Driver advice I Misfuelling
Misfuelling it happens! As a fleet or transport manager you will understand that petrol and diesel engines work differently. Petrol engines use an electrical spark to ignite the fuel, whereas a diesel engine will burn the fuel by creating high pressure. Diesel engines are partially lubricated by the oiliness of the fuel, but if it is contaminated with petrol that oil gets washed away as the petrol acts as a solvent. Therefore if one of your drivers mistakenly puts petrol in a diesel, this is far more serious than putting diesel in a petrol vehicle. Unfortunately most misfuelling incidents do occur when petrol is pumped by mistake into a diesel vehicle. It is actually harder to misfuel the other way around, as diesel pumps have wider nozzles. If misfuelling does happen, your drivers should be advised to not switch on the ignition, as this will circulates the mixture increasing the friction between components, damaging parts including the vehicle’s fuel lines and pump. Repairs are often expensive and you may need to replace the vehicle’s entire fuel system. Engine damage can be limited by leaving the vehicle switched off. Drivers should put it in neutral and seek help to push the vehicle to a safe place if it is causing a dangerous obstruction and needs to be moved - otherwise the driver is better off leaving the vehicle where it is. Depending on which type of breakdown cover you have for your fleet, you may find that your breakdown service when they arrive, will drain the fuel tank on the forecourt - alternatively the vehicle will be recovered to the 32 p Essential Fleet Manager
nearest facility. As soon as you are made aware of any misfuelling incident it is important to call your fleet insurance provider to check if you are covered. It can cost around £200 to drain and clean a fuel tank, £2,000 to repair an engine and as much as £9,000 to replace it altogether. Some insurers will cover the cost of everything, but others may only pay out for you to get the vehicle’s tank cleaned and drained. More companies are excluding misfuelling from standard policies and instead offer misfuelling cover as an add-on, which can make insurance more expensive. You can also find out if you are covered by reading your fleet insurance policy details, misfuelling will probably be mentioned under accidental damage. Drivers should be made aware that if the drive off after misfuelling they may experience: • • • • •
Smoke from the exhaust The engine misfiring, cutting out or not restarting A loud knocking sound when accelerating Engine warning lights turning on The vehicle’s engine stopping completely
It is important for all drivers to be made aware of how costly misfuelling is. As an extra precaution you may also wish to add additional signage inside the vehicle or next to the fuel cap, reminding drivers of the fuel type to use - this especially helps if drivers are constantly changing vehicles, or the vehicle is used as a pool car.
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