Gloves for Refueling ???

[Foxfan]

I just use a a stack of extra napkins I end up collecting with all my visits to the drive thru.

 

[nickeasy]

Harbor Freight is the place to go for latex or nitril gloves. Diesel does't evaporate as rapidly as gasoline so you can't just air dry your hands and I travel a bit never knowing where I will be filing up. I keep a supply in a baggie in the trunk. They are very useful in my opinion.

 

[Eijazz]

It depends on the skin type you have, if you are not allergic to fuel no matter how may times you get your hands wet with it won't matter. However, hygienically it is good to have precaution as if you are caring a baby with etc. you can look for surgical gloves are they are easily available and not that costly to make you think twice before disposing them.

 

[romad]

No, it is about getting the crud on your clothes. Yes, you can use a towel to wipe off most of it from your hand, but it is better to not get it there in the first place.

 

[tdiatlast]

Eljazz: No, it doesn't depend on the skin type you have, nor your age. All petrochemicals are toxic, whether you're 6 months old or 85, or whether you're allergic or not.
If we were all as diligent as we should be, we should wear gloves while pumping RUG, as well.

 

[Central Scrutinizer]

I keep some latex gloves in my car just in case, but I've never used them. Most of the time the pump handle is fine (enough). If it's particularly oily I'll just go inside and wash my hands afterward. Problem solved.

 

[nkgagne]

Gasoline evaporates very quickly, so gas nozzle handles are rarely dirty. Diesel evaporates verrrryyyyyy sssslllloooowwwwllllyyyy so any spilled on the handle will be around for a long while and loves to absorb dirt & dust to make a grimy, oily paste.

Diesel evaporates? I've never stuck around long enough to see it!

Since the paper towels near the diesel pump are always empty at any station I visit, I decided to use gloves. They can be a pain when paying at the pump though, because you have to have them off to use the haptic buttons, then put them on quickly.

I've used the same set of $10 chemical-resistant rubber-dipped cloth gloves for a good year now... I agree with the sentiment of saving landfill space and raw materials, energy to manufacture, etc.

Look out for spillage on the ground too.

This is a pet peeve of mine. One of my two favourite stations has a spill kit right there. We've all spilled a little once or twice - take the one minute to put some absorbent on it at least. My other favourite station (usually has cheaper diesel, high volume, etc.), meanwhile, has NO SPILL KIT. I asked the attendant after a small foam regurgitation where the spill kit was (after looking around, of course) and they said, "Huh? Spill wha?" "You know, SpeedyDry, Oil-Sorb, Kitty Litter?" *Deer-in-headlights* Needless to say, it's not the cleanest station...

 

[jetlagmech]

anyone in my area I can give you all the free gloves you want. we throw away tons of boxes of half used food service gloves because once they are opened they are not sanitary for the next shift and have to be thrown away. My wife used to be a private chef and she finally told me to stop bringing them home, they are coming out our ears. I keep a box in my trunk. anyone want some??

 

[ymz]

Another vote for the disposable thin plastic gloves... we get them at dollar shops... 100 for a buck... helps keep the car from reeking of fuel...


Y.

 

[SuburbanTDI]

Pumps in some European countries use to have gloves available for diesel. I know I take a quick look at the handle here in the US and often grab a paper towel if it looks slimed.

Failing that sometimes you just have to go wash it off... But overall I'd say it's rare that its a real issue.

 

[chance]

i do, also worried about the fuel on my skin causing problems down the road.

 

[WH401]

I keep a pair of cheap work gloves in each vehicle specifically for this purpose. I don't have a problem if diesel gets on my hands, it just bothers me if it does and I have no where to wash it off at. After that it ends up getting on everything you touch...steering wheel...shifter, etc. It's easier to just use gloves as the diesel pumps tend to be fairly dirty/oily.

 

[kpenner]

gloves for diesel

I keep a pair of leather gloves between the drive seat and the door, slip them on when I fill up, take them off and keep them there for the next time. Also work great great for checking oil etc.

 

[rmacia]

I just did my first fill up at a local Hess station. No spills, but my hands smelled of diesel fuel. The nozzles seem to be dirtier. I threw a pair of latex glove in the trunk.
And...........
good point about watching where I step, so as not to track fuel into the car !
This forum and TDI club is an invaluable tool for a new TDI owner.

 

[adimex]

hands smelling like diesel = TDI pride.

but yea, hand cleaner wipes work too.

 

[vdubtdi11]

Its immanent that when fueling up, you will not only be standing in a slick of petro-grease that makes the pavement itself slippery, but that you will get diesel on your hand. Those pump handles just seem to all be really dirty compared to petrol ones and they're always diesel soaked.

 

[Whitecloud1]

ditto on a pair of rubber gloves in the trunk. I have a pair in each of my diesels.
Diesel is an oil and stays around a lot longer(doesn't evaporate) and collects dirt.
The soaps in the restrooms smell pretty for about 15 minutes or less, then it's back to the smell of diesel.
Whether you use the nitrile gloves or a decent chemical resistant glove, you'll be fine. It will only take one time not having a glove, going somewhere special, and stinkin of fuel.

Oh, I didn't see it mentioned but watch where you step....Your car will get that lovely aroma if it gets on your shoes.

