A man said he was completely shocked after finding a mysterious substance in his car’s fuel tank when he stopped to refuel the vehicle.
Alberto Martinez, from Los Angeles, California (USA), posted a video on his TikTok profile to describe what happened. “Ok, I’m making this TikTok because I couldn’t believe it,” he begins in the clip.
“I haven’t driven my car since New Year’s Eve. I work in downtown Los Angeles, and I was trying to refuel, and this is what I found,” Alberto said before showing what was inside his car’s fuel filler neck.
From the images, it is possible to see that the fuel filler neck was filled with a brown, granular substance. “It’s like sweet salt. Did someone, did someone try to kill me? Or is someone messing with me?” Alberto asked.
While it is impossible to know for sure, the case appears to be an attempted act of vehicle sabotage. That’s because there is a belief that putting sugar into a car’s fuel tank can damage the vehicle’s operation.
However, according to Popular Mechanics, this is nothing more than a myth. According to them, a car’s filtration system is more than capable of handling the average size of about 200 microns that make up a single sugar crystal.
“Filters in a car’s fuel system trap particles much smaller than that,” the publication explained. So if someone really tried to ruin a person’s car by pouring sugar or “sweet salt,” as Martinez called it, their plan likely won’t work.
Now, even if sugar actually does end up inside the tank, the car is not “ruined,” as many people believe it will be. Simply take the vehicle to a mechanic, who can open the tank and perform a simple cleaning. Take advantage of the visit to replace the fuel filter as well, if necessary.
@thealbertomartinez I just spent $2500 to get my car fixed —got it back on Christmas Eve, and now this. I don’t know if this was intentional or just some random person in Dtla trying to ruin lives. Help #fy #f #fypシ #dtla ♬ original sound – Alberto Martinez
Photo and video: TikTok @thealbertomartinez. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
