMW 3 Series versions, with diesel fuel tanks from 52 to 65 litres.
An example is the 330d Cabrio, which takes 61 litres.
Some of them are Touring, Coupe and xDrive versions.
| Version | Fuel tank |
|---|---|
| BMW 316d | 61 litres |
| BMW 316d touring | 61 litres |
| BMW 318d | 63 litres |
| BMW 318d Gran Turismo | 57 litres |
| BMW 318d touring | 63 litres |
| BMW 318d xDrive | 57 litres |
| BMW 318d xDrive Touring | 57 litres |
| BMW 318td compact | 63 litres |
| BMW 318tds | 65 litres |
| BMW 318tds compact | 52 litres |
| BMW 318tds touring | 65 litres |
| BMW 320Cd Cabrio | 63 litres |
| BMW 320Cd Coupe | 63 litres |
| BMW 320d | 63 litres |
| BMW 320d Cabrio | 61 litres |
| BMW 320d Coupe | 61 litres |
| BMW 320d EDC | 57 litres |
| BMW 320d EDE | 61 litres |
| BMW 320d EDE touring | 61 litres |
| BMW 320d Gran Turismo | 57 litres |
| BMW 320d touring | 63 litres |
| BMW 320d xDrive | 57 litres |
| BMW 320d xDrive Gran Turismo | 57 litres |
| BMW 320d xDrive Touring | 57 litres |
| BMW 320td compact | 63 litres |
| BMW 320xd | 61 litres |
| BMW 320xd Coupe | 61 litres |
| BMW 320xd touring | 61 litres |
| BMW 325d | 61 litres |
| BMW 325d Cabrio | 61 litres |
| BMW 325d Coupe | 61 litres |
| BMW 325d touring | 61 litres |
| BMW 325td | 65 litres |
| BMW 325tds | 65 litres |
| BMW 325tds touring | 65 litres |
| BMW 330Cd Cabrio | 63 litres |
| BMW 330Cd Coupe | 63 litres |
| BMW 330d | 63 litres |
| BMW 330d Cabrio | 61 litres |
| BMW 330d Coupe | 61 litres |
| BMW 330d touring | 63 litres |
| BMW 330d xDrive | 57 litres |
| BMW 330d xDrive Touring | 57 litres |
| BMW 330xd | 63 litres |
| BMW 330xd Coupe | 61 litres |
| BMW 330xd touring | 63 litres |
| BMW 335d | 61 litres |
| BMW 335d Coupe | 61 litres |
| BMW 335d touring | 61 litres |
| BMW 335d xDrive | 57 litres |
What a fuel drain on the BMW 3 Series will cost after a drive
The distance travelled and where it is now matter the most towards the price of a fuel drain on the BMW 3 Series after a drive, and so does whether it was AdBlue or petrol. Phone with those details and then we can explain what the work will need.
Driven on petrol in a diesel BMW 3 Series: your questions
Is my 3 Series ruined?
It is very unlikely. Lasting damage is rare when the car is stopped early and the fuel system is drained and flushed, and that's what we do where you've stopped.
Should I drive it home first?
We'd ask you not to. Each mile on contaminated fuel pushes it further through your fuel system, and we can empty the 3 Series where it sits, so there's no need to move it.
What do I do when it has stalled and won't restart?
Leaving it alone is better than having another go, since each try pulls that blend further through. We start it for you after draining and flushing it, putting clean diesel in and priming the system.
Does the version of my 3 Series matter?
The badge on the tailgate gives the version you have, out of the 50 diesel versions of the 3 Series, and knowing it assists us when you call.
Is wrong fuel in my BMW 3 Series covered by insurance?
We come out whatever your policy says, and some do include misfuelling cover, so looking at yours after the car is sorted is worth doing.