lisawhistler

My mind was on something else and despite owning my GLK 250 Bluetec (2013) for 2 years and never done this before, I messed up. My tank was virtually empty, so went to gas station and put in $10 (10 litres) of gas before I realized it should be diesel! Have NOT turned engine on but had the car towed to nearest Mercedes dealership.

Mercedes Benz did an assessment and is telling me that the procedure they will do is to siphon out the gas, change the fuel filter, check the fuel pipes and then fill up again with diesel and run the engine. Cost is $2000 for this!! (Please remember I did NOT turn car on!)

They then said that provided there are no filaments left, then I am good to go. However, they warn me that it may cost more than this.

Am I missing something here and is it just another MB money grab?

Wondering if anybody has anything to say about this?

sblvro

a money grab? why not drain the fuel tank? did the dealer try to start it that's why they need to fix something more than needed? if you're sure you did not start it after realizing your mistake, then a tank drain and flush if you want is all that is needed.

Mynewbenz14

If you did not start the car. I recommend you siphon the tank yourself and flush it if you know how or bring a local mechanic and then fill it with diesel. If you started the car I would go to the dealership

Alex Bel

I agree with suggestion above. If tank was almost empty and you put in the gas instead of a diesel and DID NOT start the engine - all you have is a diesel in the tank. The system still filled with diesel, so you would need only to siphon the tank, clean it up and refill with the diesel.

I would not agree on any extra costly steps like change the fuel filter, check the fuel lines, etc.

nycphotography

seriously. siphon the gas. To rock bottom empty, but even if there's like a half gallon left and you FILL it with diesel, it will be OK. it's 2.5% gas. Not ideal but won't likely hurt it.

But if you're REALLY worried... after you FILL it with diesel... then SIPHON OUT THE DIESEL (and give it to someone with oil heat to burn it).

Then FILL IT WITH DIESEL AGAIN. Now you have a half gallon of 2.5% gas blended with 20 gal of diesel. That's, oh, .06% (2.5% of 2.5%) gas and 99.94% diesel.

Total cost, $20 for the siphon kit, $100 for 4 jerry cans, and $80 for 20 gallons of waste diesel. A $200 mistake, but thats way better then $2g to the dealer.

sblvro

now, the problem is whether the dealer did not accidentally crank the engine to suggest those fixes. you know stuuf happens inside the service bay?

nycphotography

If the dealer cranked the engine then the dealer (should be) owns the problem.

Should be. In reality it could be a really messy fight.

Bob338

If you've ever tried to drain a fuel tank you'll know that by siphoning it's impossible to drain completely. Most are flat below and fuel pools away from the siphon hose and could leave quite a bit of gasoline behind. Depending on whether the fuel tank has a drain plug (which most in modern cars don't,) then the problem would be more difficult.

Without knowing the configuration of the tank, most any advice here can't be worth much. A minuscule amount of gasoline left in tank with a full tank of diesel, isn't going to make much difference nor will it damage the engine. One old way of winterizing diesel was to add a small percentage of kerosene, which is very similar to gasoline.

I'd get detail on what took place, and if the dealership did fire up the engine and contaminate the fuel lines and filters. If they did, that's another set of problems. Then, determine the ability to drain the tank from below. Depending on where the plug is, the vehicle can be jacked and tilted to empty the tank completely, and if easily accessible, it's a DIY.

Ben Conner

Don't know where the fuel pump is located on the car, but is there a way to disconnect the fuel line after the pump and let the pump do the work? Change the fuel filter, filler up and move on. Seems like the fuel pump would keep pumping in an attempt to prime and would empty the tank out. Just a thought.

bop11

The problem is that turning on the ignition activates the fuel pump and puts what ever is in the tank in to the fuel system. VW use to say that in an emergency you could run small amounts of gasoline in their diesel. You may want to drain the tank by disconnecting the line that goes to the injectors (pressure rail) and putting in a few gallons of diesel, then running the pump by turning on the ignition.Due this a couple of times to dilute any residual gasoline to a very small quantity. Remember the fuel pump is cooled by the fluid so don't run the tank dry just keep adding diesel. If you put about 2 gallons in of gas, put 2 gallons of diesel dilutes it to 50% pump out 2, add 2 more that dilutes it to 25% pump 2 and add 2 will dilute it to 12% do again and your down to <6%. Now you are down to 1/2 liter. Add 10 gallons and you are less than 1%.
Of course you have 6 gallons of a mix. You can add this to you 250 gallon home heating oil tank oil tank and never know it.
Old truckers use to add some gasoline to their trucks under the impression that it cleaned the injectors but probably not and they did not have sensitive emission systems. With 1 % gasoline, you may notice some loss of power but probably not. However what ever method you use to drain the gas, make sure yu drain the system through the high pressure common rail as the dealer probably turned on the key to unlock the wheels and drive.

rmfnla

Yeesh, so many odd ways to fix this.

I had a gas station attendant do this to my 300D way back when. The station mechanic drained the tank via the drain plug, then pumped a couple of gallons of diesel in to flush it out. Replaced the plug, filled it up, and off I went; car ran fine and they comped me the tank of diesel for my trouble.

As others have said, as long as the car has not been cranked this will work; if it has the fun begins...

sblvro

Doesn't it have a manual pump to clear the air or diesel from the line?

NYCGLK

I can see how it's 2k at a dealer. They will try to do everything necessary and unnecessary.

Might as well have dealer do it since the car is already there. If somebody other than dealer screws up, you risk voiding your warranty. And you already told MB that you filled tank with gasoline.

bop11

These cars are pressure rail systems where the injectors are electrically fired, so there is no need to worry about air in the system. The fuel in the rail must be drained to insure if any gasoline got there it is diluted down to a very low percentage. The pressure regulator is a back pressure regulator to keep the rail at a specific pressure so some fuel is always being recirculated back to the tank. Eventually this will insure that what is in the tank is what is in the rail.

rmfnla

Eventually won't cut it; gas will destroy the fuel pump and the injectors...

LesF

I think you now may have a warranty problem. Since you discussed the issue with the dealer if anything happens to the fuel/engine and they pin it on the fueling error you told them about they may claim the repairs were not completed by a certified mechanic which could your warranty.

nycphotography

So no good deed goes unpunished, eh?

Bankheadraylo

if spending too much money is a concern Google and get it done DYI. I've been doing great saving money DYI and the internet mechanic DYI. Like change fuel pumps ABC hoses Rodeo reset upgrades . It's not nearly as hard to do vs the money they charge