Red diesel in the tank in Hove, drained on the spot
Leave the engine off. With red diesel in the tank in Hove, 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.
Mechanically red diesel runs, but in a road vehicle it is a duty offence; the tank is drained, flushed and the fuel disposed of under licence. That is why the ignition is the one thing not to touch.
Red diesel in the tank in Hove in numbers
| Place | Hove |
|---|---|
| Area | East Sussex |
| Postcodes | BN3, BN52 |
| Job | Red diesel or agricultural fuel in a road vehicle |
| 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 |
The drain itself, step by step in Hove
The job is quieter than people expect. Tank drained into the van, lines flushed, clean fuel added, engine started and watched for a few minutes. The waste fuel is logged and taken for licensed disposal, and you get a receipt showing what was done.
Questions worth asking before you book a drain in Hove
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.
- Do you bring clean fuel, and is it included?
- Can you work on the forecourt, or does the car need to be moved?
- Do you take card payment at the roadside?
- Is the vehicle over 3.5 tonnes, and does that change the price?
- 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.
Which Hove postcodes we cover
We cover postcode districts BN3, BN52 and the surrounding streets in East Sussex. Give the operator your postcode and you will get an arrival window.
Where you can be drained in Hove
Forecourt staff in Hove see this every week and will usually let the vehicle sit in a bay until the drainer arrives. Otherwise the drainer can work on your drive, at your workplace or at the kerb outside.
Nearby, drainers regularly attend West Blatchington and Hangleton as well.
How much it costs in Hove
| What happened | What the drainer does | Price | Time on site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine never started | Tank drained, lines flushed, clean fuel added | From £89 call-out | 45–90 mins |
| Engine started, car not moved | Drain plus a flush of the filter and lines | Quoted on the phone | 1–2 hours |
| Driven a short way | Drain, flush, pump and injector check | Quoted on the phone | 1–3 hours |
| Driven until it stopped | Drain, flush and fuel-system diagnosis | Quoted on the phone | Assessed on arrival |
| AdBlue in the fuel tank | Full drain and flush of tank and lines | Quoted per vehicle | 1–3 hours |
| Price ranges | The call-out, then the drain | Call-out £89–£199 · drain £199–£1,999 | — |
Other drains in Hove
Drainers nearby
More of East Sussex
From the drainer's notebook
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 Hove.
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
Does insurance cover red diesel in the tank?
Many policies exclude misfuelling. Some breakdown cover and optional add-ons include it. Check your policy wording before assuming either way.
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.
The engine is running rough — is that the wrong fuel?
If it started shortly after filling up, very likely. Pull over when it is safe, switch off and call 01295 380724.
Will the car need a service afterwards?
Not after a straight drain. If the engine ran on the wrong fuel, the drainer will tell you whether the filter should be changed.
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.
Will you bring fuel?
Yes. The drainer adds enough of the correct fuel to start the engine and reach a filling station.
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.