Is this mechanic trying to rip me off or is this a reasonable price?

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BRICH999@reddit

Im always curious how this happens. Gas in a diesel, i understand but how did you actually do it? You didn't find it strange the nozzle wouldn't fit in your filler neck? Did you use a funnel or just go slowly to not spill? There's a reason the diesel nozzle is larger diameter than the gasoline nozzle

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Tony-cums@reddit

And the smell. And diesel pumps are usually caked with diesel. And , oh I don’t know, paying attention. And, oh I don’t know, watching as you grow up so you know how to function when it’s your time to shine. Just my thoughts.

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ShadowAdam@reddit

Not everyone has the luxury of parents to teach them these things, nor the luxury of a parent or guardian who actually helps them or owns a car. Be kind and you might be happier in life

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Tony-cums@reddit

Yet we are walking around with smart phones and owners manuals.

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numi986@reddit (OP)

you do realize this is my problem right.. yet somehow you seem more upset than I am

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Tony-cums@reddit

Not upset at all. It’s typical of the new generation 😂😂. I find it funny.

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numi986@reddit (OP)

I mean even so, I made an honest mistake and I’ll end up having to learn from it, oh well it happens It’s not the end of the world

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numi986@reddit (OP)

where was I supposed to learn that diesel was bad for a gas car, it isn’t exactly taught anywhere

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kwajr@reddit

Is this in the USA the nozzle should not physically be able to be Inserted to begin with

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Mean_Farmer4616@reddit

false. There are tons of pumps with normal sized car nozzles for diesel for these things out there called cars that have diesel engines. What a shocker right?

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ly5ergic@reddit

I thought they all had the bigger nozzle and fit into diesel cars.

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DryFoundation2323@reddit

the filler nozzle for auto diesel will fit fine in an automobile. the filler nozzle for truck diesel is bigger diameter. yes they're both actually the same product but the difference is whether the pump is intended for cars or semi trucks.

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BRICH999@reddit

Weird, i use truck diesel pumps and they are much bigger nozzles and flow real fast. i just assumed this was how all diesel pumps all were. i was trying to figure out how they fueled up when that nozzles flows so fast and doesn't fit in the neck.

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DryFoundation2323@reddit

if you're at a pump Island intended for automobiles the diesel filler neck will be smaller in diameter and the flow rate will be lower.

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kwajr@reddit

We don't usually have diesel pumps here that are Intended for cars as you know diesel cars are not very comoon in the US

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DryFoundation2323@reddit

I had a 2017 Chevy Cruze for a while that was a diesel. they do exist and there are Auto diesel pumps around.

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Tony-cums@reddit

Literally have the power of everything in you hand. But even opening your eyes or your manual would suffice plenty.

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Mean_Farmer4616@reddit

There are plenty of normal sized diesel pumps. I don't know why everybody thinks that EVERY diesel pump nozzle is bigger than gas, when it is almost never. I have a diesel truck and gas car, I'm filling up the truck all the time it seems and I'd say at least 50% of the stations I go to use same size nozzles for gas or diesel. Diesel cars don't have a bigger opening for fuel like a truck does, so when I had my TDI I couldn't even use the truck pumps, had to find the normal car sized ones.

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BRICH999@reddit

There are millions of people who drive diesel trucks every day for work that don't fit at car diesel pumps. Ive been to maybe 250 truck fuel stations and never encountered one that wasn't much larger nozzle and flow rate. But then again I don't drive a diesel pickup truck, so I wasn't aware the car pumps were gasoline sized.

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numi986@reddit (OP)

The nozzle for just fine, it wasn’t spilling out. I’ve heard the nozzle is different at different gas stations or cities, etc Howd I do it? I didn’t know the difference While it may seem black and white obvious, it was my very first time ever putting gas in my car, I had no idea the pumps were different

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BRICH999@reddit

dont feel bad, i have been driving for 23 years and i just learned diesel pumps arent all the same. truck diesel pumps are much larger nozzle and cannot fit in a gas filler neck plus they flow probably like 4x as fast as a regular fuel pump so i was imagining it wouldve been quite difficult and messy to make this mistake but i was wrong. TIL car diesel pumps are the same size as car gas pump nozzles

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Glittering-Ad5809@reddit

>I just grabbed the one closest to my gas cap, clicked on 87 and the rest is history.. HUH? If you clicked on 87 which is gas, how did you get diesel?

