Customers report water in gasoline purchased from N.J. Wawa

[dogg57]

LACEY — Ralph Lukas of Forked River said he got more than gasoline when he filled up his car at a convenience store on Lacey Road. He also got water in his tank.

“I got tainted gas. When I say ‘tainted,’ I mean a mixture of gas and water,” Lukas said tonight. “As soon as I pulled out of the Wawa and onto Lacey Road, the car started misfiring and then eventually stalled. All of this happened within five minutes after filling up.”
Lukas said that somehow there was water in the gas station tanks at the Wawa at 800 Lacey Road in Forked River. He said he and other residents filled up, then their cars stalled.
http://beta.courierpostonline.com/a...purchased-from-N.J.-Wawa?odyssey=mod|mostview

 

[tplife]

WOW! The only gas we ever got from WAWA was from the chilidogs...

 

[Teegate]

WOW! The only gas we ever got from WAWA was from the chilidogs...

They are now watering them down. Less gas!

Guy

 

[Boyd]

In case you haven't been back to NJ for awhile, Wawa is now building mega gas stations all over. Seems like they sell the gas at a loss and make all their money on the coffee and other stuff.

 

[DeepXplor]

I got skunked last year at the super WAWA on Rte 9 in Forked River. I went there to get gas in containers, for my boat. I had 4 five gal and 2 six gallon containers, total of 32 gallons. I don't fill the containers all the way to leave room for additives. When I was finished the meter said that I was given 35 gallons of gas. I have used these same containers for years and have never gotton over 30 gallons. I think that their metering system favor them by far. I do not use any of the WAWA's for any reason.

 

[dogg57]

I got skunked last year at the super WAWA on Rte 9 in Forked River. I went there to get gas in containers, for my boat. I had 4 five gal and 2 six gallon containers, total of 32 gallons. I don't fill the containers all the way to leave room for additives. When I was finished the meter said that I was given 35 gallons of gas. I have used these same containers for years and have never gotton over 30 gallons. I think that their metering system favor them by far. I do not use any of the WAWA's for any reason.

Give them a call
http://www.state.nj.us/lps/ca/owm.htm

 

[DeepXplor]

I did call the state and they said that they would look into it. They don't usually get back to you so I do not know if they addressed the issue or not.

 

[NJBill]

A recent article in Philadelphia Magazine all about Wawa I found to be very interesting.
Their sales numbers are mind boggling. The early pre Wawa company history dates back to Millville and the formation of Union Lake of which the Woods family still holds considerable lake frontage.
Love em or hate em, a very informative article.
http://www.phillymag.com/articles/it_s_a_wawa_world/page1

 

[Teegate]

An interesting article. It is really hard to decide if they are good or evil. If you read the comments some people say they are using their might to push their way into locations where residents don't want them to be. But even the critics admit they go there.

Guy

 

[Boyd]

This part is a bit disturbing

Wawa still owns 390 lakeside acres—about a mile of shoreline—and has been planning a massive real estate development. What is it—a Wawaland amusement park? No, mostly retail stores and gated residential communities. Wawa says it’s not getting into a new business, just trying to make use of this legacy land it’s owned forever by leasing it to developers.

Matt Blake, an environmentalist with the American Littoral Society, gave me a tour of the area. Union Lake is spectacular and peaceful, sparkling with the tea-colored water of the Pine Barrens.

“They’re talking about going in there and whacking this forest,” he said. “This is not about building a Wawa. This is about building a city within a city.”

I go to Wawa all the time, mainly just for gas but it's like other big chains where you know what to expect and that it will be clean and well kept. I don't drink coffee so that's not an attraction, and their hoagies are mediocre at best - local shops do a much better job. When I used to work late nights they were handy because there were few if any other places open on my way home.

But they are becoming the WalMart of the convenience store world, running the existing little gas stations out of business wherever they sprout.

 

[46er]

A graphic of Wawa's from Toms River to Forked River, a distance of about 14 miles as the crow, or vulture, flies. One benefit is they provide jobs, low paying, but jobs none the less.

 

[Boyd]

You could say the same for Walmart, but they get no love. Looking at that map, if you add up all the surface area it's got to be comparable to a few Walmarts in fact.

I am as much a part of the problem as anybody though. As long as they build 'em, I'll probably go.

 

[46er]

I'm sure they will continue to build, with real estate low they are most likely getting a bargain on every piece they purchase. And their planning covers a road in both directions every few miles. At some point you would think they would out build their profits.

I wonder who they get their gasoline from.

Answer

"WaWa and other companies that are not affiliated with gasoline companies, buy their gas from distributors, which is to say they buy from whoever has the gas available at the best price. One day, the gas in the pump may be from Exxon, another day it might be Sunoco, and then it might be something else."

 

[Teegate]

I saw a generic gas truck at the new WaWa on 70 in Cherry Hill the other day.

One benefit is they provide jobs, low paying, but jobs none the less.

One observation I had 46er. There was a young man working in the WaWa in Marlton a few years back that was the fastest sandwich maker I have ever seen. He could make them 5 times faster than anyone. In no time at all he no longer was working there. I am betting someone saw his skills and hired him. If you are a good worker and in the public eye as they are, you do have a chance to be seen and move up.

Guy

 

[c1nj]

I was surprised that the WaWa on Rt. 49 in Millville has self-service diesel pumps.

 

[Teegate]

I was surprised that the WaWa on Rt. 49 in Millville has self-service diesel pumps.

That is a surprise. As far as I know in NJ that is illegal.

Guy

 

[46er]

That is a surprise. As far as I know in NJ that is illegal.

Guy

I looked up the law and according to the wording, pumping your own diesel fuel is legal in NJ. But I'd bet you'd get a hard time from most attendants You can pump gasoline and diesel into a boat with no issues at marina's, and some gas stations if the boat is on a trailer.

The definition from the law;

""Fuel" means any liquid commonly or commercially known or sold as gasoline, or other inflammable liquid, which is sold for use as fuel in the internal combustion engines of motor vehicles."

Diesel is not flammable until it reaches a fairly high flashpoint, 126F to 204F.

The law;

http://lwd.dol.state.nj.us/labor/lsse/laws/Retail_Gasoline_Act_and_Regs.html

 

[c1nj]

There is a sign on the diesel pumps that says "Self-Service."

 

[Teegate]

Maybe I am missing something but I have to disagree. It states.

12:196-1.3 Attendant duties​

(a) Service stations accessible to the public shall have an attendant on duty whenever the station is open for business.​

(b) Only an attendant shall dispense fuel into fuel tanks or into containers.​

NJ has a strong gasoline retailers association and they have kept it illegal for anyone other than attendants from dispensing fuel and I doubt they will change their position anytime soon.​

If there is a different law for diesel than I may be wrong. But the link posted only mentions diesel once and it does not say anything about it there.

Guy​

 

[Boyd]

That's the part I don't quite understand. Why would the gasoline retailers prefer to have attendants? Seems like it would cut into their profits? Why do the retailers in the other 49 states (maybe there are a couple others like NJ?) see things differently?