Petrol in a Diesel BMW Z4: Already Driven It?
If you have travelled on petrol in a diesel BMW Z4, stop once it's safe, turn the motor off and leave it off. Spotted soon, it only very rarely causes lasting harm, and putting it right where you have stopped is still something we can do.
Petrol in Diesel comes out to wherever your BMW Z4 has ended up, empties your fuel tank and clears the petrol out of the system. When we leave, it's running again on clean diesel.
Symptoms of petrol in a diesel Z4
A diesel Z4 carrying petrol inside your tank commonly feels normal at first, so the signs usually appear a couple of miles further on. With petrol or AdBlue in your fuel tank, the following are the ones people usually notice:
- the engine is short of power, especially whenever it has to accelerate
- the idle turns uneven, or it runs roughly
- smoke from the tailpipe, more of it than usual
- dashboard warning lights appear
- it stalls and may not restart
Check your receipt if any of these started after filling up, because it will show which fuel was put in.
Wrong fuel in your BMW Z4 and the effect of driving on it
Until the motor draws it out, wrong fuel in your BMW Z4 stays in your tank, and driving pulls it on to the fuel filter, and then to the high-pressure pump and the injectors. Petrol weakens the diesel that protects your fuel pump and the injectors as it passes through them, and driving the Z4 on carries the blend into more of your system.
Stopping the moment you can is better than completing the journey because of that. A motor that's stopped early usually needs no more than a drain and a clean. What can do damage is covering a long way on tainted fuel.
Just where you stopped
The Z4 does not need moving anywhere. You can leave it at the side of the road or at home while we come to it, with no restart and no tow to arrange.
With the hazard lights on, wait away from the traffic somewhere safe when the road next to you is busy.
Before you call 0333 366 0103, have your location ready, along with the mileage you drove and which Z4 it is. The version shown on the badge, such as the Z4 sDrive35is, helps as well.
Fuel drain on your BMW Z4 after it has been driven
After it was driven, a fuel drain on your BMW Z4 involves one step more than a drain at the forecourt. Once the fuel tank has been emptied, the fuel lines are opened up and rinsed through along with the fuel filter, which leaves no petrol anywhere from the tank to the motor. Before we leave, the engine is started to make sure it's running smoothly on fresh diesel, after your system has been primed.
AdBlue in a diesel BMW Z4 after it has run
Travelling with AdBlue in a diesel BMW Z4 normally brings warning lamps, smoke and rough running, and the vehicle might stall. Settling to the base of your tank, where your fuel pump draws fuel, AdBlue reaches the fuel line fast, and it doesn't burn or lubricate. Urea crystals build up in the lines and your filter as its water dries.
AdBlue removal from a diesel BMW Z4
Emptying the tank comes first in AdBlue removal from a diesel BMW Z4 that has been run, then the crystals are flushed from the fuel lines and the fuel filter, with your fuel filter changed if it needs it.
Nothing here involves switching off or taking out the AdBlue system. It covers fluid in the diesel tank, and a separate AdBlue tank your Z4 may have is left alone.
Tanks and engines: BMW Z4 fuel tank capacity
Each version of the BMW Z4 in our records comes with a diesel tank of 55 litres.
The cost of a fuel drain on the BMW Z4 after driving
Whether it was petrol or AdBlue changes what a fuel drain on the BMW Z4 costs after driving on it, though it depends mainly on how far it travelled and where it has stopped. Those details are what we need when you ring, and with them we can tell you what the job will involve.
Driven on petrol in a diesel BMW Z4: your questions
Will my Z4 be ruined?
The chance of that is very small. We drain and clean the fuel system where you have pulled up, and when the vehicle has been stopped soon, lasting harm is uncommon.
Can I drive the vehicle home first?
We'd prefer you not to. Moving it is not necessary, because we can empty the Z4 where it sits. Taking it on only carries tainted fuel further through your fuel system.
Stalled, and it will not restart: what should I do next?
Please leave it instead of having another go, as each attempt draws more of the mixture through. We start it for you after emptying and rinsing it, putting fresh diesel in and priming your system.
Insurance and wrong fuel in my BMW Z4: am I covered?
When your car is sorted, it is worth looking at your policy, as some offer misfuelling cover. We come out whether it covers you or not.