Petrol in a Diesel Mercedes CLA: Already Driven It?
If you have driven with petrol in a diesel Mercedes CLA, pull over once it is safe, turn the motor off and keep it off. We can still deal with it wherever you've stopped, and if it's caught soon, permanent damage is very rare.
When Petrol in Diesel travels out to wherever your Mercedes CLA has stopped, the petrol is cleaned out of your fuel system and your fuel tank drained. By the time we go, your car is back on fresh diesel.
When petrol in a diesel CLA shows itself
At first, petrol inside the tank frequently makes little difference to how a diesel CLA feels, and the symptoms show up a few miles later. The following are the signs most often noticed if your tank has AdBlue or petrol in it:
- the motor is short of power, especially whenever it has to accelerate
- lumpy running, or an uneven idle
- smoke from the tailpipe, more of it than usual
- dashboard warning lamps show
- it cuts out, and then might fail to restart
Any of these starting after you fuelled up is reason enough to check the receipt to see what went in.
How far wrong fuel in your Mercedes CLA gets once you drive
Wrong fuel in your Mercedes CLA remains in your tank till the motor draws it out, and driving is what pulls it through your filter, your high-pressure pump and the fuel injectors. The mix gets into more of your system the further the CLA is driven, since petrol thins the diesel that protects the pump and your fuel injectors on its way through them.
That is the reason to stop as soon as you can and not finish the journey. Driving a long way on tainted fuel is what can do harm, and when a car is stopped early, draining and cleaning are normally all it requires.
Just where you pulled over
Getting the CLA anywhere isn't needed. The side of the road and outside your home are both places we come to, and so it doesn't need restarting or towing.
A safe place, away from the traffic, is the place to wait if you are beside a main road, with your hazard lights on.
Ring 0333 366 0103 then tell us where you are, what CLA it is and about how far you have driven. The version on the badge, like the CLA 220 CDI, helps as well.
Fuel drain on your Mercedes CLA when you've driven on it
There is a step more to a fuel drain on your Mercedes CLA after it was driven than to a drain on the forecourt. After the tank has been drained, the fuel lines are opened and flushed through along with your filter, which leaves no petrol anywhere from your tank to the engine. Before our technicians go, the engine is started to check it is running properly on fresh diesel, once the system has been primed.
AdBlue in a diesel Mercedes CLA that has been driven
Watch for smoke, uneven running and warning lamps when AdBlue in a diesel Mercedes CLA has been driven on, as the car might also stall. As AdBlue sinks to the bottom of your tank, where your fuel pump takes its fuel, it is in your fuel line fast, and it neither burns nor lubricates. Its water drying out lets the urea form crystals in the lines and the filter.
AdBlue removal from a diesel Mercedes CLA after driving
We replace your fuel filter if it needs it during AdBlue removal from a diesel Mercedes CLA after it has run, when your tank is emptied and the crystals are flushed out of the fuel filter and the lines.
Just the diesel tank is dealt with here. If your CLA has an AdBlue tank of its own, it is left alone, and nothing here means taking out or turning off the AdBlue system.
The Mercedes CLA fuel tank capacity and its engines
The Mercedes CLA has the same diesel tank, 50 litres, on every version in our records.
You'll see CDI badging on diesel CLA versions.
The cost of a fuel drain on the Mercedes CLA after driving
The mileage driven and where it is now count most for the cost of a fuel drain on the Mercedes CLA after a drive, as does whether it was AdBlue or petrol. Ring with those details and we can explain what the job will involve.
Usual questions about petrol in a diesel Mercedes CLA after driving
Is my CLA ruined?
The likelihood of that is very low. We drain and flush the system wherever you have pulled up, and when the car has been stopped early, lasting harm is rare.
Should I drive it home first?
We would rather you didn't. Contaminated fuel reaches further into your system with each mile, which means you can keep the CLA where it is whilst we empty it there, with no reason to move the vehicle.
It won't restart after stalling. What now?
Please leave it instead of having another go, because every try pulls more of that blend through. We prime your fuel system and start it for you once it has been emptied and rinsed and clean diesel is in.
Wrong fuel in my Mercedes CLA: will insurance cover it?
Some policies have misfuelling cover, and so it's worth looking at yours once the vehicle is sorted out. We still come out either way.