Almost made the big rookie mistake... incorrect fuel

naturist

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 2, 2001
Location
Bro Jerry's hometown, Virginia
TDI
2001 Jetta TDI, 2012 BMW X5 35d
I don't recall seeing any diesel pump handles in the U.S. that weren't green.

You haven't been everywhere, clearly. I have seen plenty, some black, some yellow, some orange. The simple truth is that THERE IS NO U.S. PUMP HANDLE COLOR STANDARD. Consequently diesel pumps get whatever color handle happens to be lying around at the moment.

It is true that OFTEN they are green. Just never make the mistake that that color is significant, because it isn't.
 

bl00tdi

Veteran Member
Joined
May 8, 2011
Location
Miami
TDI
None
Veering slightly off course here but is anyone else completely repulsed by the scent of gasoline after years of diesel fueling? The reek alone would tell me I'm doing it wrong. :eek:
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
Veering slightly off course here but is anyone else completely repulsed by the scent of gasoline after years of diesel fueling? The reek alone would tell me I'm doing it wrong. :eek:
This. I bought a Miata after 10 years of diesel-only driving and can't believe someone could mis-fuel a diesel car and not notice.
 

puntmeister

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 3, 2013
Location
Arizona
TDI
2004 Jetta BEW
This. I bought a Miata after 10 years of diesel-only driving and can't believe someone could mis-fuel a diesel car and not notice.
And I can't believe someone would buy a Miata after 10 years of diesel driving....some things are incredible, but happen just the same.

Joke.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
Bought it as a track-day car, but it's too nice to risk wrecking. So I drive it on nice days. And it's fun for a change to drive a car that has a (insignificant) torque peak at 5000 RPM.
 

puntmeister

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 3, 2013
Location
Arizona
TDI
2004 Jetta BEW
I'm with ya - Miata's are fun to drive.

I wish there was a smallish diesel available in the U.S. Could you imagine what MPG a Geo Metro would get with a 1 liter diesel?
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
It's a shame that this never happened.


Especially for us former MR2 Spyder owners.
 

SSmike1

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 29, 2014
Location
Milwaukee
TDI
96 Passat TDi
here in Wisconsin Milwaukee area, you will see BLACK, GREEN, or YELLOW handled Diesel Pumps.

YES, some BP stations have GREEN reg. Gasoline handles on their pumps.

like was mentioned, Read the label, LOOK for the word DIESEL on the pump,
not the color.
:)
 

SuburbanTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 5, 2004
Location
Midwest
TDI
Beetle TDI, and two Jetta TDI



I have the weird habit of always visually tracing the hose line back from the hanger to the labeled Diesel pump to ensure the handle is actually in the right spot. I have no idea where I picked that one up. Pushing the 'diesel' button should be sufficient, but my eyes just can't help following the line to doublecheck...
 

tdiatlast

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 21, 2009
Location
Fort Worth, Texas
TDI
2009 Sportwagen (boughtback); 2014 Passat TDI SEL (boughtback)



I have the weird habit of always visually tracing the hose line back from the hanger to the labeled Diesel pump to ensure the handle is actually in the right spot. I have no idea where I picked that one up. Pushing the 'diesel' button should be sufficient, but my eyes just can't help following the line to doublecheck...
Wow...that's truly OCD...I do the same thing!
 

rwolff

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2002
Location
Lesser continental mass, Tosev 3
TDI
None yet
According to Federal Weights and Measures, a national color-coding standard has been proposed many times in the past, but has always been met with pushback from the oil companies. No one has forced their hand, as of yet. It seems like it would be easy and inexpensive to implement. Most pump handles just have a plastic cover on them, and I can't imagine those last too long or cost very much.

Would be even cheaper to implement if they "grandfathered" the nozzles currently installed on the pumps. Old nozzle? Anything goes. Need to replace a nozzle after the specified date? Replacement nozzle must meet the colour code.
 

Rico567

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 13, 2003
Location
Central IL
TDI
2013 Passat TDI SEL Premium (Turned in 7/7/18)
I'm with the oil companies on this one. It's too easy to get a wrong color by mistake, given the thousands of nozzles out there- then the liability is on them when someone doesn't pay attention to what they're putting in their car. There is no substitute for people using their brains (which, I realize, is asking a lot in some cases).
 

jhinsc

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2014
Location
Coastal SC
TDI
2014 Passat TDI SEL Premium
I have yet to visit any fuel store/station and not within a few seconds see where the diesel fuel pump location is at. I think I had a more difficult time remembering which side of the pump to pull up to since fuel location is on the right side vs left side, where I think it would make more sense here in the US. I know how someone absent minded, switching driving between their gas and diesel vehicle can make a mistake when fueling up can occur - we've all done something stupid like that - but it's really not THAT hard to find. Hmmmm, I wonder if it's more often rookie mistakes are made adding regular vs premium gas when their car is specifically designed for premium?
 
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