My wifes car died shortly after filling up and had it towed to the VW dealership. They came back and said we had bad gas, and it was “~80% ethanol”. This is the SECOND time in the last 5 months it has happened.
The first time, we had the Dept. of Ag. test the pump where she got her fuel, and it was fine, plus, the Sphinx company had no other complaints from that time about bad gas. We asked the VW shop to save some gas, but they said they had already disposed of it.
This time we got a couple gallons from the VW shop out of the tank in her car. We are waiting to hear from the Dept. of Ag. on their test from the station.
I did my own test, with the pic below showing the result. I added water to the lower line on the bottle, then topped of with gas from the car that was supposedly ~80% ethanol. Shake and let it settle. From what I understand, any ethanol in the gas will settle with the water in the bottom. Thus any increase over the line is the result of ethanol/water in the gas.
There is an increase, but since pretty much all gas has 10-15% ethanol now, I would expect an increase. It certainly is NOT indicating 80% ethanol.
That looks like no more than a 10-15% increase which would be accurate with today’s blends.
First what is the year, make, model and engine?
How far is shortly after filling up? One mile, 5 miles?
How empty was the car before you filled up?
Is this fuel from the same station as the first time?
Was it just a complete all of a sudden stall or did it sputter and die?
Did the check engine light come on at all before it died?
If it did I would be very interested in what faults were stored.
I’m just going on gut instinct here but something sounds fishy. I can tell you from experience that with today’s modern fuel injection, many cars can self tune to run on bad gas without completely dying. It takes a fairly decent concentration to actually make them not be able to run at all.
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Carolina Skiff J14, 25 Merc & Hydra-Sports 1800cc, 150 Johnson
Mark
Pioneer 222 Sportfish Yamaha F300
Yeah, but do you consider a dog to be a filthy animal? I wouldn’t go so far as to call a dog filthy but they’re definitely dirty. But, a dog’s got personality. Personality goes a long way.
“Life’s tough…It’s even tougher if you’re stupid” John Wayne
If you had gotten E85 it should not have shut down that shortly. Usually on cars not intended for e85 it’s a slower death. one tank would not likely do it. Your flex fuel cars are designed to run on both. And I have run a tank or three on purpose just to see any fuel increase/decrease and changes in ET’s.
From your test it looks ok, keep us posted what the Dept of Ag. says.
When/if the dealership drained the tank and refilled did that fix the issue?
What is their fix for the problem? You indicate that they say it is 80% ethanol, which you obviously know from your test that it isn’t. So, what are they telling you that needs fixed? Anything?
Is this the VW dealer in Mt. Pleasant? I know from personal experience they can’t diagnose anything remotely complicated. They should stick to oil changes and tire rotations.
First what is the year, make, model and engine? 2007 VW EOS, 2 liter Turbo
How far is shortly after filling up? One mile, 5 miles? less than 5, she got a car wash at the station too
How empty was the car before you filled up? less than 1/4
Is this fuel from the same station as the first time? nope
Was it just a complete all of a sudden stall or did it sputter and die? very quick loss of power and dead
Did the check engine light come on at all before it died? she says the checking light came on, along with at few others
If it did I would be very interested in what faults were stored. I believe these are on the receipt
Car requires premium, and she put premium in. Department of Ag reports GOOD FUEL from the pump.
I don’t have the receipt in front on me, but the biggest thing “listed” was draining and replacing fuel. We got the car back with ~1/4 tank in in, and it is running fine.
We are meeting with the service manager tonight, so that could be interesting.
To me that sounds like it could be some kind of short in the electrical system too. I have had the same symptoms happen in my van. Especially after it has sat for a day or two and we have had some heavy rain.
If it happens again I personally would not take it back to the same mechanic and certainly not a dealership. But that’s just me.
First what is the year, make, model and engine? 2007 VW EOS, 2 liter Turbo How far is shortly after filling up? One mile, 5 miles? less than 5, she got a car wash at the station too
How empty was the car before you filled up? less than 1/4
Is this fuel from the same station as the first time? nope Was it just a complete all of a sudden stall or did it sputter and die? very quick loss of power and dead
Did the check engine light come on at all before it died? she says the checking light came on, along with at few others
If it did I would be very interested in what faults were stored. I believe these are on the receipt
Car requires premium, and she put premium in. Department of Ag reports GOOD FUEL from the pump.
I don’t have the receipt in front on me, but the biggest thing “listed” was draining and replacing fuel. We got the car back with ~1/4 tank in in, and it is running fine.
We are meeting with the service manager tonight, so that could be interesting.
Thanks for the insights!
John
15’ Ocean Kayak Scupper Pro
These concern me as it is not a normal symptom of bad fuel nor high ethanol content. I have dealt with bad fuel in GM, Volvo and Land Rovers and all would still attempt to run and some did with keeping the throttle open. I would be VERY interested in knowing what faults were stored and if the tank was removed and drained/cleaned or just drained while still in the car. I am also curious as to what the service manager says.
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Carolina Skiff J14, 25 Merc & Hydra-Sports 1800cc, 150 Johnson
Long story short. My wife’s mid-life crisis car is really just a crisis car.
They (garage) pumped the gas out via the fuel pump to get the bad stuff all out first (bad stuff will sink in the tank). The above sample was taken near the end of emptying the tank. The first error code was related to a fuel bank issue, the next two error codes (immediately after the first) were related to misfiring cylinders. The tank was emptied and cleaned out completely.
