Grrrrr - bad load of fuel

[midwestdually]

y not do the picket thing at the station. . not only will you get peoples attention at the station but why not call the local news media... . its a last resort but it may work.

 

[Badunit]

I'd still consider small claims court unless you're tired of fighting this already and don't want to spend the time. At a minimum it'll be a pain in the a$$ for them.



I have yet to find a station near me that moves a lot of diesel. I found one that sells bad fuel and I've bought from a few stations that haven't caused me any problems (yet). Can anyone who knows the Northern Virginia area (specifically the Fairfax, Oakton, Springfield area) point me in the right direction?

 

[Mtngoat]

You could have poured the bad fuel into that stations drain, hoping that the EPA monitors picks it up in the sewage lines and traced it back to the station. Major fine for dumping oil/ fuel into the sewer. Of course I don't think they monitor all the time unless the sewage plant makes a complaint.

 

[Pit Bull]

Just wonder if this has happened to anyone lately?

 

[amsoilman]

To Steve and all,



I once had the same thing happen to me regarding the "bad fuel" thing at a "Flyng J" station. When I wrote to the management of Flying J Inc. (home office) they apologized for any and all inconveniences, and sent me a coupon for a full tank of fuel as well as 2 coupons for a dinner!



Wayne

amsoilman

 

[ralphr]

Bad Diesel

Steve,



get the fuel sample checked, then contact eiother local or state officials. I used to own a 83 cadilac diesel, got some bad fuel in Miami, found out later gov't agency (I think weights and measures) also had jurisdiction over contaminated fuel, hefty fine and revoke license if multiple occurances.



Come to think of it think the station was a Shell station. Good luck!

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

This is an old thread guys. Note these posts I made up above:

Got a letter today from the Agriculture Department today that "The Motor Fuels Quality Law, P. A. 44 of 1984 does not establish standards for diesel fuel and the department has no jurisdiction over the quality of diesel fuel at this time. " SCARY!! So I bounced it back over to the Attorney Generals office, filed a complaint with them and then faxed this letter to the fuel supplier - any bets on how long it will take before I get a phone call back?

Well I got word back from the Attorney General's office. The fuel supplier basically said that no one else complained so there isn't a problem. They also included their fuel delivery reports. The AG's office said since they have no jurisdiction over fuel quality that there's nothing they can do and closed the case. They recommended that I try small claims court and I'm researching that now. Since they now have paperwork from the AG's office that the case is closed it may be difficult to win though. Trying to decide at this point if it's worth it to continue to fight - or just take it as a lesson learned.

Since the AG's office had no jurisdiction and in the state of Michigan there is NO standard for diesel fuel (!) I decided that I was wasting my time in trying to fight them. Pretty sad that a fuel supplier can sell you water or anything and call it diesel and noone has any power to do anything about it here since there is no definition of what "diesel" is!?!?!? Aaaaargh

 

[WadePatton]

Send your letter to the state legislature, maybe they can write a law or two concerning diesel and kerosene. That won't help you for that event, but may help future diesel purchasers in your state.



Our station's fuel is routinely checked by independent labs to meet the standard required to carry the "Texaco" brand. I met one of those folks doing that very thing one day. Another time I pumped two gallons of Kerosene into a jug and then into my truck because I didn't want to fuel while the tanker was dropping his load (I was OUT). As I talked to the tanker driver he said "this is the cleanest diesel tank around" and proceeded to "stick it" for water. ZERO water in that tank, then he tested one of the gasoline tanks and it had three inches of water in it. I filled with fuel and everything was rosey.



If I ever think I've gotten a bad load anywhere, I'll be going straight back to the station and pumping more fuel into a jug and parking at that pump with my JUG for display and my HOOD UP for a while--ready willing and able to discuss the situation with all concerned.



BTW I also wipe off the nozzle before I use it. I save the filter from lots of crud that way.

 

[LightmanE300]

OK steve that was painful to read through, here's the deal. The EPA is who sets the standards for diesel fuel, and they are clearly stated in the ASTM guidelines. The standards are pretty lax.



Secondly, fuel test kits are available for $50 at www.avlube.com .



Third, I have performed several fuel analyses, and have done much research on diesel fuels. 24 hours of storage is nothing. Also your assertion that truck stops have better fuel is ABSOLUTELY FALSE. I have tested a local Amoco truck stop that turns fuel like rivers run water, insane amounts - and found it absolutely filthy and microbe contaminated upon testing. I've also tested a less busy texaco near me, and came to find it was one of the top 5 cleanest ever tested by the lab. BOTTOM LINE - tank maintenance, breather, and filter type and maintenance play a huge role in fuel quality. It doesn't matter how much they pump a day, if their tanks are nasty and they dont change the filters. For example, the truck stop amoco had 23,000,000 particles PER GALLON of contaminants, and the texaco had 3,000,000. 23 million compared to 3 per gallon is a WHOLE bunch more wear to your fuel system and injectors. Especially with newer HPCR injectors. Many stations try to cut the costs of changing filters nonstop by simply 'gutting' the insides out of the filters and screwing them back on - in effect giving the impression of a new/clean filter(fast pump flow) but in actuality doing no filtration at all



Steve, email me if you'd like any more info on fuel testing, or to see the analyses I'm talking about.



Lastly, on a personal sentiment - I think you're going a little too far, and asking too much. I also think the station is trying to play dumb and not own up to their problems. Getting your money back is absolutely more than fair, and offering a free tank of fuel(like you'd want it).

 

[WadePatton]

lawsuit

Forgot to mention that we've been on the other side of a bad-fuel lawsuit. It was gasoline and one guy (of hundreds)reported a problem. Don't know how many thousand gallons we sold that week but it was a lot, and no other problems, and our supplier HAS to maintain the tanks or lose the name brand.



He is/was a teacher and we suspect that the high-school boys put some urinary mello yello into his tank.



I think the insurance folks gave him some money, but we were not at fault.



BUT, I do feel that consequential damages are entirely in order if the station is at fault (which it is in Steve's case). Steve sues the station and the supplier. The station tries to pass it up to the supplier. Then it turns on who is reponsible for maintainence of the tanks and filters at the station. In our case the supplier is the quality control. We don't even pay for the fuel in the ground, only what is pumped out. Pump/tank maintainence and tanker driver IQ is entirely on them. That's not always the case though. A jury would probably award punitive damages for the suppliers attitude in this case--but it's probably not worth the hassle.

 

[LightmanE300]

Its not the case at our local texaco or hess, they both change their own filters and etc.