got bad GAS - watch out!

i have recently experienced a case of bad gas. no, not that kind that involves flatulence. the kind that causes cars to stall, not start, and buck back in forth randomly while driving in low gears.

after fighting with the gas station folks who were "fixing" the subi, all the while assuring me that it wasn't broken, that the bucking would be "better" after they cleared the computer (buckle up folks!) and that it DID start on command - the subi and i visited the local dealer this morning. the dealer promptly asked me where i had last purchased gas. apparently another customer had similar symptoms with her subi post gas station visit. same gas station, same weekend!

they checked the car out and found the fuel had separated in the tank yielding hydrophobic ethanol and water among other individual components in the system. This results in a car that doesn't like to start due to frozen water in cold temperatures! And to a car that's not properly fueled most of the time and thus feels the need to communicate that to its owner by jerking them around, literally.

i called the station and they confirmed what had already been deduced - there was a shipment of BAD GAS. There's water in them darn tanks (central pa style)! They kindly promised to reimburse my expense to have the fuel drained and filter cleaned. nice. (we'll see if that reimbursement materializes).

In short i learned something about modern day fuel at gas stations. It's mixed with ethanol which means if it sits over time, it potentially could separate. This also means if you hit (get your head out of the gutter) the pump and notice it's running slow, you might want to peace out of that station and find another one. A low tank could potentially have water sitting at the bottom for various reasons including condensation;

The important equation to consider here folks is: water + your fuel tank = buck city + start / stall problems!

here's a simple summary of how it all goes down if you're interested. frustration aside, i sure learned a lot.