Chicopee service center seeing increase of vehicles with watered down gas

CHICOPEE, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - A local auto shop in Chicopee is on high alert after discovering watered down gas in some vehicles brought in for service.

Kevin Wright, the owner of KLM Auto Repair in Chicopee, told Western Mass News that his shop has seen an increase in vehicles come in with water in gas.

“A lot of people are going to get gas and then they end up getting short, laid out on the road, or they end up breaking down and having to get towed in because there’s water or sediment in the fuel,” Wright said.

Wright told us that finding water in gasoline tanks in cars is a common issue and it can be difficult to determine.

“Sometimes, it’s hard to diagnose because the car just turns over and over and you’ll have spark and fuel going to it, supposedly fuel, and it takes a while because there’s no ‘Check Engine’ light for water in your gas, so you basically have to diagnose, pull a fuel sample, and check for water,” Wright explained.

He said repairs can cost up to $200.

“It’s a costly repair because you have to drain the gas tank or drop the gas tank and then put fresh fuel in it,” Wright noted.

We asked Wright where this watered-down fuel might be coming from.

“We’re seeing certain gas stations, you know…Most of the time, you see it at a cheaper, kind of a lower, like a no-name place more than you would like a name brand,” Wright added.

He said there are not many ways to avoid this problem, but he is sharing this piece of advice when filling up at the pump.

“If you see a fuel tanker at a gas station, don’t buy gas at that time because it stirs up everything in the tank. They do have filters, but some stations don’t change the filters, so that could affect it too,” Wright said.

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