18 months ago I had a Merc 280CDI estate (1 year old) and one Friday afternoon I went to refuel it. Because the tank was virtually empty I managed to put almost 80 liters in.
After paying I drove off (bit fast, was in a rush) until 2 miles down the road a big cloud of white smoke appeared in the rear view mirror and the engine just died.
I was convinced I had not put unleaded in the tank and to "prove" it to myself I looked at the receipt. This was just a VISA slip with only the amount on it, so it didn't prove anything.
Phoned the Merc dealer who sounded quite amused and suggested I had indeed put unleaded in it. He advised to phone assistance via the Insurance co.
So I did and whilst waiting for the flatbed truck I undid the fuel cap and indeed "Smells like unleaded"!
The chap from the recovery truck told me I was the 19th person to do this in that week alone and according to AA figures the total is about 100.000 people a year.
This made me feel only slightly better.
The Merc dealer said don't worry, we'll just drain the tank, flush the lines and it'll be fine.
So it was but I still sold the car a few months later !
Never will I laugh at other people who do this again.
When I refuel the XC90 now, I check, check again, check the price, check that the nozzle is actually coming from the correct pump etc etc.
Afterwards it turned out that Total has an "Excellium" unleaded which is dearer and which has a black handle+nozzle to distinguish it from their ordinary unleaded but which makes it look very much like Diesel !
At least that's my explanation........
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