How daft can you get?
By Humbug25
@Humbug25 (12540)
October 22, 2008 2:34pm CST
It came to light today that in Essex in England, police officers have been filling their patrol cars with unleaded petrol when they should have been putting Deisel in. This has happened no less than 222 times and to the expense of £40,000/$70,000 in five years. To help solve this problem, little black boxes have been stuck on the inside of the fuel cap. When the cap is opened the speaker delivers a short burst of beeps before a message warning drivers they need to fill the engine with diesel only.
Have you ever put the wrong type of fuel in your vehicle? Have you ever done it to anyone elses vehicle?
3 people like this
7 responses
@ronaldinu (12422)
• Malta
22 Oct 08
Yes it happened to me once, I was driving my car's wife who takes unleaded petrol. I don;t know what the pump attended put into the car but it was not certainly unleaded petrol. Thankfully it happened only once to me and there were no serious repercussions. © ronaldinu 2008
2 people like this
@bunnybon7 (50973)
• Holiday, Florida
22 Oct 08
well thats cute! i love it. yes, years ago when i first learned to drive. I didnt learn till i was done raising kids, 38yrs old
i wish id had that little beeper
@wolfie34 (26771)
• United Kingdom
22 Oct 08
Now me wonders why that the crime rate in the UK is so high when you have police with this sort of mentality, the criminals must be laughing their heads off reading that article and I can't blame them, I can honestly say that I've never filled up with diesel instead of petrol in all my driving years, I mean honestly how confusing can it be? I would laugh if it wasn't so true and tragic and this is what we pay our taxes for? The expense of reversing these idiotic mistakes, good grief!
2 people like this
@Humbug25 (12540)
•
22 Oct 08
Hi ya wolfie34
I know I couldn't beleive my ears when I heard it on the radio earlier today, honestly, how daft can you get? I too have never done it and it would have been understandable whilst we were converting from 4 star to unleaded but not this day in age! A rep on speaking on behalf of the police force said that policemen are only human and we all make mistakes. Yes we do make mistakes but not this sort!!
Cheers wolfie 
2 people like this
@coolseeds (3919)
• United States
23 Oct 08
It doesn't make me feel confident with England's police force. That is just dumb. I have never done this to my vehicle or anyone else's. I am more aware of what is going on around me to make that mistake.
1 person likes this
@p1kef1sh (45681)
•
22 Oct 08
I've never done it Humbug but a friend did a couple of years ago when they went from a diesel car to a petrol one. A brand new Volvo V70. (One of the Yummy Mummy ones). Fortunately she realised what she had done and didn't try to start the car. They had to drain the tank at quite some expense. She's not done it again and it's been a salutary lesson for the rest of us.
1 person likes this
@Humbug25 (12540)
•
22 Oct 08
Hi ya p1key
I too have never done it and I'm not saying that I am not daft enough to never do it as mistakes do happen but not 222 times surely? Having said that I am sure it wasn't the same officer who did it every time though you would think that they would realise that they are driving a 'works' vehicle and remember that it probably didn't take the same fuel as their own personal car! Ho hum 
Cheers p1key
Cheers p1key 1 person likes this
@rocketj1 (6955)
• United States
22 Oct 08
Most deisel pumps are located away from the regular pumps where I come from. I believe that the nozzle is a different size too to keep this from happening. I may be wrong on that last part. Maybe someone else can correct me on that if I'm wrong.
1 person likes this
@rocketj1 (6955)
• United States
22 Oct 08
It's all self-serve here now too. I kind of feel sorry for the elderly who have to pump their own gas. I think in a bigger city like the one I'm originally from, you may find a service station with at least one pump that is full-service for people like that.
1 person likes this
@rkotaker (60)
•
23 Oct 08
Yes have done it myself in a old banger i had. Just wasnt paying attention until i had put about £15 worth of diesel and did a homer simpson DOH!!!! Got the car tolled home drained out all the diesel and filled the car to the brime with petrol and it started again but was a bit jumpy fro a few days but work well after a week or two. Its more costly if you put petrol into a diesel car though as you have to replace filters as well
1 person likes this
You were lucky not to have done more damage to it than you might have done.