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Wrong type of fuel from local garage?

On 15 Nov 2011 at 12:39pm Petrol head wrote:

I used a garage on/near the A26 local to Lewes area on Sunday 13th October to fill with diesel but got kerosene instead.
I used the diesel pump (something I made very sure of at the time) but thought it smelt like petrol so when I went in to pay I asked the attendant if he could check that I'd definitely filled up with diesel. He checked on the till and told me I had.
When I went home and used the fuel my machine soon stopped working. On closer inspection I found I had filled it up with kerosene (i.e heating fuel). I went back to the garage today and checked with the attendant. He remembered our conversation and said that definitely the till had told him that it was diesel.
I asked how the till knew and if a pump could have fuel diverted to it from the wrong tank. Answer no. This is baffling. It can only make any sense if the garage's underground diesel tank had been filled up with kerosene by mistake and f this was the case then I will not be the only one recently to have had their diesel vehicle stop after a while.

So, if anyone knows of anyone who has experienced fuel oddities in the last few days after filling up with diesel at a garage on (or near, just to obfuscate a little) the A26 Lewes to Uckfield road. I'd be happy if you asked them to post here.

Thanks.

On 15 Nov 2011 at 1:13pm Hamster wrote:

Might be worth speaking to Trading Standards at East Sussex County Council

Check it out here »

On 15 Nov 2011 at 1:15pm Hamster wrote:

Details are below
Trading Standards
St Mary's House,
52 St Leonards Road,
Eastbourne,
East Sussex BN21 3UU

Phone: 0345 60 80 197
Fax: 01323 463422
Email: [email protected]

On 15 Nov 2011 at 3:04pm M.T.Wells wrote:

There`s no fuel like an old fuel.

On 15 Nov 2011 at 3:28pm Ed Can Do wrote:

A fuel and his money are easily parted.

On 15 Nov 2011 at 4:29pm Petrol head wrote:

Thanks for the trading standards link but even I have problems believing that situation as I see it can be correct (and I have no receipt as proof) so would really like some confirmation that someone else has experienced the same issue before wondering what to do next.

On 15 Nov 2011 at 5:42pm DFL wrote:

Why no receipt ?

On 15 Nov 2011 at 7:16pm mickyboy wrote:

heating oil or kerosine will run perfectly in your engine without causing any damage, heating oil will possibly cause some whitish smoke, kerosine has a sweet smell and no smoke, the handbook for my old mercedees 307 luton van stated that in absence of winter fuel use up to 25% petrol to prevent the diesel freezing, once caught short in eastern europe I used industrial alcohol in the diesel t acheive the same result
as an aside if the garage was clayhill by the barcombe turning does anyone know what happened to harry bourne who used to own it back in the days when it had a cafe on the side. (1970s)

On 15 Nov 2011 at 8:28pm Peter Pan wrote:

I think Harry died many years ago, and his wife had the house nextdoor built ( can't remember her name now) thats the one with the big wall around it not sure about the caravan site behind,that may also be part of it

On 15 Nov 2011 at 11:01pm Petrol head wrote:

The receipt got out in the bin and taken away tuesday morning. Kerosene seemed to be ok in dumper truck which had some diesel left in it but digger had no diesel left in it and failed to work with kerosene.

On 16 Nov 2011 at 10:29am Ed Can Do wrote:

Fuel me once, shame on you. Fuel me twice, shame on me.

I'll get my coat.

On 16 Nov 2011 at 12:46pm Petrol head wrote:

Wonderful. Have just found receipt, which is for diesel and then remembered I had also filled up my pick-up. The smell from the fuel tank is definitely not diesel.