It didn't take long for drivers at the Branford I-95 rest stop to decide to get their fuel elsewhere. The rest stop is just one station that the state is investigating for bad gasoline.
"I'd be very concerned about buying this gas right now, actually," said Barbara O'Shea of Greenwich.
The Department of Consumer Protection received complaints this week from drivers experiencing problems with their cars after filling up at stations along the I-95 corridor. The agency has already confirmed fuel problems at seven gas stations:
- Fairfield Mobil, 2093 Post Road, Fairfield, CT
- Milford Mobil, 1354 Boston Post Road, Milford, CT
- Long Wharf Mobil, 200 Sargent Dr., New Haven, CT
- Branford Mobil Rest Area on I-95.
- 7-11, 2178 Norwich/New London Tpke, Montville, CT
- Guilford Mobil #90, 500 Boston Post Road, Guilford, CT
- Stop and Shop #663, 1360 East Town Road, Milford, CT
Investigators are trying to figure out where the bad fuel came from. Some shoreline dealerships believe it came from a terminal in New Haven, where the gasoline may have gotten mixed with salt water.
"I don't know what was in it. It did not look like fuel, it looked like a combination of, almost like sewage water," said Stephen Wilhelm, the shop foreman at Ford of Branford.
The service department at Ford of Branford has seen about eight customers come in with fuel-related problems recently. Many of them had clogged fuel injectors due to bad gas. It's a costly problem that could range from $500 to $2500 in repairs, so mechanics say watch out for the symptoms.
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"The main thing they should be looking for is the car starts hesitating, not responding to the throttle when you start accelerating, the car stalling, anywhere you're nervous and need to pull over," said Wilhelm.
Drivers say they're going to do their best and watch where they fill up, but right now, it's hard to know which gas stations are okay.
"I am concerned if I'm traveling which I do every week, I go up to Rhode Island and Massachusetts, up in places like this all the time, but what are you going to do? You don't know which one could be the good one or the bad one, I guess," said Ken Cardelle of Newtown.
The Department of Consumer Protection is also telling drivers to keep receipts from gas stations and for any service work. They should file all complaints with the DCP.
