Stories when filling up at "gasoline station"

romad

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2011
Location
Prescott, AZ
TDI
2005 Jetta GLS Wagon "Cranberry"
Ah, I stand corrected. I do wish we were going the full chip+PIN, though.
Nah, that would have been faster than the swipe-and-sign! With chip+sign, it now takes much longer to process than swipe-and-sign because the data is not on the credit card servers; the transaction has to be routed to the issuing institution.
 

Tom Servo

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 9, 2000
Location
LA (Lower Alabama)
TDI
2005 Gol TDI, blue and falling apart
Strangely enough after participating in this thread, I actually filled up today and have a story. Or a need to vent! AND I used my Target chip+PIN card, lol. Not at the gas station - before that, obviously. But the gas station was a major headache.

There's this one Shell station that is on the edge of town and their prices are lower than every other name brand station, so I usually fill up there since I can also redeem Winn-Dixie fuelperks! rewards for discounted fuel.

I always run into some issue here but tonight might be the last straw… First, the fuelperks! card wouldn't scan (magstripe), then somehow it got stuck on asking for an alternate ID, but nothing worked and then the entire pump locked up! About halfway to the C-store I hear it beep and turn around and it's reset, so I have to hoof it back over and try again. This time it worked, but then after pumping diesel they were out of receipt paper. Naturally. Might be my #1 pet peeve at a gas station, right up there with noisy stereos and dirty pumps. Which this one was, covered in greasy diesel. And no paper towels to wipe my hands off, either.

On the positive side, with the fuelperks! discount diesel was $2.109. And the place was thankfully deserted. Normally the single diesel/gas combo pump is three cars deep and everyone's buying unleaded because reasons. Nevermind there are like 20 pumps at this place in total and all the others are gas only. They LOVE that long diesel/gas combo. I'll never understand that about gassers.

Last time I filled here I had to use the other side of the pump and it was a truck sized nozzle, which even though my opening is large it's still a hassle. And on that trip I had to go in to get the pump going because the card reader on that side was just totally broken.

I guess this is a case of "it's cheap but not worth the hassle" because I'm ready to start going back to the Tom Thumb CITGO up the highway which is always clean, but diesel is $2.329/gallon right now. There's only one other Shell in town that takes the fuelperks! and their diesel is $2.459/gallon credit. So either way I guess I gotta pay more to keep my sanity.

Thanks for letting me vent. :cool:
 

romad

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2011
Location
Prescott, AZ
TDI
2005 Jetta GLS Wagon "Cranberry"
There's this one Shell station that is on the edge of town and their prices are lower than every other name brand station, so I usually fill up there since I can also redeem Winn-Dixie fuelperks! rewards for discounted fuel.

I always run into some issue here but tonight might be the last straw… First, the fuelperks! card wouldn't scan (magstripe), then somehow it got stuck on asking for an alternate ID, but nothing worked and then the entire pump locked up! About halfway to the C-store I hear it beep and turn around and it's reset, so I have to hoof it back over and try again. This time it worked, but then after pumping diesel they were out of receipt paper. Naturally. Might be my #1 pet peeve at a gas station, right up there with noisy stereos and dirty pumps. Which this one was, covered in greasy diesel. And no paper towels to wipe my hands off, either.

On the positive side, with the fuelperks! discount diesel was $2.109. And the place was thankfully deserted. Normally the single diesel/gas combo pump is three cars deep and everyone's buying unleaded because reasons. Nevermind there are like 20 pumps at this place in total and all the others are gas only. They LOVE that long diesel/gas combo. I'll never understand that about gassers.

Last time I filled here I had to use the other side of the pump and it was a truck sized nozzle, which even though my opening is large it's still a hassle. And on that trip I had to go in to get the pump going because the card reader on that side was just totally broken.

I guess this is a case of "it's cheap but not worth the hassle" because I'm ready to start going back to the Tom Thumb CITGO up the highway which is always clean, but diesel is $2.329/gallon right now. There's only one other Shell in town that takes the fuelperks! and their diesel is $2.459/gallon credit. So either way I guess I gotta pay more to keep my sanity.

Thanks for letting me vent. :cool:
I'd file a complaint with Shell Corporate telling them that this station is a disgrace to Royal Dutch Shell Corporation!
 

