Ask an expert


cdub23

My daughter filled her car at Mobil Red Beach and 2 days later she broke down. The car was towed and the mechanic found a high quantity of water in the tank (more than 10%) he tested all lines etc with no leaks at all. He advised the very high probablity of fuel in the tank at the service station.Damage to injectors, tank removal etc was $1600. I made a claim with service station and it has been with their insurers for a month now with no result. Service Station manager said we were the only complaint so didn't look positive for us. If it gets declined where can we go to? thanks Colin

ABayliss

This is a tricky situation as if there are no other complainants who received fuel at this station, it's debatable whether or not the water entered the tank there. Also, the fact that the car ran OK for a couple of days adds to the doubt. I'm not sure how your mechanic came to the conclusion that there was a high probability the water entered the tank at the petrol station, as no-one really knows.
Depending on what type of car it is, water could have entered through the breather system, fuel cap or filler etc.
You could take the matter to the insurance ombudsman if the claim is declined, but it would appear that your case will be very difficult to prove.

cdub23

Just had our claim denied 5 mins ago. you were right. we were the only complainant. they apparently did all the tests and no water was shown to be in their tanks. If I can find any other complaints they will reconsider!!

Ianthesaint

As it will cost you $1600 I suggest that you put an advert in your local paper asking if anyone else did suffer from water in fuel bought from that garage. The garage might not be aware of same and some people might not bother with a complaint ( unlikely I suppose?)

cdub23

thanks. yes we have considered that and also put an ad on the local radio station. However even if we do find someone else Mobil still believe that they have checked all their systems and no water was found in the tank on the day the car was filled. maybe just too hard.