S350CDi Blue Efficiency - 2010 - Car destroyed by fire due to wrong fuel

[television]

People are doing this all the time every where and always will

 

[EmilysDad]

I didn't interpret the OP suggesting that MB should have done anything .... he held his hands up & said he'd made a mistake - as we all have done at some time ...... he just asked MB if they'd had experience of A N Other MB setting itself on fire when mis-fuelled.

Although I've heard of some horrendous bills as a result of putting petrol in a diesel - no lub for the pump from the petrol - I've never heard of one setting on fire.

 

[pipmk]

I do not deny that it was a stupid mistake, but I did not think or know that something as serious as this could happen. At the time, there were a lot of scared people on the street where I stopped. If the fire brigade had not arrived in time the car could have easily blown up with a full tank. You could imagine the damage it could have caused.

What has that got to do with suing Mercedes? There are hundreds of products that if misused may cause harm,even simple household cleaners. Do you seriously think you have grounds for action? No doubt some of my less respectable colleagues will offer to act for you,having taken a sizable deposit first against costs but I am telling you,no way. You have no grounds and Mercedes will rightly grind you into the dust. Diesel,petrol plus electricity and heat is an explosive mixture,it is how vehicles work. To abuse them as you did, albiet unwittingly,and then say someone else is responsible is foolish at best and smacks of the "someone else is to blame for my actions" culture at worst.

 

[range rover]

It apparently is not true to say once you do it you will remember next time. I was talking to a guy who was removing petrol from a diesel toyota landcruiser at a local forecourt and I said you would remember next time, he said that one customer whose car was off the road due to misfuelling was using his Wifes' car ,and he did the same thing all over again! I bet he got a picture with no sound!

 

[steveperry]

CTU, if you want some information about other similar cases would it help to contact an independent organisation for advice like the AA, RAC, Citizens Advice Bureau or local fire brigade? Heck even try Google?

Whilst I can sympathise with the situation I have to agree with other posters that any proceedings brought against Mercedes-Benz will be doomed to fail. A shame that MB are viewing the whole situation from a litigious stand point when all you want is information but, again, I can't blame them for their stance given the 'lets sue' culture that pervades our society today.

I know you'll also be sick of people asking how you could have made such a silly mistake but I have to ask... My CLS also from 2010 has a fuel cap that is bright red (eye wateringly red!) with the words DIESEL printed in huge bold white lettering and it's printed twice, above and below the ridge that forms the handle to allow you to twist off the cap. Short of sticking Braile on the cap, MB couldn't have made the fact that my car is a diesel any more obvious come time for a fill up. Didn't your S Class have the same type of fuel cap? I would be much more understanding if your car had an unobtrusive black fuel cap as my old petrol C240 did but even that had the words UNLEADED printed on the inside of the bodywork flap / cover.

Also not wishing to be the bearer of bad news but I wouldn't be surprised if your insurance company might try to wash their hands of your case if they know the fire was the cause of driver error during refuelling.

Good luck getting this sorted! And one big positive to take away from this sorry experience is that at least you and your family are safe and alive, as you have mentioned this could have all too easily turned from a frustrating incident into an absolute tragedy.

All the best mate.

S.

 

[wheelie]

Mercedes have clearly said they will not investigate. It was quite interesting when they they would not comment on whether there have been any other cases, hence why I posted this to see if there were any. Is there anyone out there who has experienced the same issue?

May be worth making a freedom of information request to MB for the data or better still a formal request from a Solicitor to request the information.

MB are simply thinking of the potential class action/civil action that could be brought against them if found that a certain series of events would result in an S class to catch fire in such a catastrophic way.

Can't blame them really on this one, unless you can pay for the car to be inspected privately and it can be determined that a fault existed already with the car.

However I suspect this is not going to end well in this situation.

Pete

 

[Carabosse]

May be worth making a freedom of information request to MB for the data

As MB is not a public authority they can tell you to take a running jump if they so wish!

 

[wheelie]

As MB is not a public authority they can tell you to take a running jump if they so wish!

That is true chap hence the solicitor route however i suspect the response from MB would probably be the same.

Pete

 

[Benz458]

I almost put 98Ron fuel in my ML270...almost gave myself a heart attack when I realised what I was doing! It got me thinking though... Would the air/petrol mixture by compressible enough in the much higher compression diesel engine? My guess was that it would pre-detinate too. If it didnt pre-ignite it would possibly act like water in the engine and bend conrods. Why it would catch fire though is beyond me...unless unburnt fuel got through the engine and into a hot turbo. Very interesting none the less and a sad end to a fine car. I hope things pan out for the best for CTU.

 

[Steve@Avantgarde]

Unleaded fuel is a very volatile product and can destroy seals etc in a high compression diesel engine very quickly.

Speculation would be that the unleaded caused a joint to leak and caught fire on the hot engine. Its the only reasonable explanation, and if that is in some way proven, it is a consequence of your action in which MB have no case to answer.