Have You Put Petrol in a Diesel Toyota Avensis?
We'd ask you to leave your motor off if you've put petrol in a diesel Toyota Avensis and not started it yet, and that counts for shifting it off the forecourt too. As long as your motor remains off that petrol remains inside your tank, so draining it is generally all that it needs to put the Avensis right.
There is no reason to move your Toyota Avensis off the forecourt, or from any other place where it came to a stop, as this drain is done by Petrol in Diesel where the vehicle is. Ring us before anything else then let us walk you through it, instead of trying anything on your own.
Your first moves after petrol in a diesel Avensis
- Leave your engine off. Any diesel Avensis will generally fire up and run with petrol in the tank, and it may seem normal for a few miles, and that is why people frequently drive away without noticing anything is wrong.
- Keep the ignition off too. On a lot of diesels turning it on is enough to start the fuel pump priming, which pulls fuel from the tank on to your injectors.
- Your Avensis takes up to 60 litres, so topping up the remainder of the tank with diesel to thin that petrol just means more contaminated fuel to empty out. The same goes for super unleaded, which is petrol too.
- Speak to the forecourt attendants when your vehicle is blocking a pump. They usually help push the vehicle clear after it's in neutral.
- Phone 0333 366 0103 with where your Avensis is and which one it is, the approximate volume of petrol that was put in, and whether it has been run. When you can see the exact variant on the badge, for example the Avensis Limousine 2.0 D-4D, that helps too.
Driven your car with wrong fuel in your Toyota Avensis?
The engine is not touched by wrong fuel in your Toyota Avensis until it's drawn out of the tank, and starting the engine is what draws it out. A diesel motor depends on the fuel to lubricate the high-pressure fuel pump and your injectors whilst it runs through them. That lubrication is washed away as soon as petrol thins your diesel, so the damage, where there's any, is down to driving on the mix.
Stop somewhere safe then switch off if the Avensis has already been on the road. We empty the tank, then rinse the pipes and filter through until no contaminated fuel is left, so it can still be put right. When it is caught early and cleaned out thoroughly, long-term damage is very unusual.
That applies to the Avensis Limousine 2.0 Turbodiesel as much as any other version of the Avensis.
Checking the Toyota Avensis fuel tank capacity
What matters is how much of your fuel inside your tank is petrol. The same few litres count for more when you fuelled up with the tank nearly empty, which is why its size makes a difference.
Every diesel Toyota Avensis we have figures for has the same tank, which takes 60 litres, so the variant you own does not change that sum.
| Version | Fuel tank |
|---|---|
| Toyota Avensis 2.0 Combi D-4D | 60 litres |
| Toyota Avensis 2.0 D-4D | 60 litres |
| Toyota Avensis 2.2 Combi D-4D | 60 litres |
| Toyota Avensis 2.2 D-4D | 60 litres |
| Toyota Avensis 2.2 D-CAT | 60 litres |
| Toyota Avensis Combi 2.0 D-4D | 60 litres |
| Toyota Avensis Combi 2.0 Turbodiesel | 60 litres |
| Toyota Avensis Combi 2.2 D-4D | 60 litres |
| Toyota Avensis Combi 2.2 D-CAT | 60 litres |
| Toyota Avensis Liftback 2.0 D-4D | 60 litres |
| Toyota Avensis Liftback 2.0 Turbodiesel | 60 litres |
| Toyota Avensis Limousine 2.0 D-4D | 60 litres |
| Toyota Avensis Limousine 2.0 Turbodiesel | 60 litres |
| Toyota Avensis Verso C 2.0 D-4D | 60 litres |
Telling which diesel Avensis you have
It is useful for us to have the variant when you phone, and it's normally on a badge at the back of the vehicle.
The diesel models of the Avensis have been labelled D-4D.
The Avensis 2.2 D-4D has the biggest motor, at 2.2 litres, and the Avensis Combi 2.0 D-4D the smallest, at 2.0 litres.
AdBlue in a diesel Toyota Avensis
To treat their exhaust, some diesel cars rely on AdBlue, a mix of water and urea that goes in its own tank through its own filler. Putting AdBlue in the wrong filler gives you AdBlue in a diesel Toyota Avensis, so do not touch the key, not even to move it.
AdBlue sinks to the base of your tank, where your pump takes its fuel from, since it will not blend with diesel. Being largely water, it can't ignite and leaves the fuel pump with no lubrication, and the diesel in a tank of up to 60 litres doesn't weaken it as it would petrol.
A small quantity is still drawn into the system. Once the water dries off, the urea crystallises inside your fuel system, including the fuel filter and injectors, and it attacks the metalwork it rests against.
If your Avensis has an AdBlue filler, it might well sit next to your diesel filler under the same fuel flap, as it does on plenty of cars. AdBlue caps are generally blue and accept a far smaller nozzle than diesel.
How a fuel drain on your Toyota Avensis works
We do a fuel drain on your Toyota Avensis where your vehicle stands, and it never needs to go to a garage. Before we fire up the engine, the fuel system is primed and your tank filled up with fresh diesel. First comes checking what was put in and whether it's run, emptying a tank that holds up to 60 litres on the Avensis, and cleaning the lines and fuel filter.
Clean diesel is what your Avensis runs on by the time the job is done, and you are free to drive it away.
Handling AdBlue removal from a diesel Toyota Avensis
Like emptying petrol, AdBlue removal from a diesel Toyota Avensis goes through the same steps. We rinse deposits out of the pipes too if the Avensis has been run, and replace the filter where needed, since AdBlue collects in the bottom of your tank rather than mixing in and can leave them there.
AdBlue removal here means getting AdBlue out of the diesel tank after it has gone into the incorrect filler. It doesn't mean removing or switching off the AdBlue system on your vehicle.
The cost of a fuel drain on the Toyota Avensis
Because each task is different, we have no fixed quote to publish, and these are the biggest things that shape it:
- whether the Avensis has been started or driven, which makes the greatest difference
- the capacity of your tank, set against how much went in
- whether it was petrol or AdBlue
- where the Avensis has stopped, and whether we can get our van to it safely
Phone with those answers and we'll be able to explain what's likely to be involved.
Queries about petrol in a diesel Toyota Avensis
Your Toyota Avensis fuel tank capacity: how many litres?
60 litres. Your tank is the same capacity whichever variant you drive.
Is it all right to add diesel after just a little petrol in my Avensis?
It is not something we'd advise, as putting in diesel does nothing to remove the petrol. It just reduces its share, and that petrol is still in the fuel system once you drive off. With only a little petrol, a drain to take all of it out is normally all the Avensis requires.
Is a trip to the Toyota dealer needed for my Avensis?
No, we travel to it. The Avensis is emptied and cleaned where it has stopped, by an independent business with no link to Toyota or any dealer.
Does the variant of my Avensis matter?
It is useful for us to know which one you drive when you phone, since we have data for 14 diesel versions of the Avensis.
Does my policy cover wrong fuel in my Toyota Avensis?
It is worth checking your policy, as misfuelling cover is included in some but not all. Whatever it says, we come out and drain your vehicle.
The diesel went into the AdBlue filler on my Avensis. What now?
Leave your key out of your ignition in that case too. Most vehicles show an alert and go into limp mode if they are driven like that, and the AdBlue system will need draining. Do say which tank took your diesel when you phone.
I drove my Avensis before I noticed. What do I do?
Till we reach you, the motor needs to remain off, so pull over where it is safe and turn it off. Permanent damage is very rare when it is caught early like this, plus we empty your fuel system and clean it where you have pulled over.