Put Petrol in a Diesel Hyundai Santa Fe by Mistake?
The engine is safest left off when it hasn't been run since you put petrol in a diesel Hyundai Santa Fe, and that includes moving it clear of the petrol pump. Whilst your engine remains off the petrol remains in your tank, so a drain is normally all that it takes to put your Santa Fe right.
We come to wrongly fuelled cars instead of the other way round, so with Petrol in Diesel the Hyundai Santa Fe stays on the forecourt or wherever it has stopped. Hold off trying anything yourself until you've called us, and we will tell you what to do.
Your first steps with petrol in a diesel Santa Fe
- People often drive off without realising something is amiss, as a diesel Santa Fe will generally start and run on petrol and may feel fine for the first few miles. So keep your motor off.
- Fuel can be drawn to the fuel injectors even before the motor has started, as on a lot of diesel motors your ignition alone primes the fuel pump. Leave the ignition off too.
- Do not fill the rest of your tank with diesel to thin it. The Santa Fe holds up to 75 litres, and topping it up just means more tainted fuel to drain. Super unleaded counts as petrol here as well.
- Forecourt staff will generally help push the vehicle out of the way in neutral if it is in the way of a pump.
- If the badge gives the precise variant, for example the Santa Fe 2.0 CRDi vGT 4WD, mention it when you phone 0333 366 0103. Let us know too which Santa Fe you have and where it is parked, about how much petrol was put in and whether your engine has been run.
Driving on wrong fuel in your Hyundai Santa Fe
As long as it remains inside your tank, wrong fuel in your Hyundai Santa Fe does not reach the motor. That only starts when it's drawn out, which is what occurs when your motor is started. A diesel engine relies on the fuel to oil the high-pressure pump and the fuel injectors while it runs through them. Driving any distance on that blend is what can cause damage, because petrol thins the diesel and takes that protection away.
Stop in a safe place then turn off when your Santa Fe has already been on the road. We empty your tank, then flush the lines and fuel filter through until no tainted fuel is left, so it can still be put right. Provided it is cleaned out properly after being caught soon, it very seldom leaves long-term damage.
Knowing the Hyundai Santa Fe fuel tank capacity
The capacity of your tank counts because the risk hinges on what proportion of your fuel in there is petrol, so the same few litres are more of a problem if the tank was close to empty when you fuelled up.
Depending on the variant, the Hyundai Santa Fe has a tank of 65 to 75 litres.
Our data place the largest tank in the Santa Fe 2.2 CRDi 4WD and the smallest in the Santa Fe 2.0 CRDi 2WD.
| Version | Fuel tank |
|---|---|
| Hyundai Santa Fe 2.0 CRDi 2WD | 65 litres |
| Hyundai Santa Fe 2.0 CRDi 4WD | 65 litres |
| Hyundai Santa Fe 2.0 CRDi vGT 4WD | 65 litres |
| Hyundai Santa Fe 2.2 CRDi 2WD | 75 litres |
| Hyundai Santa Fe 2.2 CRDi 4WD | 75 litres |
Which diesel Santa Fe do you own?
The version is generally on a badge on your boot lid, and it's useful for us to know when you ring.
On a diesel Santa Fe you will see CRDi on the badge.
The Santa Fe 2.2 CRDi 2WD has the largest motor, at 2.2 litres, and the Santa Fe 2.0 CRDi 4WD the smallest, at 2.0 litres.
Put AdBlue in a diesel Hyundai Santa Fe?
AdBlue is a mixture of water and urea that some diesel vehicles use to treat their exhaust, and it has a separate tank and filler. Putting AdBlue in the incorrect filler leaves you with AdBlue in a diesel Hyundai Santa Fe, so don't turn your key, not even to shift the vehicle.
Since it is mostly water, AdBlue doesn't burn and offers the fuel pump no lubrication at all. It does not mix with diesel either, so it sinks to the base of your tank where your pump draws its fuel, and a tank of up to 75 litres won't dilute it the way it would dilute petrol.
A small amount is still sucked into your fuel system. Crystals of urea form in the filter, the fuel injectors and the rest of the fuel system once the water dries off, and they eat into the metal they rest against.
The same filler flap often covers both fillers, and where your Santa Fe has an AdBlue filler, it could well be alongside the diesel one. AdBlue caps are usually blue and take a much smaller nozzle than diesel.
How a fuel drain on your Hyundai Santa Fe is done
There's no garage needed, because we do a fuel drain on your Hyundai Santa Fe at the car itself. We begin by confirming what went in and whether the engine has run, then drain your tank, which on the Santa Fe holds up to 75 litres. Next we clean your fuel pipes and your filter and fill up with clean diesel, and the system is primed before we start your engine.
Once we have finished, your Santa Fe is running on fresh diesel and you can carry on.
AdBlue removal from a diesel Hyundai Santa Fe, step by step
We take the same stages for AdBlue removal from a diesel Hyundai Santa Fe as we do for draining petrol. As AdBlue does not mix in but settles at the bottom of the tank, running the Santa Fe on it can form deposits inside the lines. Those get rinsed through as well, and the fuel filter is changed where needed.
AdBlue removal, as we use it on this page, covers AdBlue that was put in the incorrect filler and has to come out of your diesel tank. It doesn't cover removing or switching off the AdBlue system on your vehicle.
Pricing a fuel drain on the Hyundai Santa Fe
A fixed price is not something we publish, since no two jobs involve the same work. It mainly comes down to the following:
- most of all, whether the Santa Fe has been driven or even started
- a tank's capacity next to the amount that went in
- which of the two it was, petrol or AdBlue
- where the Santa Fe has stopped, and whether we can get the van to it safely
If you call with those details we can tell you what the work is likely to involve.
Petrol in a diesel Hyundai Santa Fe: questions
What's the fuel tank capacity of the Hyundai Santa Fe?
Somewhere from 65 to 75 litres, depending on which variant it is. Each one is listed above.
Does filling up with diesel help with a little petrol in my Santa Fe?
It isn't something we would recommend, because adding diesel does nothing to remove that petrol. It only reduces its share, and the petrol is still in the system once you drive off. All of that comes out with a drain, which for a modest quantity is generally everything your Santa Fe needs.
Is a trip to the Hyundai dealer necessary for my Santa Fe?
No. We are independent and have no connection with Hyundai or its dealers, plus we empty and clean the Santa Fe wherever it has stopped, so there is no need to take it anywhere.
Does it matter which Santa Fe I have?
Knowing your version is useful when you phone, since there are 5 diesel versions of the Santa Fe in our data.
Does my policy cover wrong fuel in my Hyundai Santa Fe?
Some policies include misfuelling cover and some don't, so it is worth looking at yours. Whichever it is, we come out to drain the car for you.
Diesel in the AdBlue tank of my Santa Fe: what happens?
Do not put your key in your ignition in that case either. Most cars display an alert and enter limp mode if they're driven in that state, and the AdBlue system will need emptying. Let us know which tank the diesel was put in when you ring.
Already driven my Santa Fe: what now?
Stop where it is safe and switch your engine off, then keep it off until we arrive. Long-term damage is very rare when it is caught soon like this, and we empty your fuel system and clean it where you've pulled over.