Petrol in a Diesel Mini Cooper: Already Driven It?
Keeping the engine off is what matters after you have travelled with petrol in a diesel Mini Cooper, which means you should stop as soon as it is safe and switch the engine off. Where you've stopped, we can still put it right, and damage that lasts is very uncommon when it is spotted soon.
Wherever your Mini Cooper has ended up, Petrol in Diesel comes out to empty the fuel tank there and clear the petrol out of the fuel system. Once we go, the vehicle is running on clean diesel.
Noticing petrol in a diesel Cooper
You might drive a few miles before spotting anything wrong, as petrol in your fuel tank frequently leaves a diesel Cooper driving normally at first. With petrol or AdBlue inside your tank, these are the ones motorists tend to spot:
- less power, particularly whenever the engine is asked to accelerate
- the idle turns erratic, or it runs roughly
- there is more smoke than normal from the exhaust
- a warning light comes on
- once it stalls, it might not restart
If any of these began after you fuelled up, check the receipt to see what went in.
What driving does with wrong fuel in your Mini Cooper
Till the motor draws it out, wrong fuel in your Mini Cooper remains in the tank, but driving pulls it on to the filter, and then into your high-pressure fuel pump and the fuel injectors. Diesel protects your pump and the injectors as it passes through them while petrol weakens it, so the farther the Cooper is driven, the more of your system that mix reaches.
So finishing the trip is a worse choice than stopping as soon as you can. A car that is stopped early normally needs no more than a drain and a clean. What can do harm is covering a long way on tainted fuel.
It makes no difference whether yours is the Cooper SD Roadster or another version of the Cooper.
We come to wherever you've stopped
The Cooper doesn't need moving anywhere. We come to it at the roadside or outside your home, so there is no need to restart the car or book a tow.
On a main road, switch on the hazard lights, then find somewhere safe to wait clear of the traffic.
Before you phone 0333 366 0103, have your location to hand, along with the distance you drove and which Cooper it is. It also helps when the badge shows the version, like the Cooper D.
Once it has been driven: fuel drain on your Mini Cooper
Compared with a drain at the forecourt, a fuel drain on your Mini Cooper goes one step further after driving. No petrol should be remaining between your fuel tank and the engine afterwards, which is why your fuel tank is emptied first and the fuel lines are then opened and rinsed through with the filter. With clean diesel in and your system primed, we fire up the engine and check it runs smoothly.
AdBlue in a diesel Mini Cooper after it has run
If you have AdBlue in a diesel Mini Cooper and have driven on it, the signs are normally rough running, smoke and warning lamps, and the car can cut out. Because AdBlue sinks to the bottom of the tank, where your fuel pump draws its fuel, it is in your fuel line fast, and it neither burns nor lubricates. Urea crystals build up in your lines and your fuel filter once its water evaporates.
AdBlue removal from a diesel Mini Cooper after it has run
AdBlue removal from a diesel Mini Cooper that has been run means emptying the tank then clearing the crystals out of the lines and the fuel filter, and we'll change your fuel filter if it needs it.
If your Cooper has a separate AdBlue tank, that is left alone. This is about liquid in your diesel tank, not taking out or switching off the AdBlue system.
Mini Cooper fuel tank capacity and engine sizes
Every version of the Mini Cooper in our data has a diesel fuel tank of 40 litres.
Among them are Coupe versions.
| Version | Fuel tank |
|---|---|
| Mini Cooper D | 40 litres |
| Mini Cooper D Cabrio | 40 litres |
| Mini Cooper SD | 40 litres |
| Mini Cooper SD Cabrio | 40 litres |
| Mini Cooper SD Coupe | 40 litres |
| Mini Cooper SD Roadster | 40 litres |
What a fuel drain on the Mini Cooper will cost after a drive
The mileage driven and where it is now matter most towards the price of a fuel drain on the Mini Cooper after driving, and so does whether it was AdBlue or petrol. Give us those details in a call and then we can say what's involved in the job.
Driven on petrol in a diesel Mini Cooper: your questions
Is the Cooper done for now?
Very probably not. With your car stopped soon and the system emptied and flushed where you've pulled up, which is what we do, lasting harm is uncommon.
Can I finish the drive home first?
We'd rather you didn't. Contaminated fuel reaches further into the fuel system with every mile, so keep the Cooper where it is whilst we empty it there, with no reason to shift the vehicle.
It will not restart after stalling. What now?
Please do not try a second time. Leave it as it is, since every attempt pulls more of that mixture through. We prime the fuel system and start it for you once it's been drained and rinsed and clean diesel is in.
Does the version of my Cooper matter?
There are 6 diesel versions of the Cooper, and the badge on the tailgate says which one you have. Knowing that assists us when you ring.
Will my policy cover wrong fuel in my Mini Cooper?
Some policies have misfuelling cover, and so it is worth checking yours after the car is dealt with. We come out either way.