Mike in Anchorage

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2009
Location
Anchorage, AK
TDI
2016 Touareg Lux, 2015 Golf Sportwagen SE, new 4 Sept 2017;2009 VW Jetta TDI Sportwagen (Ruby) sold to VW on 22 SEP 2017
I'd file a complaint with Shell Corporate telling them that this station is a disgrace to Royal Dutch Shell Corporation!
I think I would first talk with the manager, trying your best to keep your cool and tell him/her than you would really like to continue to patronize their station, but it's getting more difficult. Business managers would normally know this, but not all pay attention. Best wishes.
 

romad

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2011
Location
Prescott, AZ
TDI
2005 Jetta GLS Wagon "Cranberry"
I think I would first talk with the manager, trying your best to keep your cool and tell him/her than you would really like to continue to patronize their station, but it's getting more difficult. Business managers would normally know this, but not all pay attention. Best wishes.
I figured he'd already tried that route, but if he hasn't, then that should be the first step.
 

narongc73

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 14, 2005
Location
VA/OH
TDI
2006 Jetta TDI
I do avoid stations that are busy and they usually have 1 or 2 diesel pumps. They don't care about diesel owners. There is one I go to that is always out of order 50% of the time. I just avoid them all. Crazy enough the cheapest one by 15 cents is never busy, but 2 miles further.
 

ATR

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 18, 2005
Location
Baltimore
TDI
2011 Golf TDI 6MT
Story for the thread when I still had my TDI...
Just a mile away from my house the gas station has 3 pump stations all lined up together. They are pretty tight and at best can get 6 cars in there.

They only have 2 pumps at the end that are combo pumps. I went there countless times where I had to wait for some knuckle head to finish shopping inside the convenience store.

I think the final straw was when two folks rolled up to the combo pumps at the same time when they are clearly driving gasoline powered cars.

I was in a mood that day and didn't feel like getting into a argument with them. I just drove off and took my business elsewhere. Permanently.
 

jason_

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 2, 2014
Location
michigan
TDI
2015 s wagon dsg
Today, at the gasoline station...

I pulled up to a high flow nozzle without noticing. It didn't fit. I got angry. I had to back up 10ft and use the smaller nozzle.

Sent from my S-Off'ed HTC One...
 

narongc73

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 14, 2005
Location
VA/OH
TDI
2006 Jetta TDI
Story for the thread when I still had my TDI...
Just a mile away from my house the gas station has 3 pump stations all lined up together. They are pretty tight and at best can get 6 cars in there.

They only have 2 pumps at the end that are combo pumps. I went there countless times where I had to wait for some knuckle head to finish shopping inside the convenience store.

I think the final straw was when two folks rolled up to the combo pumps at the same time when they are clearly driving gasoline powered cars.

I was in a mood that day and didn't feel like getting into a argument with them. I just drove off and took my business elsewhere. Permanently.
Why oh why can't they just dedicate 1 pump for diesel passenger cars! :mad:
 

ATR

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 18, 2005
Location
Baltimore
TDI
2011 Golf TDI 6MT
Why oh why can't they just dedicate 1 pump for diesel passenger cars! :mad:
Don't know, don't care.

I vote with my money and will no longer go to that station ever again. It was always tough to get a open pump even when I had a gasser. There was always very little room between pumps.

Here's a look at the station from Google maps:

 

Tom Servo

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 9, 2000
Location
LA (Lower Alabama)
TDI
2005 Gol TDI, blue and falling apart
The Chevron station I go to does have a dedicated Diesel only pump.
It is sandwiched in between two gas only pumps on the same island.
Kinda defeats the purpose, don't it? ;)

There are a few stations like that around here. I never go to them because all it takes is a few gassers to block the diesel pump completely.

Rather than have a dedicated diesel-only aisle, I'd rather they just offer gas & diesel both from each pump at every island. There's a Kroger fuel in Greenville, MS like that and it's great. Also the RaceWay up the road from me in Loxley, near I-10, is like this. I think a RaceWay in Pensacola or two is like this, too.
 

Cptcrnch

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 21, 2014
Location
FredCo MD
TDI
2004 Jetta TDI wagon; 2014 Golf TDI (buyback 7/26/17)
Kinda defeats the purpose, don't it? ;)
There are a few stations like that around here. I never go to them because all it takes is a few gassers to block the diesel pump completely.
That happened to me one time. Gassers on both sides so I just backed in at 90 degree angle to the pump. :D. It got me some weird looks. It was the only diesel station nearby and I was already pushing it otherwise I would have gone elsewhere.

Servo - do you by any chance live on the Satellite of Love? If so how are Mike, Crow, the gang doing?
 

n1das

TDIClub Enthusiast, Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2002
Location
Nashua, NH, USA
TDI
2014 BMW 535xd ///M-Sport, 2012 BMW X5 Xdrive35d, former 3x TDI owner
That happened to me one time. Gassers on both sides so I just backed in at 90 degree angle to the pump. :D. It got me some weird looks. It was the only diesel station nearby and I was already pushing it otherwise I would have gone elsewhere.
LOL, I've done that a few times at Haffner's ("It Kicks!") on Route 3A in Hudson, NH. The Whiskey Tango Foxtrot looks are priceless. :)
 

Tom Servo

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 9, 2000
Location
LA (Lower Alabama)
TDI
2005 Gol TDI, blue and falling apart
Servo - do you by any chance live on the Satellite of Love? If so how are Mike, Crow, the gang doing?
Ha ha, don't you remember what happened in the final episode? We all came down and landed back on earth.

