Petrol in a Diesel Fiat 500: Already Driven It?
The engine wants switching off and keeping off as soon as you can pull in somewhere safe, if you have driven with petrol in a diesel Fiat 500. We can still put it right where you've stopped, and when it's spotted soon, permanent harm is very rare.
Your Fiat 500 can remain where it has ended up, because Petrol in Diesel travels out to it, empties its tank there then clears its fuel system of petrol. Once we head off, the vehicle is running on clean diesel.
Symptoms of petrol in a diesel 500
You may drive a couple of miles before spotting anything, because petrol inside your tank often leaves a diesel 500 running as usual at first. If the tank has petrol or AdBlue in it, drivers usually notice these:
- a loss of power, especially whenever the engine is asked to pull
- the idle becomes uneven, or it runs rough
- there is more smoke than normal from the tailpipe
- a warning light comes on
- it cuts out, and then might refuse to restart
Look at the receipt if one of these began after filling up, because it shows which fuel was put in.
How far wrong fuel in your Fiat 500 gets once you drive
The tank holds wrong fuel in your Fiat 500 in one place until it is pulled out by the engine. After you drive, it is drawn through your fuel injectors, the fuel filter and your injection pump. As diesel runs through your fuel injectors and your fuel pump it lubricates them, but petrol dilutes it, which is why the 500 spreads that mixture deeper into the system the more it is driven.
So completing the trip is a worse choice than stopping as soon as you can. A motor that is stopped early normally needs nothing 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 500 C 1.3 Multijet 16V or a different version of the 500.
We come to wherever you have pulled up
Moving the 500 anywhere is not necessary. The roadside and outside your house are both places we come to, and so it doesn't need starting or towing.
Somewhere safe, clear of the traffic, is where to wait if you are beside a busy road, with your hazards on.
Before you call 0333 366 0103, have your location ready, along with the mileage you travelled and which 500 it is. If the badge gives the version, like the 500 1.3 Multijet 16V, that is useful as well.
The fuel drain on your Fiat 500 after driving
Once it was driven, a fuel drain on your Fiat 500 involves one step more than a drain at the forecourt. We drain your fuel tank first, then open the fuel lines and flush them through with your filter, so that no petrol is remaining between the tank and the engine. Before we leave, the motor is started to make sure it is running properly on fresh diesel, once the fuel system has been primed.
When the engine has been run with AdBlue in a diesel Fiat 500
If you have AdBlue in a diesel Fiat 500 and have driven on it, the symptoms are normally rough running, smoke and warning lamps, and the vehicle may cut out. AdBlue does not burn or lubricate, and it sinks to the bottom of the tank where your pump picks up fuel, and so it reaches your fuel line fast. Its water drying lets the urea crystallise in your fuel lines and your fuel filter.
How AdBlue removal from a diesel Fiat 500 works
We replace the fuel filter if it needs it during AdBlue removal from a diesel Fiat 500 after it's run, once the fuel tank is drained and the crystals are flushed from the filter and the lines.
If your 500 has a dedicated AdBlue tank, that is left alone. This is about fluid in your diesel tank, not removing or turning off the AdBlue system.
Fiat 500 fuel tank capacity and engines
Our figures show the diesel tank holds 35 litres on every version of the Fiat 500.
Diesel 500 versions have Multijet badging.
Engine size is 1.3 litres across the versions listed.
| Version | Fuel tank |
|---|---|
| Fiat 500 1.3 Multijet 16V | 35 litres |
| Fiat 500 C 1.3 Multijet 16V | 35 litres |
The cost of a fuel drain on the Fiat 500 after driving
The cost of a fuel drain on the Fiat 500 after it has been driven hinges mostly on how far it travelled and where it has stopped, and whether it was petrol or AdBlue makes a difference too. Tell us those details in a call and then we can tell you what is involved in the job.
Driven on petrol in a diesel Fiat 500: your queries
Is the 500 ruined now?
It is very unlikely to be. If your car is stopped soon, draining and flushing the fuel system is what we do wherever you've stopped, and harm that lasts is rare after that.
Should I drive it home first?
We'd ask you not to. Each mile on tainted fuel carries it further through the fuel system, and we're able to drain the 500 where it sits, which means there's no need to shift it.
It won't restart after stalling. What now?
Leaving it alone is better than trying again, as every attempt pulls the blend further through. Once we've drained and rinsed it and then put fresh diesel in, we prime the fuel system and start it for you.
Does the version of my 500 matter?
The badge on the boot shows the version you have, out of the 2 diesel versions of the 500, and knowing it helps us when you ring.
Does my insurance cover wrong fuel in my Fiat 500?
Misfuelling cover is offered in some insurance policies, so check yours after the car has been sorted. Whatever it says, we come out.