Petrol in a Diesel Volkswagen Eos? Leave It Switched Off
Anybody who has put petrol in a diesel Volkswagen Eos without starting the motor should leave it turned off, and not run it even to move it off the petrol pump. While your motor stays off that petrol stays in your tank, and a drain is generally all that it needs to set your Eos right.
Your Volkswagen Eos can be left wherever it ended up, forecourt or not, since Petrol in Diesel drains misfuelled cars on the spot. Wait before attempting anything on your own until you have rung us, and we'll explain what to do.
First steps for petrol in a diesel Eos
- Keep your engine off. A diesel Eos will normally start and run with petrol inside its tank, and it can seem fine for a couple of miles, and that is why motorists commonly drive away without realising anything is amiss.
- Switching your ignition on is enough, on plenty of diesels, to set the fuel pump priming and draw fuel from the tank towards the injectors, so leave that off too.
- Topping up with diesel to thin it is a mistake, even with super unleaded, which is petrol as well. The fuel tank on the Eos takes up to 55 litres, and each litre of diesel put in is more tainted fuel for us to empty.
- Ask the forecourt attendants when the vehicle is blocking a pump. They generally help roll the car out of the way after it is in neutral.
- Phone 0333 366 0103 and let us know which Eos you have and where it has stopped, about how much petrol went in, and whether your engine has been started. If the precise variant is on the badging, for instance the Eos 2.0 TDI, tell us that too.
Driven the vehicle with wrong fuel in your Volkswagen Eos?
While it remains in the tank, wrong fuel in your Volkswagen Eos does not reach the engine. That only starts when it is drawn out, which is what happens when the engine is started. The high-pressure fuel pump and the fuel injectors in a diesel motor are oiled by the fuel passing through them. With petrol diluting the diesel, that protection is lost, and driving any distance on it is then what can cause harm.
Where you have already driven your Eos, pull over where it is safe and switch off. It can still be sorted out, with the tank drained and the lines and fuel filter flushed till every trace of the contaminated fuel has gone. Long-term harm is very rare if it is caught early and given a proper clean.
Volkswagen Eos fuel tank capacity
If you fuelled up while your tank was close to empty, the same couple of litres make up more of your fuel in there, and the danger depends on that proportion, so the capacity of your tank counts.
In our figures, all the diesel versions of the Volkswagen Eos use one tank of 55 litres, so the calculation works out the same for every one.
Telling which diesel Eos you drive
Check the badge on the boot lid, which normally gives the version, then let us know what it says when you phone.
Look for TDI on the badge of a diesel Eos.
All the variants on our list come with 2.0-litre engines.
AdBlue in a diesel Volkswagen Eos
Certain diesel vehicles hold a mix of water and urea, known as AdBlue, in a tank of its own with a separate filler, and rely on it to clean up their exhaust. If there's AdBlue in a diesel Volkswagen Eos as it went in the incorrect filler, don't turn your key, even to move your vehicle.
Even a tank holding up to 55 litres won't dilute AdBlue as it would dilute petrol. AdBlue does not blend with diesel, so it sinks to the bottom, right where the pump takes its fuel, and being largely water it neither ignites nor gives the fuel pump any lubrication.
A modest quantity is still pulled into your fuel system. When the water evaporates, the urea crystallises within the fuel system, including the filter and injectors, and it attacks the metal it touches.
The same filler flap frequently covers both fillers, and where the Eos has an AdBlue filler, it might well be next to the diesel one. AdBlue caps are usually blue and fit a much smaller nozzle than diesel.
How a fuel drain on your Volkswagen Eos is done
There's no garage involved, because we carry out a fuel drain on your Volkswagen Eos at the vehicle itself. We start by finding out what went in and whether the motor has been run, then drain your tank, which on the Eos takes up to 55 litres. Next we flush your fuel lines and the filter and fill up with fresh diesel, and the system is primed before we fire it up.
Fresh diesel is what the Eos is running on by the time the job is done, and you are free to drive off in it.
Handling AdBlue removal from a diesel Volkswagen Eos
We follow the same stages for AdBlue removal from a diesel Volkswagen Eos as we do for clearing petrol. AdBlue gathers at the bottom of your tank instead of mixing in, and if the Eos has been started it can leave deposits inside the pipes, so we flush those out too and change the fuel filter if it needs doing.
AdBlue removal, as we use it on this page, is about AdBlue that went in the wrong filler and has to come out of your diesel tank. It doesn't cover taking out or switching off the AdBlue system on your vehicle.
The cost of a fuel drain on the Volkswagen Eos
The work changes from one task to the next, so we don't publish a fixed quote. The main things that affect it are these:
- whether the Eos has been started or driven, which makes the biggest difference
- the volume put in, measured against the capacity of the tank
- whether it was AdBlue and not petrol
- where you are with the Eos, and whether it is safe to bring our van there
We can tell you what this work will probably need once you ring with those details.
Petrol in a diesel Volkswagen Eos: questions
How many litres is the Volkswagen Eos fuel tank capacity?
It takes 55 litres, and our data show the same tank on each version.
Can I fill up with diesel if I only put a little petrol in my Eos?
We would not recommend it. Putting in diesel lowers the proportion of petrol without taking out any of that, so that petrol is still in the system when you drive. With only a little petrol, a drain to take all of that out is generally all your Eos needs.
Must my Eos go to the Volkswagen dealer?
No, we travel to it. The Eos is drained and cleaned wherever it has stopped, by an independent firm with no tie to Volkswagen or any dealer.
Am I insured for wrong fuel in my Volkswagen Eos?
Some policies include misfuelling cover and some do not, so it is worth checking yours. Either way, we come out to empty your vehicle for you.
Diesel in the AdBlue tank of my Eos: what now?
Don't put your key in the ignition in that case either. When it is driven like that, a vehicle will usually give a warning and enter limp mode. The AdBlue system needs draining too. Please say which tank took the fuel when you call.
What should I do if I have already driven my Eos?
Stop where it is safe and turn the motor off, then leave it off till we arrive. Where you have pulled over, your fuel system is drained and cleaned there, and caught soon like this, it very seldom leaves long-term damage.