x
Breaking News
More () »

Woman says she paid $600 for car repairs caused by bad gas at Bankhead Texaco

Now, she wants someone to be held accountable.
Credit: WXIA

ATLANTA – A local woman said she’s out hundreds of dollars after having to get repairs on her car caused by bad gas.

According to Anna Popenko, she stopped off at a Texaco gas station off Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway on Dec. 10 after running low on gas while being stuck in I-285 traffic

Popenko said she stopped at pump nine, but had to walk inside to pay. She said she gave $20 to the attendant, who told her to pull up to pump one instead.

Popenko said she filled up the tank, then started driving down I-285 towards I-20 west to Douglasville.

That’s when she said her car started to shake as she pressed both the accelerator and the breaks. A few times, she said the car just wouldn’t go.

“All the lights in side of my car came on – engine light, track off light and gas light,” she said. “I barely made home to Douglasville.”

Popenko said she took her car to the shop first thing the next morning, where they ran diagnostics for four hours. At first, mechanics didn’t find anything, so she had to have her car towed to a Toyota dealership. They ran more tests for another two hours. That’s when tests revealed that her gas tank held a mixture of 90 percent water and 10 percent gas.

Credit: Provided

“I paid $618 for flushing out water and still could have potential damage to my car in the future,” she said.

Popenko said she tried to call the gas station to get an explanation, but the phone line was disconnected. 11Alive also tried twice to call the gas station for a comment but got only a busy tone. We also reached out to Texaco/Chevron’s corporate headquarters for a statement but have not heard back.

11Alive’s photojournalist went by the Bankhead gas station, where he saw a tank inspection crew parked and gas pumps covered. 

Credit: WXIA

A Georgia Department of Agriculture test also showed that gas samples failed to pass an inspection, remarking “product does not meet ASTM specifications on tests performed. This product is saturated with water and is in phase separation.”

Meanwhile, Popenko said she believes it is unfair that she had to pay $618 for repairs and wants someone to be held accountable.

Before You Leave, Check This Out