Help with dealer / petrol station situation

Over Clocker

Over Clocker

Over Clocker

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Hello,

We recently purchased a VW Caddy van, 2nd hand, but with a 3 month dealer warranty.

Just before the 3 month period was up, the van developed a problem. It all of a sudden started stuttering and sounded like it was misfiring.

It then was ok for a little while. After this, I filled up with Diesel (I have a receipt and CCTV proof that I filled up diesel. As soon as I left the garage, the stuttering started again. I pulled over and called the dealership, and they towed the van back to the dealership.

They called the next day to say the problem was caused by petrol in the diesel, which they said they could smell. I said to them that it couldn't be as I proof we filled up Diesel, and the petrol station have had no complaints from anyone else at all. Also, the fact that it happened BEFORE I filled up also.

I am personally starting to think now that the dealership are trying to pull a fast one on us to get out of paying for something within warranty terms.

Any ideas, advice etc?

Thank you,

Mal
 
Ypu have a receipt that says diesel I presume?

I believe petrol and diesel are stored in the same tank in the tanker but one is lighter and floats about the other. This could be BS as the 1000's of diseased cars in the country all semm to work fine!

Sounds like the van has a prob and the dealer is being a dealer. Kick up a fuss and threaten with trading standards methinks :)

Good luck!
 
but proof of filling it with diesel does not prove it's not had petrol in it already?
 
SeatIbiza said:
Ypu have a receipt that says diesel I presume?

I believe petrol and diesel are stored in the same tank in the tanker but one is lighter and floats about the other. This could be BS as the 1000's of diseased cars in the country all semm to work fine!

Sounds like the van has a prob and the dealer is being a dealer. Kick up a fuss and threaten with trading standards methinks :)

Good luck!
Click to expand...

This is funny.
 
I said it could be BS (I think I read it on here)...but how else would you explain unleaded in diesel unless the OP put it in...
 
SeatIbiza said:
Ypu have a receipt that says diesel I presume?

I believe petrol and diesel are stored in the same tank in the tanker but one is lighter and floats about the other. This could be BS as the 1000's of diseased cars in the country all semm to work fine!

Sounds like the van has a prob and the dealer is being a dealer. Kick up a fuss and threaten with trading standards methinks :)

Good luck!
Click to expand...

ROFL, that is most definitely, 100%, unadulterated BS.

Tankers are split into compartments , if you look closely you can see the vertical lines down the side.

It's not unknown for fuel to end up in the wrong tank because of human error, when the driver connects the wrong compartment to the wrong tank
 
As for incorrect filling, I am surprised the locking mechanism in the tanks even allow you to connect the wrong fuel type to it at the station?

I would imagine filling error happens at the time of filling the tanker itself?

Might be totally wrong though, just in my mind the biggest point of failure (and no offence!) is probably going to be the tanker operator as opposed to the source filling station and as such there is where I would hope there to be failsafes most.
 
The hoses and connectors are all the same, quite often stations will re-purpose the tanks. I worked in a station in the days when LRP was being phased out and we switched them all to super - was just a case of emptying the tank and relabelling the pumps.

If people are paying attention, it's fairly difficult to make a mistake. The driver will have a sheet of the compartments which are for your station - generally only 2 or 3 compartments out of 6/7 (iirc). You'll then take a tank dip to see which tanks the fuel will fit in - it's all automated so it will go in one of them! Then it's just a case of ensuring the driver connects the right compartment to the right tank.

You'll notice fairly soon if it's the wrong grade because the totals wont match up at the end - tank volume + delivery should equal final volume less sales. It's more of a problem if you havent read the dip properly and the delivery doesnt fit - you have to leave the tanker connected until you've sold enough fuel. When the delivery happens at midnight, the drivers reeeeally dont like that
 
Maybe the petrol had been in for a while, anybody else filled it up since having it, Diesel is heavier than petrol so maybe someone put a little in by mistake but as you needed to fill up again its remixed. possible? I dunno;)
 
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