Put Petrol in a Diesel Volkswagen Amarok by Mistake?
The engine is safest left off when it has not been run since you put petrol in a diesel Volkswagen Amarok, and that covers moving it away from the petrol pump. Whilst the motor stays off the petrol sits in the tank, so a fuel drain is usually all it needs to put your Amarok right.
We come to misfuelled cars rather than the other way round, so with Petrol in Diesel the Volkswagen Amarok stays on the forecourt or wherever it ended up. Ring us before anything else then let us walk you through it, instead of trying anything on your own.
Put petrol in a diesel Amarok? First steps
- Don't turn on the motor, even though a diesel Amarok will normally run with petrol in the tank. It can feel fine for a time, and that is how motorists commonly pull away without realising something is wrong.
- Leave the ignition off as well. On a lot of diesels switching it on will set the fuel pump priming, which pulls fuel out of the tank on to the fuel injectors.
- Do not fill the remainder of the tank with diesel to dilute it. The Amarok takes up to 85 litres, and topping it up just leaves more tainted fuel to drain. Super unleaded is petrol here as well.
- Ask the forecourt attendants if the car is in the way of a pump. They normally help push the car out of the way once it's in neutral.
- Call 0333 366 0103 with where your Amarok has stopped and which one it is, the approximate amount of petrol that went in, and whether it has run. When you can see the precise version on the badging, for instance the Amarok SingleCab 2.0 BiTDi, that helps too.
Driven your car with wrong fuel in your Volkswagen Amarok?
Starting the engine is what pulls the wrong fuel in your Volkswagen Amarok from the tank, and only then does it start to affect the motor. In a diesel engine, the fuel oils your injectors and the injection pump on its way through. With petrol diluting the diesel, that protection goes, and driving for any distance on it is then what can cause damage.
Look for somewhere safe to pull in then switch off, when the Amarok has already been driven. We can still deal with it, by draining the tank and flushing the pipes and the filter until all the contaminated fuel is gone. Provided it is flushed out properly after being caught soon, it very seldom leaves permanent harm.
It is the same whichever variant of the Amarok you have, including the Amarok DoubleCab 2.0 TDi.
The Volkswagen Amarok fuel tank capacity, version by version
As the risk depends on what share of your fuel is petrol, the size of the tank counts, and a couple of litres in a tank that was almost empty are a bigger problem than the same in a fuller one.
From 80 litres up to 85, the fuel tank on the Volkswagen Amarok differs with the variant.
The smallest tank in our figures is on the Amarok SingleCab 2.0 BiTDi 4motion, and the biggest is on the Amarok DoubleCab 2.0 BiTDi 4motion.
The Amarok SingleCab 2.0 TDi 4motion has a tank of 80 litres.
| Version | Fuel tank |
|---|---|
| Volkswagen Amarok DoubleCab 2.0 BiTDi | 85 litres |
| Volkswagen Amarok DoubleCab 2.0 BiTDi 4motion | 85 litres |
| Volkswagen Amarok DoubleCab 2.0 TDi | 80 litres |
| Volkswagen Amarok DoubleCab 2.0 TDi 4motion | 80 litres |
| Volkswagen Amarok SingleCab 2.0 BiTDi | 80 litres |
| Volkswagen Amarok SingleCab 2.0 BiTDi 4motion | 80 litres |
| Volkswagen Amarok SingleCab 2.0 TDi | 80 litres |
| Volkswagen Amarok SingleCab 2.0 TDi 4motion | 80 litres |
Checking your diesel Amarok variant
The variant is normally on a badge on the boot lid, and it's useful for us to know when you ring.
Check for TDI on the badging of a diesel Amarok.
All the versions on our records have 2.0-litre engines.
Our list covers 4MOTION versions as well.
AdBlue in a diesel Volkswagen Amarok
Certain diesel vehicles carry a mix of water and urea, called AdBlue, in a tank of its own with a separate filler, and rely on it to treat their exhaust. The key should remain out of your ignition when you've got AdBlue in a diesel Volkswagen Amarok through the incorrect filler, and that includes shifting your vehicle.
AdBlue settles to the base of the tank, where the pump pulls its fuel from, since it won't mix with diesel. Being mostly water, it cannot burn and leaves the fuel pump with no protection, and the diesel in a tank holding up to 85 litres doesn't thin it as it would petrol.
Even a little of it is plenty to end up in the fuel lines. Once the water has dried off, what is left is urea, which forms crystals in the fuel system, filter and injectors included, and attacks any metal it rests against.
If your Amarok has an AdBlue filler, it might well lie alongside the diesel filler under the same cover, as it does on a lot of vehicles. You can generally spot the AdBlue lid by its blue colour and the far narrower nozzle it fits.
Our fuel drain on your Volkswagen Amarok, in order
There is no garage involved, since we carry out a fuel drain on your Volkswagen Amarok at your car itself. First we check what was put in and whether the engine has run. The tank, which holds up to 85 litres on the Amarok, is then emptied, the pipes and filter are flushed, and your vehicle is filled up with fresh diesel and primed before we start the engine.
The tank on the Amarok DoubleCab 2.0 BiTDi carries 85 litres.
By the end, your Amarok is running on clean diesel once more and all set for you to drive away.
What AdBlue removal from a diesel Volkswagen Amarok involves
Just like draining petrol, AdBlue removal from a diesel Volkswagen Amarok goes through the same stages. Because AdBlue does not mix in but gathers at the base of your tank, running the Amarok on it may leave deposits inside the lines. Those get cleared through as well, and the fuel filter is changed if it needs it.
Here, AdBlue removal means taking AdBlue back out of a diesel tank it was put into through the incorrect filler. Disabling or taking out the AdBlue system on a vehicle isn't what it means.
A fuel drain on the Volkswagen Amarok: the cost
The work differs from one job to the next, so we do not publish a set quote. The main factors that shape it are these:
- most of all, whether the Amarok has been driven or even started
- a tank's size next to the volume that went in
- whether it was AdBlue and not petrol
- where you are with the Amarok, and whether it's safe to bring the van there
Filling the Amarok DoubleCab 2.0 TDi 4motion right up needs 80 litres, as a comparison.
We can tell you what this work will probably need when you phone with those answers.
Questions on petrol in a diesel Volkswagen Amarok, answered
Do you know the fuel tank capacity of the Volkswagen Amarok?
It varies with the version, from 80 to 85 litres, and each one is listed in the table above.
I just put a little petrol in my Amarok. Should I fill up with diesel?
It isn't something we'd advise, because adding diesel does nothing to remove that petrol. It only reduces its proportion, and that petrol is still in the system once you drive off. With just a little petrol, a drain to take all of it out is generally all your Amarok needs.
Will my Amarok need to be taken to the Volkswagen dealer?
No. We are an independent business with no link with Volkswagen or its dealers, and we empty and clean your Amarok wherever it is, so there's no need to take it anywhere.
Which Amarok I drive: does it make a difference?
Knowing your version helps when you ring, as there are 8 diesel versions of the Amarok in our data.
Is wrong fuel in my Volkswagen Amarok covered by my policy?
We'll still come out to empty it for you, covered or not. Look at your insurance anyway, since not every policy has misfuelling cover.
Diesel in the AdBlue tank of my Amarok: what happens?
In that case, as well, leave your key out of your ignition. Limp mode and a warning are what most motors give you if they're driven in that state, and their AdBlue system will need emptying. When you phone, let us know which tank the fuel was put in.
What should I do if I have already driven my Amarok?
Stop where it is safe and switch your motor off, then keep it off until we get to you. Permanent damage is very rare when it is caught early like this, and we drain the system and clean it where you have pulled over.