With the COVID-19 lockdown it's been tough for businesses and business owners, but here at Fuel Doctor we are still providing our fuel drain services throughout the UK.

Below are some recent images of recent fuel drains we have worked on in Telford, Matlock, Walsall and Lichfield. As you can see, with each fuel drain we take care to conform to social distancing and at no point whatsoever during the process of the wrong fuel recovery do we need access to your vehicle.

Our Fuel Doctor's will always be atleast 2 metres away.

if you live in any of these areas, you'll be met with a professional fuel drain service that you come to expect from the 4th emergency service in the UK. We work with both the commercial and domestic markets and we aim to be with you within the hour to get you back on the road again.

Read our article about what to do when you put petrol in your diesel car and if you put the wrong fuel in your car or run out of petrol, you can call us on 0333 444 9000

People of South Wales will be relieved to know that they will getting their mail this week as we helped a Royal Mail postman back on the road after he mistakenly put the wrong fuel in his car in Newport South Wales.

We got the call via our national call centre and was on hand within the hour to to aid the stricken vehicle. The driver had managed to get back to the main depot with the vehicle so he could swap vehicles and get about his business.

As you can see from the picture, we were already in a safe space to deliver our wrong fuel recovery service and proceeded to drain the wrong fuel, drain the tank and flush the bad fuel out. Once we had fully drained the tank we then proceeded to add £10 worth of diesel to the engine to get the van to the nearest fuel station.

We work with both domestic and commercial customers throughout the UK and we are the UK's number 1 wrong fuel recovery company with fuel doctors throughout the UK. 
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We can provide maintenance contracts for transportation companies, logistic companies as well as smaller businesses so if the worst should happen, you know you have the best fuel drain company there partnering with you to get your business moving again.

​For all commercial enquiries, why not visit our partner page to learn more.

So, in all the time it had taken for this Manchester fuel drain was around 45 minutes from call out which is super quick and why to our customers we are known as the 4th emergency service. If you ever put the wrong fuel in your car in Manchester, Stockport, Oldham, Rochdale, Ashton or anywhere in the Greater Manchester area, call 0333 444 9000 and we'll be there for you nationwide.

So, as you probably already know, we are the best independent fuel drain provider in the UK, when you put petrol in your diesel car your heart sinks and you think the worst! No, I've ruined my engine, my car will never be the same again!

We thought we would write up an article to explain how a fuel injection system works so you get to know more about what happens when you add fuel to your car. Read on and fear not, if you have put the wrong fuel in your car you'll be absolutely fine.

Diesel engines work much differently to petrol engines that they use a method of direct injection where the diesel is injected into a special cylinder which in turn then controls the compressed air. So, this compression then helps to self ignite.​ This then turns the pistons and drives the engine.

Which is Best - Petrol or Diesel Car?
Regardless of technological advancements, the motor car remains one of the best resources that we have available to us. Few people can look at a motor vehicle and not understand its importance, we do the school runs, shopping and day to day grind and without our trusty motor life would be that much more difficult.

Yes, in the next 40 years we will all be electric, but until then you'll probably go through around 10 different types of cars/vans/motorbikes in that time, so choose wisely.

However, there’s also something of a puzzle when it comes to motor vehicles. There are two different variants available, and you can either have a petrol model or a diesel one. The two have their differences, but is there any one which is better than the other? That’s what we want to find out. ​

Choosing Diesel
So let’s start this off by taking a look at diesel and the benefits it can bring to someone. By and large, diesel cars are known to be more efficient than their petrol counterparts, which means that generally, you’ll get more from them on a full tank. 
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Furthermore, they also have lower CO2 emissions, which makes them better from an environmental perspective. However, this is also counterbalanced by the knowledge that typically the vehicles are more expensive than their opposites. Furthermore, people will find that from a pollution perspective, noise is much higher, which can make the experience less appealing overall. 

Choosing Petrol 
So let's take a look at the competitor to diesel - the petrol vehicle. As a vehicle, this is not different externally. From a financial perspective, diesel is more expensive than petrol, so it's a much cheaper way of getting around. They also are not typically as noisy as their diesel cousins.

But there are a handful of things that you should probably know about too. For example, they are worse for the environment than diesel-based engines. They are also not as efficient from a fuel consumption perspective, so you may struggle to get the same distance.

