WEST PALM FUEL ISSUE TO COST $6K PER CAR TO FIX

Fuel delivery mix-up likely culprit; other vehicles to be inspected.

WEST PALM BEACH — The cost of West Palm Beach police car damage, allegedly from bad fuel, continues to mount and the damage isn’t limited to police cars, City Administrator Jeff Green said.

As of Wednesday, 38 of the city’s 61 police cars and SUVs had engines replaced, at a cost of $6,000 each. The city also has pulled 31 nonpolice vehicles off the road for inspection and so far 11 of those had to have engines replaced.

The evidence points to a delivery of biodiesel fuel to city supply tanks that were supposed to hold unleaded gas, Green said.

The city has set aside $500,000 for repairs while working with its fuel supplier’s insurer for reimbursement, Green said.

Meanwhile, at last count the Miami-Dade County Police Department had 127 cars with similar damage, he said.

Both governments get fuel from Port-Miami, through two separate suppliers owned by competing brothers. Mansfield Oil Co. supplies West Palm Beach.

The problems cropped up for both departments in late March and early April. After two West Palm cruisers broke down and had to be towed, inspections of the entire 61-car fleet found problems in others.

The West Palm police car engines are high-performance ones and the cars are all 2 years old or newer.

Of the 31 nonpolice cars, 20 are still under evaluation. Four are Housing Authority vehicles. Because they’re fueled but not maintained by the city, that’s more evidence that fuel is the common denominator, not city repair work, Green said.

The problem was subtle enough that “check engine” lights didn’t come on and officers couldn’t detect a change in performance. In some cases, even the dealership mechanics didn’t spot problems but police mechanics who’ve been dealing with the issue did.

Investigation into the cause continues.

“We are continuing to work with Miami-Dade County and with the insurance company from our fuel vendor to try and put a comprehensive report together,” Green said. “It will be a few weeks.”