Faulty delivery of LPG at Filling Station

proton · 2nd July 2008, 14:07

Hi all, first post. This is a great forum: I really appreciate the members' sharing of their experience resulting in us readers getting the most bang for our bucks. I've already benefitted from just lurking.

Here's another heads up: I'd fitted lpg on my Santro Automatic, but it was a no win situation when the price of lpg went up! Ran the car in petrol and kept the lpg gas tank empty. Recently, with branded fuel only being supplied, it suddenly made sense to start using lpg again.

Imagine my surpise when I was able to fill 38 litres of lpg in my 28 lit capacity toroidal tank! When I protested to the attendant, he would not accept that my tank was a 28 litre capacity tank. I came back later with a certificate from my dealer that the tank could not hold more than 28 litre and made a huge scene on the forecourt. I was taken quietly to the owner's cabin, where I was given back the excess amount charged to me.

Advice: run your lpg tank to empty before refilling. (Lpg car owners here have the advantage of switching to petrol while running your car in this manner without any detrimental effect on their engine. Petrol and diesel car owners are flying blind in this regard: apart from the impracticability of running your fuel tank till dry, it can also cause problems for your fuel system. There is really no way to check what is the shortfall for the latter owners). Filling station operators are bilking us of tons of cash without us being able to verify under delivery or being able to take formal action for said fraud. The best thing is to be alert for the new ways these guys think of to part you unethically from your hard earned cash.

aks_karthik · 2nd July 2008, 14:25

There is a way to check it.
While the gas is filling up, at one point of time some strange noise is coming from the Gas Machine which means,it gives more pressure to fill the gas in the tank.i.e it nears to full
for 28Lts tank most probably the sound comes around 23.5 lts from empty.
i advise you just ask them to cut off the filling once you hear the noise.
I have been doing the same and get the good mileage and no one can fool us by providing less amount of gas.
Please pen down your opinion once you used to do so.

esteem_lover · 2nd July 2008, 14:42

Same thing happened to me once. BP bunk near my house where i am a regular for LPG always cuts off at 47-48, but one day it ran till 54 & i was insisting i will pay only for 48Litres. Couldn't convince him at all. So i took a proper bill & wrote to BPCL. No response yet from them. But I found that i ran a few extra kms on that tank. Could it be that sometimes there is a possibility that a few more litres can be accomodated under lesser pressure ?

vvnagan · 2nd July 2008, 14:52

@Proton - Which bunk is this? Few more details like the location of the bunk will help the others on the forum to be watchful.

proton · 2nd July 2008, 15:54

@Vvnagan

The bunk is on Residency Road, opposite St Patrick's Church side entrance. It was the same bunk where i filled my first tank of LPG! That's how I remembered the capacity of a totally empty tank.

@Esteem_lover
I've filled to full on previous occasions and have seen the overflow of the (liquefied) fuel. This time round, I had to yell at the attendant to stop as it seemed like the pump gauge was never going to stop! (Maybe the attendant was trying to pump in the 48 litres normally taken by the cylindrical tank?!)

You gotta admire the skill our operators have in thinking up innovative ways to shaft you. Wait till you read my post on how I booked an Innova and ended up buying a Versa, although i hope I won't end up posting only negative experiences!

My experience with getting audio at Sathya's (Blueraven) was excellent! Thanks to the reviews on this forum!

Cheers!

2nd July 2008, 14:07	#1
proton BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 204 Thanked: 393 Times	Faulty delivery of LPG at Filling Station Hi all, first post. This is a great forum: I really appreciate the members' sharing of their experience resulting in us readers getting the most bang for our bucks. I've already benefitted from just lurking. Here's another heads up: I'd fitted lpg on my Santro Automatic, but it was a no win situation when the price of lpg went up! Ran the car in petrol and kept the lpg gas tank empty. Recently, with branded fuel only being supplied, it suddenly made sense to start using lpg again. Imagine my surpise when I was able to fill 38 litres of lpg in my 28 lit capacity toroidal tank! When I protested to the attendant, he would not accept that my tank was a 28 litre capacity tank. I came back later with a certificate from my dealer that the tank could not hold more than 28 litre and made a huge scene on the forecourt. I was taken quietly to the owner's cabin, where I was given back the excess amount charged to me. Advice: run your lpg tank to empty before refilling. (Lpg car owners here have the advantage of switching to petrol while running your car in this manner without any detrimental effect on their engine. Petrol and diesel car owners are flying blind in this regard: apart from the impracticability of running your fuel tank till dry, it can also cause problems for your fuel system. There is really no way to check what is the shortfall for the latter owners). Filling station operators are bilking us of tons of cash without us being able to verify under delivery or being able to take formal action for said fraud. The best thing is to be alert for the new ways these guys think of to part you unethically from your hard earned cash. Last edited by proton : 2nd July 2008 at 14:16.
	() Thanks

2nd July 2008, 14:25	#2
aks_karthik Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Chennai Posts: 1,947 Thanked: 341 Times View My Garage	There is a way to check it. While the gas is filling up, at one point of time some strange noise is coming from the Gas Machine which means,it gives more pressure to fill the gas in the tank.i.e it nears to full for 28Lts tank most probably the sound comes around 23.5 lts from empty. i advise you just ask them to cut off the filling once you hear the noise. I have been doing the same and get the good mileage and no one can fool us by providing less amount of gas. Please pen down your opinion once you used to do so. Last edited by aks_karthik : 2nd July 2008 at 14:27.
	() Thanks

2nd July 2008, 14:42	#3
esteem_lover Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Madras/Py Posts: 7,556 Thanked: 502 Times View My Garage	Same thing happened to me once. BP bunk near my house where i am a regular for LPG always cuts off at 47-48, but one day it ran till 54 & i was insisting i will pay only for 48Litres. Couldn't convince him at all. So i took a proper bill & wrote to BPCL. No response yet from them. But I found that i ran a few extra kms on that tank. Could it be that sometimes there is a possibility that a few more litres can be accomodated under lesser pressure ?
	() Thanks

2nd July 2008, 14:52	#4
vvnagan BHPian Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 98 Thanked: 20 Times	@Proton - Which bunk is this? Few more details like the location of the bunk will help the others on the forum to be watchful.
	() Thanks

2nd July 2008, 15:54	#5
proton BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 204 Thanked: 393 Times	@Vvnagan The bunk is on Residency Road, opposite St Patrick's Church side entrance. It was the same bunk where i filled my first tank of LPG! That's how I remembered the capacity of a totally empty tank. @Esteem_lover I've filled to full on previous occasions and have seen the overflow of the (liquefied) fuel. This time round, I had to yell at the attendant to stop as it seemed like the pump gauge was never going to stop! (Maybe the attendant was trying to pump in the 48 litres normally taken by the cylindrical tank?!) You gotta admire the skill our operators have in thinking up innovative ways to shaft you. Wait till you read my post on how I booked an Innova and ended up buying a Versa, although i hope I won't end up posting only negative experiences! My experience with getting audio at Sathya's (Blueraven) was excellent! Thanks to the reviews on this forum! Cheers!
	() Thanks