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numi986@reddit (OP)

I clicked on 87, however I’m unsure if it actually did anything I assume I got diesel because I was using the diesel pump. So clicking on 87, didn’t really do anything

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No_Tomato_2106@reddit

Replacing the injectors and fuel pump is overkill. Draining the tank and flushing the fuel system should be more than enough.

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salvage814@reddit

Only if you didn't run it till it stopped. Once it reaches the injectors your SOL. Diesel is very oily and will gum up the fuel system on a gas car. Even with 50 fuel treat flushes the injectors won't work right. They will stick on or closed.

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DiddyEpsteinSixSeven@reddit

No it is not. It is overkill if you don't run it. But if you didn't, might as well replace that too

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Herbisretired@reddit

They weren't damaged and they just need to be flushed out. Why would you replace them?

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Willing_Sink_3623@reddit

I missed the part where the op stated the injectors weren't damaged. We don't know if they are yet, the car doesn't run.

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IWontCommentAtAll@reddit

3-5 miles wouldn't damage the injectors. It's likely diesel barely even got to them, otherwise the car would have died on the way home, or at least started running very poorly.

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Willing_Sink_3623@reddit

failing to restart means the diesel is in the rail. i agree that it is not likely to have damaged the injectors, but i have seen it happen enough for it to be a talking point to customers prior to their approval for repairs.

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No_Tomato_2106@reddit

Diesel won't ruin injectors and a fuel pump that fast. You'd have to be running a mix of the 2 for a while to cause damage. They more than likely used mainly gas in the lines for the short drive home and now the uncombustable diesel is now present in the system. Fuel pumps and injectors, especially on common cars, are pretty hardy. OP just needs to drain the tank and flush the system, maybe use a fuel system cleaner, and they should be good. Any deposits in the engine will be burnt off after a few minutes.

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numi986@reddit (OP)

gotcha! Thank you

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No_Session7694@reddit

Just saying (assuming based off ur pic that your also a girl) I have been screwed over so many different times by major chain mechanics one time at Firestone. I took my car there for an oil change and not only did they drain all the oil and not put new oil in. I guess I thought I wouldn’t check but they left it so that now the oil pan was dripping when it wasn’t before ended up taking like eight months going to corporate filing a claim having adjusters come out, etc. finally got them to admit their fuck up and they put eight grand worth of work into my car, but still I drove home and didn’t check the oil until after they had already had me pay thankfully I did check the oil and realized it was empty while I was still on site otherwise that really would’ve fucked up my car but didn’t notice that it was dripping until I got home. They tried to say the oil pan was already dripping obviously it wasn’t and that’s why I ended up getting the settlement but still just try to be really careful especially as a woman they will always try to rip you off even if you don’t have much car knowledge never tell them that I walk in mechanics as if I’m hot fucking shit and I know everything about my car because if you act like you don’t know then they will fuck you over as a woman obviously still be polite and stuff, but just don’t let yourself be portrait as a victim. Sorry for any type. I was using voice text.

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ly5ergic@reddit

Some of the places will try to do it everyone even if you do have car knowledge. I don't know how they stay in business.

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numi986@reddit (OP)

hii yes I’m a girl, I did hear about those kinds of warnings, being ripped off as a woman by the auto industry… Which is why I’m here today to find out how reasonable this repair really is 😅 I’m glad u got ur settlement!!

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salvage814@reddit

You drove it then cranked it. It wouldn't start cause the diesel made it to the injectors and flooded the engine. Thank God it wasn't gas in a diesel car you can melt pisions if you do that.

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EGGWURST@reddit

I don't understand how this is even possible, the diesel nozzle isn't supposed to fit in gas cars

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Calabeeb@reddit

itll be fine with just a flush. If its a diesel engine and you put reg gas then its a different story

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Gunk_Olgidar@reddit

Find another mechanic who will: 1. drain the tank. 2. purge the fuel line. 3. run it. \#1 and #2 can be done under the hood in an hour. Two tops. Total cost maybe $500 ... all of it labor.

