Put the wrong fuel in your vehicle on the motorway? Help on the A1, A3, A40 & more in NRW
At a glance: Put the wrong fuel in on a German motorway (Autobahn) in North Rhine-Westphalia? Leave the engine off and call: +49 177 3555403. We come around the clock to motorway services and motorways in NRW, drain the wrong fuel on site and flush the system if needed. From June to October 2026 we were called out twelve times to motorways and motorway services – all twelve vehicles were able to drive on afterwards. In Düsseldorf we are usually there within 15–35 minutes, elsewhere within 30–45 minutes. Price: from €95 incl. VAT, usually around €300 including call-out and disposal, never more than €600, fixed price agreed by phone in advance.
Wrong fuel on the motorway: what to do straight away
- Leave the engine off. Do not start it or even switch on the ignition – in many cars the fuel pump starts running as soon as the ignition is on.
- At the motorway services (Raststätte): after checking with the staff, push the car away from the pump to a parking space.
- Already driven off? If the engine judders, loses power or smokes, stop as soon as it is safe – ideally at the next lay-by or car park, otherwise on the hard shoulder.
- On the hard shoulder: hazard lights on, high-visibility vest on, everyone behind the crash barrier, put out the warning triangle. If there is any danger, call 112 or the police on 110.
- Call us: +49 177 3555403. Tell us the motorway, the direction of travel and the nearest exit (Ausfahrt) or services, what fuel went in and whether the engine was running.
What we have seen on the motorway
Twelve of our 287 call-outs from June to October 2026 were to motorways or motorway services. Notably, at least seven of the twelve vehicles had already been driven or started with the wrong fuel – on the motorway, many drivers only notice the mistake when the engine judders or cuts out. Eight of the twelve calls came in the evening or at night, often from travellers passing through, for example from the Netherlands or Belgium. Two jobs came through motoring clubs. All twelve vehicles were able to drive on after our call-out.
| Month | Location | Vehicle | What had happened | What we did |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2026 | A1 | Peugeot 5008 | petrol in a diesel, driven until it broke down, limp mode | fuel lines cleaned, engine control unit re-initialised |
| June 2026 | motorway services, at night | hire car | traveller passing through, job finished around 3 a.m. | back on the road |
| June 2026 | A52, at night | car | family passing through, broke down | system cleaned, control units re-initialised |
| June 2026 | A61 | Dutch car | broke down | tank drained, entire fuel system cleaned |
| June 2026 | A3, evening | Dutch ambulance | the crew did not start the engine | back on the road |
| July 2026 | motorway near Krefeld | car | – | tank drained, fuel system cleaned |
| July 2026 | Oberhausen services | car | – | fixed on site |
| July 2026 | A2, services near Gelsenkirchen, at night | Dutch motorhome | not started | tank drained, flushed |
| July 2026 | Oberhausen services | Mercedes Sprinter | petrol in a diesel, engine started | tank cleaned, pumped out |
| August 2026 | A40 near Dortmund | VW Passat | misfuelled at the filling station, driven until the engine cut out | cleaned up to the high-pressure pump, fault memory cleared |
| August 2026 | motorway near Haltern am See | Belgian car | job via a motoring club, broke down | tank drained, flushed |
| October 2026 | motorway near Dinslaken, at night | van | job via a Dutch motoring club, broke down | system drained, flushed, engine diagnostics |
Source: our own call-out log, June–October 2026. All figures (in German): Falsch getankt in NRW: Zahlen aus 287 Einsätzen.
