Putting the right kind of fuel in your car is incredibly important.
If one puts the wrong kind of gas in their vehicle, they risk a host of problems in the future. For example, if one puts diesel fuel into a petrol car, the engine could misfire, cut out, or fail to restart. In contrast, one who has put petrol into a diesel car can expect knocking sounds, slower acceleration, or, in the worst cases, having their engine not restart altogether, per RAC.
While distinguishing between diesel and petrol at the pump may seem easy enough, other types of fuel can pose engine problems, as one car owner recently learned.
How the Wrong Fuel Can Hurt Your Car
In a clip with over 719,000 views as of Saturday, TikTok user and mechanic @menjicar claims that a customer brought in a car with a “check engine” light.
According to the TikToker, the owner had previously brought the car, which he says is a new Kia with around 3,000 miles, back to the dealership to figure out what was wrong; the dealership was unable to locate the problem. While the TikToker claims the car is a Kia, the steering wheel appears to show that the car is, in fact, made by Hyundai.
Regardless, upon further examination, the TikToker can determine that the owner had put E85 fuel into the car.
“That explains why this engine is running lean,” he states. “So someone basically put the wrong fuel.”
To remedy the issue, he simply pumps out the incorrect fuel. This makes the Check Engine light disappear.
What is E85 Fuel?
According to Car and Driver, “E85 gas (also known as flex fuel) is a high-level combination of ethanol and gasoline that consists of 51 percent to 83 percent ethanol blended with gasoline.”
Kia recommends against using any blended fuel, writing on their website, “Your new Kia vehicle is designed to use only unleaded fuel having an Octane Rating of RON (Research Octane Number) 91/AKI (Anti- Knock Index) 87 or higher. (Do not use methanol blended fuels).”
Hyundai issues a similar warning in the manual for the new 2024 Hyundai Tucson.
“‘E85’ is not compatible with your vehicle,” the manual reads. “Use of ‘E85’ may result in poor engine performance and damage to your vehicle’s engine and fuel system.”
@menjicar Brand new car having issue. Turns out it was the customers fault #mechanic #dealership #kia #mechanicscams #dealershipscam #autotech #fixcar #cars #automotive #dealershipscam ♬ original sound – Menjicar
In the comments section, users shared their own thoughts on this error.
“No matter what kind of car or brand, ALWAYS check what kind of fuel the car takes, don’t cheap out,” a user wrote.
“Happens all the time, worst in when people put petrol in diesel cars but I’ve seen E fuels melt pistons in turbo cars that are tuned for 95/98,” claimed another.
“All the E85 pumps around here ask like 3 times if your car is a flex fuel vehicle before you can pump it,” noted a third.
The Daily Dot reached out to Hyundai and @menjicar via email.
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