WBTV 3 News, Weather, Sports, and Traffic for Charlotte, NC-Consumer Stories...Free gas cap testing saves drivers money

Consumer Stories...Free gas cap testing saves drivers money

By Kristen Miranda - bio l email

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - Nicole Dagenhart didn't know if she had a leaky gas cap but she figured she'd get it checked anyway.

"If it's going to save me money, then heck yeah," Dagenhart said.

She was one of dozens and dozens of drivers who pulled up to the Gastonia Farmer's Market site on Tuesday to have her gas cap checked by air quality experts.

"If a gas cap leaks, the average person can lose 30 to 50 gallons of gas every year to evaporation.  That's gas they paid for that just disappears.  Plus, it pollutes the environment," said Alan Giles, the Senior Air Quality Specialist for Mecklenburg County.

Giles and his team have traveled all across the area, testing as many as 25,000 gas caps for problems.  They've seen a 5% failure rate, and each of the caps that fails is replaced on the spot, free of charge.

Also tested were the many Gaston County law enforcement and municipal fleet vehicles.

"If we get a few vehicles that fail it could save us a lot of gas money, a lot of taxpayer money," said Donna Lahser, a public information specialist with the Gastonia Police Department.

This same crew will be testing vehicles on Wednesday, July 15th at the Gastonia Farmer's Market site located at 410 East Long Avenue from 3pm until 8pm.  If you can't make it, click the link above to find out about other free gas cap testing that may be happening in your area.

Watch the video to find out what is the number one reason gas caps can break on any make, model, and year of vehicle.