Some Glen Burnie drivers are complaining about a Shell gas station they said mistakenly put diesel fuel in the pumps. Jennifer Dague said she got a gas tank full of problems after filling up Wednesday at the shell station on Richie Highway in Glen Burnie. She said a blue Chevy Spark started running erratically.”It was jerking like super bad. I pushed down the gas and I basically had to have the gas pedal on the floor to even accelerate. It was making terrible noises,” Dague said. “It struggled to turn over. It worked for like 30 seconds then immediately shut itself off.”Dague said she had the car towed and was shocked by the mechanic’s diagnosis. Tests revealed she filled up with diesel fuel, not regular unleaded.”I was sitting there like backtracking, like, ‘Oh my gosh, did I accidently…’ I was like, ‘There wasn’t even diesel as an option at my gas pump,'” she said.WBAL-TV 11 News asked a mechanic, Tyler Caruso, who did not work on Dague’s car, what happens to an engine when diesel fuel replaces regular unleaded.”It can cause more damage than just gunking it up. There could be internal damage that occurs because diesel burns at a different rate than gasoline does. Also, that excess fuel or the diesel fuel that goes down through the engine can damage the catalytic converter and other exhaust components,” Caruso said.Customers claim the Shell station sold diesel as unleaded for days before temporarily shutting off all of its pumps. The station manager declined comment.”The employees were just really rude, really unhelpful. We got a business card shoved in our face and said, ‘We can’t help you. Get out,'” Dague said.Dague filed a complaint with Shell corporate. She has proof of her purchase, and an invoice from the mechanic. The repair cost her $800. So far, she said she hasn’t heard anything back.”I think Shell needs to release a statement saying, ‘Hey, if you were at this 6616 Richie Highway, Glen Burnie from Wednesday through Friday, you got diesel in your tank and you need to reach out to us,'” Dague said.Dague said she’s annoyed as she and her husband are trying to save money.”I am quite annoyed. We are about to move; my husband is in the military, we are about to move across the country in a couple of months. We are trying to save up money for that,” she said.Shell Corp. did not respond to 11 News’ inquiry. So far, nearly a dozen people have contacted 11 News with similar car issues after filling up at the gas station last week. In addition to contacting the company, impacted drivers should consider contacting the Better Business Bureau and the state attorney general’s Office of Consumer Protection for help.
Some Glen Burnie drivers are complaining about a Shell gas station they said mistakenly put diesel fuel in the pumps.
Jennifer Dague said she got a gas tank full of problems after filling up Wednesday at the shell station on Richie Highway in Glen Burnie. She said a blue Chevy Spark started running erratically.
“It was jerking like super bad. I pushed down the gas and I basically had to have the gas pedal on the floor to even accelerate. It was making terrible noises,” Dague said. “It struggled to turn over. It worked for like 30 seconds then immediately shut itself off.”
Dague said she had the car towed and was shocked by the mechanic’s diagnosis. Tests revealed she filled up with diesel fuel, not regular unleaded.
“I was sitting there like backtracking, like, ‘Oh my gosh, did I accidently…’ I was like, ‘There wasn’t even diesel as an option at my gas pump,'” she said.
WBAL-TV 11 News asked a mechanic, Tyler Caruso, who did not work on Dague’s car, what happens to an engine when diesel fuel replaces regular unleaded.
“It can cause more damage than just gunking it up. There could be internal damage that occurs because diesel burns at a different rate than gasoline does. Also, that excess fuel or the diesel fuel that goes down through the engine can damage the catalytic converter and other exhaust components,” Caruso said.
Customers claim the Shell station sold diesel as unleaded for days before temporarily shutting off all of its pumps. The station manager declined comment.
“The employees were just really rude, really unhelpful. We got a business card shoved in our face and said, ‘We can’t help you. Get out,'” Dague said.
Dague filed a complaint with Shell corporate. She has proof of her purchase, and an invoice from the mechanic. The repair cost her $800. So far, she said she hasn’t heard anything back.
“I think Shell needs to release a statement saying, ‘Hey, if you were at this 6616 Richie Highway, Glen Burnie from Wednesday through Friday, you got diesel in your tank and you need to reach out to us,'” Dague said.
Dague said she’s annoyed as she and her husband are trying to save money.
“I am quite annoyed. We are about to move; my husband is in the military, we are about to move across the country in a couple of months. We are trying to save up money for that,” she said.
Shell Corp. did not respond to 11 News’ inquiry.
So far, nearly a dozen people have contacted 11 News with similar car issues after filling up at the gas station last week. In addition to contacting the company, impacted drivers should consider contacting the Better Business Bureau and the state attorney general’s Office of Consumer Protection for help.