Fuel Delivery in Cary, NC

Ran out of gas in Cary? Call (919) 230-4498. WTF Towing brings fuel to you 24/7 — enough to get you to the next station, wherever you stopped.

The gauge said you had a few miles left. The low-fuel light came on somewhere on NC-540 and the next exit was farther than it looked. You lent the car to someone who “was going to fill it up.” However it happened, you’re on the shoulder of NC-55 or in a parking lot on Cary Parkway with an engine that won’t catch, and walking to a gas station with a can is not the answer on a busy road at night.

What our fuel delivery service includes

• Gasoline delivered to your vehicle — enough to get you safely to a nearby station, not a full tank.
• The right fuel for your vehicle — tell us what it takes when you call.
• A restart check — some vehicles need a moment to prime after running dry; we make sure it starts before we leave.
• A tow if it isn’t fuel — a car that dies with fuel in it has a different problem, and the same truck takes you to a shop.

Running out of gas can damage more than your schedule

Running a tank completely dry can pull sediment into the fuel filter and overheat the fuel pump, which cools itself in the fuel. Diesel engines can pull air into the system and need bleeding. If the car won’t restart after fuel goes in, don’t keep cranking; tell us and we’ll get it to a shop.

How it works

1. Call (919) 230-4498 with your location and the type of fuel your vehicle takes.
2. We quote the price upfront and give you a real ETA.
3. On a highway, get as far right as you can, hazards on, and stay in the car until the driver arrives.
4. We deliver the fuel, confirm the vehicle starts, and point you to the nearest station.

Where we deliver fuel

I-40, I-440, NC-540, US-1, US-64 and NC-55 shoulders; Cary Parkway, Kildaire Farm Road, Davis Drive and Tryon Road; the RDU cell-phone and parking lots; RTP and Morrisville office parks; and neighborhoods across Cary, Apex, Morrisville, Holly Springs, Raleigh and Durham.

Cary’s gas-station gaps

Long stretches of NC-540 and US-64 west of town have no exit with fuel for several miles, and a few of the newer subdivisions off Green Level Church Road are a longer drive to a pump than they look. If your light is on, fill up before you get on the highway — and if you didn’t, we’ve got you.

Why people run out of gas in Cary

Almost nobody runs out because they forgot. They run out because the gauge lied a little and the road didn’t cooperate. The low-fuel light on most cars comes on with 2–3 gallons left, which is 40–60 miles on a good day — and a lot less crawling in the I-40 backup at Wade Avenue with the AC on, or climbing NC-540 into a headwind with a loaded car. The “miles to empty” number is an average of your last stretch of driving, so it drops fast when you leave the highway for stop-and-go on Cary Parkway. Then there’s the shared car with a driver who had “plenty,” the rental picked up at RDU with the needle on E, and the car that sat for two weeks and evaporated a chunk of what it had. Our post on running out of gas goes through what “E” actually means on the common cars around here.

What the driver actually does

He confirms the fuel type on the phone — regular, premium or diesel — because pouring the wrong one in turns a five-minute call into a fuel-system flush. On arrival he pulls in behind you with the light bar on and pours from an approved can with a spout so nothing goes down the fender. Then he waits before starting it: a car that ran dry has air in the lines, and most fuel-injected engines want the key cycled to “on” two or three times to let the pump prime before the first crank. He starts it, listens for a moment to make sure it’s running clean, and points you to the closest open station — on US-1 that’s the Walnut Street exit, on NC-55 it’s usually Green Level or Apex, and along NC-540 he’ll tell you which direction is shorter. If it won’t catch after fuel and priming, he’s already there with the truck, and it’s a tow instead of a second call.

Diesel, hybrids and the tank that “isn’t empty”

Diesel trucks and cars are the ones running out of fuel actually damages: air in a high-pressure diesel system can mean bleeding the lines, and some won’t restart without it, so if you drive a diesel treat a quarter tank as empty. Hybrids can run the gas engine dry while the battery keeps the dash lit, which makes people think it’s an electrical problem. And a car that dies with fuel showing on the gauge is usually a fuel pump, a clogged filter or a bad sending unit, not an empty tank; that’s a tow, and the driver can usually tell which within a minute of listening to it crank.

Out-of-gas mistakes that cost people money

• Walking a highway shoulder to a station. On US-1 or I-40 that’s the most dangerous half hour of your week. Stay in the car; we bring the fuel.
• Cranking over and over after the fuel goes in. The pump needs a moment to prime. Key on, wait, key off, repeat, then crank.
• Buying the first gas can you see and filling it to the top. Cans without a proper spout spill on a hot fender, and a full five gallons in a hatchback is a fire risk.
• Restarting on the shoulder and pulling straight into 70 mph traffic. Let the engine settle, signal early, and match speed on the shoulder first.

From the WTF Towing blog

• Ran Out of Gas in Cary, NC? What to Do, What It Does to Your Car, and How Fuel Delivery Works — what really happens when you run out of gas in Cary.
• Broke Down on US-1 in Cary? Exactly What to Do, and Who to Call — what to do, step by step, when you break down on US-1 in Cary.
• When to Call a Tow Truck (and When You Just Need Roadside Help) in Cary, NC — how to tell whether you need a tow or a quick roadside fix.