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I have a Toyota Yaris hybrid from 2018. Last saturday my tank was half-way full, but I had to buy some things at the gas station and decided to purchase 7 or 8 litters of unleaded gasoline (10 euros). That sunday I used my car for 20 km or so with no issues. On monday I went to work, and I noticed that my car was vibrating too much when the gas motor was on. On my way back home, the vibration was more noticeable and I decided to take it to the dealership repair shop.

The mechanic there said that there was an issue with the fuel: Apparently I put diesel in the car instead of gasonile. Now, I don't know how that diesel got to my car's tank because of the following reasons:

  1. I have a receipt from the gas station staying that I bought gasoline and not diesel. Where I live, you pay in advance for your gas and the only nozzle that activates is the one corresponding to the one you purchase.
  2. The diesel nozzle is bigger than the gasoline one, and does not physically fits into my car.
  3. I'm not that stupid.

I asked for a sample of the "mixed" fuel on the repair shop. I compared that sample with a "clean" one from the gas station, and they seem different to me (different color and smell).

In the repair shop, they replaced the sparkplugs with new ones, and emptied the fuel tank. The car now is running fine. I had to pay for the repairs, and they said that I lost my warranty on those items that may be affected by the faulty fuel.

I don't know what is happening here. If I really put diesel in my car, how could that happen? Can the gas station have a say in all this? Is it possible that the diagnosis of the mechanics was wrong?

I'd love to hear any ideas. Thanks.

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    You could definitely have the sample tested by a lab or something. They will be able to tell you with certainty if any diesel is present.
    – Tedwin
    Nov 18, 2019 at 16:10
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    Check with the gas station, or on the local news. There are occasional mistakes when the gas station puts a fuel delivery into the wrong tank, and a lot of cars get the wrong fuel before somebody realizes there is a problem.
    – alephzero
    Nov 18, 2019 at 16:11
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    They symptoms of driving 20 or 30 km before discovering the problem are certainly consistent with putting the wrong fuel in the tank, and you don't really need a lab test to tell the difference between gasoline and diesel. They smell different, and diesel often has a green or yellow dye added to it (or red in the case of diesel sold for use in agricultural machinery only, with a different tax rate).
    – alephzero
    Nov 18, 2019 at 16:23
  • @alephzero red diesel is a UK thing - not in other countries, some just charge the same for the diesel no matter how it gets used...
    – Solar Mike
    Nov 18, 2019 at 16:24
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    @alephzero I talked with the gas station. Filled a complaint and everything. They told me that I was the only one affected.
    – Eulalia Hernández Romero
    Nov 18, 2019 at 16:35

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