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My BF rented a car for a trip a few months ago from a well-known company. As we were literally driving to return the car, an error code came up on the monitor. We told them as soon as we got there and showed them a picture of the code because it disappeared.

Today, my bf receives a bill from the rental car agency ($700+) saying the vehicle had 'bad gas' in it. We filled up at normal stations. No shady-looking places and had no issues with the vehicle. It was a new vehicle with about 7,000 miles on it.

We have rented cars for years and never had any issues. I have never heard of such a thing.

No - he did not buy the car rental companies insurance. He called his own insurance and they said that is crazy, that the car rental company can't prove that. But he could file a claim against his insurance but it would probably be denied.

Is he really on the hook for this? I can't seem to find any help on Google.

Edited because I might be wrong about this, and I don't want to advise you incorrectly!

My daughter got bad gas in 2020 and it was an ongoing nightmare for years to get everything fixed. She finally traded that car off a few months ago. Whew! Glad to be rid of it.

I'd probably pay the $700 and move on, UNLESS you can figure out where you got the bad gas and get their insurance to cover it, which is not an easy task.

[This message edited by SacredSoul33 at 11:14 PM, Thursday, August 1st]

Do you know what the error code was for?

How do they know the bad gas was the gas your bf put in and not gas that was previously in the car?

Thank you for the input folks.

Do you know what the error code was for?

Ok - I got more details. It has a copy of the dealership garage invoice that gave the actual code/meaning and resolution. It was too much ethanol. BF put the gas in rated for the vehicle but what they tested read higher than what he put in. Meaning, that is what was in the tanks at the gas station - but how do you prove that? IE that the gas station's gas had too much ethanol in it? It isn't like it was just this week and they can test the gas at the station. Those gas station tanks had to be refilled dozens of times by now. PLUS I am sure the cost of all that would definitely exceed the $700+ bill.

Back to the vehicle, the dealership tested the gas and drained it. They put in new gas and the codes clear and there is no damage to the vehicle.

I'd probably pay the $700 and move on, UNLESS you can figure out where you got the bad gas and get their insurance to cover it, which is not an easy task.

I think this is what is going to have to happen. There is no way to prove the gas station's tank had more ethanol than stated. Plus the invoice came from some independent company that the rental car must turn the claims over to. IE the garage bill was almost $500 but this agency added some 'administrative' charges. So I really do not think my BF's call with the rental agency today can change anything. IE the manager was off yesterday and is to call him today.

It is making my BF sick because he knows he put in the right gas. And I know it is only $700 but he is fighting cancer right now and on limited income, etc.

How do they know the bad gas was the gas your bf put in and not gas that was previously in the car?

I don't know how long it takes for the code to trip when that happens. We had the vehicle for a week and were traveling so we filled the tank a few times during the course.

That's really aggravating!! You had no control over the quality of the gas.

My post probably isn't going to be that helpful. I was the manager of a gas station at one time. I'd say that the station I worked at was one of the busiest in our town. It wasn't a Texaco station or an Esso station, but at first, we sold Texaco gas and later we were supplied by Esso.

Every now and then, we'd get a complaint about water in the gas. Water is something that we tested for EVERY day. It's also something that is very easy to happen in a car's tank with absolutely nothing to do with the gas station. You get condensation in car tanks when the temperature is warm during the day and cold at night, especially when people don't keep the tank nearly full (and most people don't). And people should use gas line antifreeze.

Anyway, if my station had been selling bad gas or gas with water in the tank, there would be a line up through town to the next town to tell me about it, I'd think. I'd just find it extremely hard to believe it came from us with one complaint. In these days, if a station had "bad gas", I think it would be plastered all over the internet on some community facebook page. I realize you're not talking about water but similarly, you'd think the station would have a ton of complaints if the ethanol ratio was off. I wonder if you could check with the BBB and just see if there are other complaints.

I wonder if you could check with the BBB and just see if there are other complaints.

Thank you for the suggestion. I am not even sure which gas station it came from but the entire way home from vacation, we utilized the same chain.

Nor do I know how long it take for that code to trip.

Meaning, we got gas on the way home from the beach and drove all day. We got home, unpacked and heading to the car rental place to return the car. Within 2 minutes of starting the car, the code tripped. So that tank of gas we ran the entire day.

I then stopped at a gas station (same chain) to fill it up before dropping it off at the car rental place (code was already on). So that LAST tank of gas is what the garage is saying tested high. However, that is not the gas that tripped the code. The dash light/warning was already on before we got that gas.

It is just a really confusing-weird thing. No way to know what gas place even tripped the code.

But I can look at those last few stations to see if there is any complaints as you suggested.

Thanks again.