Stories when filling up at "gasoline station"

cowgirlkaboom

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 22, 2014
Location
Everywhere, Oregon
TDI
2011 Golf
One late night..

I was in a rural area outside of Salem, Oregon and stopped in to this fuel station / depot that clearly marketed to the agricultural crowd. I had a 1985 NA Diesel Golf at the time. One of the benefits of owning a Diesel in Oregon is that your allowed to fuel your own vehicle. It was about 9:30 at night and just as I plopped the nozzle from the dedicated diesel island into my tank this really nice older gentleman comes charging out of the store as fast as his poor legs could carry him. He hollered "That's not gas! You will ruin it, stop!!" at which point he arrived, limping and out of breath. I explained that it was a diesel, he was absolutely convinced that a vehicle that small couldn't run on diesel, but he did believe me when I finally started the engine!

I really do enjoy telling the fueling attendants in general to go away and let me fuel my vehicle in peace, sometimes they refuse to allow me to fuel my own vehicle, so I just go elsewhere.
 

CourierGuy

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2014
Location
Canada
TDI
2002 Golf(Summer) 2003 Golf(Winter)
I really do enjoy telling the fueling attendants in general to go away and let me fuel my vehicle in peace, sometimes they refuse to allow me to fuel my own vehicle, so I just go elsewhere.
I had a guy once .. when I was about to fill my motorcycle.. he said that I couldn't because it was his job, and that the station is a full serve.

I dropped the pump on the ground, and left.

Like I'm gonna let anyone else other than me, to fill MY motorcycle.

When I worked at a gas station, as a teen, when a HIGH end car pulled up, I always asked if THEY wanted to fill their own car. Surprisingly enough, many preferred that they did the fill themselves. Not that I wouldn't take extra care on their fancy car vs a Tempo.. I just assumed that they'd rather themselves.

I wouldn't let a teen fill my 100000$ Porsche :)
 

CourierGuy

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2014
Location
Canada
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2002 Golf(Summer) 2003 Golf(Winter)
Well, I should of mentioned that he was rude.. Nasty obnoxious. And deserved it. Had he been nicer, I wouldn't of done that.
 

carkey351

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Oct 24, 2014
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MN -land of the ice and snow
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2006 Jetta 5 speed 157K(to replace 09 when it goes away)2009 Jetta 6 speed-414K (and climbing), 2002 chevy duramax (303k and climbing).
"allowed" to fuel your car.....if i lived in a state like that i wouldn't drive.....why on earth is that a law? if you have the brains to drive you should be able to fuel your own vehicle. are they going to pay for damages when they put gas in your TDI? just saying'
 

jhinsc

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Joined
Jun 29, 2014
Location
Coastal SC
TDI
2014 Passat TDI SEL Premium
"allowed" to fuel your car.....if i lived in a state like that i wouldn't drive.....why on earth is that a law? if you have the brains to drive you should be able to fuel your own vehicle. are they going to pay for damages when they put gas in your TDI? just saying'
Good thing you don't live in Oregon! I think NJ is also the same? In the few states that have this stupid law, it's basically a 'make work' law for employment. Safety has nothing to do with it. Even CA, with the strictest pollutions laws in the country doesn't require it unless you go to a station that offers "Full Service" and you choose to have someone else fill it up.
 
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El Dobro

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Feb 21, 2006
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NJ
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2017 Bolt EV Premier, 2023 Bolt EUV Premier
Good thing you don't live in Oregon! I think NJ is also the same? In the few state that have this stupid law, it's basically a 'make work' law for employment. Safety has nothing to do with it. Even CA, with the strictest pollutions laws in the country doesn't require it unless you go to a station that offers "Full Service" and you choose to have someone else fill it up.
When I used to pull into a gas station with my hog, the attendants would always hand me the nozzle.
 

kjclow

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Joined
Apr 26, 2003
Location
Charlotte, NC
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2010 JSW TDI silver and black. 2017 Ram Ecodiesel dark red with brown and beige interior.
Good thing you don't live in Oregon! I think NJ is also the same? In the few states that have this stupid law, it's basically a 'make work' law for employment. Safety has nothing to do with it. Even CA, with the strictest pollutions laws in the country doesn't require it unless you go to a station that offers "Full Service" and you choose to have someone else fill it up.
It may be that way now, but, at least in NJ, this started because of riots and people running to the local station to fill their bottles with gasoline.
 

