PETALING JAYA: Fuel pumps can dispense less fuel than their initial calibration due to a variety of mechanical issues, such as clogged filters or plain wear and tear.
Other causes can include a partially blocked charcoal canister, a bad vent valve, a kinked or collapsed hose, or foreign objects in the filler neck.
That said, it is also entirely possible for fuel station owners to tamper with their pumps, say industry observers.
Even before Budi95 was introduced, there were syndicates that offered such services to unscrupulous station owners.
Many years ago, a petrol station operator near Bidor, Perak, was approached by a group of men who offered to help him “adjust” his pump so that his profit margin can be higher.
The proprietor, Alex (not his real name), being an upright person, declined the offer, and the matter ended there.
Underdispensing, for whatever reason, is an issue taken seriously by the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry (KPDN), which mandates that fuel pumps must undergo annual calibration exercises, following which an approval sticker will be affixed onto the pump.
In a TikTok video produced in February (well before Budi95 was in place) by Perak KPDN, the officer said customers who suspect the integrity of the pump can inspect the calibration sticker on the pump to see its validity.
But the best would be to report the matter to KPDN as detection of underdispensing or pump tampering calls for expert knowledge, given that the tampered component is not visible unless the pump cover is removed.
After suffering a refuelling “anomaly” earlier this month, motorist Liang Poesy said drivers should know their fuel tank capacity and take note of the volume (litres) dispensed (and not the amount in ringgit), with the latter critical to know whether one is being shortchanged.
“Make use of an app to track the filling process, if available. For example, Proton X50 owners may use the manufacturer’s app to check how much they have in the tank, before and after filling up,” she told The Star.
Finally, go cashless as far as possible as this avoids having to perform any arithmetic to determine the amount of change one should be getting in the event of a mismatch in the amount of fuel “ordered” and the amount delivered.
