--- title: Filling up at a Dunbar forecourt safely url: https://fuelfixer.scot/blog/forecourts-dunbar/ focus: filling up at a dunbar forecourt phone: 01295 380724 area: Scotland updated: 2026-09-28 --- # Filling up at a Dunbar forecourt without the wrong fuel **Short answer** Filling up at a Dunbar forecourt? Misfuelling is nearly always down to a recent change of car and a moment of autopilot — most often petrol into a diesel. Three habits prevent almost all of it: a reminder of the fuel type, a deliberate look at the nozzle, and undivided attention for the ninety seconds it takes. And if it still goes wrong, do not start the engine. Why the mistake happens at the pump, how to make sure it does not happen to you, and what to do in the seconds after if it does. [Call 01295 380724 — 24/7 across East Lothian](tel:+441295380724) Forecourts across Dunbar and [East Lothian](/coverage/east-lothian/) — covered 24/7. Reviewed by [**Rambo S** ](/editorial/), Wrong fuel expert, Fuel Fixer · last checked 28 September 2026 Misfuelling is not a stupidity problem. It happens to careful, experienced drivers, and it happens for reasons that are almost designed into the modern forecourt. Understanding why it happens in Dunbar is the first step to making sure it never happens to you. ## Filling up at a Dunbar forecourt: why it happens The pattern rarely varies: recent change of vehicle, old fuelling habit, collision at the nozzle. The petrol handle drops into the diesel car without resistance, which is why petrol-in-diesel dominates the Dunbar callout book. ## Three habits that prevent it Prevention is nearly free. A note of the fuel type inside the filler flap after any change of car, a deliberate look at the handle every fill — even at your regular Dunbar station — and full attention for the ninety seconds it takes. ## If it still goes wrong in Dunbar And if it goes wrong anyway, the important thing is that it is fixable. Leave the engine off, call 01295 380724, and a drainer comes to the forecourt or wherever you have stopped in Dunbar. The whole thing is undone in 45 to 90 minutes. What turns a cheap fix into a dear one is starting the engine, so the one rule to remember is: don't. ## Local cover in Dunbar What sets a local drain apart from a tow-and-garage is time. Instead of waiting for recovery, then waiting for a garage slot, the work happens where you are in Dunbar while you wait — usually inside 90 minutes from the technician arriving to you driving away. ## What to do right now - Do not turn the key or start the engine — that is what turns a drain into a repair. - Do not move the vehicle. On a forecourt, apply the handbrake and tell the station staff. - Call 01295 380724 with your location, your vehicle and which fuels were mixed. You get the price before we set off. - A technician attends with a licensed drainage unit and makes the area safe. - The contaminated fuel is pumped out and the fuel lines are flushed through. - Clean fuel goes in, the vehicle is started and checked, and you drive away. The waste fuel leaves with us for compliant disposal. [Call 01295 380724 now](tel:+441295380724) ## What a drain costs Guide prices. Your exact price is confirmed on the phone before a technician sets off. Island and remote Highland jobs are quoted with travel included, so the figure you are given is the figure you pay. Your situation | What is involved | Typical cost | Time on site | Spotted it, engine never started | Drain the tank, flush the lines, refill with clean fuel | From £150 | 45–90 mins | Engine started but not driven | Drain plus a flush of the lines and filter | Mid range | 1–2 hours | Driven a short distance | Drain, flush and a check of the pump and injectors | Higher | 1–3 hours | Driven until it lost power or cut out | Drain, flush and fuel-system diagnosis | Upper end | Assessed on site | AdBlue in the diesel tank | Full drain and flush of tank and fuel lines | Quoted per vehicle | 1–3 hours | [Call 01295 380724](tel:+441295380724) ### Wrong fuel by type [Wrong fuel](/wrong-fuel/)[Petrol in a diesel car](/petrol-in-diesel/)[Diesel in a petrol car](/diesel-in-petrol/)[AdBlue in the diesel tank](/adblue-in-diesel-tank/)[Unleaded in diesel](/unleaded-in-diesel/)[Red diesel in the tank](/red-diesel-in-tank/)[Contaminated fuel](/contaminated-fuel/)[Mobile fuel drain](/mobile-fuel-drain/)[Fuel doctor](/fuel-doctor/)[Misfuelling](/misfuel/)[Wrong fuel symptoms](/wrong-fuel-symptoms/)[Wrong fuel drain cost](/wrong-fuel-cost/)[Wrong fuel engine damage](/wrong-fuel-damage/)[Wrong fuel in a van](/wrong-fuel-in-a-van/)[Wrong fuel in a boat](/wrong-fuel-in-a-boat/)[Screen wash in the AdBlue tank](/screen-wash-in-adblue-tank/)[AdBlue in the screen wash tank](/adblue-in-screen-wash-tank/)[Diesel in the AdBlue tank](/diesel-in-adblue-tank/)[AdBlue in the petrol tank](/adblue-in-petrol-tank/)[Petrol in the AdBlue tank](/petrol-in-adblue-tank/)[Water in the diesel tank](/water-in-diesel-tank/)[Water in the petrol tank](/water-in-petrol-tank/)[Water in the AdBlue tank](/water-in-adblue-tank/)[Water in the screen wash