Action 9: Bad Gas Causes Hefty Car Repair Bill

None — Elaine Williams said her car stopped running and had to be towed minutes after she filled it up with gas at the Raceway gas station on Sugar Creek Road.

A mechanic drained the gas, cleaned the tank and flushed the lines, then gave her a sample of what he took out of the car, she said.

"He said, ‘I'm going to give you this,' and he typed in the invoice, ‘Bad gas,'" Williams said.

The mechanic also gave Williams a $500 repair bill. She said she tried to get reimbursed for the repair by Raceway, but the company sent her a letter saying it couldn't confirm its gas damaged her car.

Williams said the Sugar Creek Raceway station is the only place she buys gas and refused to take no for an answer.

"I want my money," she said. "I want my $500, because I don't have $500 to give away."

Action 9 contacted Raceway's guest relations office in Atlanta about Williams' issue. Representatives said they talked to the mechanic who worked on her car and confirmed that bad gas caused her car problems. Raceway then told Williams they would reimburse her $516.

"I'm elated," Williams said. "Had it not been for you, I would not have gotten this money."

To reduce your chances of getting bad gas, Action 9's Don Griffin said to avoid buying gas at a station when a tanker is unloading. That stirs up debris in the underground tanks, and it may take 20 minutes for it to settle back to the bottom.