Official: Contaminated gas from Arden Fastop damaged cars

ARDEN — If you topped off at a Fastop gas station in Arden this week, it might be wise to swing by a mechanic. 

Both unleaded fuel and diesel were contaminated at the Fastop at 314 Airport Road, according to Marcus Helfrich at the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services' Motor Fuels Section. 

A state inspector who visited Fastop on July 17 determined that a "delivery truck dropped diesel in the unleaded fuel tank and unleaded fuel in the diesel tank," Helfrich said.

The Motor Fuels Section dispatched an inspector to take fuel samples in response to two complaints received from Fastop customers. One of the complainants filled up the morning of July 17, while the other didn't specify the time they pumped the contaminated gas. 

Fastop and its parent corporation, Pioneer Petroleum, has received about 20 separate complaints about contaminated fuel, Helfrich said. 

Dominic DeProspero, a technician at a local mechanic, says he saw two cars damaged by the contaminated fuel towed in on July 14. The gas from one of them "had a weird green/blue tint to it," DeProspero said. 

The repair isn't cheap.

"We usually end up charging around $350 or so to pump all the gas out," DeProspero wrote in a message to the Citizen Times. "(T)hen we recommend changing the spark plugs and doing a fuel treatment service so another $300 or so. I believe the fee to dispose of the gas properly is usually around $320 dollars, so close to a thousand or a little over it." 

The state inspector was told that Fastop will be covering the cost of damages, Helfrich said.

"We urge (affected customers) to go back, give the station their information," Helfrich said. 

When the state inspector finished testing the fuel at 6:30 p.m. on July 17, he "indicated that both fuels were still contaminated," Helfrich said.

An inspector will need to return to the Fastop and confirm the fuel is clean before they can resume fuel sales. A woman who answered the phone at the 314 Airport Road location said she was not authorized to comment on when they expected to be running as normal. 

"We are aware of the problem and it has been taken care of," a representative of Fastop/Pioneer Petroleum told the Citizen Times. "We have no further comment at this time." 

Helfrich said the inspector's formal report will be available on July 19.