Petrol in a Diesel Kia Picanto, and You've Driven It
As soon as it's safe, pull over then turn the engine off, then keep it off. Running on with petrol in a diesel Kia Picanto just takes the petrol further in. It's very uncommon for permanent harm to follow if it's caught soon, while it can still be put right where you have pulled up.
Once Petrol in Diesel travels out to wherever your Kia Picanto has ended up, the petrol is cleaned from your fuel system and your fuel tank emptied. When we leave, it is running again on clean diesel.
Signs of petrol in a diesel Picanto
It is often a few miles until the symptoms appear, because with petrol inside the fuel tank a diesel Picanto tends to drive normally at first. With petrol or AdBlue inside the fuel tank, the following are the signs motorists tend to notice:
- the motor is short of power, particularly when it has to pull
- rough running, or an erratic idle
- the exhaust puts out more smoke than usual
- dashboard warning lights appear
- it stalls and might not restart
If any of these began after you filled up, check the receipt to confirm what went in.
Wrong fuel in your Kia Picanto: what travelling on it does
Until the motor draws it out, wrong fuel in your Kia Picanto remains in your fuel tank, but driving pulls it on to your fuel filter, then to the high-pressure fuel pump and the fuel injectors. Petrol dilutes the diesel that lubricates the pump and the fuel injectors while it flows through them, so driving the Picanto further carries the mixture into more of your system.
Stopping as soon as you can is wiser than completing the trip for that reason. A vehicle that's stopped soon usually needs no more than a drain and a clean. What can do harm is covering a long distance on tainted fuel.
Staying where you've stopped
You do not have to move the Picanto anywhere. We come to it at the side of the road or outside your house, and so there is no need to restart the car or book a tow.
If you are next to a busy road, switch the hazard lights on and wait somewhere safe, away from the traffic.
When you ring 0333 366 0103, let us know where you are, which Picanto it is and roughly how far you went. If the badge gives the version, such as the Picanto 1.1 CRDi, it helps too.
Once it's been driven: fuel drain on your Kia Picanto
There is a step more to a fuel drain on your Kia Picanto after it was driven than to one at the forecourt. We drain the fuel tank first, then open up the lines and rinse them through with your filter, so no petrol is left between the tank and the motor. Clean diesel goes in, your system is primed, and our technicians fire up the motor to check it runs smoothly.
AdBlue in a diesel Kia Picanto that has been driven
Look out for smoke, uneven running and warning lamps when AdBlue in a diesel Kia Picanto has been driven on, as the car might also stall. AdBlue doesn't burn or lubricate, and it settles to the bottom of the tank where your pump picks up fuel, and so it gets to the fuel line fast. As its water dries out, the urea crystallises in the lines and your fuel filter.
AdBlue removal from a diesel Kia Picanto
The lines and your fuel filter have to be freed of the crystals once your tank is drained, which is what AdBlue removal from a diesel Kia Picanto that has been run involves. Where your fuel filter needs it, we replace it.
If your Picanto has a separate AdBlue tank, that is left as it is. This is about liquid in the diesel tank, not removing or switching off the AdBlue system.
Kia Picanto fuel tank capacity and engines
35 litres is the capacity of the diesel fuel tank on each version of the Kia Picanto in our records.
On this diesel Picanto, the versions wear CRDi badges.
On every version listed, your engine is 1.1 litres.
The price of a fuel drain on the Kia Picanto after driving
How far it travelled and where it has ended up are what mainly decide the price of a fuel drain on the Kia Picanto after driving, and petrol or AdBlue makes a difference too. We can tell you what the work will involve once you call with those details.
Questions after driving with petrol in a diesel Kia Picanto
Will my Picanto be ruined?
It's very unlikely to be. When the vehicle is stopped early, draining and flushing the fuel system is what we do wherever you have pulled up, and harm that lasts is uncommon after that.
Is it all right to drive it home first?
Our advice would be not to. Shifting it isn't needed, since we can empty the Picanto where it is. Driving it on only carries contaminated fuel further through your fuel system.
What do I do when it has stalled and will not restart?
Please do not try once more. Leave it as it is, since every attempt draws more of the blend through. With it drained and flushed and fresh diesel in, we prime your fuel system and get it started for you.
Will my policy cover wrong fuel in my Kia Picanto?
Some insurance policies have misfuelling cover, and so it is worth checking yours once the vehicle is sorted. We come out either way.