After dozens of cars broke down after getting gas from a few Lukoil stations in NJ, the Russian-owned company explained, "Our company experienced water contamination issues at six northern New Jersey stations [caused by] excessive concentrations of water in storage tanks at an exchange partner's terminal."
Lukoil offered to pay for damages to all vehicles affected by the bad gas and will reimburse motorists for rental cars (call 877-858-9962 for more info). Stalled cars were all over roads in Bergen, Essex and Monmouth counties during the evening rush hour, with drivers waiting hours for tow trucks to become available.
According to Lukoil spokesman George Wilkins, the problem seemed to occur just as gas distributors switched from "winter-blends of gas to summer gas - a federal requirement to help stem pollution. The switchover often requires the cleaning of gas storage tanks."