Which is Best?
So, is there a best option? Is there one choice which is better than the other when it comes to getting around? We aren’t sure personally. We think that it depends a lot on the situation.

The vehicle that you pick will depend on your needs and preferences as a driver. If you are looking for a vehicle which has cheaper fuel costs, then you will obviously want to pick a petrol model. However, if you value those extra miles on a full tank, you’re going to want to get yourself a diesel model.

In conclusion, people will pick a different car according to their specific needs and requirements. The two models differ purely in terms of performance and fuel, but discriminating between them to find the best option can sometimes be difficult. It is your responsibility as the driver to assess your needs, and then make sure that you have selected the vehicle which best suits those demands. Most people over the course of their lives will get a chance to drive both types of vehicle, so you will probably have a reference point. However, if you don’t have a lot of experience, it can be a good idea to ask someone who does, if you do move between petrol and diesel then chances are you might have put petrol in your diesel car, if this happens then neither petrol or diesel would help! 

Ok, so you have just been to the petrol station and in your usual mad rush between seeing to the kids, running errands or fighting the rush hour traffic in your daily commute, your car starts to do funny things and you're not quite sure about it. First thing, don't panic, get yourself to the side of the road and then think about the next 5 warning signs of wrong fuel or fuel contamination in your vehicle.

If you have just left the forecourt and got down the road and your vehicle begins to jump suddenly, this is the number 1 warning sign you have just put the wrong fuel in your tank, this could be petrol in your diesel car or vice versa, but you will know if this happens.

Every time you accelerate it will feel like the car loses power and jolts backwards and forwards as the petrol sticks to the pistons and then acts as a solvent causing damage to the pumps and corroding the lubrication which in turn means you have metal on metal, this can cause long term damage, but not if you get it drained quickly. There are many parts of a diesel engine that is not compatible with petrol, these parts can also be damaged too.

One tell tale sign of a common mis-fuel is the smokey exhaust. If you notice your exhaust smoking heavily then stop the car right away and turn off the ignition. This can be the petrol heating with the diesel causing extreme heat and burning on the exhaust and you don't want to be forking out for a new exhaust!

Sometimes you will hear a big bang or maybe a few splutters depending on the type of vehicle you have. Most cars will misfire, so too will vans and bikes. Lorries and larger vehicles may jolt too as the pistons struggle to cope without lubricant. Again, stop the engine and seek emergency roadside help.

1 - Car Hire 
When you go on holiday you might hire a car, we all like to go those sunny places but sometimes we forget to think about if the car is unleaded or diesel. If you have a diesel car at home and then suddenly you now have a petrol car, it's very easy to fill your diesel car with petrol and then realise your mistake before it's too late. We do have many contracts with many of the UK's biggest car hire companies so you may already be covered in the wrong fuel policy, however, if you are not or have not taken out this kind of policy for whatever reason, we are on call with our 1 hour call out service.

2 - Rushing - (Everyone Rushes!)
It goes without saying, when the sun is out we all tend to head to the coast or places of interest here in the UK, this can often cause panics at fuel stations and many of the feedback we get from customers is that they were rushing and not thinking straight. We get that, too much sun maybe? We are only after all human!

3 - After Buying A New Car
Many of our customers report putting the wrong fuel in their cars shortly after purchasing their new car, so many times (and we have done this ourselves) after moving from petrol to diesel or vice versa, we have gone to the pumps and reached for the wrong fuel pump and then began to fill. Here at Fuel Doctor we know this only too well, but fear not, if you have a nice new shiny car, your engine won't be ruined, the wrong fuel can be flushed out ensuring that your engine is kept in tip top condition at all times.

We know adding the wrong fuel to your car may seem the like worst mistake of your life at the time, but don't let your anxiety hit the 100 mark, it's not hard to fix, simply call our Fuel Doctor on our mobile friendly number 0333 444 9000 and one of our fuel doctors will be out to get you by the roadside, all you have to do is read our reviews and feedback to see why we are the number 1 wrong fuel recovery company in the UK

When reading articles on the internet about this, there are many many scare stories about how putting petrol in your diesel engine can ruin your car, how your engine will blow, how it will erode! Ignore them all and just read our article below to get the full low down on what to do when you have just mixed your petrol and diesel cars.
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A motor vehicle is a finely tuned and handy machine. Many of us would be entirely lost without our vehicles, and it is easy to see why. Each and every car can transport at least two people from one place to the next without any issues at all. ​

Late night trouble as Mercedes owner puts wrong fuel into car, luckily they called the right people for the job and we were on the scene within the hour to save the blushes of this customer. We extracted the wrong fuel and cleaned the tank before injecting the correct stuff and the Mercedes and its owner were swiftly on their way.

