“Shell, my car has been messed up for three days.”
A New York woman is asking Shell for help after she says gas she purchased at her local station damaged her vehicle. Here’s what she says happened.
TikTok creator Mercedes (@mercedess.cruz) posted about the incident this spring. The video shows her inside of her vehicle holding a bottle of 2+2 Isopropyl Gas Line Antifreeze.
“POV: You get gas at your local Shell and they put water in their gas … so now your car is f’d up bad. Thank you Shell, this broke college girl is now in tears.”
In the caption, she wrote, “Help me. Shell, my car has been messed up for three days. I am crashing out.”
In the comments section of the video, viewers debated whether the issue was with Shell or if it could be attributed to another factor.
“How did you know it was mixed with water?” asked one viewer. “What were the signs?”
“Report it to your local government,” a second person said. “They will go test the gas and get back to you. The company should fix it if it’s their fault.”
A third person said, “My dad and I are both mechanics. Gas tanks underground naturally accumulate water, but it usually sits on top of the gas so it … doesn’t mix. This just means you either got gas on their refill day, or they were severely low on gas.”
If water gets into a car’s gas tank, the results can be extremely serious. The engine may begin to idle roughly, misfire, or put out white exhaust. Over time, that can create rust, clogs, and other issues that require costly repairs to remediate.
Something like this happened in 2024 in Tallahassee to drivers who purchased gas at Circle K and Shell gas stations. After several cars fueled up and then failed to start back up, drivers learned that it was apparently due to fuel diluted with water.
On its website, Shell addresses what drivers should do if they receive “bad gas” and need to file a claim. Drivers will need their fuel purchase receipt, towing invoice, repair receipt and diagnostics, as well as any other receipt associated with the alleged contamination claim.
According to Elan Fuels, it is possible to use an alcohol-based additive to the tank to hopefully remove any water in the tank. Of course, if there is a ton of water in the tank, drivers might end up needing to visit the mechanic to have the fuel tank drained.
Note that drivers should purchase these additives from their local hardware or auto parts store—and not use regular rubbing alcohol from the grocery store.
Motor1 contacted Mercedes via TikTok comment and direct message for comment. We’ll be sure to update this if article if she responds.
Update July 8: In an email to Motor1, a Shell representative wrote, “We take concerns regarding fuel quality seriously. Similar to other major oil companies, Shell’s retail fuels business and its licensees in the United States primarily supply motor fuels to independent wholesalers and dealers who operate Shell-branded locations. Claims related to incidents at these sites are typically handled by the site owner and its insurance provider. Customers who believe they may have experienced a fuel-related issue should contact the station owner or operator as soon as possible to report the concern and file a claim directly with the station and its insurance provider.”
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