NEW data has revealed more than 1,200 Queenslanders filled their car with the wrong fuel and needed to be rescued by RACQ in 2019.
RACQ spokesperson Lucinda Ross said the club helped on average three drivers every day who had misfuelled.
“Putting the wrong fuel in the tank can happen for a variety of reasons, but generally, we see it happen when drivers are a bit distracted at the servo pump,” Ms Ross said.
“We’re rescuing motorists who may have been driving a hire car and not known what petrol to put in or simply had something else on their minds and didn’t realise they’d picked up the wrong pump.
“Unfortunately, starting the engine after you’ve put the wrong fuel in your car can potentially cause significant damage and many drivers are hitting the road before they realise the mistake they’ve made.”
Ms Ross said misfuelling could potentially damage the fuel pump, the fuel injection system or even the engine itself.
“As soon as you realise you’ve put the wrong fuel in your car stop driving and turn off your engine,” she said.
“In Brisbane, we attended more than 400 breakdowns as a result of people driving with the wrong fuel in their car.
“We’re seeing this happen more and more in south east Queensland, so we now have a dedicated Fuel Assist van that helped get 875 drivers back on the road in 2019 by extracting the wrong fuel before they could damage their vehicle.
“If you’re outside this region and realise your mistake before you start driving, we can organise to tow you to a mechanic to ensure the fuel is drained and any damage to your engine is fixed.”
Extracted from Central Telegraph