The motorways we cover
We are active in the Rhineland, the Ruhr, the Bergisches Land, the Aachen region, Cologne and Bonn – and we handle every call-out ourselves. Several of these motorways lead directly from the Netherlands and Belgium. The main routes and the towns with their own page (in German):
| Motorway | Section (selection) | Towns |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | Cologne – Leverkusen – Wuppertal – Hagen – Dortmund | Cologne · Leverkusen · Wuppertal · Remscheid · Hagen · Schwerte · Dortmund |
| A2 | Oberhausen – Bottrop – Gelsenkirchen – Herten – Recklinghausen – Dortmund | Oberhausen · Bottrop · Gelsenkirchen · Herten · Recklinghausen · Dortmund |
| A3 | (from Arnhem/Emmerich) Hünxe – Oberhausen – Duisburg – Ratingen – Hilden – Langenfeld – Leverkusen – Cologne | Dinslaken · Oberhausen · Duisburg · Ratingen · Hilden · Langenfeld · Leverkusen · Cologne |
| A40 | (from Venlo) Straelen – Neukirchen-Vluyn – Moers – Duisburg – Mülheim – Essen – Bochum – Dortmund | Straelen · Neukirchen-Vluyn · Moers · Duisburg · Mülheim · Essen · Bochum · Dortmund |
| A43 | Wuppertal – Bochum – Herne – Recklinghausen – Haltern am See | Wuppertal · Bochum · Herne · Recklinghausen · Haltern |
| A44 | Aachen – Mönchengladbach – Willich – Meerbusch – Düsseldorf – Ratingen | Aachen · Mönchengladbach · Willich · Meerbusch · Düsseldorf · Ratingen |
| A46 | Heinsberg – Erkelenz – Mönchengladbach – Neuss – Düsseldorf – Hilden – Haan – Wuppertal | Heinsberg · Erkelenz · Mönchengladbach · Neuss · Düsseldorf · Hilden · Haan · Wuppertal |
| A52 | (from Roermond) Mönchengladbach – Willich – Düsseldorf – Ratingen – Essen | Mönchengladbach · Willich · Düsseldorf · Ratingen · Essen |
| A57 | (from Nijmegen/Goch) Moers – Krefeld – Meerbusch – Neuss – Dormagen – Cologne | Moers · Krefeld · Meerbusch · Neuss · Dormagen · Cologne |
| A61 | (from Venlo) Nettetal – Viersen – Mönchengladbach – Grevenbroich – Bergheim – Kerpen | Nettetal · Viersen · Mönchengladbach · Grevenbroich · Bergheim · Kerpen |
| A4 | (from Heerlen) Aachen – Eschweiler – Düren – Kerpen – Frechen – Cologne | Aachen · Eschweiler · Düren · Kerpen · Frechen · Cologne |
Our bases are in Willich (A44/A52), Krefeld (A57) and Düsseldorf. From there we quickly reach the motorways on the Lower Rhine, in the Rhineland and in the Ruhr. All locations: locations and service area · Lower Rhine and Ruhr · Düsseldorf.
How much does it cost?
From €95 incl. VAT, usually around €300 including call-out and disposal, never more than €600. We agree the fixed price with you by phone in advance; a night or weekend surcharge of no more than €20 is already included. More: costs.
Frequently asked questions
- I put the wrong fuel in on a German motorway – what should I do now?
- Do not start the engine and leave the ignition off. If you are still at the pump at the motorway services, push the car aside after checking with the staff. Then call us: +49 177 3555403. We come around the clock and drain the wrong fuel on site.
- What if the car has broken down on the hard shoulder?
- Hazard lights on, high-visibility vest on, all passengers behind the crash barrier, warning triangle well behind the car. If there is any danger, call the emergency number 112 or the German police on 110 first. Then call us. Where we drain the tank depends on the situation – at the services, in a lay-by or wherever the police allow it.
- Do you come to motorway services and the motorway?
- Yes. From June to October 2026 we were called out twelve times to motorways and motorway services, including the A1, A2, A3, A40, A52 and A61. We handle every call-out ourselves.
- How quickly can you get to the motorway?
- In Düsseldorf we are usually there within 15–35 minutes, elsewhere within 30–45 minutes. We give you the exact arrival time on the phone.
- How much does draining the tank on the motorway cost?
- The same as anywhere else: from €95 incl. VAT, usually around €300 including call-out and disposal, never more than €600. We agree a fixed price with you by phone in advance.
- Breakdown service, motoring club or straight to a fuel drain service?
- If you are a member, you can call your motoring club – two of our motorway jobs came through motoring clubs, one of them Dutch. If you call us directly, we come straight to you and drain the tank on site instead of the car being towed to a garage. We speak German and English.
Pinar Abpumpservice has been operating since 2015; owner Mustafa Karapinar has worked in the motor trade since 1986. More information: our services · our team.