A fuel mix-up at an Esso gas station is costing one Calgary driver thousands of dollars and there may be more customers impacted.
On July 9, Jason Wright filled up his car with what he thought was premium gas at an Esso in Calgary’s southeast. Minutes later, it broke down.
“After washing my car, I went to start my car and it just wouldn’t go,” Wright said.
“With all of the lights shining in the dashboard, I just knew not to drive the car and I called for an AMA to tow my car.”
Wright called the Esso station owner on Ogden Road S.E., who he says confirmed that the fuel truck filled the wrong tank that day with diesel.
The Esso owner told Global News the station had to shut down several pumps to drain out the wrong gas.
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After doing an inspection on Wright’s car, mechanics at CSN LOU’S Auto Body confirmed there was diesel in the fuel system.
“We could smell the diesel fuel from the vehicle,” manager Steven Duponte said. “In the case with the Subaru, we’re going to be replacing the spark plugs, the fuel injectors, the fuel pump. Most of the rest of the system, we’re going to be able to clean.”
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Wright said the entire ordeal has been a huge inconvenience with a big price tag.
“I’ve gone two weeks now without my car… Now having to get parts. It’s almost $3,600, they’ve (auto body) told me.”
The Esso owner said he had already paid the vehicle bills for several customers that pumped diesel instead of premium at his gas station and he’s expected to be reimbursed from the company that delivered his fuel. He also said he has owned the gas station for more than a decade and this was the first time a gas mix-up had happened.
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For now, Wright hopes he’s not paying out of pocket and the Esso gas station owner will pay his bill in the end, as promised.
“He gave me a verbal that I just had to pay for it up front and then he would repay me with the invoices I brought in,” Wright said.
Wright warns others who may have filled up with what they thought was premium gas on July 9.
“Now I’m really leery in filling up with gas stations, especially ones that I haven’t filled up with before. This isn’t one that I normally fill up with, so I think it’s once again, buyer beware,” Wright said.
If this ever happens to you at the pump, mechanics say pull over immediately and turn off your vehicle to limit the damage that could be done.