Roadside assistance

Petrol in a diesel, or diesel in a petrol. It is far more common than people think and it is not a disaster — provided the engine is not started.

If you have realised at the pump: do not turn the key. Not even to move the car off the forecourt. Tell the cashier, put it in neutral, and call us. Draining a tank on a car that has never been started is a straightforward job. Running the wrong fuel through a modern fuel system turns it into a very expensive one.

A car that turns over slowly, clicks, or does nothing at all when you turn the key is usually a battery rather than a breakdown. We will get it started and tell you honestly whether the battery will hold or whether you are about to be standing here again tomorrow.

Modern vehicles with stop-start systems and sensitive electronics should not be jumped off another car with cheap leads. If you are not confident, leave it.

A puncture on a fast road is not the place to be kneeling by a jack. If you are on a motorway or a dual carriageway, get everyone out of the vehicle, behind the barrier and away from the traffic, then call.

Plenty of newer cars have no spare wheel at all, only a sealant kit that will not fix a sidewall or a blowout. If that is you, it is a recovery rather than a wheel change, and we will bring the truck.

Whatever the fault, the priority is the same — get away from moving traffic:

• On a motorway or dual carriageway, get onto the hard shoulder or into an emergency area if you possibly can, leave by the passenger doors, and wait behind the barrier and up the bank — not in the vehicle.
• Hazard lights on. Sidelights too if it is dark or the weather is poor.
• Leave animals in the vehicle unless it is genuinely unsafe.
• On an ordinary road, a warning triangle well back gives following drivers a chance — but never use one on a motorway.
• Keep your phone with you, and note a marker post or junction number so you can tell us exactly where you are.