Downers Grove BP Station Listed for Tainted Gas; Owner Denies Claim

A Downers Grove BP gas station was named among those who sold gas that was recently recalled, though the company that owns the station denied the claim Wednesday.

The BP at 4314 Main St. was listed among dozens of suburban Chicago stations including those in Glen Ellyn, Elmhurst, Hinsdale Naperville, Woodridge and Bolingbrook.

Although the station was listed in BP's searchable database, RWJ Management, the company that owns the station, denied having sold any tainted gas.

"We had several stations that tested positive for the tainted gas, but the Downers Grove station was not one of them," said Deborah Cox, operations manager for RWJ Management.

Cox said she is unsure why the station is listed on BP's official website.

"Based on the information we have, that database is incorrect," she said.

A BP claims representative told Patch on Wednesday that the database is accurate. If any customers from the Downers Grove station experience problems with their vehicles, they should contact the claims department and let them investigate the matter, she said.

BP released a searchable database on their website Wednesday, where people can enter a town name to find stations that inadvertently sold the tainted gas. 

Issues caused by the tainted gas include:

• hard starts, or not starting
• rough idling
• stalling

The tainted gas leaves a polymeric residue that gets stuck on fuel injectors and spark plugs, leading to the hard starts, or none at all. The problem stemmed from an alkylation unit at the company’s Whiting, Ind. refinery, according to BP.

About 16,000 calls have been received as of Friday in relation to the recall, and they have started paying out claims, BP said in a release.

The company suggested the following for people who may have engine problems from the gas:

Any consumer who purchased off-specification fuel wishing to file a claim should call 1-800-333-3991 or 1-800-599-9040 to speak to a claims representative.  Consumers should save sales receipts, credit/debit card records and repair bills. They can also access information and submit an online inquiry at www.bpresponse.com. 

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