Road - Misfuelling

Here’s a worrying thought. When it comes to putting the wrong fuel in either a petrol or diesel car, more men than women get it wrong! You’d think we would all have learned by now, green for petrol and black for diesel – or is it the other way round?

According to a Green Flag survey the practice is still rife with one misfuel event happening every 3.5 minutes which equates to around 150,000 misfuels per year. And depending on how quickly you notice the mistake and who you call out, a misfuel can cost anything from £175.00 to £3,000 - and upwards, depending on how much damage is done.

Anyway, a chap called Lee Steadman has designed and produced a neat wee device to prevent motorists putting petrol in diesel vehicles. It has taken the British engineer two years to design, test and manufacture prototypes, but the final product is now on the market.

The opening to a fuel tank fitted with a Diesel Head needs a ‘diesel’ diameter nozzle to activate the opening and let the nozzle in which means that the smaller petrol nozzle won’t fit – although I know a few numpties who would have a go anyway. The only thing you have to be aware of is the clearance between your existing filler and any body flap that hinges over it, so check the fitting first.

Constructed from cast metal, the device is available via: www.dieselhead.co.uk for £34.99 and a lockable version for £39.99. 

So just how sure are you that you, the wife or the weans won’t fill up at the wrong pump in the middle of Winter, knee deep in snow, at the height of the Christmas shopping rush, with congested traffic clogging up every highway and byway, and your temper is more frazzled than the average bloke’s barbecued sausages?