ORANGE — Affected vehicles were quickly back on the road after a third-party hauler mistakenly filled an unleaded gasoline storage tank with diesel fuel at a Daniel Shays Highway gas station, and the incident and its ensuing headaches might soon be in the rearview mirror.

Area automotive businesses and law enforcement agencies reported fielding dozens of calls on and in the days following Oct. 23, 2022, when customers experienced vehicle problems almost immediately after unknowingly filling their tanks with diesel fuel at the Shell gas station affiliated with Honey Farms just off Route 2. Diesel fuel is thicker than gasoline and can clog fuel injectors and filters. It can also damage catalytic converters and engines if left in a vehicle long enough.

Anyone who believes their vehicle was affected by the cross drop — as these incidents are called — should send an email to Paul Nestor, of the eMaxx Assurance Group of Companies, at pnestor@emaxxgroup.com.

Darryl Kimplin filled his 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 at the gas station that day and said Nestor was amazingly prompt at taking care of the $800 to $900 in towing and mechanic bills he accrued to get his truck fixed.

“I haven’t had any other issues,” he told the Greenfield Recorder on Friday.

Kimplin said he used a credit card to pay for his fuel and used the receipt he took to prove to Nestor he had unknowingly filled his tank with diesel that day. He said he filled up and drove away before his truck “acted up” and he returned to the gas station, where he saw other motorists with the same problem. He had his truck towed to J&J Ironworks in Deerfield.

Belchertown resident Marion Miller filled up her Subaru Outback at the gas station at around 9:30 a.m. on Oct. 23, and within 10 minutes the car began to sputter and jerk before stopping just as she had gotten onto a Route 2 on-ramp to get to a repair shop. She previously told the Recorder she called AAA but it took three hours for a tow truck to arrive due to a flood of calls for disabled vehicles in the area.

Miller had her vehicle taken to Pelham Auto Parts & Service in Belchertown but her insurance provider reimbursed her only $300 of the $1,000 repair cost. She is now in touch with Nestor.

“I would like to get the remaining $700,” Miller said this week.

Kathie Cremin, who manages towing operations at Dale’s Auto Body, Towing & Repair in Athol, previously said the company had towed at least 21 vehicles that broke down due to being erroneously filled with diesel fuel. She said Dale’s towed vehicles to Sonia’s Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Orange, Mathieu Ford in Winchendon and Salvadore Chevrolet in Gardner. She also mentioned Dale’s repaired one of the affected vehicles.

Jason Rice, who owns Dale’s, explained diesel is essentially “the same thing as a home heating oil.” He said fixing a vehicle that has been erroneously filled with diesel entails draining the fuel tank, flushing the fuel system, and replacing the spark plugs and fuel filter.

Jaclyn Harrison, director of corporate communications at Honey Farms, previously said the station was shut down as soon as the error was discovered. The tanks, she said, were pumped and the station reopened for business on Oct. 24, the following day.

Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com 413-930-4120.

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