Wrong fuel on the A68
Wrong fuel on the A68? Do not restart the engine. If you are in a live lane, get clear and call 999 first. Otherwise call 01293 248666 — we drain on site. From just £89 misfuel callout fee.
Straight answer on what we are
A mobile fuel drain operation covering DL1, DL2 and DL3. No garage, no forecourt, no Darlington address. A technician and a van, dispatched by people who know the area, reached on 01293 248666. If that is not what you need, we will say so on the call rather than take the booking.
| Road | A68 |
|---|---|
| Section we cover | Darlington to Corbridge over the moors |
| Junctions and landmarks | Cockerton, Mowden, Branksome, West Auckland, Tow Law, Consett and Corbridge |
| Fuel stops on this stretch | West Auckland and Consett — very little in between |
| Cost | From just £89 misfuel callout fee, quoted in full before we travel |
| Hours | 24 hours, every day |
Why wrong fuel happens on the A68
The A68 runs north over exposed high ground with few stops and long unlit stretches. It is a road people commit to on whatever they filled with at the start, which puts the mistakes in Darlington's own forecourts.
The nozzle-geometry point applies here as everywhere: an unleaded nozzle drops straight into a diesel filler neck, while a diesel nozzle is usually too wide for a petrol one. On a road like this, where a large share of drivers are part-way through a long leg and filling somewhere they have never filled before, that asymmetry shows up as a steady run of petrol-in-diesel jobs.
Roadside safety, in order
- Do not restart the engine On a live carriageway this matters more, not less. A restarted engine turns a drain into a possible pump and injector job.
- Hazards on, get out on the nearside If you are on a hard shoulder or a verge, leave by the passenger side and stand behind the barrier, up the bank, away from the traffic.
- Call 999 or National Highways on 0300 123 5000 first if you are in a live lane If the vehicle cannot be moved off a running lane, that call comes before ours. Then call us.
- Call 01293 248666 Tell us the junction or the nearest marker post, the vehicle, and which fuel went in. You get a price before anyone travels.
- We drain and flush on site Where it is safe to work, the job is done where the vehicle stands. Where it is not, we say so rather than turning up and charging you to find out.
If it is not safe to work where you are
There are stretches of the A68 where draining at the roadside is not a sensible thing to do — a live lane, a blind bend, no verge. We will tell you that on the phone rather than after arriving, and recovery to somewhere workable is the right answer in those cases. Being told honestly costs you nothing; being told on arrival costs you a call-out.
What the wrong fuel does on its way through
Diesel lubricates as it passes; petrol dissolves that film and acts as a solvent. Run a diesel high-pressure pump on petrol and it wears fast, shedding fine metal into the injectors behind it. None of that happens while the fuel sits in the tank. All of it starts the moment the engine turns over.
Westbound drivers face the Stainmore crossing on the A66 with effectively no fuel and serious exposure in winter. A vehicle that stops up there is a genuinely difficult recovery.
Services along this route
Areas on or near this road
Reviews, including the bad ones
4.8 out of 5 across 2,190 Trustpilot reviews. Praise clusters on two things — speed of arrival, and technicians who do not make a driver feel stupid about a mistake anyone can make.
The complaint that comes up most is cost. It is a fair thing to raise: the call-out is From just £89 misfuel callout fee, the full price is confirmed before a technician sets off, and if the job turns out to be different you are told before further work, not after.
Questions we get asked
How long will I be waiting?
Arrival depends where you are across DL1, DL2 and DL3 and what is already running. You get a realistic window on the call rather than an optimistic one.
Can I just top it up with the right fuel?
No. Dilution does not fix contamination, and driving to a filling station to try it is the mile that turns a drain into a repair.
Is there an out-of-hours surcharge?
The call-out is the call-out. Whatever the total is, you hear it on the phone before anyone travels.
Do I need to stay with the vehicle?
Usually yes, so we can hand it back to you running. If you cannot stay, say so on the call and we will work out how to do it.
What if I have already driven it?
Still call. Most vehicles driven a short distance are recoverable. Tell us how far you got, because it changes the kit we bring.
What about a van or a hire car?
Same job. With a hire car, ring the hire company too — some policies cover a misfuel drain and it is worth knowing before you pay.
Who you are dealing with
Wrong Fuel Darlington is a service by Forecourt Assist. Forecourt Assist is a trading name of Fuel Fixer Ltd, company no 08520551, a company of Fuel Fixer International. Registered at Fairway House, Portland Road, East Grinstead, RH19 4ET. Fuel Fixer International is owned by Stockbridge Capital Holdings.
Across the Fuel Fixer network
Wrong Fuel Darlington is one of the brands operated by Forecourt Assist. The full directory is on the operator site.
- Motor Servicing — mobile car servicing
- Motor Servicing — mobile car servicing
- Motor Servicing — mobile car servicing
- Motor Servicing — mobile car servicing
- Forecourt Assist — the complete network directory
- Fuel Fixer International — the operating group
- Stockbridge Capital Holdings — group owner
Background reading: GOV.UK guidance on fuel.