Mis-fueling prevention ideas

RNDDUDE

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 29, 2011
Location
Valencia Ca.
TDI
2011 Jetta Sportwagen TDI
OK, I recieved one of those "talking birthday cards" the other day, and I was intrigued that they are able to produce the electronics now so affordably. It got me to thinking....why not have one of these attached to the inside of the fuel filler door that is activated when the door is opened and says "Diesel fuel only" or some such warning? It could easily be disabled by those who don't like it by removing the coin battery. What do you all think about this?
 

jkowalski

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2011
Location
Arkansas/Northern Illinois
TDI
2012 Jetta Premium 6MT
They have these neat yellow stickers (3 of them!) to put in your fuel door, as a "recall."
If people can't read (the fuel cap already said diesel fuel) do you expect them to listen to a random voice that would probably either be too soft or loud?
 

RNDDUDE

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 29, 2011
Location
Valencia Ca.
TDI
2011 Jetta Sportwagen TDI
They have these neat yellow stickers (3 of them!) to put in your fuel door, as a "recall."
If people can't read (the fuel cap already said diesel fuel) do you expect them to listen to a random voice that would probably either be too soft or loud?
Well, in a word...YES!
 

naturist

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 2, 2001
Location
Bro Jerry's hometown, Virginia
TDI
2001 Jetta TDI, 2005 Jeep Libby CRD, 2012 BMW X5 35d
Shoot, I want a device that slips into the filler neck, and runs a quick chemical test for gasoline, and if gasoline is found, the filler neck throws the fuel nozzle out, snaps shut, sounds a 110 dB horn, and a big booming voice bellows in outrage that some moron has just tried to poison a diesel vehicle with gasoline before going on a 10 minute rant about allowing idiots to handle dangerous machines and substances, at the end of which, several more 110 dB horn blasts interspersed with shouts of "diesel fuel only, stupid" finish the sonic humiliation before the system resets.
 

Seatman

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 23, 2010
Location
Scotland
TDI
2014 Skoda rapid elegance 1.6 cr tdi
The best way to insure it has the right fuel is to not let anyone else near the car lol. Regarding the talking thing all I can say is LMAO :D

It's true, drugs are bad
 

40X40

Experienced
Joined
Feb 12, 2006
Location
Kansas City area, MO
TDI
2013 Passat SEL Premium
STOP what you are doing.
LOOK at the fuel pump sign.
READ the fuel pump sign.
THINK about the job at hand.
REFUEL the car with the proper fuel.

So simple a child can do it correctly.

Bill
 

tdiatlast

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 21, 2009
Location
Fort Worth, Texas
TDI
2009 Sportwagen (boughtback); 2014 Passat TDI SEL (boughtback)
(Rual: Family cross-country trip in 1957 (I was 3), eating my mother's fried chicken at a rest area...12-year-old brother says, "Hey, why doesn't someone open a roadside restaurant that only sells fried chicken?"...sigh...)
 

Rual817

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2011
Location
Prosper, Republic of Texas
TDI
2000 Jetta TDI, 2003 Jetta TDI ALH
Bumper sticker:
Im not saying kill all the stupid people... What I said was; get rid of all the warning labels and let nature take its course!
 

Rico567

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 13, 2003
Location
Central IL
TDI
2013 Passat TDI SEL Premium (Turned in 7/7/18)
STOP what you are doing.
LOOK at the fuel pump sign.
READ the fuel pump sign.
THINK about the job at hand.
REFUEL the car with the proper fuel.

So simple a child can do it correctly.

Bill
THIS. Frankly, I would find having to install some talking device on my fuel filler door humiliating (and in the case of my car, someone else driving is pretty much irrelevant). A locking gas cap would be a simpler dodge, if one had to have something.
 

TDI smile

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2012
Location
Edmonton, Alberta (b4 BC - LOWER MAINLAND = Chilli
TDI
2002 TDI (ALH) with 513,000 km. First Owner and very happy... No Problems, never left us stranded on the Highway. Average useage is about between under 4 ltr. and 5 ltr. Normal longdistance travel: 4.1/100
another SAFE way is to just not give your car to anybody else.....
In the Fuel Gauge it shoud / could say DIESEL.
 

Bob_Fout

Oil Wanker
Joined
Sep 5, 2004
Location
Indiana
TDI
2003 Jetta - Alaska Green (sold) / 2015 GTI 2.0T
Most fuel stations you gotta push the button that says "diesel" (combo pump), or diesel is on its own island away from the silly gassers jockeying for pumps.
 

nicklockard

Torque Dorque
Joined
Aug 15, 2004
Location
Arizona
TDI
SOLD 2010 Touareg Tdi w/factory Tow PCKG
Shoot, I want a device that slips into the filler neck, and runs a quick chemical test for gasoline, and if gasoline is found, the filler neck throws the fuel nozzle out, snaps shut, sounds a 110 dB horn, and a big booming voice bellows in outrage that some moron has just tried to poison a diesel vehicle with gasoline before going on a 10 minute rant about allowing idiots to handle dangerous machines and substances, at the end of which, several more 110 dB horn blasts interspersed with shouts of "diesel fuel only, stupid" finish the sonic humiliation before the system resets.
I can one-up you :D

Install a spark plug in the fuel tank neck that sparks once/second when the fuel filler cap is removed. Diesel fuel won't ignite, but gasoline will! As soon as some idiot tries to pump gas into your diesel tank, they'll get blasted with a giant 'woof!' which will probably singe off most of the body hair in the middle third of their body, and their shirt.

