I nspectors continue to investigate complaints from Hampton Roads consumers about bad gasoline, but a state agency spokeswoman says she's confident the problematic fuel is no longer being sold.
Calls started pouring into the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services last week from drivers who said they were having trouble with their vehicles after filling up, said department spokeswoman Elaine Lidholm. At least 150 complaints have come from consumers in Franklin, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Gloucester and other areas, she said.
Inspectors said many of the complaints seem to be valid, Lidholm said, and that the problem stemmed from the percentage of ethanol in the fuel being higher than 10 percent.
Lidholm said she was confident that any fuel with more than 10 percent ethanol had either been removed from stations' tanks or had been sold.
Some stations had received a letter from their distributors warning that the fuel could be bad, Lidholm said. Station workers voluntarily pumped the fuel out of the tanks and refilled them with fuel that was properly mixed, she said.
Any bad fuel that was removed would have been sent away to be re-blended, she said.
"In all likelihood, it may all have come from the same source," Lidholm said.
Five inspectors and two supervisors have been checking the complaints and are expected to continue investigating at least through this week, she said. The agency continues to receive complaints, although the pace of the calls had decreased by Wednesday.
Once the investigation is complete, the inspectors' report will be available to the public, Lidholm said. Agriculture officials can levy a civil penalty in such cases but would refer the matter the state attorney general if legal action was warranted.
Drivers who believe they bought the bad fuel should keep receipts until the state determines what happened, Lidholm said. They might also want to get verification from a mechanic that bad fuel had caused problems. She could not say whether consumers would receive any restitution.
Consumers can report bad fuel to the state's consumer hot line at (800) 552-9963.
Cindy Clayton, (757) 446-2377, cindy.clayton@pilotonline.com
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Test fuel at pump to avoid purchase of contaminated E10 gas
Hello,
We have received a dramatic increase of contaminated gas reports from all areas of VA over past month. (parts of NC & SC too). Florida has been consistently #1 for past 6+ months (e10 contaminated gas).
All E10 problems are preventable/avoidable.
Unfortunately few realize gas was cause of engine damage until too late (they don't save receipt or gas sample for state to do proper investigation).
Reports include: Gas grossly contaminated with water (improper mgmt and storage of ethanol blends); Blends far above 10% legal max (as high as 35% reported this week in VA); "Dirty Gas" due to pump not properly cleaned and dry prior to switch to E10.
What most people don't realize is that the percent ethanol changes with each and every delivery (usually every 1-2 days for a busy station). Since ethanol is blended in locally, the brand does not matter - Both top tier and unbranded gas have equal risk -
Ask station if they are testing and monitoring the % ethanol (and water presence) daily - If not you can simply check fuel yourself in about 2 mins.
A portable fuel test kit is reuseable (lasts a lifetime) and costs less than $25. Always test gas before filling up.
When gas
HEY! I had the same thing happen
Took the boat out just after getting it back from a tuneup at which it ran great. Filled it up at the Walmart gas station in Suffolk and as soon as we put it in the water it started to sputter and eventually died and couldn't be restarted. My mechanic just let me know that he too suspects it was bad gas after his troubleshooting. Now the carbs are soaking. This is total CRAP!
gas
I purchased gas on june 20 09 for my boat. I have had my boat in the water just a week ago and it ran fine. We planned a fishing trip this past weekend. I purchased some gas from a station in Suffolk and as soon as we hit the water my boat starting acting as if had water in the gas. I then took off my filter that collects water from the gas and there was not any water. we were then stranded on the water. Then after we got back to the dock I started investagating my engine and there was a film like all over my carburator that looked like a thin layer of build up that g
began to flake. I then called and talked to a machanic and explained what was going on and he assured my that it was the gas and that my carburader will have to replaced and oh yeah that would be $650.00. Some one needs to be liable for their mistake not the consumer.
Find the lowest gas prices in Hampton Roads at GasBuddy
If you really want to learn more about gas in our region and also the lowest prices, go to virginiabeachgasprices(dot)com.
We need to demand some action from Consumer Affairs!
Contact info to local Consumer Affairs office:
Consumer Affairs
2425 Nimmo Pkwy.
Judicial Center, Bldg. 10B
Virginia Beach, VA 23456
Direct: (757) 385-5836
OCACAAdmin@vbgov.com
They need to hear it from everyone who got stiffed by this thing. My car has been acting crazy for weeks and I'm just starting to understand what happened. Now I have to see if this is going to permanently damage my engine and what an outrage that we aren't even getting our money's worth at the pump.
We deserve to know where the bad gas is sold and what a slap in the face that the spokesperson "knows" the bad gas isn't sold anymore because of voluntary recall and, oh yeah...the bad gas has already been SOLD
Classy
I had problems....
a few weeks ago with my car acting sluggish, starting then cutting off like it had run out of gas when the tank was full, acting like it was going to stall..... it cost me over $500.00 for repairs. I don't have my gas receipts anymore... wasn't aware there was a problem with gas stations in the area. The repair shop said it was probably bad gas... sure would be nice if there were a way for me to get my $500.00 back. Now you report it, don't tell people where the problem was/is, and other people are experiencing having to shell out tons of money for repairs because somebody somewhere screwed up. It's not right. Someone should be required to pay... not necessarily the stations where the gas was received because it's not there fault. But wherever it came from... where it was processed... that's who is responsible. I WANT MY MONEY BACK!!
