A misfuel on the A696: what to do and where
A misfuel on the A696? Do not restart the engine. If you are in a live lane, get clear and call 999 first — otherwise a technician drains it where it stands. Call 01293 248666.
Where a misfuel on the A696 happens
This guide covers the A696 newcastle Airport and the Ponteland road.
| Road | A696 |
|---|---|
| Section | Newcastle Airport and the Ponteland road |
| Junctions and landmarks | Woolsington, Newcastle Airport, Ponteland and Belsay direction |
| Fuel stops | The airport cluster |
Why the A696 produces misfuel calls
Airport hire cars are one of the single most reliable sources of misfuel work anywhere. A driver collects an unfamiliar vehicle, does not check the fuel type on the paperwork, and makes the first fill a day or two later at the nearest forecourt — very often on this road, on the way back to drop the car off.
Newcastle calls come from three reliable sources: retail-park forecourts feeding straight onto the Western Bypass, hire cars from the airport making their first fill days after collection, and a large private-hire and taxi fleet.
If it happens on a live carriageway
Do not restart the engine. If the vehicle is in a running lane, get out on the nearside, stand behind the barrier, and call 999 or National Highways on 0300 123 5000 before anything else.
- Key out, hands off An engine that has never run on the wrong fuel is a drain and nothing more. That is the cheapest outcome available and it is still on the table right now.
- Do not move the vehicle Not into a bay, not onto the verge, not around the corner — unless it is genuinely unsafe where it is.
- Hazards on, tell someone Forecourt staff are used to this and are rarely difficult about it once they know how long you will be.
- Call 01293 248666 and be specific Vehicle, wrong fuel, rough quantity, engine started yes or no. Those four things determine the price, and you hear it before we travel.
- Drain, flush, refill, prime Carried out where the vehicle stands, anywhere across NE1 to NE7, NE12, NE13 and NE15.
- Back on the road About an hour for a standard job. The waste fuel is removed under a transfer note that discharges your duty of care.
If it is not safe to work where you are
There are sections of the A696 where draining at the roadside is not sensible — a live lane, a blind bend, no verge. You will be told that on the phone rather than after we arrive, and recovery to somewhere workable is the right answer then.
What the wrong fuel does on its way through
Diesel lubricates as it passes; petrol dissolves that film and acts as a solvent. Run a diesel high-pressure pump on petrol and it wears fast, shedding fine metal into the injectors behind it. None of that happens while the fuel sits in the tank. All of it starts the moment the engine turns over.
A vehicle that stops on the Western Bypass, the Central Motorway or approaching the Tyne Tunnel is an operational problem before it is a fuel problem, and getting clear comes before everything else.
Places on or near the A696
The cost, honestly
People expect the number to depend on the amount of wrong fuel. It barely does. It depends on how far the contaminated fuel travelled through the engine.
| Call-out | From just £89 misfuel callout fee |
|---|---|
| Engine never started | Usually the drain and flush only |
| Engine run briefly | Drain, flush, often a new fuel filter |
| Driven some distance | May need the high-pressure pump or injectors checking — a workshop job |
| When you hear the price | On the phone, before anyone travels |
Questions we get asked
What about a van or a hire car?
Same job. With a hire car, ring the hire company too — some policies cover a misfuel drain and it is worth knowing before you pay.
Can you come to a supermarket forecourt?
Yes, and it is where a good proportion of jobs happen. Tell the cashier a drainer is on the way; they are used to it.
Do you cover all of NE1 to NE7, NE12, NE13 and NE15?
Yes, from one rota — so being at one edge of the area rather than the other changes the arrival window, not the price.
What if I have already driven it?
Still call. Most vehicles driven a short distance are recoverable. Tell us how far you got, because it changes the kit we bring.
Is this a garage?
No. Wrong Fuel Newcastle is mobile. A technician travels to the vehicle wherever it is standing.
What people actually said
4.8 out of 5 from 2,190 Trustpilot reviews. Two themes dominate the positive ones — how fast someone arrived, and how calm they were about it.
The recurring negative is price. Publishing that alongside the answer seems more useful than hiding it: From just £89 misfuel callout fee is the call-out, the total is quoted before a technician moves, and there is no charge for being told on the phone that this is a job for a workshop.
More local guides
- I put 5 litres of petrol in my diesel in Newcastle — now what?
- Put AdBlue in the diesel tank around Newcastle? Read this
- Winter misfuelling in Newcastle: what changes
- Misfuelled in Newcastle city centre? A local guide
- Misfuelled around Heaton? Read this before you call
- Misfuelled in Benwell? The local guide to the first hour
More on wrong fuel in Newcastle
For coverage by postcode district, see the postcode index; for the roads we cover, the road guides; and for every town and village by name, the area index.
Who you are dealing with
Wrong Fuel Newcastle is a service by Forecourt Assist. Forecourt Assist is a trading name of Fuel Fixer Ltd, company no 08520551, a company of Fuel Fixer International. Registered at Fairway House, Portland Road, East Grinstead, RH19 4ET. Fuel Fixer International is owned by Stockbridge Capital Holdings.
Across the Fuel Fixer network
Wrong Fuel Newcastle is one of the brands operated by Forecourt Assist. The full directory is on the operator site.
- Wrong Fuel Sunderland — Sunderland and Wearside
- Misfuel Doctor — the national wrong fuel brand
- Wrong Fuel Penrith — Penrith and the Eden valley
- Wrong Fuel Sunderland — Sunderland and Wearside
- Forecourt Assist — the complete network directory
- Fuel Fixer International — the operating group
- Stockbridge Capital Holdings — group owner
Background reading: Environment Agency.