tank](/water-in-screen-wash-tank/)[Screen wash in the petrol tank](/screen-wash-in-petrol-tank/)[Screen wash in the diesel tank](/screen-wash-in-diesel-tank/)[The wrong fluid in the tank](/wrong-fluid-in-tank/)[Fuel collection](/fuel-collection/)[Contaminated fuel collection](/contaminated-fuel-collection/)[Fuel disposal](/fuel-disposal/)[Agricultural fuel collection](/agricultural-fuel-collection/)[Commercial fuel uplift](/commercial-fuel-uplift/)[Scottish fuel drainer](/scottish-fuel-drainer/)[Scottish old petrol collector](/scottish-old-petrol-collector/)[Scottish old petrol disposal](/scottish-old-petrol-disposal/)[Scottish old diesel collector](/scottish-old-diesel-collector/)[Scottish old diesel disposal](/scottish-old-diesel-disposal/)[Scottish red diesel collector](/scottish-red-diesel-collector/)[Scottish red diesel disposal](/scottish-red-diesel-disposal/)[Scottish kerosene collector](/scottish-kerosene-collector/)[Scottish kerosene disposal](/scottish-kerosene-disposal/)[Scottish heating oil collector](/scottish-heating-oil-collector/)[Scottish heating oil disposal](/scottish-heating-oil-disposal/)[Irish fuel drainer](/irish-fuel-drainer/)[Irish old petrol collector](/irish-old-petrol-collector/)[Irish old petrol disposal](/irish-old-petrol-disposal/)[Irish old diesel collector](/irish-old-diesel-collector/)[Irish old diesel disposal](/irish-old-diesel-disposal/)[Irish red diesel collector](/irish-red-diesel-collector/)[Irish red diesel disposal](/irish-red-diesel-disposal/)[Irish kerosene collector](/irish-kerosene-collector/)[Irish kerosene disposal](/irish-kerosene-disposal/)[Irish heating oil collector](/irish-heating-oil-collector/)[Irish heating oil disposal](/irish-heating-oil-disposal/) ### More from the blog [Wrong fuel on the road in Dunbar](/blog/roadside-dunbar/)[What a fuel drain costs in Dunbar](/blog/cost-dunbar/)[Winter fuel problems in Dunbar](/blog/seasonal-dunbar/)[Filling up in Musselburgh](/blog/forecourts-musselburgh/)[Filling up in Haddington](/blog/forecourts-haddington/)[Filling up in Tranent](/blog/forecourts-tranent/)[Filling up in North Berwick](/blog/forecourts-north-berwick/)[Filling up in Prestonpans](/blog/forecourts-prestonpans/) ### Local cover [Dunbar wrong fuel cover](/areas/dunbar/)[East Lothian coverage](/coverage/east-lothian/) ## What Scottish customers say Rated **4.8 out of 5** from **6,053** verified reviews on [Reviews.co.uk](https://www.reviews.co.uk/company-reviews/store/fuelfixer-co-uk). Reviews are collected independently and published in full — including the ones we would rather not have. Read every review on [Reviews.co.uk](https://www.reviews.co.uk/company-reviews/store/fuelfixer-co-uk) or on our [Google Business Profile](https://www.google.com/maps?cid=17001480993030321128). Live review feed loads here. If it does not appear, [read the reviews directly](https://www.reviews.co.uk/company-reviews/store/fuelfixer-co-uk). ## Common questions **Can I drive with wrong fuel?** No. Starting or driving pumps it through the system and can turn a straightforward drain into an expensive repair. Leave the vehicle where it is and call 01295 380724. **How long does the drain take in Dunbar?** About 45 to 90 minutes on site once the technician arrives. Vehicles that were started or driven take longer, because the lines and filter need flushing as well as the tank. **How much does it cost in Dunbar?** Most jobs fall between £150 and £1,500 depending on the vehicle, how much wrong fuel is in the tank and whether the engine was started. You get the price on the phone before we travel. **Will it have damaged the engine?** Only if it has been run through the system. Caught before starting, it sits in the tank and a drain removes it cleanly. **Does insurance cover it?** Often not. Most car insurance policies exclude misfuelling as standard, though some breakdown policies and optional add-ons include it. Check your own wording. **Do you cover rural and island Dunbar?** Yes. Technicians attend forecourts, roadsides, homes, farms and workplaces across Scotland, including the Highlands and the islands. Remote jobs are quoted with travel included so the price does not move. ### One operator, four sites Fuel Fixer Scotland is the Scottish arm of Fuel Fixer Ltd. The same technicians, the same equipment and the same helpline sit behind all four sites — they differ only in where and how people search. - [**Fuel Fixer** The operating company. Fleet, commercial contracts and UK-wide cover.](https://www.fuelfixer.co.uk/) - [**Misfuel Doctor** Diagnosis-led guidance on what wrong fuel does to an engine.](https://mis-fueldoctor.co.uk/) - [**Wrong Fuel** The emergency service, England and Wales.](https://wrongfuel.co.uk/) - [**Fuel Fixer Scotland** This site. Every council area, town, island and village in Scotland.](/) Background reading: [Traffic Scotland](https://www.traffic.gov.scot/). Operated by [Fuel Fixer](https://www.fuelfixer.co.uk/). For what wrong fuel does to an engine, see [Misfuel Doctor](https://mis-fueldoctor.co.uk/); south of the border, see [Wrong Fuel](https://wrongfuel.co.uk/).