I only made it 3 blocks after filling up before the car died – went to the right pump but now it cost me $4,300

A DRIVER says her car died completely after she filled the tank with petrol – her mechanic said the wrong type of fuel was to blame.

Her receipt showed she paid for regular unleaded fuel, but her mechanic said her tank was full of diesel.

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Danean Gallaher, a driver from Cupertino, California, took his car to an Alliance gas station on Stevens Creek Boulevard after work to fill up before heading home.

As she returned home on June 28, her car ran poorly for a minute or two before “completely dying.”

“I walked about three blocks and my car sputtered and stopped completely,” she told the NBC affiliate. KNTV.

His receipt showed that his card was charged for 14 gallons of regular unleaded fuel at pump no. 4, but her mechanic said there was diesel in the tank.

Bethany Faler, another Cupertino driver, told the outlet that she also filled up at pump no. 4 with what she thought was normal and drove home.

Her car suffered a similar fate to Gallaher’s.

“I went to start my car and it shook a lot before it died,” Faler recalled.

Faler took the car to a mechanic, who told him the tank was full of “contaminated gas.”

“The total repairs cost the mechanic just over $4,300,” she said.

Including Faler and Gallaher, four other drivers filed formal complaints with the county.

Stay Toy, deputy salesman for the Santa Clara County Division of Weights and Measures, said it was abnormal to have to investigate the types of fuel at the wrong pump.

“It’s unusual for there to be more than one complaint coming from the same station about fuel issues,” he said during a video interview.

On the day the station was tested, just a few days after Gallaher filed his complaint, Toy confirmed that diesel was not in the normal pump from pump no. 4.

However, he told the agency it’s possible the lines were cleared before being tested.

Ed Hadad, station manager, told reporters that no errors were found in the bombs – but will correct any errors investigators find.

What happens if you put the wrong fuel in the tank?

Dwanye Saunders, owner of Genuine Automotive & Diesel in Austin, Texas, said the common mix-up isn’t as terrible as people think.

He told The US Sun in an exclusive interview that there are things drivers should watch out for at the pump to avoid putting the wrong fuel in the tank and what to do if that happens.

The first thing he noticed is that most gas stations make it very difficult to fill up a gasoline-powered car with diesel. In pumps, size matters.

“The nozzle on a diesel pump is generally much larger than a gasoline pump,” he said.

“So it’s very difficult to put diesel in a gas tank; in fact, it’s easier to accidentally put gas in a diesel engine.”

If the wrong type of fuel is used, drivers will know immediately as the engine will run extremely rough before shutting down. When this happens, it is important not to try to start the vehicle again, as this pushes the fuel further into the system. Forcing the wrong fuel into a poorly equipped engine can cost thousands of dollars in repairs or even warrant engine replacement.

Instead, it’s best to have your vehicle towed to a trusted mechanic where they will begin repairs.

“A good mechanic would drain the fuel tank and flush the lines with fresh gas, maybe run some fuel system cleaner through it, and it’s usually not harmful,” Saunders said.

Read more here.

“Our inventory report shows no errors,” Hadad said.

“We’re working with Weights and Measures and we want to make sure that if there’s something wrong, we fix it.”

More complaints emerged about similar incidents, which led to another test run by the county last week, even though all lines were clear.

He encourages drivers to report any issues to the correct department.

“It would help the investigation if the case was reported to Weights and Measures soon after the incident,” he said.