[GU Pilot]

Hi,

Last night I filled up my GU 4.5L Petrol with Pertol from the Shell at Wahroonga in the Pacific Hwy just off the F3.

I still had about 80km left in the tank but thought I'd fill up there because it was $1.31 and aerlier I'd seen it over $1.50.

Anyway, I managed to drive all of 9.2km from the petrol station before the car began loosing power, chugging and unable to go anywhere. I pulled over and the car struggled to idle at 200 RPM.

The car would no longer start and has since been towed. The NRMA couldn't get it started, however, when he took off the fuel line at the engine and squirted in his own fuel it did tick over much healthier but obviously couldn't have it running off a little squirter bottle.

Does this sound like water in the fuel? Or the fuel pump or something else?

What can I do with it? Is there a fuel drain point I can check for water? I'm thinking of going to where it was towed and change the fuel filter, drain the lines, see if I can drain the tank a bit and see how I go.

Can you suggest anything else or describe where the fuel tank drain(s) is (if it has one)?

Thank you

 

[truckster]

Go back to the servo and get a 5ltr tin of the fuel from same pump, and check it out.

In the mean time, drain your tank and flush it. Check it for contaminants.. Then change filter, put 20 of fresh fuel from elsewhere into your tank and go for a drive.

and steer clear of cheap fuel. there is probably a reason it was 20cpl cheaper.

 

[kitiara]

did you get a receipt for the fuel? if so you may be able to make a case with the servo if any damages have been done or a refund on the fuel.

Hopefully with a flush and filter change all will be good. Otherwise have a chat to the servo/your insurance

 

[Anthony416]

Shell Hornsby

Different car but same story. Shell at Hornsby, Pacific Hwy, where the car is always filled up. This happened about 6 weeks ago. Filled up and drove about 5km and car is dead. Flat bed truck to machanic, says it looks like fuel contamination, had to flush every thing out and change all filters, injector cleans etc etc $650.............

Mechanic kept fuel sample, looked like some black crap in it..............Lucky I still had the fuel receipt, go to the servo. Manager says 'we dont sell dirty fuel not our problem' he gives me the Melbourne customer care number.................

They say they will put in a claim to Crawford (I assumed this was an independant tester but have since found out it is Shell............what a fkn joke

Crawford ask for receipts for the fuel and repair bill. Send via email 5:50 pm and the NEXT DAY they sent me a letter saying they had investigated the claim and checked the fuel at the Hornsby servo and it is clean. Claim refused

They had the letter already typed up and there is no way they actually went to the servo within a few hours of the morning they sent the letter. They also did not ask for my sample of fuel which I asked them to test, if they were even remotely serious about the problem they would have done that.

What a load a garbage.....then the other night there was a program on the TV about fuel contamination and there was good old Shell right in the middle of it.............bastards.

According to the TV program a Tribunal hearing is the only way to go but that means a day off work as well as an application fee...........

Rant over
Anthony

 

[Mavtroll]

lets start a name and shame thread and any servo that sells contaminated fuel and does nothing about it we can all boycot - id rather not risk it in my car and that $120 per tank they would miss from me - it would all add up over a week if we could pass the message along

 

[mavers]

I picked up dirty fuel in WA once, a full tank too! Ended up clogging 2 fuel filters within 150km before we drove back to speak with the manager. He agreed to refund the full tank, drove around the corner to another local servo and filled up again. No problems at all!

 

[BradM]

GU Pilot

I Feel for you AND ANYONE ELSE WHO HAS COUGHED UP MONEY FOR BAD FUEL.

I had $7,800 worth of damage done to my CRD a couple of months ago (COMPLETE NEW FUEL SYSTEM EXCLUDING THE TANKS WHICH WERE CHEMICALLY FLUSHED OUT).

Check with your insurance company to see if you are covered from bad fuel causing engine damage. Keep receipt and fuel sample from the Patrol and let the insurance go after them.

Even the insurance company will tell you that recovery of the money has a very low hit rate even with all their resources.

I think a thread with a listing of servo's where bad fuel has come from is brilliant.

 

[geeyoutoo]

That's progress for you :headwall:, many of the older members will remember the pumps with the glass bowl on the side, you could see all the fuel going into your vehicle and could stop pumping if something happened. Bugger and people wonder why we talk about the good old days........
Bring back the fuel bowl!:driving:

 

[Anthony416]

I like the idea of a name and shame list.

If we had a list, not only could you avoid the bastards in your local area but also when traveling you would have an idea which servo to avoid.

Actually, during traveling on long trips is when you are most vunerable since getting the vehicle back to home base is a lot more expensive than when it stops near home.

When it stops near home you can also use your trusted mechanic whereas away the 2nd Murphy factor kicks in, will the mechanic do the right thing or not............?

Can a mod start a sticky somewhere? After a while the data would also start to show which of the big guys had a better record than the others and you could start to trust one brand a bit more? We could link it to a graph showing the results for easy reference.

These big oil companies are a law under themselves and our only power is the sharing of information since the state governments and insurance companies seem powerless to assist. (Just look at how useless the state governments are at ending price fixing............


Cheers
Anthony

 

[Sharky1]

Yrs ago I filled up my ute, my motorbike & my neighbours bike all at once from a local servo that I didn't usually stop at. None of the above vehicles were running by the end of that day. I can't explain how, but even after we drained carby's, tanks & fuel lines & added fresh clean fuel, none of the 3 motors would run except my ute but it misfired & backfired as if the timing was out. In the end we had to replace plugs, leads & I even had to replace the coil in my ute. All told, I lost over $500 in the ordeal. I later learnt that the servo owner 'watered' his fuel down with ethanol. Soon after, that servo got a court order to shut down, which was lucky for him coz we were gonna burn it down.

There was another time when I picked up bad fuel from a small country servo & I was able to limp the car to the next town where I bought a bottle of metholated spirit & poured it into the tank. It made a difference & got me home but my fuel pump was damaged in the process.

If this ever happens to you, drain the tank, drain the fuel lines, replace the fuel filter & when you refill the tank, make sure that you prime the system before trying to start the motor.

 

[CARnage]

Do not fill up at Caltex Gympie 24hr heading south!!!
We did and have only just fixed all our diesel problems 3 months later. Between changing filters, draining fuel lines and a new jet pump.This is with my wife's Prado. Lucky is wasn't my Nissan. Went and saw the guy with 2 samples and he had the worst ever attitude. It wasn't my fuel mate!!!All vehicles have **** in the bottom of fuel tanks (vehicle is just over 7 years old and NO previous dramas at all)..Be careful Patrol King and Skegbudley because I know your vehicles have been up this way. Hope you sort all your dramas out Gu Pilot..Nothing worse..

 

[Mavtroll]

name and shame now started in trips teks etc etc, if the mods feel its inappropriate im sure it will be gone soon