Drivers say their cars were damaged after filling up with watery gas

VILLA RICA, Ga. — Four drivers say their cars were damaged when they filled up with watery fuel at a gas station.

Kamari McIver told Channel 2's Jim Strickland that all of the gas stations around his home in Villa Rica were out of premium-grade fuel last week. When he learned one gas station by his home had premium fuel a couple days ago, his wife rushed over and filled up their SUV.

As she drove away from the Marathon station on Rockmart Road, her SUV stalled. They took the car to a repair shop and McIver said the mechanics told them the fuel tank was full of water.

“I'm very angry,” McIver said. “One, I had to stop working.  Two, my wife was frantic.  Three, my baby was in the car.”

The cost to fix the fuel system is nearly $800 and they haven’t even checked the engine yet.

Mike Springer told Channel 2’s Jim Strickland that he was also a victim of the watered-down gas.

“I knew it had to be something. Immediately when I left the station, my car started jutting, jutting, jutting,” he said.

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Springer didn’t even make it a mile from the station before he had to have his BMW towed home.

“I put $20 in and immediately when I took off, the engine shut off.  Everything shut off,” he said.

State officials say heavy rain from Tropical Storm Irma is the cause of the water getting into the storage tank. State inspectors were doing random checks last week looking for water in tanks at several gas stations. On Monday, an inspection crew was at the Marathon taking samples and making sure the premium gas is off line.

Repair shop owner Mike Ramey said he sees this often after heavy weather.

The store manager told Strickland they will make it right.

“I do apologize that it happened, and we will get it taken care of,” store manager Nina Harman said. “They gotta call this number I’m going to give to everybody and they're gonna send the bill to them.”

State inspectors say the regular gas from the Marathon looked normal. A lab will check it just to make sure.

They did find water in the diesel tank, but that has already been pumped out.

Cox Media Group