regiblinker

In hindsight I would've fitted one of those above devices in a flash! I guess I didn't expect it to happen to me (who does?) Thanks for all the commiserations and technical pointers, great forum - not one bit of abuse yet I collected the car today so a bit more further info for those interested. I was made to sign a waiver that said something along lines of: "I have decided that instead of completely (insert technical jargon here, I think it was along lines of filtering out the petrol somehow) - I have decided to drain the petrol instead. This garage takes no responsibility for any further damage done in the future" SO I signed it and paid up the £230ish and got away. The car started normally, the engine felt normal and responsive and on the motorway I could hit normal speed/acceleration with ease. Exactly as I'd expect it to run! If I were to be super picky I suspect the engine when idling may be 1-5% louder/older sounding but that's just a hunch. Like I've said previously - I've taken everything said by experts on the chin. I expect problems after 6 months or so, if I'm lucky hopefully much later. I don't mean to be a complete evil *^%£*@#! but what duty do I have in terms of if I ever sold the car. I was thinking of trading in after 3 years (currently on 2 years on the dot)? Should I be informing my dealer?

At first, I guess it was burning through what remained of diesel, so it felt normal for about... oh 3-4 miles. The very first time I realised something was up, I was idling at traffic lights. There was a strange "convulsing" of the engine that I could only juuuuuust pick up. You know on a really windy day when the car wobbles slightly? A bit like that. But I put it down to the wind, (idiot). The bigger clue was hitting the motorway, I just couldn't feel any proper revs (seemed stuck at 20 MAX) so, even booting in third gear I could barely get above 40mph. I moved up to 4th and 5th and still with my foot to the floor I couldn't get above 60 mph. THis is when I realised that ... things were seriously seriously wrong. Now unfortunately my car had been serviced recently (10k checkup) and I was getting (apparently a classic feature of Fabias,) 2 warning lights to do with the cat converter? and coil??? This manifested in less power when accelerating, or at least I think it did. So that was idiot moment number 2, thinking/believing that the poor acceleration was down to the car service last week. I feel so stupid. Next time I parked the car it wouldn't start, that';s when it dawned on me. Reading the above answers I feel that a silly, newbie mistake at the pumps is going to wind up effectively costing me ... what... thousands? Damn, I feel like I've been hit by such bad luck all these factors combining. Although admittedly the major factor is undoubtedly my own idiocy!

Thank you Estateman and sk4gw. Yes, it is an incredibly depressing (and costly) situation. The decontamination company have removed the fuel and put through diesel and I'm picking it up tomorrow. The girl on the phone said that no damage was done to the engine and sounded nice and positive. I'm not naive enough to think that's the end of the story, so wondering if you have any advice in terms of pre-emptively replacing items (because currently as it stands I'm £220 down, which to me is fair for what I've done) Should I go to a private garage and see what they think? Or should I approach my Skoda dealer for advice? Sorry, I'm a car newb so don't know my arse from my elbow when it comes to this.

Thanks for the posts so far - I'm pretty gutted about the whole thing, reading scare stories that the entire engine can need replaced. Can't believe I didn't pay attention to what pump I was using! I've been quoted £200 to flush the engine and £20 for the diesel which to me would be fine but I'm terrified of further complications and what it means to warranty/insurance?

Confession time. I'm a silly silly person. I put about 50% of a tanks worth of Petrol in a Diesel 2012 fabia. I was running in red at the time so very little diesel to begin with. I drove 30 miles from central London before realising my error. I went through Skoda who sent a team to take out the petrol and put diesel back in. So let me have it folks. Feel free to tell me what a **** I am but more importantly.......... what's the damage :( Is my car cooked forever? Is the warranty voided? Aaaargh.