contaminated fuel -claiming cost of repairs from fuel vendor
Discussion
Does anyone have any experience of claiming the cost of repairs to a vehicle arising from damage caused by contaminated fuel? If so, any pointers as to what I should/shouldnt do.
The car (four months old, 4000 miles on the clock) was filled with unleaded from nearly empty, and less than .5 mile down the road broke down. The AA were called, and due to the fact that it had been very recently filled with fuel immediately suspected contaminated fuel, so they drained some from the tank, what came out was brown/muddy petrol, ie clearly contaminated. Car was recovered to a local garage, who stripped down the fuel system to clean it all out, Fuel filters/lines and injectors were all blocked with mud/grit. Car has now been repaired and seems (not sure if longer term damage may have been done) ok.
We have a receipt for the petrol,and repairs and I have kept a sample of the fuel.
The car (four months old, 4000 miles on the clock) was filled with unleaded from nearly empty, and less than .5 mile down the road broke down. The AA were called, and due to the fact that it had been very recently filled with fuel immediately suspected contaminated fuel, so they drained some from the tank, what came out was brown/muddy petrol, ie clearly contaminated. Car was recovered to a local garage, who stripped down the fuel system to clean it all out, Fuel filters/lines and injectors were all blocked with mud/grit. Car has now been repaired and seems (not sure if longer term damage may have been done) ok.
We have a receipt for the petrol,and repairs and I have kept a sample of the fuel.
A few thoughts...
Did the AA provide a report? It would be helpful.
Approach the garage and explain the situation. They may be reasonable. If the problem affected other motorists (you would think it might), then the local press may know about it.
Fuel is often treated with a marker (I think it's biological) to help verify its source - that way, if petrol leachs into the water table, you can tell whether it was from filling station A or the one opposite. Keep the sample, and don't release it until you've a satisfactory result.
Do you understand how the contamination reached the injectors? Why didn't the fuel filter contain the problem?
WilliBetz
Did the AA provide a report? It would be helpful.
Approach the garage and explain the situation. They may be reasonable. If the problem affected other motorists (you would think it might), then the local press may know about it.
Fuel is often treated with a marker (I think it's biological) to help verify its source - that way, if petrol leachs into the water table, you can tell whether it was from filling station A or the one opposite. Keep the sample, and don't release it until you've a satisfactory result.
Do you understand how the contamination reached the injectors? Why didn't the fuel filter contain the problem?
WilliBetz
An aquaintance suffered fuel contamination in his VW Passat W8. The oil company (no names, but think of a tongue-twister about a vendor of marine mollusks) admitted liabililty. They provided a replacement car (actually a 7-series BMW) for several months whilst the factory scheduled the manufacture of new fuel tanks and a detailed check-over for the engine.
Lean hard on the garage, their supplier and the oil company. Was this an isolated instance, or have other motorists been affected? Ask the local newspaper whether they have heard anything
.
Streaky
Lean hard on the garage, their supplier and the oil company. Was this an isolated instance, or have other motorists been affected? Ask the local newspaper whether they have heard anything
.Streaky
get info from petrol station when their tanks were last cleaned and when the last delivery had been before you filled up ,best bet is they had just had the tanks filled and last clean was when 4 star was available .the fill would have disturbed all the muck in the tanks and hadn't settled before you filled up .garage is liable .
Garage are currently playing dumb, ie cant get further than the idiot on the counter, manager/owner is always out.
Trading standards suspect that they let the tanks run too low and hence we got the dregs (along with the silt etc), apparently they are not supposed to allow the tanks level to get below a certain point, they suspect in this case they went below this point.
Have got a report from AA and from the garage that repaired the car, so hopefully they will play ball eventually.
The fuel company are denying responsibility and are saying that each petrol station is independantly owned and it is them we should see recompense from (which we will do).
Am going to send the petrol station owner a letter with copies of all reports/receipts etc asking for recompense within 21 days, going to copy it to petrol supplier and trading standards. If this fails I will take to the small claims court. I expect I'll win in the end, but it looks like its going to be an uphill struggle.
No idea why the fuel filter didnt stop the crap getting past, but it didnt, maybe they are a bypass type filter, so that when fully clogged they just let everything past.
Trading standards suspect that they let the tanks run too low and hence we got the dregs (along with the silt etc), apparently they are not supposed to allow the tanks level to get below a certain point, they suspect in this case they went below this point.
Have got a report from AA and from the garage that repaired the car, so hopefully they will play ball eventually.
The fuel company are denying responsibility and are saying that each petrol station is independantly owned and it is them we should see recompense from (which we will do).
Am going to send the petrol station owner a letter with copies of all reports/receipts etc asking for recompense within 21 days, going to copy it to petrol supplier and trading standards. If this fails I will take to the small claims court. I expect I'll win in the end, but it looks like its going to be an uphill struggle.
No idea why the fuel filter didnt stop the crap getting past, but it didnt, maybe they are a bypass type filter, so that when fully clogged they just let everything past.
julians said:
Garage are currently playing dumb, ie cant get further than the idiot on the counter, manager/owner is always out.
Trading standards suspect that they let the tanks run too low and hence we got the dregs (along with the silt etc), apparently they are not supposed to allow the tanks level to get below a certain point, they suspect in this case they went below this point.
Have got a report from AA and from the garage that repaired the car, so hopefully they will play ball eventually.
The fuel company are denying responsibility and are saying that each petrol station is independantly owned and it is them we should see recompense from (which we will do).
Am going to send the petrol station owner a letter with copies of all reports/receipts etc asking for recompense within 21 days, going to copy it to petrol supplier and trading standards. If this fails I will take to the small claims court. I expect I'll win in the end, but it looks like its going to be an uphill struggle.
No idea why the fuel filter didnt stop the crap getting past, but it didnt, maybe they are a bypass type filter, so that when fully clogged they just let everything past.
I wouldnt have thought you would get much resistance.Trading standards suspect that they let the tanks run too low and hence we got the dregs (along with the silt etc), apparently they are not supposed to allow the tanks level to get below a certain point, they suspect in this case they went below this point.
Have got a report from AA and from the garage that repaired the car, so hopefully they will play ball eventually.
The fuel company are denying responsibility and are saying that each petrol station is independantly owned and it is them we should see recompense from (which we will do).
Am going to send the petrol station owner a letter with copies of all reports/receipts etc asking for recompense within 21 days, going to copy it to petrol supplier and trading standards. If this fails I will take to the small claims court. I expect I'll win in the end, but it looks like its going to be an uphill struggle.
No idea why the fuel filter didnt stop the crap getting past, but it didnt, maybe they are a bypass type filter, so that when fully clogged they just let everything past.
As you have worked out, legally your contract is with the owner of the garage. They would be responsible in this scenario.
It is hugely likely they will have liability insurance who will just pay out on their behalf. You are doing exactly the right thing already by writing to them. If you don't get the money in full, give them a further letter stating Final Warning of Intended Legal Action and give them seven days. Then its Money Claim Online...
However, on a positive note when this happened to another PHer with literally a brand new car the garage paid up without any resistance after the first letter.
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