Petrol in a Diesel Renault Avantime, and You've Driven It
Once it's safe, pull in then switch the motor off, and leave it off. Running on with petrol in a diesel Renault Avantime just carries the petrol further in. We can still sort it out where you've stopped, and when it is caught soon, lasting harm is very rare.
Wherever your Renault Avantime has ended up, Petrol in Diesel travels out to drain your tank there and clean the petrol out of the fuel system. By the time we go, the vehicle is back on fresh diesel.
Petrol in a diesel Avantime: the symptoms to look for
You may drive a few miles before noticing anything, because petrol inside your tank often keeps a diesel Avantime running normally at first. Motorists normally spot the following when there's petrol or AdBlue in your tank:
- power falls away, especially when you ask the motor to pull
- lumpy running, or an uneven idle
- smoke from the tailpipe, more of it than usual
- dashboard warning lamps come on
- after it stalls, it might not restart
Your receipt shows what went in, which means you should check it if any of these began after you filled up.
What travelling does with wrong fuel in your Renault Avantime
Until the motor pulls it out, wrong fuel in your Renault Avantime stays in the tank, and driving draws it on to your fuel filter, and then into the high-pressure fuel pump and the fuel injectors. Petrol dilutes the diesel fuel that lubricates your fuel pump and the fuel injectors as it passes through them, so running the Avantime on brings the mixture into more of the fuel system.
That is the reason to stop as soon as you can rather than finish the journey. Usually, a drain and a clean are all a car needs when it's stopped soon, because what can do harm is driving far on fuel that is tainted.
Waiting where you have pulled up
The Avantime does not need getting anywhere. You can leave it at the side of the road or at home and we come to it, with no restart and no recovery truck to book.
Somewhere safe, away from the traffic, is the place to wait if you're next to a busy road, with your hazard lights on.
Call 0333 366 0103 then say where you are, what Avantime it is and about how far it has been driven. The version shown on the badge, such as the Avantime 2.2 dCi, helps as well.
After it has been driven: fuel drain on your Renault Avantime
There is a step more to a fuel drain on your Renault Avantime after it has been driven than to one on the forecourt. No petrol is left between your tank and the engine afterwards, so your fuel tank is emptied first and the lines are then opened up and flushed through with the fuel filter. Before our technicians go, the engine is started to check it's running smoothly on fresh diesel, after the system has been primed.
AdBlue in a diesel Renault Avantime once driven
Uneven running, smoke and warning lamps are the usual symptoms after you've driven on AdBlue in a diesel Renault Avantime, and your car might stall. Settling to the bottom of your fuel tank, where your fuel pump picks up fuel, AdBlue gets into your fuel line quickly, and it does not burn or lubricate. Its water drying lets the urea crystallise in your fuel lines and your filter.
How AdBlue removal from a diesel Renault Avantime is done
The fuel lines and your filter have to be freed of the crystals after your fuel tank is emptied, which is what AdBlue removal from a diesel Renault Avantime that has been run involves. Where the fuel filter needs it, we change it.
Only the diesel tank is dealt with here. If your Avantime has an AdBlue tank of its own, it's left as it is, and nothing here means removing or turning off the AdBlue system.
Renault Avantime fuel tank capacity and engines
The Renault Avantime has the same diesel fuel tank, 80 litres, on each version in our records.
On the diesel Avantime, the versions wear dCi badges.
On every version in our list, your engine is 2.2 litres.
What a fuel drain on the Renault Avantime costs after a drive
The distance travelled and where it is now count the most for the cost of a fuel drain on the Renault Avantime after a drive, as does whether it was AdBlue or petrol. Those details are what we need when you phone, and with them we can explain what the work will involve.
Questions after driving with petrol in a diesel Renault Avantime
Is my Avantime ruined?
Almost certainly not. With your car stopped soon and your fuel system emptied and cleaned wherever you have stopped, which is what we do, lasting damage is uncommon.
Can I make the drive home first?
We would rather you did not. Moving it isn't needed, because we can empty the Avantime where it stands. Taking it on only carries tainted fuel further through your system.
It will not restart after stalling. What now?
Leaving it alone is wiser than having another go, since every try pulls that mixture further through. With it drained and flushed and fresh diesel in, we prime the fuel system and get it started for you.
Insurance and wrong fuel in my Renault Avantime: am I covered?
When your car is sorted, it's worth checking your policy, because some include misfuelling cover. We come out whether it does or not.