Surely we'll all get a
Surely we'll all get a bailout coupon for pain and suffering, or if the car is permanently ruined, a bigger bailout to fix it, or an even bigger bailout if we opt to buy a whole big brand new car! It's your choice, says Bob Barker, I mean, Prez Obama.
Grahd's comment does not make sense
If the distributors are putting the wrong fuel in the tanks at the stations, then how in the heck can it be the consumers fault when they get the wrong ethenol blend of fuel? Should we be asking the gas station attendants (if you can find one) if they put the right fuel in the right tank? Evidently, this problem is happening a lot and at a lot of gas stations so did a large percentage of the population suddenly start using the wrong pump? Don't think so.
E85 or E10/15
The normal unleaded fuel you are purchasing for your vehicle or watercraft is known as E10 or E15. That is 80% Gasoline and 10% Ethenol. E85 is a very unique blend of fuel, it is 85% Ethenol and 15% Gasoline, the opposite that you get at a normal gas pump. If you put E85 into an object that it wasn't intended for, FlexFuel vehicles, YES you WILL DAMAGE your engine. Normal systems in your car are not designed to run on alcohol, and that is basically what E85 is.
If you are unwise to pay attention to what fuel you are putting in your car, then it is absolutely YOUR fault, not the gas vendor's fault, not the manufacturer's fault.
This would be like putting Diesel fuel into a gasoline car. Besides the nozzle WON'T fit into your car but if you do that, the same damage can happen.
Always THINK before you LEAP!
grahd
Thank you for your correction, I used the wrong nomenclature. This was the standard E10 that caused the problem at the Town Center Shell. My apologies, and I hope I did not mislead anyone.
The remainder of my comments regarding the blend of ethanol retaining water, even as E10/15, and the effect on marine engines, stand.
Shenar
It's pretty difficult to "back off" even if one is not a tree hugger. Commuting 100 miles a day in a Suburban just doesn't make any sense. Please tell us your husband at least drives other's?
May not make sense
But it's what we have to do at this point. During his commute, no he doesnt drive others. Around town, we always have a truck full of kids. A Suburban fits our family's needs. I don't drive so adding another car payment doesn't make sense either.
Bad Fuel Pump
My husband commutes 100 miles a day in a suburban (Back off tree-huggers). Obviously we have had to fill up a few times during that period. Had to replace our fuel pump last week and are still having fuel issues! We decided to only use Bradshaw's in Holland from now on. They do not have ANY ethanol in the gas!
Bad Gas
You've been running this story for four days. Either tell us who they are or shut-up. If you "siphon" your gas, let me know how you do it....I cannot on any of my cars, it's blocked!
here's another example
this is another example of govt mandated B/S.all in the name of political votes,and money from large corprate farming,like ADM. and now we,once again suffer the consiquenses of the dumbass politicans.ethonal is useless,in which form that we use it.corn! yes corn!it cost more to produce it then,what it is worth in the long run.hey Webb are you going to subsidize the cost of a new engine in my car?, i bet not.and yes i too,am experiencing this bad fuel problem, i thought it was just me but i guess not.
I = victim
after reading this article and getting gas in norfolk at the super K on military highway I left the office today and pulled into a parking lot to get food. My car sputtered once and then died like it ran out of gas. Everything shut down and I of course lost power steering. I stopped in the parking lot flipped the hood confused, called dad (knows slightly more about cars than I do). He told me he had the same problem with his car on the peninsula and my mom's (her's stopped twice). So I put the key in the engine started it up and got 10 dollars worth of reputable shell. Hopefully that will counteract the BAD GASOLINE. If not I guess I will have to syphon my own tank.
eyewitness account
Town Center VaB Shell. Shortly after filling last Wed 6/10, warning lights and poor performance. One can each of dry gas and fuel injector cleaner has temporarily(?) fixed the problem. What long-term damage has been done on this new vehicle?
E85 is a bad idea. documented damage to marine outboards. propensity to retain and bond with water. perhaps the government can bail us out.
hmmm
I am supposed to drive around in my car and hope that my engine doesn't blow up instead of know what gas may have the potential to hurt my engine and give me a chance to empty my tank to avoid it? Now the news is giving us some detail, but still not enough...
http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-local_gas_0613jun13,0,2807587.story
http://www.wtkr.com/news/wtkr-farm-fresh-bad-gas,0,5909739.story
part of the answer
the gas originated at the APEX distribution terminal in Chesapeake. Thus far the only station I know that got it WAS the BJ's on VB Blvd. Let's see who can fill in the rest.
I know . . .
when I get the ethanol high stuff because my emissions control light will come on for several days straight. Thankfully, one thing General Motors does right is tells you in the manual that that can be due to a weird gas mixture and, if the light goes off, your car will be fine without taking it in for work. The light always goes off eventually.
Want to start a list? The place that most often happens to me has low prices--the 711 at the corner of Diamond Springs and Wesleyan in Virginia Beach, by the Food Lion. Once my light even came on as I pulled out of that gas station, like 15 seconds after I started my car. And, yes, that was within the last month.