One Melbourne petrol station is under investigation for allegedly serving contaminated fuel after multiple customers’ cars broke down and police were called to the scene.
A 7-Eleven service station in Melbourne’s east has wreaked havoc for customers who claim to have filled their cars up with water-contaminated petrol over the weekend.
7-Eleven said the issue was isolated to that one store only, located on Hawthorn Rd, Nunawading, and the sale of fuel has been suspended as the company investigates further.
The service station chain said impacted customers will be contacted and offered compensation, but customers have already reported that the watered-down petrol has damaged their cars and engines, which could result in hefty repair bills.
If you suspect your car may be damaged by contaminated fuel, Consumer Affairs Victoria recommends seeking written confirmation from a mechanic, contacting your insurer, and reporting the contamination to the government and retailer.
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People reported their cars breaking down directly after filling up, with some failing to start entirely, and in the heat of the incident, police were called to the scene.
“All these cars, every single one that is here is ruined because of water in their fuel,” one commenter responded on a social post from 7News.
“Cars were just dying … immediately once they started running with the fuel that was put in,” customer Cody Tranquillo said in the video.
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“Diesel [and] 98 is totally stuffed, and 91 [too],” customer Michael Hennessey said.
“We’re telling the people who are running the store to stop pumping fuel, stop selling fuel, and they just continued to do it,” Hennessey said.
It was reported that multiple pumps at the station were affected, and the cause is still being investigated.
One theory yet to be confirmed is the recent heavy rain in Melbourne could have leaked into the service station’s petrol tanks, but 7-Eleven’s investigation is ongoing.
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