El Dobro

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Feb 21, 2006
Location
NJ
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2017 Bolt EV Premier, 2023 Bolt EUV Premier
It may be that way now, but, at least in NJ, this started because of riots and people running to the local station to fill their bottles with gasoline.
NJ stopped self-service in 1949.
 

FlyTDI Guy

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Joined
Nov 3, 2001
Location
PNW
TDI
'01 Jetta GLS
Video=sad but true... Many laws, rules, etc. are formed to accommodate the lowest common denominator. Personally, I've always taken pride in avoiding that category. Unfortunately, I also (or we) have to live with the results of their efforts.
 

Tom Servo

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Jul 9, 2000
Location
LA (Lower Alabama)
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2005 Gol TDI, blue and falling apart
I've mentioned it before on here but I managed to fill my own car once in both NJ and OR because I didn't know the laws. Seems like I didn't get bothered at all in NJ but someone said something in OR. Or was it the other way around? That was a decade ago, my memory is fading.
 

scooperhsd

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Joined
Aug 19, 2003
Location
Kansas City KS
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NB, 2000, RED(5 Speed conversion) 2015 Golf SE
I was driving from Boston to Jacksonville FL in 1988 and filled my gas pickup (1983 Ford Ranger) because I didn't know about the "mandatory attendent fillup" requirement. I already had the nozzle in the hole before he got to me.
 

romad

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Joined
May 27, 2011
Location
Prescott, AZ
TDI
2005 Jetta GLS Wagon "Cranberry"
"allowed" to fuel your car.....if i lived in a state like that i wouldn't drive.....why on earth is that a law? if you have the brains to drive you should be able to fuel your own vehicle. are they going to pay for damages when they put gas in your TDI? just saying'


Because the Oregon and New Jersey legislators consider citizens of those states imbeciles. My response is "look at my license plate. I don't live in this state so that does not apply to me." Of course, if I'm driving a rental, I just let them fill the car. However, this only applies to GASOLINE; diesel can be pumped by the driver as apparently those same legislators know that diesel drivers are way more intelligent! :D
 
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zagato27

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Apr 13, 2009
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Savannah
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2012 JSW TDi CW Titan 6MT Pano Nav Interlagos
Well, her FIRST problem was that she was driving on the wrong side of the car! ;)

I can't tell what country that is from the plate; can anyone else?
European plate, right hand drive and I saw the story in the "Daily Mail"...UK would be my guess;)
 

romad

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Joined
May 27, 2011
Location
Prescott, AZ
TDI
2005 Jetta GLS Wagon "Cranberry"
European plate, right hand drive and I saw the story in the "Daily Mail"...UK would be my guess;)
Yeah, that was my first thought, but it could also be Ireland. Non-European possibilities were South Africa, NZ, or Australia.
 

[486]

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 1, 2014
Location
MN
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02 golf ALH
apparently those same legislators know that diesel drivers are way more intelligent!
try and set yourself on fire with diesel
you gotta work at it a lot harder than you do gasoline

same reason there ain't an evap system on a diesel
 

romad

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Joined
May 27, 2011
Location
Prescott, AZ
TDI
2005 Jetta GLS Wagon "Cranberry"
try and set yourself on fire with diesel
you gotta work at it a lot harder than you do gasoline

same reason there ain't an evap system on a diesel
Based on that being a reason, then why aren't citizens of those states banned from self filling their mowers, weed eaters, PWCs, boat motors?

