[Tunbridge]

So I’ve had my 335d a few weeks now and given that it is my first diesel I’m a bit paranoid that either myself or the Mrs will put unleaded in it.

Thinking that prevention is the key I bought a Fuel Angel (having seen it on Dragons Den and been impressed with the concept & design). Although not cheap (£39.95 inc p&p) I consider this small price to pay to prevent the potential damage and hassle that mis-fueling can cause. I’d like to think I’m above making a mistake like this but given that I get up at 5:10am every day and drive to work, often half a sleep, it wouldn’t take much of a lapses to pour a small fortune of super unleaded in where the diesel should be going.

Ordered it online and it came the following day. First impressions were good, it seemed very well engineered, problem was that I couldn’t get it to fit! Sent an e-mail via their web site the following day and the guy rang me straight back to see what problems I was having. I explained that it just wouldn’t fit correctly and given that I’m only on Teesside and that he was based in Darlington he offered to fit a new one for me if I popped over. So I went over on Friday afternoon after work and guess what, he couldn’t get it to fit either! He had said on the phone that the BMW’s can sometimes be more fiddly than other models (I think he had assumed I just wasn’t doing it right) but it was quickly apparent that mine was different to anything he had seen before.

I can only assume had the filler neck of the touring is quite a bit different to the saloon, and it does seem rather strange that they had sold 30,000 of these devices without this happening before. To be fair to the guy he couldn’t apologies enough and he gave me an refund, he had already taken time out from a busy day to meet me at a time convenient for me (I later found out he was in the middle of moving house that day). He took some photos of the filler neck and said he would talk with the designer as there is clearly another variant that needs developing to match the touring, as soon as one is available he is going to give me a call.

So although I’m disappointed not to have a fuel angel on my 335d (yet) I still went away happy knowing that there is still such a thing a good customer service, something that seems to have died a death in this country with the demise of the small independent companies. Hopefully fuel angel will continue to thrive and unless you have a touring I would certainly recommend you give it a try.

[ibanezking]

Great! Beats no replies to emails or the "well if you don't want it - send it back!"

[Tippo]

Ordered one a couple of weeks back, but mine felt flimsy and maybe could even break if pushed. TBH I have not bothered to fit it in, instead I got me a big sticker to go on the current fuel cap now to remind me what should go in.

Perhaps there was one on there before and it came off but having no sticker on the fuel cap did not help me at the time I guess when I made this horrible mistake.

[BGM]

you don't need one on most bimmers because the nozzle at the pump is differnet zies for diesel and petrol.

the car recognises this and will not actually let you insert the petrol nozzle into the tank to fill it, well.. unless something is broken of course

i have been 'denied' diesel by this feature before haha

[xenon]

^ only on more recent models is the mis-fueling protection a standard feature.

[dxb335d]

I really don't know how people get this wrong?! I mean if you can't get the right fuel in the car then should you then go on and drive the thing?!

[BGM]

Originally Posted by dxb335d

I really don't know how people get this wrong?! I mean if you can't get the right fuel in the car then should you then go on and drive the thing?!

haha, fair point

or even just get it wrong once... that will make you remember!

[m1bjr]

Originally Posted by Tunbridge

I’d like to think I’m above making a mistake like this but given that I get up at 5:10am every day and drive to work, often half a sleep

I would think that the risk of having a preventable road traffic accident is far higher than your risk from mis-fuelling.

[JLR1969]

Originally Posted by dxb335d

I really don't know how people get this wrong?! I mean if you can't get the right fuel in the car then should you then go on and drive the thing?!

+1

You must be seriously not concentrating to put the wrong fuel in. Hope I have not tempted fate.

[Tippo]

Originally Posted by dxb335d

I really don't know how people get this wrong?! I mean if you can't get the right fuel in the car then should you then go on and drive the thing?!

Fair point but these were the circumstances for me at the time:

1) Got a disciplinary going on at work and I may loose my job for all I know cause someone else wound me up. So yes my mind was elsewhere.

2) Was in a rush to get to parent's house for Sunday lunch.

3) For some reason my mind sort of related the dark green plastic stem on the rear of the fuel cap and its holder with the green fuel pump.

4) For some reason the fuel cap did not have a Diesel sticker on it like most diesel cars do. It does now though!

All 4 things combined to make one stupid mistake. Did not actually have a traffic accident that day though.

[dxb335d]

That could lead you to make a mistake, luckily it was on the forcourt and not the road.

Should try concentrate on the road not all your problems.

Maybe Sunday lunch was one thing too much that Sunday. Should have relaxed at home with a beer.

I hope the hearing with work goes in your favour!

[Billyray911]

You don't have to justify yourself to anyone and certainly not to the rest of us-you're only human,like everyone of here!

Thanks for letting us know re the fuel angel though

[JJD]

Surely the big black cloud and the smell is enough to remember...

[ghosty]

Originally Posted by Billyray911

You don't have to justify yourself to anyone and certainly not to the rest of us-you're only human,like everyone of here!

Thanks for letting us know re the fuel angel though

+1
mistake is a mistake, no one does that kinda thing on purpose. you learn from it and never do it again

[Tippo]

Cheers. Still a bit of a sore point hence my initial reaction but now I guess I would NEVER do it again!

Also as it turns out I now have a better idea of how things will go at work and it does not look like I will loose my job after all. Very stressful all the same though.

Cheers

[BGM]

can i be cheeky enough to ask what happened after this 'someone' wound you up?

did you lamp him/her?

glad to hear it's all good though!

[Billyray911]

Job done-everyone's a winner!

[Tippo]

Originally Posted by BGM

can i be cheeky enough to ask what happened after this 'someone' wound you up?

did you lamp him/her?

glad to hear it's all good though!

Claimed I made threatening behaviour to facilities staff in reception on way out of the office on a Friday PM.

Was told by said 'facilities' person to quote that "they were going to take it out on you now" after I had reported vending machine price differences between company sites to facilities, in particular Wispa bars. Apparently it was mean't to be a 'joke', at the time it did not sound like it so to cut a long story short I ranted back that these people could gladly take it up with me in the car park, etc. Turns out the threats were taken personally and said person complained about my threatening behaviour.

Apologised for swearing since but was told it was too late and that HR know about it. Read investigation reports since and basically I misheard what they said whilst at the same time they misheard/interpreted what I said. Both OTT reactions there I guess.

Expecting a warning of some sort now, everyone else seems to think so, we'll see either way.

[seamaster]

Before Xmas, in the snow, I spent nearly half an hour trying to get a diesel nozzle into my diesel car. I tried it many many times, I used srewdrivers to try and open the anti petrol device, with no luck, what ever I did the nozzle would not go in. I went through the procedure time and time again checking that I was not trying to put a petrol nozzle into a diesel car.

I gave up in the end and booked my car in the local BMW dealers, could not get to work as I did not have enough diesel to get home again


I happened to try a local garage a couple of days later on the way to the dealership, picked up a diesel nozzle and it slipped into my car, how very satisfying.

It turned out there was nothing wrong with my car, the diesel nozzle at the first garage had been exchanged with an unleaded nozzle, so although it dispensed diesel and it was marked up as diesel the nozzle was thinner so the car would not accept it.

[BGM]

this has heppened to me before, just need to go try another pump^