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NJ Fingers 14 Gas Stations For Falsifying Octane Ratings

By Paul Kurtz and Elizabeth Hur

AVENEL, N.J. (CBS) -- Officials in New Jersey are accusing some gas stations of selling bad gas. Officials found the octane level you pay for was not what you got.

Out of the 325 gas stations inspected, 14 were cited, of them 8 were in South Jersey: 4 stations in Camden County and the other 4 in Gloucester County.

In most states, random and unannounced inspections are in place to make sure you get what you pay for.

Jenny Robinson with AAA explained, "Pennsylvania is one of three states that do not regulate gas quality for the consumer. So there's Alaska, Nebraska and Pennsylvania."

In fact, the inspection stickers you see on the pumps everywhere actually mean just one thing.

"If you're paying for a gallon, you're getting a gallon. So possibly, you could be getting the wrong grade of gasoline or maybe a poor quality of gasoline and you don't even know it," Robinson added.

Currently, AAA is in the process of trying to get Senate Bill 341 passed in Harrisburg. The bill would establish an Automotive Fuel Testing and Disclosure program to conduct random, unannounced samplings of fuel sold by retailers and product labeling. On May 24, the Senate Consumer Protection Committee unanimously voted out the Gas Quality Inspection program and sent the bill to the Senate Floor.

Meanwhile, according to AAA, your car engine runs best when you use the recommended grade. So stick to premium for high performance and luxury cars.

"By the way, it goes the other way around. If your car is labeled you should use regular grade gas then don't use premium. If the engine is not designed to combust properly with premium which combusts at a different temperature then you can ruin the engine in the long run," Robinson said.

Officials say your best defense is making sure your car is well maintained.

Robinson added, "Your mechanic should be able to spot signs of trouble and let you know if they see some kind of engine damage that could be fixed by using a different grade of gasoline. If you see a problem with the performance of your car by going to one gas station, try a different one."

Violators could be fined and repeat offenders could be temporarily shut down if convicted.

Here is the full list of accused gas stations, provided by the NJ attorney general's office...

In Bergen County:

  • US Gas / Mmarmab LLC, 90 Hackensack Ave, Hackensack, NJ 07601

In Camden County:

  • Citgo, 302 South Black Horse Pike, Blackwood, NJ
  • Jessie's Gulf, 720 White Horse Pike, Oaklyn, NJ 08107
  • Runnemede Extra, 405 E. Clements Bridge Rd., Runnemede, NJ 08078
  • US Gulf, 1200 Route 73, Pennsauken, NJ 08110

In Gloucester County:

  • Glassboro Lukoil, 100 Delsea Dr., Glassboro, NJ 08028
  • Gurbittha Gas LLC Lukoil, 500 North Broad St., Woodbury, NJ 08096
  • Mantua Pike Lukoil, 897 Mantua Pike, Woodbury
  • US Gas / Bahadur Singh, Inc., 724 Delsea Dr., Malaga, NJ 08324

In Middlesex County:

  • Edison Fuel Stop, 690 Route 1 North, Edison, NJ 08817
  • Fuel One Inc., 869 Route 1 South, Avenel, NJ 07001
  • Fuel One Inc., 279 Route 1 South, Edison, NJ 08817
  • North Brunswick Express Fuel, 483 Georges Rd., North Brunswick, NJ 08902
  • PAK Petroleum Citgo, 1614 Stelton Rd., Piscataway, NJ 08854

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