Put Petrol in a Diesel Vauxhall Agila by Mistake?
Anyone who has put petrol in a diesel Vauxhall Agila without running the motor should leave it turned off, and not start it even to roll it off the pump. As long as the motor remains off that petrol sits in the tank, and draining it is generally all that it needs to put your Agila right.
There is no need to move your Vauxhall Agila off the forecourt, or from any other spot where it stopped, since this drain is done by Petrol in Diesel where your vehicle is. Ring us before you try anything on your own and we'll walk you through it.
Your first moves after petrol in a diesel Agila
- Keep the motor off. Any diesel Agila will generally fire up and run with petrol inside its tank, and it may seem fine for a few miles, which explains why motorists commonly drive away without noticing anything is amiss.
- Turning the ignition on is enough, on many diesels, to start the fuel pump priming and draw fuel from the tank to the fuel injectors, so leave that off too.
- Your Agila takes up to 42 litres, so filling the remainder of your tank with diesel to weaken that petrol simply leaves more contaminated fuel to empty out. The same goes for super unleaded, which is petrol as well.
- Ask the forecourt attendants if your car is blocking a pump. They normally help push the car out of the way once it's in neutral.
- Once you phone 0333 366 0103, we need to know which Agila you have, where it is, how much petrol you reckon went in and whether the motor has been started. The exact variant is useful too when it's on the badging, for instance the Agila 1.3 CDTI.
Wrong fuel in your Vauxhall Agila after your motor has run
The engine isn't affected by wrong fuel in your Vauxhall Agila until it is pulled out of the tank, and starting the motor is what pulls it out. Inside a diesel motor, your fuel oils your injectors and the injection pump on its way through. With petrol diluting the diesel, that protection is lost, and driving any distance on it is then what can cause harm.
Where you've already driven your Agila, stop where it is safe and turn off. All the same, we can take all of the contaminated fuel out, by draining the tank and then cleaning your fuel lines and the filter. When it's caught early and flushed out properly, permanent harm is very uncommon.
The fuel tank capacity of the Vauxhall Agila
If you filled up when the tank was nearly empty, the same few litres make up more of your fuel in there, and the risk hinges on that share, so the capacity of your tank matters.
It does not matter which version you drive, because every diesel Vauxhall Agila in our data uses the same tank, holding 42 litres.
Which diesel variant of the Agila do you drive?
The variant is usually on the badging on the boot lid, and knowing it helps us when you call.
Check for CDTI on the badging of a diesel Agila.
There is a single motor size throughout our list, 1.3 litres.
AdBlue in a diesel Vauxhall Agila by mistake
AdBlue is a mixture of water and urea that certain diesel cars use to treat their exhaust, and it has its own tank and filler. Putting AdBlue in the incorrect filler leaves you with AdBlue in a diesel Vauxhall Agila, so do not touch your key, not even to shift the vehicle.
AdBlue settles to the base of the tank, where your pump takes its fuel from, as it will not mix with diesel. Being mostly water, it cannot ignite and gives the fuel pump no lubrication, and the diesel in a tank holding up to 42 litres doesn't thin it as it would petrol.
Even a little of it is plenty to end up in the fuel lines. Inside your fuel system the water evaporates and lets the urea crystallise, in the filter and injectors and elsewhere, where it attacks the metalwork it rests against.
Look under the fuel flap if your Agila has an AdBlue filler, since on many cars it is right next to your diesel filler. The nozzle for AdBlue is much smaller than the diesel one, and the filler cap is typically blue.
Our fuel drain on your Vauxhall Agila, step by step
We carry out a fuel drain on your Vauxhall Agila where the vehicle is, and it doesn't need to go to a garage. Before we fire up the engine, your system is primed and the tank refilled with clean diesel. First comes checking what was put in and whether it has run, draining a tank that holds up to 42 litres on the Agila, and rinsing the pipes and fuel filter.
You can drive your Agila away when we have finished, now running on clean diesel.
AdBlue removal from a diesel Vauxhall Agila, explained
Like draining petrol, AdBlue removal from a diesel Vauxhall Agila runs through the same steps. AdBlue settles at the base of your tank rather than blending in, and if the Agila has been run it may form deposits in the pipes, so we flush those through too and change the filter if it needs doing.
On this page, AdBlue removal means taking AdBlue back out of a diesel tank it was put into through the wrong filler. Switching off or removing the AdBlue system on a vehicle is not what it means.
What does a fuel drain on the Vauxhall Agila cost?
The work changes from one task to the next, so we do not publish a fixed quote. The chief things that shape it are these:
- most of all, whether the Agila has been driven or even started
- the capacity of your tank, set against how much went in
- whether it was AdBlue instead of petrol
- the position of the Agila and how safely we can reach it with our van
Ring with those answers and we will be able to say what's likely to be involved.
Queries on petrol in a diesel Vauxhall Agila, answered
The Vauxhall Agila fuel tank capacity: how many litres?
42 litres on each variant in our data.
Does topping up with diesel help with a little petrol in my Agila?
It isn't something we would advise, as putting in diesel does nothing to take out the petrol. It only reduces its share, and that petrol is still in the fuel system after you drive off. Your Agila generally requires no more than a fuel drain if just a small quantity went in, and that takes that petrol out completely.
Is a trip to the Vauxhall dealer needed for my Agila?
There is no need to take it anywhere. We empty and clean your Agila where it is, and we are independent, with no link to Vauxhall or any of its dealers.
Is wrong fuel in my Vauxhall Agila covered by my policy?
It is worth looking at your policy, as misfuelling cover is included in some and not others. Whichever way it reads, we come out and empty the car.
Diesel in the AdBlue tank of my Agila: what now?
Here, too, the sensible thing is to leave your ignition alone. The AdBlue system will need emptying, and if your vehicle is driven that way, it will most likely give an alert and enter limp mode. Please say which tank took your diesel when you phone.
Already driven my Agila: what do I do?
Pull over where it's safe and switch your engine off, then keep it off until we arrive. Permanent harm is very uncommon when it's caught early like this, plus we drain the system and clean it where you have pulled over.