Put Petrol in a Diesel Volkswagen Caddy by Mistake?
We'd urge you to leave your engine off if you've put petrol in a diesel Volkswagen Caddy and not run it yet, and that counts for shifting it off the forecourt too. With the engine kept off, the petrol remains where it is in your tank, and in most cases a drain is all your Caddy needs.
Petrol in Diesel drains wrongly fuelled cars where they are, and your Volkswagen Caddy can be left at the forecourt or wherever it has stopped. Phone us first and let us take you through it, instead of attempting anything on your own.
Petrol in a diesel Caddy: what to do right away
- With petrol inside the tank, a diesel Caddy will usually still fire up and run, and seem completely normal for several miles. That is why drivers frequently drive off without noticing a problem, and why the engine should be left off.
- Keep your ignition off too. On a lot of diesels turning it on will start the fuel pump priming, which pulls fuel from the tank to the injectors.
- Filling up with diesel to thin it is a bad idea, even with super unleaded, which counts as petrol as well. The fuel tank in the Caddy holds up to 60 litres, and every litre of diesel put in is more tainted fuel for us to empty.
- When your vehicle is in the way of a pump, put it in neutral and push it out of the way. Forecourt attendants are usually glad to help with that.
- Phone 0333 366 0103 and tell us which Caddy you drive and where it has stopped, about how much petrol went in, and whether the motor has been started. Where the exact version is shown on the badging, for example the Caddy Maxi Life 2.0 TDI, give us that too.
Wrong fuel in your Volkswagen Caddy after your engine has been started
Whilst it stays inside the tank, wrong fuel in your Volkswagen Caddy doesn't reach your motor. That only begins once it's pulled out, which is what happens when your engine is started. A diesel engine depends on its fuel to oil the high-pressure pump and your injectors while it flows through them. Driving any distance on that mix is what can cause damage, because petrol dilutes the diesel and strips that protection away.
Find a safe place to stop and switch off, when the Caddy has already been on the road. We can still sort it out, by draining your tank and cleaning the lines and the fuel filter till all the tainted fuel is gone. If it is caught soon and flushed out properly, lasting harm is very rare.
It's the same whatever variant of the Caddy you have, including the Caddy Maxi Life 1.9 TDI.
Knowing the Volkswagen Caddy fuel tank capacity
Because the risk rests on what share of the fuel is petrol, the capacity of your tank counts, and a few litres in a tank that was close to empty are a bigger problem than the same in a fuller tank.
The fuel tank takes 60 litres on each diesel Volkswagen Caddy we have data for, so that sum is the same whichever variant you have.
| Version | Fuel tank |
|---|---|
| Volkswagen Caddy 1.6 TDI | 60 litres |
| Volkswagen Caddy 2.0 TDI 4Motion | 60 litres |
| Volkswagen Caddy Life 1.9 TDI | 60 litres |
| Volkswagen Caddy Life 1.9 TDI 4motion | 60 litres |
| Volkswagen Caddy Life 1.9 TDI BlueMotion | 60 litres |
| Volkswagen Caddy Life 2.0 SDI | 60 litres |
| Volkswagen Caddy Life 2.0 TDI | 60 litres |
| Volkswagen Caddy Life 2.0 TDI 4motion | 60 litres |
| Volkswagen Caddy Maxi 2.0 TDI 4Motion | 60 litres |
| Volkswagen Caddy Maxi Life 1.9 TDI | 60 litres |
| Volkswagen Caddy Maxi Life 2.0 TDI | 60 litres |
Which diesel Caddy do you own?
Most of the time the version is shown on your boot lid, and it's useful to us to know when you call.
On your diesel Caddy, the badging used is TDI and SDI.
The Caddy Life 2.0 SDI is badged SDI, whilst the commonest badge on our list is TDI.
Motor sizes go from 1.6 litres on the Caddy 1.6 TDI up to 2.0 litres in the Caddy Life 2.0 TDI 4motion.
You can also see 4MOTION versions on the list.
AdBlue in a diesel Volkswagen Caddy by accident
To clean up their exhaust, some diesel cars rely on AdBlue, a mix of water and urea that is put in its own tank through its own filler. Even to move your car, do not touch the key when you've got AdBlue in a diesel Volkswagen Caddy after it went in the wrong filler.
AdBlue sinks to the bottom of your tank, where your pump draws its fuel from, since it won't blend with diesel. Being largely water, it cannot burn and leaves the fuel pump with no lubrication, and the diesel in a tank holding up to 60 litres does not thin it as it would petrol.
No matter how small the quantity, some of that is drawn into the line. Deposits of urea build up in the fuel filter, the fuel injectors and the rest of the fuel system once the water dries off, and they eat into the metal they rest against.
Look under your fuel flap where your Caddy has an AdBlue filler, because on plenty of cars it sits right alongside your diesel filler. A blue lid and a nozzle much smaller than diesel typically mark the AdBlue filler.
How a fuel drain on your Volkswagen Caddy works
We carry out a fuel drain on your Volkswagen Caddy where the vehicle sits, and it never needs to be taken to a garage. On the Caddy your tank holds up to 60 litres, so we empty all of it once we have found out what went in and whether your motor has run. Your fuel lines and the filter are cleaned next, then we fill up with clean diesel and prime the system before firing up your motor.
Clean diesel is what your Caddy runs on by the time the job is done, and you can drive it away.
AdBlue removal from a diesel Volkswagen Caddy
The steps are the same as a petrol drain for AdBlue removal from a diesel Volkswagen Caddy. If the Caddy has been started, AdBlue can form deposits in the pipes, since it collects under your diesel instead of mixing in. We rinse those through as well, and replace your fuel filter where needed.
AdBlue removal on this page means taking AdBlue out of your diesel tank once it has gone in the incorrect filler. It doesn't mean taking out or switching off the AdBlue system on the vehicle.
The cost of a fuel drain on the Volkswagen Caddy
The work differs from one task to the next, so we do not publish a set quote. The biggest factors that shape it are these:
- starting or driving the Caddy, which makes more difference than anything else
- the capacity of the tank, set against how much went in
- which of the two it was, petrol or AdBlue
- where the Caddy has stopped, and whether we can bring our van to it in safety
With those details over the phone, we can let you know what the work is going to involve.
Questions about petrol in a diesel Volkswagen Caddy
How many litres is the Volkswagen Caddy fuel tank capacity?
All the versions we have figures for hold 60 litres.
Can I fill up with diesel if I only put a little petrol in my Caddy?
It is not something we would advise, since putting in diesel does nothing to remove that petrol. It just reduces its share, and that petrol is still in your system once you drive off. With just a little petrol, a fuel drain to get all of it out is usually all your Caddy requires.
Is a trip to the Volkswagen dealer needed for my Caddy?
You do not need to. We have no tie with Volkswagen or any of its dealers, being independent, and your Caddy is emptied and cleaned where you have stopped.
Do you need to know which Caddy I have?
Knowing your variant is useful when you phone, because there are 11 diesel versions of the Caddy in our figures.
Am I insured for wrong fuel in my Volkswagen Caddy?
We'll still come out to empty it for you, covered or not. Look at your insurance all the same, as not every policy has misfuelling cover.
The diesel went into the AdBlue filler on my Caddy. What now?
Keep your key out of the ignition in that case as well. Most vehicles display a warning and enter limp mode if they are driven like that, and the AdBlue system will need draining. Please say which tank took the diesel when you phone.
Already driven my Caddy: what now?
Switch the motor off after you've pulled over somewhere safe, and leave it off till we reach you. Lasting harm is very unusual when it's caught early like this, and we empty your fuel system and clean it where you've pulled over.