PETROL in an X5 DIESEL

I accidentally fully filled my diesel x5 with petrol. It had about 1/8th of tank of diesel before I started. I drove off from the garage a distance of 8 miles before I noticed anything. Then it went a little lumpy. I drove to my destination, which was about a further mile or more.

I then realised I had put petrol in it, so I arranged to have it collected on a transporter. My local garage quoted £100 to flush the system out but were uncertain if it was a pressurised tank. They spoke to BMW main agents; they then decided they couldn't do it. So it went to the main BMW agents. It seemed even before the X5 was off the transporter I received a phone call telling me it serious and they quoted £5,600 it put right.

I asked them how much just to inspect the car for damage. They quoted £300. Later in the day they phoned me and said they had found £2,500 worth of damage to the car so far.

Next morning, I sent them a FAX telling them to nothing but flush the tank, flush the car through, and change the fuel, put some diesel in it, prime it and start it. Later that day I received a phone saying the car was ready for collection.

It cost £650. They said they couldn’t guarantee it, I am not sure what that meant by that as my engine doesn’t have a guarantee on it anyway!!!!!

It’s been fine ever since.

Sounds like you may have been incredibly lucky.

Petrol usually destroys the seals in the fuel injection pump and injectors and causes all kinds of engine damage if not caught very quickly.

A colleague of mine put petrol in his 2004 X5 and it cost him just under £6000 for a replacement engine due to the damage done. He had driven about 10 miles before it all went horribly wrong. He didn't realise what had happened until too late and the engine had stopped. There were bits of fuel injector inside the engine resulting in damage to the cylinder bores, hence a new unit being needed.

I hope it keeps going OK for you.

Did the reverse in a Vauxhall Viva once during the petrol tanker strike in the 70's. The pumps had been filled with diesel by mistake by the relief drivers. (British Army)