What a plonker!

I made a schoolboy error last night, I was driving up to Newcastle from Reading for work - I'd dropped off at Cheltenham to see my Gran who's in hospital there following a fall. I was on my way to buy Dave Pearson a pint and needed to fill up with diesel. I pulled up and selected the nozzle, I remember looking at the pump and thinking "Not the premium stuff, the cheapo stuff will do" as I was filling up the pump cut out a couple of times then my phone rang. I needed to take the call so I put the nozzle aside and went into the shop, took my call and paid for the twenty quid of fuel, jumped back in the car and called Dave to tell hime I was on my way. The car then seemed to missfire but ran OK, it didn't feel right, crappy fuel perhaps I thought. I saw a BP station and as I still needed a tankful I pulled in, filled up with diesel, bought some food and jumped back in the car, it turned over but wouldn't start.
It then hit me, the first fuel I had put in was petrol! Checked the receipt - yup, what a plonker!
Phoned RAC, patrol turned up in 20 mins, full of doom and gloom but within 3.5 hours of my first call I was on my way again - the RAC contractor came out and said they were doing loads of these and a Toyota was easy - 20 mins job he said, and it was!
Whilst chatting to the recovery chap about a brown Herald he had towed in it turned out he was a past Triumph owner. He'd had a Ford metalic blue Ginnall TR7 v8 with a 3.9 engine. His wifes made him sell it a few years ago, he missed it.
So after a cup of coffee and achat about TR7s, Heralds and what you could use contaminated diesel/petrol for, I was on my way again. Didn't get to Newcastle until nearly midnight but I got there in the end.
Stupid things is I have driven a diesel car for 6 years and over 120,000 miles and alll it took was a moment's distraction.

Comments

darling said…
You know, I never thought about what would happen if the 2 were switched :)

Thanks for sharing. Im glad you were able to get going again sood after.

Cheers!
Wednesday, November 29, 2006 2:04:00 pm
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