Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
Some may remember that over the summer I had problems with my brand-new truck (less than 3k at the time) "making oil". Here is an update AND the brief version of the bad luck that followed.
In the end, Dodge claimed that the problem was that my head was leaking diesel into the crank case. I think some folks had argued that the didn't think it was possible, all I know is that they replaced the head and the problem went away. Dodge ended up having my truck for the better part of a month and even though the local dealership initially wanted to charge me $5/day for a rental (a PT Cruiser which did NOT impress me btw) I convinced them that charging me was a little ridiculous and they gave it to me for free.
When I picked the truck up the service manager asked me if I would be willing to show them a bank statement for the truck they would pursue a refund for one month's payment. I agreed and Dodge sent me a check. I was pretty happy.
I drove the truck for about 3 months and right about the time I started feeling better about the truck, it started acting up again. This time, I was having trouble accelerating. I would push the go pedal and the engine would start choking. I immediately took the truck to the dealer and explained how frustrated I was to have a truck with less than 4k that just couldn't seem to run for more than a few months. I had honestly begun to convince myself that I had a lemon on my hands. This was extremely disappointing because it was the first Cummins that I had ANY engine trouble with.
After one day at the dealer, I got a call saying that the fuel pump was bad and that they were going to perform the TSB relocation. I ok'd the work and went about my day. That afternoon the news got worse. The fuel pump was destroyed by particulate in the fuel. Bad diesel had done the damage and as such it wouldn't be covered under warranty. Total bill (not including the 14 gallons of diesel they disposed of) was $960!!
Needless to say, I was pretty bent. My best guess was that the fuel station would tell me to buzz off and I would simply be out the money. At that point I called the local Shell station where I got fuel (along with Shell's customer service line) and explained what happened. Let me tell you this, the manager of the Shell station is one of the more despicable human beings I have ever met. She basically called me a liar on the spot and said I was out of luck. Shell's customer service line said that they would do what they could but wouldn't promise me anything.
That night while watching the news, I saw a special on TV about how a couple driving through Boise had gotten bad diesel in their Duramax and that it had cost them over 1k to get it fixed. They recommended that people with similar issue contact the Idaho dept. of Weights and Measures. I did so and opened a claim. I learned that I wasn't the only one and that it appeared to be a pretty widespread problem.
Since this story is already getting MUCH longer than I had planned I am going to fast forward a bit.
A few facts:
The Shell station I used was the first and ONLY time I have ever gotten fuel from Shell.
The previous 4 fuel stops had all been at the Fred Meyer in my neighborhood.
I found out AFTER the fact that most (and quite possibly ALL) the diesel in the Boise area is provided by Tesoro fuel. Shell, Chevron, Fred Meyer, Flying J etc.
In the end, Fred Meyer stepped up to the plate and paid my ENTIRE bill without batting an eye because I had gotten fuel from them at one point during the "bad diesel window".
Fred Meyer did so even though I told them that I had purchased fuel at Shell since my last fuel-up at Fred Meyer. They said that they appreciated my honesty but they wanted to keep me as a customer.
Now, before any nay-sayers jump in and say that Fred Meyer only did it because they knew that everybody got diesel from the same place, they offered this BEFORE that information came out.
I guess I learned a couple of things during this whole episode.
1) I still really like my Dodge Truck. Yah, it had a problem from the factory but until Honda builds a diesel truck I still think I have the best one you can buy
2) Fred Meyer (at least where I live) really "gets" customer service. The investigator I talked to said they would reimburse me because they way they saw it, other people where having the same issue so even though I had gotten fuel at Shell since, it still could have been caused by their fuel. THAT is good customer service IMHO.
3) Shell will NEVER get my business again. Not here, not anywhere unless I am stranded. True, it wasn't their fault (it was the fuel suppliers) but they didn't handle it well at all. Their manager on SEVERAL occasions basically accused me of making the whole thing up and at one point said I was "crazy" if I thought they were going to reimburse me for anything. I ended up complaining about Shell to Weights and Measures at which point they actually called the local Shell corporate types and got me an apology. While the store manager said that nobody else had ANY complaints about the fuel, the corporate person said that wasn't true and apologized.
4) Tesoro never was (publicly anyway) able to determine WHAT caused the fuel to form particulates. All the pumps had filters so it appears that the particulate was formed in peoples tanks. The fuel was determined to be of VERY low grade however. Tesoro at that point said they would reimburse anybody that had problems caused by it and they did so rather quickly. I thought they did a pretty good job reacting.
Anyway, sorry for the length but I thought some might be interested. Definitely a learning experience on my part. I now know more about diesel fuel than I ever thought I would. This experience has also brought home the fact that I need to get some gauges installed even though I don't currently tow. I think if I had a fuel pressure gauge I would have noticed a problem MUCH sooner and possibly avoided destroying my pump.