If your Car, Van, Bike or even lawnmower gets into wrong fuel territory don't delay in calling the wrong fuel experts, Fuel Doctor.

​We asked one of our customers to share their experience of putting the wrong fuel in their vehicle and how they found the whole experience, sometimes when you're stuck in the middle of nowhere in your vehicle and need help, it's not so bad when you're in a camper van. Here's a story about one family that needed our help and thanks to Alex and family for writing this article for us.

"Many people say that it won't happen to them until it happens to them, we laugh at others that accidentally put the wrong fuel in their cars but when it's you, you realise how much you need help and that feeling of helplessness and the punch in the stomach when you realise you've done something stupid!

We set off for our Scotland adventure and hired a campervan for the first time and we were all excited about hitting the highlands and the lowlands for 10 days to get out their in the countryside. We set off early morning from Manchester and headed up the M6 towards Glasgow with a full tank of diesel, according to our guy we were told that we could expect to get 300 miles on the tank which was more than enough to get us to our destination up to Fort William on the east coast of Scotland. 

We stopped off at Loch Lomond on the way and then set off the next morning further north to where the lowlands met the highlands and got as far as Lochbroom Filling Station when we decided that we should fill the camper back up ready for the next leg of our journey touring the islands off the east coast. It was a complete blonde moment when my husband asked me to fill up while he sorted the bike racks and took the children into the cafe nearby and being so used to putting petrol in my car, I picked up the green nozzle and just began filling. I didn't even notice, I filled the tank up completely and even went in and paid still unknowing as to what I had done!

We moved the camper van to the other side of the forecourt while we had some dinner in the restaurant and it turned over fine, there were no issues whatsoever and we still hadn't realised my error. Then, when we set off again we began to notice weird signs that we had put the wrong fuel in the tank, the acceleration felt jumpy and the camper van didn't feel responsive, after 30 seconds it began to jump and my husband decided to rev the engine a little which seemed to make things worse and so decided to pull over, right there in the middle of nowhere around 9pm.

I remember the sinking feeling when my husband asked me what fuel I put in, it was that moment that I realised I had filled up the tank - and a very big tank at that with petrol!  We sat there for a moment and thought about what we could do when I remembered a friend of mine back in Manchester had mentioned Fuel Doctor when she had also filled her car up with wrong fuel so I googled (with very poor reception) and managed to get the phone number and called them and that's when we knew were going to be ok. The lady on the phone assured me that they had a fuel doctor in the area that could be with us in 2 hours, which is amazing considering where we were so in true British style we put the kettle on and played cards with the kids while we awaited our knight in shining armour.

We received a call from an amazing man called Gerry and that he would be with us within 20 minutes which was great news and ahead of time too, he parked up the van next to the camper, then he found the petrol tank and placed his nozzle thing in the tank and began to drain, it was so quick, we offered a quick cup of tea and thanked him profusely and within 20 minutes he had drained the fuel from our camper and added £10 worth of diesel which was enough to get us back to the filling station where we had come from so we can fill it back up again.

We thought we might have ruined the engine but Gerry was great, he assured us that by turning the engine on without turning it over it would flush out the wrong fuel and let the diesel run through and even added some lubricant. He then began to turn the engine over and after around 4-5 times of trying it sparked into life with a lot of smoke but this died down after a minute or two and we knew we would be ok. 

Gerry didn't stop there though, he then followed us back to the filling station to make sure we got there safely! Sometimes people are amazing and go beyond and we are so made up with Gerry for this.

When we got back to the filling station, it was closed until the morning so we parked up at the side, setup the beds and made hey until the morning. We spent the night at a filling station in the middle of the highlands but it was all part of the adventure, we laughed it off and got on with our holiday. 

Every time I fill up now, I make a point of thinking about what I am putting in my car!