Fueled up E85 ( Ram 2500 2022)

[Artur13]

Hello,

I accidentally fueled up E85 instead of Diesel. My car was towed to the nearest Dodge dealership and i got this

Am I screwed up or it is the real cost of my mistake?

 

[pacofortacos]

Well it says estimate, so I would bet it is close to that.

 

[Artur13]

Well it says estimate, so I would bet it is close to that.

Also, they told me that waiting time will be a couple of weeks. Would it be better if I take it to the regular bodyshop?

 

[pacofortacos]

Why a bodyshop, just take it to a regular mechanical shop and they can drain the tank.
My biggest worry about taking it to another shop would be warranty coverage, but it might be voided for certain things already since you already told them that you drove it some.

You could skip the multi point inspection and air to save some $ - or at least get a breakdown on the cost.

I feel for you, that is an expensive mistake.

I would ask them about warranty coverage after the repair, if it is all still covered since it is a dealer repair, it might be worth the cost for them to do it - but get it in writing.
Damaged parts will cost much more than the $1400.

If the mistake voids the warranty, then I would take it to another shop. I would drain the tank and fill the tank with diesel. Let it idle to flush the system and drive it to empty for a tank or 2 then change filters.
I AM NOT A DIESEL EXPERT THOUGH, so I would ask diesel people if this would be a sound plan.

Warranty coverage for me would be a top consideration.

 

[crash68]

Also, they told me that waiting time will be a couple of weeks. Would it be better if I take it to the regular bodyshop?

If you pumped gas into your diesel, don't drive it anywhere or even turn the key on.
The high pressure fuel pump and injectors can be destroyed by running gas through them. Diesel injection systems reach pressures upwards of 30K psi, gasoline doesn't like those kinds of pressures and it strips any lubricity out of the diesel fuel the pump/injectors rely on.
Good probability if anything in the fuel system grenades itself and the dealership now has this in your file, any warranty coverage of the fuel system will be voided. To replace the HPFP and injectors is probably north of $5000.00
Since the dealership is going to take a couple of weeks, find an independent diesel shop that will flush the entire fuel system and run some fuel system lube additive for good measure along hope for the best.

 

[Daw14]

I would bet you have no more engine warranty. That’s a costly mistake.

 

[Moose2]

That’s a big “oops”! You’re not alone though, my brother did it on numerous vehicles. He lived in Colorado though, in the mile “high” city, so it figures.

 

[runamuck]

seems like it would be cheaper to have it towed to a regular mechanic and have them do it. at least save a few bucks and not have to wait weeks. it's curious something like this would take more than a cpl. hours especially since dealers have no trucks to sell or prep for sale right now. how could they be very busy. maybe filters are on back-order. a friend of mine made this very mistake with his new 2500 dsl at Ardmore Ok a cpl. years ago and was back on the road in a cpl. hours. he was brave enough to tell the story and be the brunt of some ribbing for a while. I dont remember what he said it cost.

 

[TestPilot57]

A few years ago we went on vacation in Switzerland. Due to over-selling, the rental we had requested was "not available" so they offered to upgrade us for "cheap". It was a Mercedes S350 and really nice!

We drove it for, I think we were there 3 weeks that time, filled it with premium gasoline the 3-4 times it asked for fuel, and went home.

When we got back i decided I'd like to know the specs on the car - not that I could feasibly afford it, but you know. Turns out that the only S350 available in Switzerland that year was a diesel.

I kept waiting for an email from the rental company "due to improper use of fuel you are hereby ordered to pay $30k to replace the engine". But it never happened. Yet....

I had no idea it was a diesel. Maybe it wasn't, and it was for some reason an anomaly on the fleet. But my heart was pounding for a bit.

 

[Riccochet]

You can fix it the half assed way and do a simple tank pump, fill with diesel and purge the lines and fuel rails. Or you can do it the right way by pumping the tank, adding 4-5 gallons of diesel, pumping again, adding diesel, pumping a third time, pulling all the fuel system components and flushing them, repressurize the system.

Even doing it right won't guarantee you didn't destroy the pump and injectors. At the minimum you can expect to lose the warranty on your fuel system. At the most they may just void the entire engine warranty since it was ran with gas.

 

[pacofortacos]

I think he drove it for a bit, the estimate says that anyways.
Would E85 be the same/worse/or not as bad as straight gas?