Kept Driving With Petrol in a Diesel Mercedes GLK?
Leaving the motor off is what matters once you have travelled with petrol in a diesel Mercedes GLK, so pull in once it is safe and then turn the motor off. Spotted early, it very rarely leaves permanent harm, while sorting it out where you've stopped is still possible.
When Petrol in Diesel travels out to wherever your Mercedes GLK has stopped, the petrol is cleaned out of the system and your tank emptied. It is on fresh diesel and running when we leave.
Symptoms of petrol in a diesel GLK
A diesel GLK carrying petrol inside your tank commonly drives normally to begin with, and so the symptoms usually appear a few miles further on. Drivers usually spot these signs when there is petrol or AdBlue in the tank:
- power falls away, especially when you ask the engine to pull
- the idle turns uneven, or it runs roughly
- the exhaust puts out more smoke than usual
- a warning lamp appears
- the engine cuts out then may not start again
Any of these starting after you fuelled up is a reason to look at the receipt and see what went in.
Wrong fuel in your Mercedes GLK and the effect of travelling on it
Till the motor pulls it out, wrong fuel in your Mercedes GLK stays in the tank, but driving draws it on to the filter, then to the high-pressure fuel pump and the fuel injectors. The mix gets into more of your system the further the GLK is taken, since petrol dilutes the diesel fuel that lubricates the pump and the injectors as it passes through them.
That is the reason to stop the moment you can and not complete the trip. Harm, where it happens, comes from a long journey on tainted fuel, and draining and cleaning are normally all a vehicle needs if it is stopped early.
Yours being the GLK 220 CDI Blueeficency rather than any other version of the GLK makes no difference.
Waiting where you have stopped
Getting the GLK anywhere is not needed. We come to it at the roadside or outside your home, so there is no reason to restart the car or organise a tow.
If you are alongside a busy road, turn the hazard lights on and wait somewhere safe, clear of the traffic.
About how far you travelled, which GLK it is and where you have pulled up are what to mention when you ring 0333 366 0103. The version on the badge, such as the GLK 320 CDI 4-MATIC, helps as well.
Fuel drain on your Mercedes GLK when you have driven it
Compared with a drain on the forecourt, a fuel drain on your Mercedes GLK goes one step further after driving. We empty the tank first, then open up the fuel lines and rinse them through with the filter, so that no petrol is left between the fuel tank and the engine. With fresh diesel in and your system primed, we fire up the engine and make sure it runs properly.
Draining your fuel tank comes first, and on the GLK 350 CDI 4-MATIC it holds 59 litres.
When your engine has run with AdBlue in a diesel Mercedes GLK
Look out for smoke, rough running and warning lamps if AdBlue in a diesel Mercedes GLK has been driven on, because your car may also stall. Settling to the base of the fuel tank, where the fuel pump picks up fuel, AdBlue reaches the fuel line quickly, and it does not burn or lubricate. The urea forms crystals in your filter and the lines as its water evaporates.
How AdBlue removal from a diesel Mercedes GLK is done
Emptying the tank comes first in AdBlue removal from a diesel Mercedes GLK that has been run, then the crystals are cleared out of your lines and the filter, with the fuel filter changed if it needs it.
If your GLK has a dedicated AdBlue tank, that is left alone. This is about liquid in the diesel tank, not removing or switching off the AdBlue system.
Tanks and engines: Mercedes GLK fuel tank capacity
Across the versions of the Mercedes GLK, diesel tanks go from 59 litres on the GLK 220 CDI 4Matic to 69 litres on the GLK 350 CDI 4Matic.
The GLK 200 CDI Blueeficency, for instance, takes 59 litres.
The badges on diesel GLK versions read CDI and BlueTEC.
Labelled BlueTEC instead of CDI, the GLK 220 Bluetec 4Matic is one of those.
| Version | Fuel tank |
|---|---|
| Mercedes GLK 200 CDI Blueeficency | 59 litres |
| Mercedes GLK 220 Bluetec 4Matic | 59 litres |
| Mercedes GLK 220 CDI 4-MATIC Blueeficency | 66 litres |
| Mercedes GLK 220 CDI 4Matic | 59 litres |
| Mercedes GLK 220 CDI Blueeficency | 59 litres |
| Mercedes GLK 250 Bluetec 4Matic | 59 litres |
| Mercedes GLK 320 CDI 4-MATIC | 66 litres |
| Mercedes GLK 350 CDI 4-MATIC | 59 litres |
| Mercedes GLK 350 CDI 4Matic | 69 litres |
Fuel drain on the Mercedes GLK after a drive: the cost
How far it travelled and where it has stopped are what mostly settle the price of a fuel drain on the Mercedes GLK after a drive, and petrol or AdBlue makes a difference as well. We can tell you what the job will involve once you phone with those details.
Common questions after driving with petrol in a diesel Mercedes GLK
Is my GLK ruined?
Almost certainly not. With your car stopped soon and the system emptied and cleaned where you have pulled up, which is what we do, lasting harm is uncommon.
Can I drive the vehicle home first?
Our guidance is not to. Each mile on contaminated fuel pushes it further through the system, and we can drain the GLK where it sits, which means there's no need to move it.
It has stalled and will not restart. What should I do?
Leaving it alone is better than having another go, since each try pulls the blend further through. We prime your fuel system and start it for you once it's been emptied and flushed and fresh diesel is in.
Which GLK I drive: does it matter?
It helps when you call if we know which of the 9 diesel versions of the GLK you have, and the boot badge says.
Wrong fuel in my Mercedes GLK: does insurance cover it?
Misfuelling cover is included in some policies, so do check yours once the vehicle has been dealt with. Either way, we come out.