At least 17 vehicles have been contaminated after a fuel station in Rock Springs, Wyoming, mistakenly switched its supplies of unleaded and diesel fuel, locals have confirmed.
The Kum & Go on Foothill Boulevard, which is now owned by Maverik, was running diesel through its premium unleaded pump and unleaded through its diesel pump last Tuesday and Wednesday, according to a repair shop employee who tried to help remedy the damages after the mix-up.
“We will be more than happy to take care of your vehicle and Maverik will pay for that,” wrote Austyn Olson, service writer at Whisler Chevrolet in Rock Springs, in a post to the local Facebook group Sweetwater County Rants and Raves.
Olson clarified in a Monday phone interview with Cowboy State Daily, saying he’s not a spokesman for Whisler or for Maverik, nor is he a mechanic, but his supervisor gave him permission to make the post to help people recognize car issues and to coordinate repairs.
“We just received a truck that morning (Wednesday) that we knew was contaminated,” said Olson. “My aunt actually runs Maverik up there so I called her, let her know what was going on and just got everything coordinated with them.”
After that, he made the post encouraging people who got the wrong fuel to get confirmation from Maverik that they’d be reimbursed, then to come to the shop for a repair, he said.
Neither Maverik nor the Kum & Go store commented to Cowboy State Daily, with the former sending the outlet to voicemail and the latter referring it to a national media email address.
Babied That Thing
Ryan Heikes’ dad made it to Lander in his 2008 Chevy Duramax before he started having problems, Heikes told Cowboy State Daily on Monday.
The truck started sputtering and flashing a filter code on the way back from Lander, Heikes said. Then the fuel pressure dropped. Heikes’ dad “babied the truck all the way home” at 50 mph, then parked it in Heikes’ garage for a repair.
A professional diesel mechanic, Heikes emptied the tank. He replaced the fuel filters, which he said cost about $60 each. He was able to flush the fuel lines without having to replace them. Then he fueled the truck up with good diesel.
What saved his dad, Heikes said, was the fact that the truck’s tank was about half full before the fateful top-off. He got lucky.
“Putting that gas in that diesel could have easily cost somebody $5,000, because that can take out fuel injectors,” Heikes said. “Gas is very hard on diesel motors.”
Mike Rabino, technician at Cheyenne-based repair shop Nick’s Fast Track Auto Service, said the mix-up could force someone to replace an entire fuel system. A vehicle like that Duramax may require a new high-pressure pump, which Rabino estimated at about $4,000, and a set of new injectors for another $3,000 total, roughly.
For a gas-powered car mistakenly fueled up with diesel, the change is going to be less catastrophic, said Rabino. Drivers will notice a decrease in power, he added.
“Some people just don’t pay attention and they might not notice,” said Rabino. “Or if they only put in a quarter tank when they were mostly full, it’s probably going to compensate for it anyways.”
But drivers can be wary going forward: gasoline is clearer than diesel and smells differently. Diesel has a more oily consistency and a more yellowish hue. The two fuels don’t smell the same, Rabino said.
The Tally
As of midmorning Monday, Olson said he’d seen about 16 repairs stemming from the issue. Some have had to have fuel lines replaced and some haven’t.
The flush costs about $1,300 minimum, he said.
Some who commented under Olson’s post voiced gratitude that he made it so they could learn about the reimbursement and repair effort.
“There were people that couldn’t afford the repairs up front,” wrote one woman. “They may never have known how it was being done without your post.”
The National High School Rodeo Association dispatched a statement to Facebook on Wednesday warning attendees of the National High School Finals Rodeo, which Rock Springs hosted last week, that the diesel pump at the Kum & Go contained gasoline.
“If you need diesel please look elsewhere until the issue is resolved,” says the post.
Note - Cowboy State Daily did not receive an immediate response from Maverik's media line due to a typo in the email address.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