The service manager stated they see about one car a month with bad gas issues, and had a car in the shop right then with bad gas. I chewed him out pretty good about not getting us a sample of the bad gas, *****ed and moaned, but to no avail in the end (except for a couple free oil changes). The guy was pretty understanding, and will help us in any way possible going against BP (where we got the fuel).
End recommendation…use ethanol free if possible; don’t let your tank get too low on gas (it concentrates any bad stuff); stay away from the VW EOS.
My wife got a tank of bad gas a few years ago, from a BP station. Her brand new Toyota didn’t make it 3 blocks after filling up. Had it towed to the shop and they drained 10 gallons of water and 3 gallons of gas out of the tank. Didn’t need no fancy tests. Repair bill was $1,000.
I went back to the station and asked for the name and number of the owner. The man behind the counter, Indian or Pakistani or something acted stupid. “I not know, I can’t give out, you leave now”. I usually have pretty good patience, but not this time. I reached across the counter and grabbed him by his scrawny neck and rattled his brains until his memory improved. Got the name and number of the owner, then went back to the truck and called my lawyer. He wasn’t too pleased with me, told me he could have got that info without committing a felony. But it sure felt good at the time
It took 3 months and the lawyer, but we finally got reimbursed.
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats
“Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made.” -Robert N. Rose
Three years ago we filled the boat up at a BP after returning from Florida. It took about 75 gallons of what was supposed to be alcohol free gas. The next morning I took the boat off the trailer to put it back on the lift, didn’t make it a quarter mile before the Yamaha died. Got it back on the trailer and pumped about ten gallons of what looked like post nasal drip out of the bottom of the tank. What a mess! Wound up dumping or giving away the whole 100 gallon tank. I am not into self incrimination, but action was taken.
The first error code was related to a fuel bank issue, the next two error codes (immediately after the first) were related to misfiring cylinders.
I still think you are being “who doed” by that service department. There is not code relating to a “fuel bank issue” that would indicate 80% ethanol. Also Misfiring cylinders have absolutely nothing to do with what ever fuel/water/syrup/diesel/grape juice run through your fuel system.
I’d bet on an inexperienced tech making a bad diagnoses and the service manager covering it up. It’s easy to say “Bad fuel caused your issue” , when the tech really didn’t have a clue.
The first error code was related to a fuel bank issue, the next two error codes (immediately after the first) were related to misfiring cylinders.
I still think you are being “who doed” by that service department. There is not code relating to a “fuel bank issue” that would indicate 80% ethanol. Also Misfiring cylinders have absolutely nothing to do with what ever fuel/water/syrup/diesel/grape juice run through your fuel system.
I’d bet on an inexperienced tech making a bad diagnoses and the service manager covering it up. It’s easy to say “Bad fuel caused your issue” , when the tech really didn’t have a clue.
I agree. Something doesn’t add up. I find it very odd that you somehow got bad gas twice at different stations in 5 months and both times the gas was tested ok by the Dept of Ag. It’s hard for me to speculate exactly how a newer VW would react since my expertise is in GM, Volvo, Rover, Mercedes, and Saab. However, with my experience with multi port fuel injection and recent model tuning, newer cars can self tune and compensate for ALOT of variables. I have personally witnessed a 5 cyl Volvo run on only two cylinders(as in three ignition coils unplugged). The fuel in the bottle does not “look” to be that horrible, especially not something I would expect to cause your car to completely die and not restart at all. I believe there is more to this than has come out. Whether someone is withholding info from you or they legitimately do not know what is happening and have not fully diagnosed the actual problem will come out
My wife got a tank of bad gas a few years ago, from a BP station. Her brand new Toyota didn’t make it 3 blocks after filling up. Had it towed to the shop and they drained 10 gallons of water and 3 gallons of gas out of the tank. Didn’t need no fancy tests. Repair bill was $1,000.
I went back to the station and asked for the name and number of the owner. The man behind the counter, Indian or Pakistani or something acted stupid. “I not know, I can’t give out, you leave now”. I usually have pretty good patience, but not this time. I reached across the counter and grabbed him by his scrawny neck and rattled his brains until his memory improved. Got the name and number of the owner, then went back to the truck and called my lawyer. He wasn’t too pleased with me, told me he could have got that info without committing a felony. But it sure felt good at the time
It took 3 months and the lawyer, but we finally got reimbursed.
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats
“Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made.” -Robert N. Rose
Larry,
I’m pretty sure I found your picture online:
Please confirm…
“I’m not a hundred percent in love with your tone right now…”
My wife got a tank of bad gas a few years ago, from a BP station. Her brand new Toyota didn’t make it 3 blocks after filling up. Had it towed to the shop and they drained 10 gallons of water and 3 gallons of gas out of the tank. Didn’t need no fancy tests. Repair bill was $1,000.
I went back to the station and asked for the name and number of the owner. The man behind the counter, Indian or Pakistani or something acted stupid. “I not know, I can’t give out, you leave now”. I usually have pretty good patience, but not this time. I reached across the counter and grabbed him by his scrawny neck and rattled his brains until his memory improved. Got the name and number of the owner, then went back to the truck and called my lawyer. He wasn’t too pleased with me, told me he could have got that info without committing a felony. But it sure felt good at the time
It took 3 months and the lawyer, but we finally got reimbursed.
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats
“Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made.” -Robert N. Rose
Larry,
I’m pretty sure I found your picture online:
Please confirm…
“I’m not a hundred percent in love with your tone right now…”
Bart, don’t you know you are not suppose to go “off topic”? ~ ~
!