I think that would teach people real quick! :D :D

Edit: bonus factor is that all the gasoline would be burnt away, and they could safely drive off without damaging the engine :D
 
Last edited:

Rual817

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2011
Location
Prosper, Republic of Texas
TDI
2000 Jetta TDI, 2003 Jetta TDI ALH
(Rual: Family cross-country trip in 1957 (I was 3), eating my mother's fried chicken at a rest area...12-year-old brother says, "Hey, why doesn't someone open a roadside restaurant that only sells fried chicken?"...sigh...)
Wait!! was your little brother Colonel Sanders??? lol
 

tdiatlast

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 21, 2009
Location
Fort Worth, Texas
TDI
2009 Sportwagen (boughtback); 2014 Passat TDI SEL (boughtback)
Neither...sigh...it was a brilliant idea that, sadly, neither parent recognized as brilliant!
 

kydsid

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2012
Location
Texas
TDI
2012 Passat
Best idea I saw someone posted here or somewhere. Make one fuel a round nozzle the other an oval nozzle. Neither will fit in a receptacle for the other unless you make a really big receptacle, ha. Not gonna happen though.
 

naturist

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 2, 2001
Location
Bro Jerry's hometown, Virginia
TDI
2001 Jetta TDI, 2005 Jeep Libby CRD, 2012 BMW X5 35d
Only problem with your method, @Nick, is that I don't look good in an orange jump suit, and if I installed your system, between trying to get some poor sap to test it while rubbing my hands together and cackling, and the general percentage of illiterate dummies pumping gas in this country, I'd be sure to get caught incinerating somebody.
 

nicklockard

Torque Dorque
Joined
Aug 15, 2004
Location
Arizona
TDI
SOLD 2010 Touareg Tdi w/factory Tow PCKG
LOL. Give them a fire-proof Nomex suit painted to look like a crash test dummy, and tell them they'll be immortally famous on youtube!
 

fredthe

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 18, 2012
Location
Bowie, MD
TDI
2013 Passat SEL Premium DSG, 2015 Golf Sportwagon SEL DSG
I noticed that my 2013 Passat TDI claims to have a device to prevent the smaller unleaded gas nozzles from being inserted. Do older/other TDIs not have this, or is the issue that they don't work? (No, I'm not going to try it....)
 

naturist

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 2, 2001
Location
Bro Jerry's hometown, Virginia
TDI
2001 Jetta TDI, 2005 Jeep Libby CRD, 2012 BMW X5 35d
how about put down the cell phone, open eyes, pay attention to the task at hand

See, now there's the problem, @chrisfiat. We're talking about dealing with the brain-dead here, and your proposed solution, while elegantly simple, common-sense, and wise, won't succeed with the crowd we're trying to address here. These are the folks who've already ignored (1) verbal instructions to fill with diesel only; (2) failed to read the "diesel fuel only" printed on the "gas cap;" (3) not noticed the odd smell associated with that "gas cap;" and (4) generally proven themselves ignorant of the possibility that the vehicle at hand MIGHT call for paying attention to ANYTHING.
 

jkowalski

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2011
Location
Arkansas/Northern Illinois
TDI
2012 Jetta Premium 6MT
See, now there's the problem, @chrisfiat. We're talking about dealing with the brain-dead here, and your proposed solution, while elegantly simple, common-sense, and wise, won't succeed with the crowd we're trying to address here.
In a round-about kind of way, it will address the problem.
Start making dumb people pay for their mistakes, and they will learn.
I bet ya it will only take one misfueling in a CR-TDI and they will be extra careful about which pump they choose. ;)
And if you're worried about someone else misfueling YOUR TDI, either (1) get a locking fuel cap, (2) verbally tell them to NOT fuel the vehicle, (3) make sure they know diesel fuel only (like a more performance car owner needs premium fuel only), and if all else fails, (4) they can pay for the damage. There are legal routes to take to get money from them if need be.

I'm not saying take away ALL labels (a small "Diesel Fuel Only" by the fuel gauge and on the fuel cap is fine). No need for three big yellow stickers. I'm not a f--king preschooler. And I take this "fix" as an insult.
 
Last edited:

whitedog

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2004
Location
Bend, Oregon
TDI
2004 Jetta that I fill by myself
Best idea I saw someone posted here or somewhere. Make one fuel a round nozzle the other an oval nozzle. Neither will fit in a receptacle for the other unless you make a really big receptacle, ha. Not gonna happen though.
How about one fuel is a horizontal oval and the other is a vertical nozzle. That way the only way to get it backwards is to turn the nozzle sideways.

If they still get it wrong, see the bumper sticker:

Im not saying kill all the stupid people... What I said was; get rid of all the warning labels and let nature take its course!
 

tdiatlast

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 21, 2009
Location
Fort Worth, Texas
TDI
2009 Sportwagen (boughtback); 2014 Passat TDI SEL (boughtback)
Okay, I'll try. But, as Burt says to Uncle Albert in "Mary Poppins", as they're laughing hysterically..."There's nothing like a good joke!", to which Uncle Albert responds, "No, and that was nothing like a good joke!"
 
Last edited:
Top