Petrol in a Diesel Saab After You've Driven It
Switch the motor off and keep it off once you can pull in safely, if you have been driving with petrol in a diesel Saab. It's very rare for damage to last if the issue is caught early, and we can still sort it out wherever you have pulled up.
Wherever the car has stopped, Petrol in Diesel comes out to it. We empty the tank then clear the petrol from your fuel system, leaving it running on fresh diesel again.
Clues that point to petrol in a diesel Saab
Often, a diesel car with petrol in its tank drives normally for a couple of miles at first, and the symptoms appear later. Petrol or AdBlue in the tank normally shows up in the following ways:
- the engine loses power, particularly whenever you ask it to pull
- it runs rough, or your idle gets erratic
- smoke from the tailpipe that's heavier than normal
- one or more warning lights come on
- stalling, then perhaps refusing to restart
Any of these beginning after you filled up is a reason to look at the receipt, which will show what was put in.
What occurs if you drive with wrong fuel in your Saab
The tank holds wrong fuel in your Saab until the motor draws it out. Once you drive, it is pulled through your fuel filter, then the high-pressure fuel pump and your fuel injectors. The further your car goes, the more of the fuel system that blend reaches, as petrol dilutes the diesel keeping the pump and the fuel injectors protected.
That's why it is wiser to stop as soon as you can than to complete the journey. Damage, where it happens, comes from a long drive on mixed fuel, and a drain and a clean are usually all a car needs if it's stopped early.
Waiting where you've stopped
Nobody needs to take the vehicle anywhere. You can leave it at the roadside or outside your home while we come to it, without starting it or arranging a tow.
Put on your hazard lights when the road beside you is busy, then find a safe spot to wait, staying away from the traffic.
Phone 0333 366 0103 then say where the car is, which model it is and about how far it has gone. At first, the model name will do, like the 9-3.
Once it's been driven: fuel drain on your Saab
Once it's been driven, the fuel drain on your Saab involves a step more than one at the forecourt. No petrol should be left anywhere from your fuel tank to the motor, which is why your fuel tank is drained first and your fuel lines are opened up and flushed through together with the fuel filter. With fresh diesel in and the system primed, we start the engine then check it runs correctly.
AdBlue in a diesel Saab after it has run
If you have AdBlue in a diesel Saab and have driven on it, the symptoms are typically uneven running, smoke and warning lamps, and your car might stall. When AdBlue is in the fuel tank, it sinks to the base, where the pump draws fuel, so it gets into your fuel line quickly. It also doesn't burn or lubricate. The urea forms crystals in the filter and your fuel lines as its water dries.
AdBlue removal from a diesel Saab: what it means
AdBlue removal from a diesel Saab that has been run means draining the fuel tank and then flushing the crystals from your lines and the fuel filter, then we replace your fuel filter if it needs it.
Just the fuel tank is dealt with here. Where the car has its own AdBlue tank, it's left alone, and the AdBlue system isn't removed or turned off.
Diesel Saab fuel tanks through the range
From 58 litres, diesel Saab fuel tanks run up to 75 litres across the line-up.
We list 2 diesel Saab models, and each has its separate page further down listing every version and its fuel tank.
The cost of a fuel drain on a diesel Saab after a drive
What you pay for a fuel drain after driving comes down mostly to the distance your car did and its location, though petrol versus AdBlue counts too. Tell us those details on a call, and we can say what is involved.
What people ask after a drive with petrol in a diesel Saab
Will my Saab be wrecked?
The chance of that is very low, because lasting damage is rare once the car is stopped soon and we empty and flush the fuel system wherever you have pulled up.
Could I finish the journey home first?
Our suggestion is not to. We can drain the car right where it stands, so it doesn't need shifting, and each mile on contaminated fuel would carry it further through the system.
What should I do when it has stalled and won't restart?
Please don't try to restart it. Leave it alone, because each attempt draws more of the mixture through. Fresh diesel goes in after we have emptied and rinsed it, and then we prime the system and get it started for you.
Insurance and wrong fuel in my Saab: am I covered?
Misfuelling cover is included in some insurance policies, so it's worth checking yours after your car is sorted. Either way, we come out.