Effective ways to manage a wrong fuel situation

KUALA LUMPUR: Pumped the wrong fuel in your car? Don't worry you are not alone. Every year, thousands of commuters make this mistake. However, it is vital that you act swiftly. Why? Well, we say so because putting wrong fuel into your car can potentially result in severe engine damage.

If you have pumped petrol in your diesel vehicle or vice versa, the most important thing to bear in your mind is that you should not start your car. This is because it may cause more harm to the engine because of the circulation of the mixed fuel in the system. We suggest to calm those panic attacks and follow the below mentioned steps to tackle the situation.

Move your car to a safe parking place

Every problem can be resolved wisely, so your pumping of wrong fuel is no poles apart. There are countless solutions for your wrong fuel deed. However, first, you need to identify that you have filled up your vehicle tank with the wrong fuel. This is because without realising your mistake if you start the car it may cause severe damages to you as well as to your vehicle. Therefore, understand the error that's been committed.

 

Now, you think of a shrewd way to handle the situation. First, avoid turning on the engine of your vehicle. Seek the help of people around you to push the car to a safe parking place while keeping the gear in the neutral mode and releasing the handbrake. Here, you should understand that as long as you do not press the start button or turn the ignition key on, your vehicle will experience minimal to no damage.

Call for professional help to drain the wrong fuel

Now, that you have moved the car to a secure parking spot, its time for the next step. This problem can be solved by draining the wrong fuel from the vehicle. It may involve taking your car to the nearby garage or calling the Wrong Fuel Rescue team or your roadside-support provider. This will minimise your expense to bring your vehicle to a perfect condition.

Here are five quick ways to handle the situation at the pumping station itself:

1. Avoid fuelling the vehicle further. Once you have realised that wrong fuel is pumped into your vehicle, request the pumping station attendant to stop gassing your car immediately. If only a few litres of wrong fuel is pumped i.e, not more than 5%, you will be able to drive your vehicle without any problem.

2. Update the pumping station attendants on the nature of the fuel to fill your car. It is quite usual that the attendants in pumping stations are not aware of the fuel on which a vehicle runs. Therefore, inform them about the kind of fuel before they start fuelling your vehicle.

3. If the situation has gone beyond control, that is, the attendant has filled up the fuel tank with the wrong fuel, avoid getting tense. You can call a specialist misfuelling service or breakdown service provider. Every fuel filling station probably has a car maintenance personnel, if your car breakdown service provider cannot help. Don't be stressed for settling with a worker you are not at ease because you can locate renowned countrywide operators using your Smartphone through Google.

4. Wait for some time after parking your vehicle safely. Usually, the fuel tank can be drained and washed out within 30 minutes. Then, you will be capable of filling your vehicle with the right fuel. You can drive your car safely at a minimum repair cost.

5. If you are unable to wait for long, lock your car doors and leave it. Avoid worrying about locking your car doors through the central locking system; it will not influence the fuel system.