BTW, I haven't seen vast self-immolations in the other 48 states, the District of Columbia, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or any of the other territories. I wonder what they know that OR & NJ don't? ;)
 

[486]

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Joined
Mar 1, 2014
Location
MN
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02 golf ALH
Based on that being a reason, then why aren't citizens of those states banned from self filling their mowers, weed eaters, PWCs, boat motors?
Well obviously because operation of such specialized machinery is best left to professionals.

You wouldn't dare think to do something so dangerous as operate a lawn mowing machine, would you? I guarantee your congress critters don't.
 

Tom Servo

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Joined
Jul 9, 2000
Location
LA (Lower Alabama)
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2005 Gol TDI, blue and falling apart
Plate is British (or Great Britain to be specific)
As much as I wanted to laugh at her, I couldn't help but wonder if it was a rental and she didn't know to look at the fuel gauge, which often has an arrow pointing to the side of the car where the filler resides.

Then again, I've driven a diesel Golf of one type or another for 14 years and have occasionally pulled up with the wrong side to the pump. It's an epically embarrassing brain fart.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk
 

glick

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Joined
Oct 17, 2014
Location
Waterloo ON, Canada
TDI
2015 Jetta TDI
As much as I wanted to laugh at her, I couldn't help but wonder if it was a rental and she didn't know to look at the fuel gauge, which often has an arrow pointing to the side of the car where the filler resides.

Then again, I've driven a diesel Golf of one type or another for 14 years and have occasionally pulled up with the wrong side to the pump. It's an epically embarrassing brain fart.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk
Laugh away. She visually checked the outside of the vehicle 4 times before understanding that just going in a circle was not going to help.

I've pulled into the wrong side before after driving the wife's car for awhile. It is a bit embarrassing but to do it 4 times in a row you lose your brain fart excuse.
 

40X40

Experienced
Joined
Feb 12, 2006
Location
Kansas City area, MO
TDI
2013 Passat SEL Premium
Give the girl some credit, She could've pulled up the the pump, whipped out her phone and STARTED A THREAD ON TDICLUB asking how to put fuel in her car WITHOUT EVEN GETTING OUT AND LOOKING for the fuel port.

LOL

Bill
 

jhinsc

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Jun 29, 2014
Location
Coastal SC
TDI
2014 Passat TDI SEL Premium
It was a funny video - what a moment of dim wit this woman had. Me thinks she has a problems telling left from right?!! I hope she views it as a funny experience and has a story to tell for laughs - probably after a few drinks! It's funny seeing that the fuel cap was on the 'wrong' side and then thinking it would magically change sides if she just drove around to the other side!
 

vwestlife

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 1, 2004
Location
central NJ, USA
TDI
1997 B4 Passat TDI sedan (sold)
Because the Oregon and New Jersey legislators consider citizens of those states imbeciles.
Actually, the proposal to allow self-serve gasoline in NJ has been put up for a popular vote several times over the years, and every time it has been shot down by said citizens.

Mostly the reason for that is that NJ has lower gas taxes than surrounding states, so the argument that self-serve will lead to lower gas prices doesn't seem to hold water, when we have full-serve and our gas prices are already significantly lower than all the surrounding states which are self-serve.
 

drewkeen

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Joined
Jan 16, 2008
Location
Nashville, TN, USA
TDI
Jetta
Actually, the proposal to allow self-serve gasoline in NJ has been put up for a popular vote several times over the years, and every time it has been shot down by said citizens.

Mostly the reason for that is that NJ has lower gas taxes than surrounding states, so the argument that self-serve will lead to lower gas prices doesn't seem to hold water, when we have full-serve and our gas prices are already significantly lower than all the surrounding states which are self-serve.

It has to do with taxes. Sure your fuel is cheaper because the fuel tax is lower than your surrounding states, but you don't seriously think that those people work for free do you?

If you don't then you surely must realize that the money comes from elsewhere. I remember paying some very hefty tolls the last time I drove that way. I don't think we have a single toll road in my entire state.

If you do, I won't waste my time with that issue...
 
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