A costly mistake... Gas station allegedly pumps diesel fuel into non-diesel vehicles

A petrol station has filled diesel fuel into dozens of gasoline engine cars and they’ve all ended up breaking down… Welcome to every motorists nightmare!

You probably don’t even think about this ever happening to you when you stop at the pumps to fill your vehicle’s tank – and that is very likely due to the fact that your fuel is pumped for you by an attendant.

But, if you were to ever put diesel fuel into a car that runs on gasoline, well, the consequences would be dire - and that is exactly what has happened in Colorado, US, where a gas station muddled up the two much to the dismay of unsuspecting motorists.

Dozens of drivers in Boulder County are facing major mechanical issues after inadvertently putting diesel into their gasoline-powered vehicles. Affected owners started a Facebook group devoted to the problem, and they are hoping to be reimbursed for costly repairs to their cars.

“I got gas and about three blocks later, my car started lugging and chugging. It’s a really good car and I just got it tuned up on Friday,” said Dani Alexander who owns a 2015 Subaru Forester which started struggling almost immediately after she filled it up at a local Circle K. The gas station referred her to Travelers insurance which paid out more than $1,100 for the mistake.

“They did admit it was their mistake. That they have been delivered bad gas that had diesel in it, and that’s where the plumes of black smoke were coming from,” she continued.

Allegedly, a third-party vendor filled the gasoline storage tanks with diesel and so there was no way for the motorists to know that they were filling up with the wrong fuel.

Most pumps are designed to help customers avoid filling up with the wrong fuel by using different colour handles but unfortunately there was not much they could do in this instance.

Most drivers only realized the problem only after they drove away which is far from ideal as diesel getting into a gasoline fuel system or vice versa causes serious damage to the engine.

If you put diesel in a gasoline car your best-case scenario is you realize it before you start the engine. Then you can get the fuel tank flushed before any of the diesel fuel gets to your motor and you’ll probably be fine after that.

But if diesel has got into your engine the necessary first steps include flushing the fuel system which includes the tank, fuel lines, injectors, rail and fuel pump and that can cost up to $1,500. If the diesel doesn’t all get cleaned out, your engine can be severely damaged and lead to a full rebuild…

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