Bogwoppit

I would simply reply and state that you did not put gas in it, that you did not state that you put gas in it, and that you are not the customer in question. I had Sixt try this on me, I told them to back off with their lies, and never heard from them again.

swingaling

In the US, diesel nozzles have a larger diameter than gas nozzles, which makes it basically impossible to accidentally put diesel fuel in a gas vehicle. However, the reverse is definitely possible and putting a gas nozzle into a diesel car would not be difficult at all.

To the OP, I'd suggest you file a claim with your insurance company and give them your side of the story. Assuming you have Comprehensive (aka Other than Collision or OTC) on your policy, this should be a covered loss, and I suspect they'd probably just pay out. It's possible they'll conduct a cursory investigation to see if anything fishy is going on with the rental car company, but these types of issues can be difficult to defend successfully.

garth.suhr

I went on google earth to find the gas station to verify my memory and the first thing that pops up is the exact pump I used. You can easily tell, not only is the diesel button colored green but the hose itself is green as well as the diesel price on the price board, I have a very vivid memory and I know for a fact I stood at this exact pump as I looked at Advantage across the street and after matching and checking the green diesel #2 button I grabbed the hose on the left side of the pump and hit the green button (diesel #2), my girlfriend is 100% sure as well.



For anyone interested just google “Arco Inglewood, CA” there are only two results and it is the 2nd one.



Looking at a recent picture of the gas prices at this location diesel has a .35 cent difference from gas (the month before I filled up). I put in exactly $37.76 which would be 9.7 gallons of diesel or 10.6 gallons of gas, so unfortunately not a huge difference. I am 100% certain I put diesel in the tank, and unless Viking can retrieve actual proof that the tank was filled with gas, a fuel sample, an incident report detailing the issues encountered that lead them to bring it to Volvo, a diagnosis from Volvo detailing what lead to the supposed breakdown, anything other than "this is what an Advantage employee said" I see very little proof of their claim other then what an employee states and will most certainly take legal action to defend myself.

As you guys stated it is very odd they even brought a Volkswagen to a Volvo dealership for an estimate/repairs in the first place. Even the damage report filled out by the Advantage employee has absolutely nothing filled out except a hand written note saying "16: Customer put gas in diesel tank" and due to the numerous errors in the paperwork including Volvo writing in "customer states he put gas in a diesel engine" and listing some guy named Matt from Advantage as the customer as well as numerous missing pieces of evidence to support their claims I don't think they will have very much of a case.

pinniped

While this completely sounds like one of the games these third-tier rental agencies play, this one seems to have so many inconsistencies that it may be sheer incompetence more than a well-coordinated scam.

There very well may be another guy who rented a Volvo, put gasoline in it, admitted it, and that screwed up the fuel system.

strickerj

Eujeanie

What exactly happens when you mix the two? Does the car not run immediately? Or what?

He drove it over to Advantage, they drove it away from the car drop, it wasn't until 5 days later they decided something was wrong.

I'm keeping all my receipts forever from now on, thanks for the tip. And speaking of that, I have NEVER had the car rental guys TAKE the gas receipt - they often don't even look at it, but if they do they never take it, if they tried I'd say "I need it to reconcile my credit card statement".

Gig103

Sounds shady and/or a mixup. I'd contact a lawyer, a few hundred dollars for one of those is cheaper than your insurance premiums going up (which they probably would even if they determined it was a mixup because your ins. won't even look at it without opening a claim).

But what a mess, I feel for you that you will probably be out more than the rental itself because of their mixup defending yourself.

Often1

1. Read your insurance policy carefully. Some require that you notify the carrier within a limited period of time. If you blow that deadline, you lose your claim. This is a large enough amount that you don't want to be left owing $13K if you are ultimately found liable.

2. Respond with a short and simple letter. Skip the legalese, certified mail, and other things that flag you as a rookie. All you need is:
A. Filled it with diesel. Double-checked.
B. Did not add any gasoline. Double-checked.
C. Provided the receipt at return, so easily verified.
D. Please end the claim & notify me.

If that does not work turn it over to your insurer and notify your lawyer.

wds17

Do not conduct any inquires or correspondence over the phone. Everything must be written and documented, go to the Post Office and send via certified mail with return receipt request, to Viking.

MSPeconomist

Exec_Plat

THIS!!!!!!!

People spend so much time with phone calls and 'trying to work it out'...in the end, all they have is THEIR 'story'...nothing documented...and it is month down the road and they are SOL

OP, hopefully you have coverage under your CC. YOU NEED TO GET ADULTS INVOLVED. CC company or even a lawyer.

I would try and leverage the CC company into getting a SPECIFIC copy of the receipt for that transaction. They have the power to do that.


These guys can ignore you, then drop the hammer on you with unpaid bills and ruin your credit- send it to collections. You think they are gonna 'take legal action'??? They dont need to, They will just bill you.

Larrude

Report this to your insurance company - do NOT deal directly with the rental company or their claim representatives.

I owned an insurance agency for 40+ years - your insurance company knows how to deal with this, they will not simply give in because it is cheaper, and if they can't win the argument, they can settle a lower payment which they will pay for.

You would only see your rates increase if your company has to make the payment on your behalf. Insurance companies have a lot of experience dealing with car rental agencies and know how to handle this.

Often1

The smart move is somewhere inbetween.

Phone calls are 100% the way to go. Until you reach a resolution. Whether it is good or bad, that is something you confirm in writing. Billion dollar negotiations are handled this way and no reason to play amateur lawyer when you aren't one.

downinit

There is no way they would take a VW to a Volvo dealer (and most Volvo dealers would not even want to work on a VW). From everything you have described, it sounds like this is a completely different car. Someone rented a Volvo and accidentally put diesel in it. Definitely demand to see the receipt from the repair shop: it should have the VIN number, which would start with a W (Germany)or 9 (Brazil) for a VW Jetta wagon, or a 3 (Mexico) for a regular Jetta sedan. If the VIN starts with Y, it was made in Sweden (and is definitely not a VW).

TGLoyalty