KINGSLAND, Ga. — A man in Kingsland, Georgia said his 2018 Dodge Challenger broke down on the side of the road because there was water in his fuel tank after filling up at a Circle K. Now, he said the company is going to pay for his car repairs after Action News Jax Shanila Kabir asked questions about his claim.
Mark Thompson said he paid almost $70 for premium gasoline at the Circle K gas station off the intersection of East King Avenue and South Grove Boulevard on Aug. 15. He claims his car began shutting off almost immediately after driving from the property. Four days later, his mechanic told him it was due to significant water found in his fuel.
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“They said the longer the water stayed in the system, the more it would damage the injectors, the fuel pump, and some of the lines. They went ahead and started repairing it,” said Thompson.
Thompson was told he would need to fork over more than $2,300 to fix his Dodge Challenger.
Action News Jax confirmed this account with Thompson’s Mechanic at the Bennett Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram dealership in Kingsland.
Thompson said he filed a claim with Circle K the next day on the 20th and a Circle K claims adjuster responded in writing on the 27th, saying, in part:
“Circle K has completed a full investigation into your claim. Based on our findings, we deny all liability regarding your incident. We have seen no indication that our product nor our tanks were outside of normal operating standards. There was no evidence of water found in our tanks.”
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However, Thompson spotted signs that work was being done on the gas station’s fuel tanks.
“Guardian Fueling Technologies was out there, and they were cutting open the fuel cap risers and so I was curious what they were doing. I pulled in and I asked him what was up, and they said, ‘Well we’re replacing the cap to the storage tank because water has been getting in it,’” said Thompson.
Action News Jax obtained documents from Guardian Fueling Technologies stating its crew responded to a report of water contamination at that gas station on Aug. 23. The report shows crewmembers went to the scene, and the automatic tank gauge (ATG) showed a high-water alarm. It said crews inspected probes on scene that were filled with water and the water got in due to a riser cap that was not fully secured to the riser. It added the riser was also rusted and damaged.
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Crew members removed at least 300 gallons of water, and they charged Circle K almost $6,000 for the work, according to the documents.
After Action News Jax began asking questions about Mark Thompson’s claim, a Circle K spokesperson issued this revised statement in part:
“We are reevaluating Mr. Thompson’s claim and hope to resolve it with him as quickly as possible.”
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