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Talentless_Cooking@reddit

The price isn't the problem if they are damaged, it's over 10 years old now, so it may have done damage. I'm surprised fuel filter isn't on the list, it would be gunky too if the other parts were damaged.

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Sweet_Speech_9054@reddit

Honestly sounds cheap to me. My shop would charge a diagnostic (195), 3.1hr labor @170/hr, 596 for the fuel pump, 921 for the injectors, and 50 a gallon hazmat. That would come to $2,739 if you had 10 gallons. And that doesn’t include refilling the tank which could be another $50 maybe more depending where you live. But the diagnostic would possibly eliminate any good parts so you might not need a pump or injectors. I’m guessing they’re just replacing everything without diagnosing it, which isn’t exactly professional but is common. I would recommend going to some other shops and look for someone who is going to diagnose the parts not just replace them. Diesel can damage those parts but a professional shop would check if they’re bad before replacing them.

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CaliforniaNavyDude@reddit

That sounds cheap for that work, honestly. Probably not necessary to replace the injectors, but I understand the impulse just to make sure there's no problem when they can do it that cheap. Go ahead and ask for just the fuel pump and flush the system. Should save you about 20-30% on the job.

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This-Fisherman-7422@reddit

Have Google fix your car then. Shol is doing the correct thing by covering their bases. The injectors might not be necessary but it's professional of them to present the whole possible picture instead of breadcrumbing it.

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PulledOverAgain@reddit

If it were me I would drain the tank. I would do so but taking off a fuel line and using the pump in the tank to pump it out. I seriously doubt the diesel did anything to hurt any components of the system.

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Tool_junkie_1972@reddit

It may be as simple as they are protecting themselves. If they did a flush and that didn’t fix it, or if next week your fuel pump went out, they would be facing the “I paid you to fix it and you didn’t” scenario. Very similar to the “Ever since you did xyz to my car, abc hasn’t worked right.”

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numi986@reddit (OP)

I can see how this might be true, better to have it at 100% rather than leave it to chance I suppose

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william_f_murray@reddit

I've drained the tank of several gassers filled with diesel, ran fresh gas through the lines, and changed literally nothing else with zero issue. Sure there's gonna be some smoke for a minute or two on your first startup after, but there's no reason to replace the pump and injectors unless you just like throwing away money. If it was the other way around and you put gas in a diesel, there'd definitely be parts involved and a MUCH higher repair bill.

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jrileyy229@reddit

I don't know these cars at all... But if you're basically already at the fuel pump... It's a 12 year old car... I'd just do it considering it's just $100 bucks

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william_f_murray@reddit

If you knew the (lack of) quality of parts available today, especially aftermarket stuff from parts stores, you wouldn't recommend a $100 fuel pump. I'd much rather have a 12 year old OEM pump that currently works than a brand new aftermarket unit any day.

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jrileyy229@reddit

Oh I believe that... I bought a walbro fuel pump on Amazon and turned out it was fake or counterfeit or however you label it... Bunch of cheapo fuel pumps put in walbro boxes and sold on Amazon. It died after an hour on track... I didn't know about this being a thing until I took it out and compared it to the original that lasted 5 years and did some digging. My point is, that is probably the same plant manufacturing other shitty fuel pumps that get sold on Amazon for normal cars as well.

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Euphoric_Local3265@reddit

Not always good practice to replace known good parts just for the heck of it.

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jrileyy229@reddit

No, I'd go do some homework first, see if they're known to fail, see what they cost, how hard they are to change, etc. But it's at least a consideration for the old "while you're in there "... Especially since it's been sitting in diesel for a day

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numi986@reddit (OP)

Yes I did hear about this. Gas in a diesel was horrible. Whilst diesel in a gas still bad, but often far more fixable for cheap. I suspect they’re trying to price gauge me to replace parts that don’t need to be replaced, but I can’t say for sure as I’m not auto knowledgeable 😅

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Small-Field6252@reddit

$1250 feels kinda wild if you only drove it a few miles honestly. I’d definitely get a second opinion before agreeing to replace all that stuff. Sounds like an easy mistake too, don’t beat yourself up over it. First car + first time filling up, it happens more than people admit lol

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numi986@reddit (OP)

Mhm I’m trying to get a second quote to avoid paying such a high price and yeah.. it’s a lesson I’ll never forget. Unfortunately I was an only child, and my grandma didn’t own a car because she hardly ever left home anyway, so I grew up walking, Ubers if I ever needed to travel far, when I got my first car two days ago everything including how to get gas was a brand new experience.

