As many as 170 vehicles had mechanical problems on Sunday after filling up at a BP gas station on a highway on the outskirts of San Luis Potosí city.

It was through no fault of the motorists: instead of gasoline, the station mistakenly sold them diesel.

Some of the affected drivers returned to the station on Tuesday to demand the company cover the cost of their repairs.

One motorist said she hadn’t been able to work since the error. “It’s not fair. I need my car to go to work and since yesterday it’s … at the mechanic and who is going to pay for it? All because of a mistake they made.

“It’s not just the failure, we have to bear the expenses for this and some of us are losing money by having to be here,” she added.

The drivers said they would close the gas station and one side of the highway if they didn’t receive a response. They also demanded the intervention of the federal consumer protection agency Profeco.

However, later on Tuesday the company appeared to accept responsibility for the mistake and promised to reimburse the drivers.

In a document which spread on social media, the company said it would cover the costs. “The company takes responsibility for payments for damages suffered due to refills of Magna gasoline made in the station from Sunday, January 23 to January 24 until 9:30 a.m. … [it’s responsible for] the refund of all the related costs.”

Diesel is a thicker fuel than gasoline and will clog the fuel filter and injectors in a gasoline engine.

With reports from El Universal and El Sol de San Luis