I manage a hot fish shop in Bemidji, someone mistook crow for a shoe tree and he's stuck in a suburban closet in Edina. Mike… I think he went back to Spooner. :D

You don't carry a box of rubber/vinyl/nitrile gloves in the trunk for handling the pump?
Nope, although I should. I actually rarely encounter messy pumps, especially since I don't travel much anymore. Most of them were on old dirty truck stops from what I recall. None of those around here.

That's what jeans are for
Oh yes, those things I have to wear a week out of the year when it dips below 50°. :p
 

kjclow

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 26, 2003
Location
Charlotte, NC
TDI
2010 JSW TDI silver and black. 2017 Ram Ecodiesel dark red with brown and beige interior.
Oh yes, those things I have to wear a week out of the year when it dips below 50°. :p
That's when I thought y'all dug out the parkas! :rolleyes: At least it seems that way in Charlotte. Easy way to tell Northern transplants, like me, from the Southern natives is the amount of clothing they are wearing on a low 50s day. For those of you from the far north, that would be 10 - low teens.
 

Tom Servo

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 9, 2000
Location
LA (Lower Alabama)
TDI
2005 Gol TDI, blue and falling apart
That's when I thought y'all dug out the parkas! :rolleyes: At least it seems that way in Charlotte. Easy way to tell Northern transplants, like me, from the Southern natives is the amount of clothing they are wearing on a low 50s day. For those of you from the far north, that would be 10 - low teens.
I'm a "gentleman of larger carriage" so I tend to stick with whatever keeps me cool, even when it's ice cold outside. ;)

It's the one thing I have in common with the many thousands of upper midwest snowbirds who spend the winter down here at the beach — we're the ones filling up our cars in shorts and sandals when it's 45° and windy! The locals are bundled up like we're on the open tundra.
 

Lightflyer1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
TDI
2015 Beetle tdi dsg
Wife and I went to Jamaica for vacation. Over 100F in Texas when we left and was 78 in Jamaica when we got there (that is a cold front for them). As our driver was filling the car with diesel he was shivering pretty bad. I asked if he was sick and he said he couldn't stand this cold weather they were having.
 

Tdijarhead

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 10, 2013
Location
Lawrenceville PA
TDI
2003 TDI Jetta Daughters Car, 2001 TDI Beetle, Wife’s car, 2005 Golf TDI Mine, all 5 spds
I may have an on going source of "stories". My daughter (20) just acquired an 01 Beetle 5spd and the best and cheapest place to fill is just off I99/US15 at a Kwik Fill which has 2 combo pumps with auto nozzles and a separate island set a little way apart for bigger vehicles.

Her first fill up by herself, she pulls up to the pump and a diesel pickup is on the other side filling up she gets out does her thing to get the pump going and the guy is watching her pretty close. She says it looked like he was about to say something when she pulls out the little bottle of premeasured Powerserve and adds it to the tank prior to filling. She said he visibly relaxed at that point.

I warned her that she might have some run ins. She's young, tiny and definitely cute. So I'm expecting to be treated to never ending string of stories.
 

Tdijarhead

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 10, 2013
Location
Lawrenceville PA
TDI
2003 TDI Jetta Daughters Car, 2001 TDI Beetle, Wife’s car, 2005 Golf TDI Mine, all 5 spds
That combination is a prescription for a lot of such stories. Big galoot like me only gets accosted every half-dozen years or so.

I hear ya, most just look and me and think " if he's dumb enough to put diesel in his car he deserves what he gets, I'm not saying anything" I think I've only had one or two people say anything is nearly ten years of filling.
 

MarionCohrs

Member
Joined
Aug 2, 2016
Location
Portland, ME 04101
TDI
TDI diesel
that slap to his face hehehee

All-

I've got an interesting story for all 'yal.

This past w/e, when I was filling up my baby (what do you think I was talking about - duh, my Golf), a Mercedes Benz was waiting for the pump...

To make a long story short, when I was ready to pull out of the station, the guy in the Benz asked me what I was pouring into my tank, and I said it's the Power Source (or was it Power Service?). I added that it "increase cetane rating by up to 6 points....." He then replied and said that he uses the Amsoil equivalent.

He also blurted out that "your motor run so quietly"...then I laughed and pulled away, and made sure that the spool of the turbo can be heard.

Anyone with similar stories? Share'm all here!

P.S. Anyone with pros and cons of either Amsoil or Power Source (Service) products?!
 

Old Navy

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 15, 2001
Location
Ozark Hill's in Missouri, USA
TDI
None now, .
Glad to report only one in 2.5 years by another PU truck owner and only because my truck has factory duel exhaust. He came up and ask in one flowing sentence if my truck was a diesel he said because my truck was 1/2 ton and with duel exhaust looked like a Hemi gasser and then ask if it was the new Ram 1/2 ton diesel truck. All that in one breath kind of amazed me.
 
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