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SmoothSlavperator@reddit

I wanna know how you got the nozzle into you filler hole.

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numi986@reddit (OP)

It fit just fine!!! 😭 I think the nozzle at my local gas station is just smaller than what everyone is used to. So it fit just fine. No spills

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Willing_Sink_3623@reddit

Seems pretty reasonable

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Prize-Mail-6769@reddit

That’s… not that ridiculous but is overkill. How did confuse diesel and gas in the first place though?

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numi986@reddit (OP)

It’s my 1st car, I’ve never held a gas pump in my life until yesterday, and it just so happened to the be the wrong one I’m afraid. lesson learned.

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Prize-Mail-6769@reddit

I swear I’m not trying to give you a hard time. But ones green and doesn’t fit, right?

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numi986@reddit (OP)

It fit just fine, after research today I learned they’re different sizes everywhere, varies by gas station and city. But to answer ur question, it fit just fine and nothing spilled out

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oldvikingbas@reddit

If it was me doing the repair I would drain and refill the tank and go from there...diesel is oil...may be a little smoke for a while

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TactualTransAm@reddit

I'm a mechanic, that seems like a reasonable price. If you want to try to drain the tank without replacing the parts that's fine, but it isn't a 100 percent fix, maybe a 90 percent chance of it being okay, but I think your mechanic is just trying to be safe. Just ask him if he can drain the tank and refill with gas, he would probably do it.

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Flashy_Possible37@reddit

Drain gas change plugs ride on

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ethernetbite@reddit

As no_tomato said, changing the fuel pump and injectors is likely not necessary. If i was doing the job for a costumer, I'd drain and flush the tank, then flush the fuel lines and injectors. Change the fuel filter, then Put good gas in and see if it needed anything else. I use to run 10% diesel in my gas truck when i was driving a lot. Never even noticed a difference. ( why? some theory about fuel system and valve lubrication, but stopped the 10% when i didn't need to drive as many miles. ) --retired mechanic.

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numi986@reddit (OP)

So I should probably see about flushing it out before any replacements. Thank you

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Sweet_Baby_Cheezus@reddit

Yes, this seems fair. So diesel has more energy in it, but it requires a hotter tempature to burn and more space to expand in the cylinder. The reason you're car isn't starting is you drove it home with a hot engine and now the cold engine can't ignite the fuel. Diesel is thicker than gas and can clog up fuel injectors and the fuel pump. Now you could drain the tank, take the fuel injectors out, bleed the lines, then run some cleaner through everything and you might be fine. But there's no way for the mechanic to certify that, because if there is a clog or damage to the pump, they'll have to take everything out, put it back in, then replace everything anyways. Because of the labor, it's cheaper just to be sure all the parts are working the first time. You actually got very lucky. Had you run your car for a while, you could have damaged your engine or ruined your emissions systems.

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Readditlovesbans@reddit

[https://www.reddit.com/r/askcarguys/comments/109555p/accidentally\_put\_diesel\_fuel\_into\_gasengine/](https://www.reddit.com/r/askcarguys/comments/109555p/accidentally_put_diesel_fuel_into_gasengine/)

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numi986@reddit (OP)

Thank you

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SonnyAceStone@reddit

This sounds very reasonable. As long is it takes care of your problem.

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numi986@reddit (OP)

Thank you!

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yentlequible@reddit

Without any info on labor, that seems super cheap for such a costly mistake to make.

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numi986@reddit (OP)

gotcha! Thank you! Yeah… they say pain is the best teacher.. it’s sad I had to learn such a lesson so early on into my first car but.. it happens I guess.

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