I keep a pair of cheap work gloves in each vehicle specifically for this purpose. I don't have a problem if diesel gets on my hands, it just bothers me if it does and I have no where to wash it off at. After that it ends up getting on everything you touch...steering wheel...shifter, etc. It's easier to just use gloves as the diesel pumps tend to be fairly dirty/oily.

 

[Joe_Meehan]

If the pumps are clean, I don't bother with any gloves. If they are dirty, I use the cheap gloves from Harbor Freight.

 

[gulfcoastguy]

I bought a sealible plastic tub at Wallyworld. I put a measuring funnel and jug of Power Service in it. I was going to add some Teri Wipes but I'll tool by Harbor Freight for gloves instead if I ever get around to my first fill up. I've got Cornsilk interior and grease spot would really show up.

 

[TDITALIAN]

Nitrile

I keep a pair of Nitriles stuffed in right above the gas cap so when I pop the gas cover, they are right there waiting to get oily! After using I put them back in the same place and continue to use until they develop a hole and then discard. I could usually get about 5 refuelings per pair.

 

[TDI2000Zim]

I'm new to diesel, and new to my 2013 JSW.
Just filled it up for the first time at a local Shell station, which had the "standard" 24mm diesel/car nozzle (so no problem with the new VW misfueling guard).

And right by the pump was a box that said something like: "Gloves for Diesel".
Alas, the box was empty.

But why would you want to use plastic/rubber gloves when refueling a diesel car, like the JSW TDI?​

• Necessary? No.
• Desirable? Perhaps.
• BS? You tell me.

Dave, who sees that a rubber glove comes with the VW/Audi adapter for using larger/smaller nozzles like the one shown right here

If I'm not mistaken, Diesel fuel has a small amount of toluene, a very high carcinogen.

Which is why people who work all day with Diesel fuel use the thick rubber gloves.

However, the real issue in getting cancer from toluene is if you drink it as if you were drinking a few pints of beer (impossible).

Also, if any toluene is going to penetrate inside your body, it won't be through the hands but through vapors you breathe in, and as far as I know, no one uses astronaut suits (or firefighter breathers) to dispense Diesel fuel.

But all of this is blown way out of proportion, given that I handled gallons of toluene in my chemistry lab while getting my BSME a few years ago (and so have countless of college kids in chemistry throughout time in the USA).

However, the guys who should be scared are the cocaine junkies who get their powder from Columbia (or some hell hole in the jungle), where the producers use toluene and other such carcinogens in synthesizing their drugs without any safety precautions to remove such organic volatiles. Anyone vacuuming the white dust up their nose is getting primed for liver cancer in a very short time.

 

[Lightflyer1]

Toluene is not listed in the msds for diesel. Naphthalene is. Not classified as cancer causing.

 

[TDI2000Zim]

Toluene is not listed in the msds for diesel. Naphthalene is. Not classified as cancer causing.

Let's see, the following website says that toluene is part of the diesel fuel mix:

In terms of refining crude oil, diesel fuels are middle distillates. The middle distillates include kerosene, aviation fuels, diesel fuels, and fuel oil #1 and 2. These fuels contain paraffins (alkenes), cycloparaffins (cycloalkanes), aromatics, and olefins from approximately C9 to C20. Aromatic compounds of concern included alkylbenzenes, toluene, naphthalenes, and PAHs.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/systems/diesel-fuel.htm

 

[Lightflyer1]

Go look at the msds for diesel fuel.

 

[WutGas?]

Wikipedia

Toluene occurs naturally at low levels in crude oil and is usually produced in the processes of making gasoline via a catalytic reformer, in an ethylene cracker or making coke from coal.

Toluene is another in a group of fuels that have recently been used as components for jet fuel surrogate blends.[13] Toluene is used as a jet fuel surrogate for its content of aromatic compounds.

FWIW

And...

Some Simple Chemistry of Diesel Fuel

In their "simplest" forms, the diesel fuels are distillates of crude petroleum having specific boiling ranges - with minima and maxima around 350 and 700 degrees F, respectively. This boiling range includes chemical compounds having about ten to twenty-three carbons. This distillate boiling range includes aliphatic compounds that could commonly be related to waxes or oils, and aromatics, including benzene, toluene, and xylene derivatives. The highly unsaturated polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons are also included in the boiling range, of which naphthalene and anthracene are simple, commonly known examples.

http://www.holt.us/tdi/diesel_fuel_101.htm

 

[TDI2000Zim]

Toluene may be the most cancerous substance (if you drink several gallons), but guess WHO is coming to take our diesel away:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/13/health/diesel-fumes-cause-lung-cancer-who-says.html

It's back to the horse and buggy, guys.

 

[WutGas?]

More reading on a similar article about the same thing...
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=355166&highlight=cancer

 

[romad]

Toluene may be the most cancerous substance (if you drink several gallons), but guess WHO is coming to take our diesel away:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/13/health/diesel-fumes-cause-lung-cancer-who-says.html

It's back to the horse and buggy, guys.

Oh, great; another busy-body U.N. agency.

 

[rmacia]

I carry a latex glove inside the fuel flap.

 

[bockegg]

Diesel keeps my hands very moist and looking good. However, I take all the gloves from the fuel station when I fuel up to pick up dog mess and change diapers. Don't want dish-pan hands.