MILWAUKEE — There weren't as many drivers at the Speedway gas station on West Silver Spring Drive in Milwaukee on Thursday. Maintenance crews worked around the clock to fix fuel pumps that sent several cars to the auto repair shop.
Heiser Toyota's service lane manager, Mike Marx says on Wednesday, two customers came in looking for help after their cars suddenly died right after putting gas in them.
"We found out that they both got gas at the same station almost right after each other," said Marx.
That same day, Marx says two more customers came in with the exact problem. It didn't take long to find out what went wrong. All four vehicles had diesel fuel in their gasoline tanks.
"A gasoline motor won't run on diesel. Some cars may die right away, some may take a little while before they stop working,"Marx said.
In a statement, 7-11 Inc., which owns Speedway, said a gasoline vendor mistakenly filled unleaded pumps with diesel fuel earlier this week. An error that mechanics say is damaging to vehicles that don't take diesel.
"This is an example of the fuel that was taken out of one of the vehicles. Here you can see there's a lot of contaminants at the bottom and it's a completely different color," said Marx.
While it's unknown how many cars have been impacted by the mistake, Speedway and Toyota say they're working together to help drivers in any way that they can.
"The customer will pay for the invoice and then speedway is going to compensate them for it. Our hope is that we can get it fixed for the customers as fast and quick as possible," said Marx.
After making the necessary corrections, all of the unleaded gas dispensers at the Speedway are now open to customers. Customers who believe their car was impacted may reach out at 1-800-643-1948.
A full statement from 7-11 Inc. can be found below:
"Earlier this week, a gasoline vendor mistakenly filled unleaded pumps at 11800 W Silver Spring Dr. with diesel fuel. 7-Eleven took immediate action to stop sales of unleaded gasoline at this location and removed and disposed the diesel. As of this afternoon, all corrections have been completed and the store has re-opened the unleaded gas dispensers. Customers who believe their car was impacted may reach out at 1-800-643-1948.” -7-Eleven, Inc.
