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Man fills up gas tank, only to find water

Posted at 3:22 AM, Mar 22, 2018
and last updated 2018-03-22 19:51:25-04

INDIANAPOLIS -- A $40 fill-up at an Indianapolis gas station turned out to cost an Indiana man more than $500 after the fuel was contaminated with water.

Steve Schwartz usually heads out with a full gas tank. But one day, he noticed he was running on empty. So he pulled over to the Citgo in Indianapolis. 

With more than 16 gallons of fuel, he was good -- for about a mile. 

"After I put the gas in the car, all the lights on the dash went on and the car started to shutter," Schwartz said. 

He took his 2005 Lexus to be checked out. A techncian took a gasoline sample and noted "mostly water found inside the gas tank. Drained out bad fuel."

The $37.50 he first spent at the gas pump led to a repair bill of $550. 

"I went to the owner several times and admitted there was a gas contamination problem and he told me would make an insurance claim and have them contact me the following day."

But the call from the insurance company never came. RTV6 reached out to the owner of MH Oil Inc., and a check for the full reimbursement was issued.

If something like this happens to you, report the problem to the state's Weights and Measures Division.