Contaminated fuel in a car in Bristol, drained on the spot
Leave the engine off. With contaminated fuel in a car in Bristol, the fix is a local drainer who comes to the vehicle, pumps the tank out, flushes the lines and puts clean fuel in. Call 01295 380724: the call-out starts at £89, the job usually takes 1 to 2 hours, and you hear the full price before anyone sets off.
Water, dirt, microbial growth or stale fuel all behave like a misfuel: rough running, loss of power, a clogged filter. It comes out the same way. That is why the ignition is the one thing not to touch.
Contaminated fuel in a car in Bristol in numbers
| Place | Bristol |
|---|---|
| Area | Bristol |
| Postcodes | BS1, BS2, BS3, BS4, BS5, BS6 |
| Job | Contaminated or bad fuel |
| Price | Call-out from £89, full price quoted first |
| Time on site | 1–2 hours |
| Who attends | A local drainer with a pump and sealed tank |
| Phone | 01295 380724, 24 hours |
When a drainer arrives in Bristol
Expect a van with a pump and a sealed waste tank. The drainer drains the tank, flushes the system through, refuels with enough clean fuel to reach a forecourt, then starts the engine and lets it settle. You do not need a garage and the vehicle does not move until it is ready.
What to ask on the phone before a drainer travels to Bristol
You are going to pay for the job, so it is worth two minutes on the phone first. These are the questions that separate a straight quote from a surprise at the roadside.
- Is the vehicle over 3.5 tonnes, and does that change the price?
- What is the total, not just the call-out, if it is a straight drain?
- Will you check the filter and pump if the engine ran?
- How much more if the engine has already been started?
- Is there an extra charge at night or at the weekend?
What to do right now
- Keep the engine off and put the keys somewhere you will not absent-mindedly use them.
- Move the car only by pushing, with help, and only if it is blocking a pump.
- Phone 01295 380724 and describe what happened.
- Confirm the quote — call-out from £89 — and the arrival window.
- The drainer empties the tank into a sealed container and flushes through.
- After a refuel and a test run, the waste fuel leaves with the drainer for licensed disposal.
Postcodes covered around Bristol
Coverage takes in postcode districts BS1, BS2, BS3, BS4, BS5, BS6 in Bristol. If you are just outside, call anyway — the drainer covering the next area will usually come.
Where drainers work in Bristol
The drainer comes to the vehicle wherever it is in Bristol, Bristol: pump lane, car park, driveway or kerb. Tell the operator exactly where you are on 01295 380724 — a postcode, a landmark or the name of the filling station — and they will give you an arrival window.
The same van covers Bedminster, St Phillips, St Pauls and St Agnes, which usually keeps arrival times short across this side of Bristol.
The cost of a drain in Bristol
| What happened | What the drainer does | Price | Time on site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spotted at the pump, key never turned | Drain, flush, refuel, test start | From £89 call-out | Under 90 mins |
| Ignition on, or started briefly | Drain and filter flush | Quoted before travel | Around 1–2 hours |
| Drove off the forecourt | Drain, flush and a check of the pump | Quoted before travel | Up to 3 hours |
| Lost power or cut out | Drain, flush and diagnosis on site | Quoted before travel | Depends on findings |
| AdBlue went in the diesel | Tank and lines drained and flushed | Quoted per vehicle | Up to 3 hours |
| Price ranges | The call-out, then the drain | Call-out £89–£199 · drain £199–£1,999 | — |
Other drains in Bristol
Drainers nearby
More of Bristol
From the drainer's notebook
Answers
Fuel Fixer, the company behind Wrong Fuel Drain, holds a rating of 4.8 out of 5 from 2,190 reviews on Trustpilot, on a profile claimed since 2017.
Across recent reviews, the themes customers raise most often are staff who stay polite, professional and reassuring during what is a stressful situation, and how quickly a technician arrives and gets the vehicle back on the road in Bristol.
The most common criticism is price. Some customers have felt the cost of an emergency drain was steep for a job that takes under two hours, and that is fair comment on an emergency call-out. It is why the misfuel call-out fee now starts at just £89 and why the full figure is quoted on the phone before a technician sets off — so nothing about the cost is a surprise at the roadside.
Common questions
Can you drain a hire car or a company car?
Yes. Tell the hire company or fleet manager too; many prefer a drain on site to a recovery.
Will you bring fuel?
Yes. The drainer adds enough of the correct fuel to start the engine and reach a filling station.
Can I pay by card?
Yes. Card payment is taken on site once the job is done.
I only put a little in — do I still need a drain?
In most modern diesels, yes. Even a small amount of petrol reduces the lubrication the pump depends on. A drain is cheap compared with a pump.
Will my engine be damaged?
Not if it has not been started. The wrong fuel sitting in the tank touches nothing that a drain cannot clear. Damage starts once it circulates.
Can you drain a van or a lorry?
Vans, yes, routinely. Vehicles over 3.5 tonnes are quoted separately because of the volume involved.
Who you are dealing with
Wrong Fuel Drain is a brand of Fuel Fixer Ltd (company number 08520551), a company of Fuel Fixer International, the multinational group behind this website. Fuel Fixer International is owned by Stockbridge Capital Holdings, a private equity group. Work is carried out by Fuel Fixer Ltd technicians under ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, with Environment Agency waste-carrier registration.
Once the fuel is drained and you are moving again, Motor Servicing will service the car on your driveway rather than making you find a garage.
Across the network
Fuel Fixer sites: Fuel Fixer · Misfuel Doctor · UK Wrong Fuel Repository · Fuel Fixer Scotland
Forecourt Assist sites: Forecourt Assist · AdBlue in Fuel · Wrong Fuel Cumbria · Wrong Fuel Teesside · Wrong Fuel Carlisle · Wrong Fuel Penrith · Wrong Fuel Keswick · Wrong Fuel Kendal · Wrong Fuel Workington · Wrong Fuel Maryport · Wrong Fuel Whitehaven · Wrong Fuel Newcastle · Wrong Fuel Gateshead · Wrong Fuel Sunderland · Wrong Fuel Durham · Wrong Fuel Darlington · Wrong Fuel Middlesbrough · Wrong Fuel Dumfries
Also in the group: Motor Servicing
Background reading: Environment Agency. Service operated by Fuel Fixer, alongside Wrong Fuel, Fuel Fixer Scotland and Motor Servicing, part of Fuel Fixer International and owned by Stockbridge Capital Holdings.