Huskerman
In the end, Dodge claimed that the problem was that my head was leaking diesel into the crank case. I think some folks had argued that the didn't think it was possible, all I know is that they replaced the head and the problem went away. Dodge ended up having my truck for the better part of a month and even though the local dealership initially wanted to charge me $5/day for a rental (a PT Cruiser which did NOT impress me btw) I convinced them that charging me was a little ridiculous and they gave it to me for free.
When I picked the truck up the service manager asked me if I would be willing to show them a bank statement for the truck they would pursue a refund for one month's payment. I agreed and Dodge sent me a check. I was pretty happy.
I drove the truck for about 3 months and right about the time I started feeling better about the truck, it started acting up again. This time, I was having trouble accelerating. I would push the go pedal and the engine would start choking. I immediately took the truck to the dealer and explained how frustrated I was to have a truck with less than 4k that just couldn't seem to run for more than a few months. I had honestly begun to convince myself that I had a lemon on my hands. This was extremely disappointing because it was the first Cummins that I had ANY engine trouble with.
After one day at the dealer, I got a call saying that the fuel pump was bad and that they were going to perform the TSB relocation. I ok'd the work and went about my day. That afternoon the news got worse. The fuel pump was destroyed by particulate in the fuel. Bad diesel had done the damage and as such it wouldn't be covered under warranty. Total bill (not including the 14 gallons of diesel they disposed of) was $960!!
Needless to say, I was pretty bent. My best guess was that the fuel station would tell me to buzz off and I would simply be out the money. At that point I called the local Shell station where I got fuel (along with Shell's customer service line) and explained what happened. Let me tell you this, the manager of the Shell station is one of the more despicable human beings I have ever met. She basically called me a liar on the spot and said I was out of luck. Shell's customer service line said that they would do what they could but wouldn't promise me anything.
That night while watching the news, I saw a special on TV about how a couple driving through Boise had gotten bad diesel in their Duramax and that it had cost them over 1k to get it fixed. They recommended that people with similar issue contact the Idaho dept. of Weights and Measures. I did so and opened a claim. I learned that I wasn't the only one and that it appeared to be a pretty widespread problem.
Since this story is already getting MUCH longer than I had planned I am going to fast forward a bit.
A few facts:
The Shell station I used was the first and ONLY time I have ever gotten fuel from Shell.
The previous 4 fuel stops had all been at the Fred Meyer in my neighborhood.
I found out AFTER the fact that most (and quite possibly ALL) the diesel in the Boise area is provided by Tesoro fuel. Shell, Chevron, Fred Meyer, Flying J etc.
In the end, Fred Meyer stepped up to the plate and paid my ENTIRE bill without batting an eye because I had gotten fuel from them at one point during the "bad diesel window".
Fred Meyer did so even though I told them that I had purchased fuel at Shell since my last fuel-up at Fred Meyer. They said that they appreciated my honesty but they wanted to keep me as a customer.
Now, before any nay-sayers jump in and say that Fred Meyer only did it because they knew that everybody got diesel from the same place, they offered this BEFORE that information came out.
I guess I learned a couple of things during this whole episode.
1) I still really like my Dodge Truck. Yah, it had a problem from the factory but until Honda builds a diesel truck I still think I have the best one you can buy
2) Fred Meyer (at least where I live) really "gets" customer service. The investigator I talked to said they would reimburse me because they way they saw it, other people where having the same issue so even though I had gotten fuel at Shell since, it still could have been caused by their fuel. THAT is good customer service IMHO.
3) Shell will NEVER get my business again. Not here, not anywhere unless I am stranded. True, it wasn't their fault (it was the fuel suppliers) but they didn't handle it well at all. Their manager on SEVERAL occasions basically accused me of making the whole thing up and at one point said I was "crazy" if I thought they were going to reimburse me for anything. I ended up complaining about Shell to Weights and Measures at which point they actually called the local Shell corporate types and got me an apology. While the store manager said that nobody else had ANY complaints about the fuel, the corporate person said that wasn't true and apologized.
4) Tesoro never was (publicly anyway) able to determine WHAT caused the fuel to form particulates. All the pumps had filters so it appears that the particulate was formed in peoples tanks. The fuel was determined to be of VERY low grade however. Tesoro at that point said they would reimburse anybody that had problems caused by it and they did so rather quickly. I thought they did a pretty good job reacting.
Anyway, sorry for the length but I thought some might be interested. Definitely a learning experience on my part. I now know more about diesel fuel than I ever thought I would. This experience has also brought home the fact that I need to get some gauges installed even though I don't currently tow. I think if I had a fuel pressure gauge I would have noticed a problem MUCH sooner and possibly avoided destroying my pump.
Huskerman
I will say that ALL of the local pumps were checked and NONE had any particulate in their filters. I have a sample of the particulate at my house and I can honestly say that if it had formed in the ground the filters in the pumps would have caught it. 
:-laf
