What to do if you put the wrong fuel in your car

We hope you never get that sinking feeling of ‘uhhhhhh did I just put the wrong fuel in my car?’ But just in case you do, we’ve gone through the recommended steps you should take to fix it and what some of the common symptoms you need look out for are. 

If you do realise that you’ve accidentally put the incorrect fuel in your tank, the first thing you need to do is stop. Don’t start the car or turn on your ignition, simply stop and give us a call so we can help get you back on the road sooner. 

Your car will need to be towed to one of our two service centres so that the fuel tank can be drained, and the petrol replaced. It doesn’t matter if you ‘ve completely filled the tank or have just done a little $10 top-up to get you by, if there’s incorrect fuel in there... it’s all gotta go! This will prevent any damage to the components of your car.  

If you’re driving when you realise you’ve popped the wrong fuel in your car, it’s important for you pull over as soon as it’s safe to do so and turn your car off. Jump on the phone to our friendly service team and we can help you out from there. 

Some of the common signs that you should be on the lookout for when driving are: 

Poor performance 

Misfiring 

Hard to start  

Blowing smoke or;  

Idling poorly 

If the car has been driven (or started) before noticing the accidental fuel top-up, unfortunately the steps to fix it are a bit more involved and will likely have increased costs to fix it. 

In all scenarios, your cars fuel tank will have to be drained and depending on where you are when you recognise your mistake, the fuel pump, injector, fuel rail, filters and other parts may need to be replaced.  

So there you have it, what you should do if you accidentally fill your tank with the wrong type of fuel!