Possible to put gas in a X5 diesel by accident?

[kalW]

So I'm picking up my new 2016 X5 35d in a couple of days and being paranoid that I am, I asked the dealership to skip the tank fillup to avoid the off-chance that they put in gas instead of diesel.

They said that "Gas filler nozzles don't even fit in a diesel filler" which I found odd as I thought that gas nozzles were smaller in diameter than diesel so putting gas in a diesel vehicle was a fairly common mistake, but can’t happen the other way around since a diesel nozzle diameter is too big to fit in a gas filler neck.

They also said "I do know that there are actually separate jerry cans for diesel vehicles because the regular gas ones won't fit"

Is it possible to put gas in 2016 X5 diesel by accident?

I did find this: http://www.autoblog.com/2009/01/31/n...ection-system/

Does that mean you can't mis-fuel in either direction since about 2011 with a BMW?

Thanks!

Kal

[kalW]

Never mind! I found out it's impossible to mis-fuel in either direction.

Press release explaining it here:

https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/globa...tem=node__4101

Kal

[42pilot]

They are correct. It's an ingenious bit of engineering actually. I recently pulled up to a BP station to fill up, but they had replaced the diesel nozzle with a petrol nozzle. I could not fill up - the nozzle needs to fit perfectly so it will open. And there is no way to get around it. I typically use an additive for diesels and the small spout won't even open the filler door.

I drive a 2014 so can't comment on pre-2014

[alphaod]

The only reason I almost avoided the dealer fill up is that I figured they would fill it up with whatever was the cheapest gas around.

[Barbera335]

Originally Posted by alphaod

The only reason I almost avoided the dealer fill up is that I figured they would fill it up with whatever was the cheapest gas around.

That is very true, I found out that the dealer actually filled my car up with 87 octane. Turns out the engine computer keeps track of the octane of fuel used every fill up for the life of the vehicle. On my car all tanks were 91 octane except the first fill by the dealer.

[TortugaX5]

Originally Posted by Barbera335

That is very true, I found out that the dealer actually filled my car up with 87 octane. Turns out the engine computer keeps track of the octane of fuel used every fill up for the life of the vehicle. On my car all tanks were 91 octane except the first fill by the dealer.

Barbera335 How were you able to access this information? Is it available in iDrive settings?

Thanks!

[Snow-Kidney]

Originally Posted by kalW

So I'm picking up my new 2016 X5 35d in a couple of days and being paranoid that I am, I asked the dealership to skip the tank fillup to avoid the off-chance that they put in gas instead of diesel.

That's one of the most paranoid things I've seen here.

[MotoWPK]

Yes, the BMW fill port designed to prevent the smaller diameter gas fill nozzle from being inserted is clever and effective, but it is not a guarantee.

The most obvious thing that would defeat it is a diesel size nozzle improperly installed on a gas pump. Now this is certainly uncommon and I can't imagine it would last long (since those trying to pump gas wouldn't be able to since the larger diameter diesel nozzle wouldn't fit into their gasoline cars and some of those drivers would be sure to complain to the station), but it can happen. And, as even a modest amount of gas in the fuel system can quickly cause very expensive damage to your diesel fuel system, you should always verify that the nozzle is indeed connected to the diesel pump and confirm you are selecting diesel (from a multi-product pump).

Of course there's also the possibility the tanker truck inadvertently loaded gas into the station's diesel tank, in which case you're screwed, but life has its risks.