Business & Tech

Commack Gas Station Shut Down for Selling Regular Gas as Premium

USA Petroleum on Vets Highway faces thousands in fines.

A Commack gas station has been shut down after the owners were caught selling regular gas under the premium label and charging a higher price, authorities said.

USA Petroleum, located at 365 Veterans Memorial Highway, was found to have sold regular gas out of the premium pump on two occasions in the past six months, resulting in three violations, according to Suffolk County Consumer Affairs Director Clifford Coleman.

Routine fuel samples taken at the gas station in October 2010 revealed that the gas labeled as 93 octane—premium grade—registered as 87.6 octane, Coleman said, adding that although the discrepancy may seem small, 93 octane and 87.6 octane are two different products.

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As part of a New York State grant, Suffolk County routinely collects fuel samples at all gas stations.

After appearing at a hearing for the violations in November of 2010, a second sample of supposed premium gas was taken from the station on Dec. 23, 2010. That sample also failed, rating at 91.8 octane.

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Coleman warns that mislabeled fuel won't just hurt your wallet, but potentially your vehicle. "If you have a high performance engine that requires 93 octane, and you put in 87 octane, you could have problems," Coleman said, adding that the price points between premium and regular fuel usually vary by as much as 20 cents per gallon.

After failing to show up for numerous subsequent hearings, the owners of the gas station have had their fuel license revoked by the county and now face thousands of dollars in fines.

The fuel pumps at USA Petroleum have been condemned, and are currently marked off by orange cones. The adjacent body shop, Vets Auto Services, remains open.

As of Friday afternoon, the owners have not paid the fines, and the pumps remain closed, Coleman said. They will need to pay the fines and reapply for a fuel license before they can reopen and sell gas. 


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