Diesel in a petrol car in London: a local drainer comes to you
Do not turn the ignition, not even to check the dashboard. For diesel in a petrol car anywhere in London, a drainer attends with a pump and a sealed tank, empties the fuel system and refills it. From £89 call-out, usually 45 to 90 minutes on site; ring 01295 380724 for the price before you commit.
The mechanism is simple. A petrol engine lights its fuel with a spark, and diesel barely lights that way, so you get misfiring, smoke and eventually a car that will not start.
Diesel in a petrol car in London in numbers
| Place | London |
|---|---|
| Area | Greater London |
| Postcodes | E3, E8, E16, EC3B, EC3M |
| Job | Diesel in a petrol car |
| Price | Call-out from £89, full price quoted first |
| Time on site | 45–90 minutes |
| Who attends | A local drainer with a pump and sealed tank |
| Phone | 01295 380724, 24 hours |
The drain itself, step by step in London
The drainer parks up, checks the vehicle has not been started and makes the area safe with cones and a drip tray. The fuel is pumped out through the filler or the fuel line into a sealed tank on the van, the lines are flushed, a few litres of the right fuel go in, and the engine is started and run until it idles cleanly. The contaminated fuel leaves with them.
What to ask on the phone before a drainer travels to London
A drainer should be happy to answer all of these on the phone. If they will not give a price before travelling, ring someone else.
- Is the vehicle over 3.5 tonnes, and does that change the price?
- Do you bring clean fuel, and is it included?
- Will you dispose of the contaminated fuel, and can I have a note of it?
- Will you check the filter and pump if the engine ran?
- How much more if the engine has already been started?
What to do right now
- Leave the ignition alone — on many cars even unlocking it powers the fuel pump.
- Push the car clear of the pump if needed, with someone steering and the engine off.
- Call 01295 380724 and give the fuel, the amount and your exact location.
- Ask for the whole price, not just the call-out, and agree it.
- The drainer drains the tank into a sealed container and flushes the lines.
- Fresh fuel goes in, the engine is started and the waste fuel leaves with the drainer.
Which London postcodes we cover
postcode districts E3, E8, E16, EC3B, EC3M are all covered, along with the villages around them in Greater London.
Where drainers work in London
Anywhere with safe access. That covers filling stations, services, supermarket car parks, business parks and private drives across London, Greater London. Busy pump lanes are the one place the drainer may ask to move the vehicle a few metres first, by hand.
Calls from Silvertown, Hackney Central, London Gas Museum and Dalston go to the same drainers as London.
The cost of a drain in London
| 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 London
Drainers nearby
More of Greater London
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 London.
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
Do you cover all of London?
Yes — forecourts, roadsides, homes and workplaces across London and the surrounding area.
Can you drain a van or a lorry?
Vans, yes, routinely. Vehicles over 3.5 tonnes are quoted separately because of the volume involved.
Is the drain messy?
No. The fuel is pumped into a sealed tank on the van, and a drip tray catches anything from the connection. The area is left as it was.
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.
How long does a drain take in London?
Usually 45 to 90 minutes on site once the drainer arrives. Longer if the engine was started, because the filter and lines need flushing as well as the tank.
What happens to the fuel you take out?
It goes into a sealed tank on the drainer's van and is taken for licensed disposal and recycling. It is never tipped away.
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.
A misfuel is a good moment to get the filters and the rest of the car looked at — Motor Servicing comes to your home or workplace.
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: Misfuelling (Wikipedia). 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.