Stories when filling up at "gasoline station"

[06bluebeetletdi]

I had to get diesel in my passat last Saturday, the pumps are behind the building and not too obvious from the road. They were out of gas, i start filling up the passat, a lady in a nissan stops and ask if would hurt my car to put diesel in it, no ma’am, my car is a diesel. I sent her to the shell station that had gas down the street. Then laughed as 3 nissan suvs went by.

 

[asgoodasdead]

so it finally happened. had an attendant fill my tdi with regular gas -_-. i pulled up to the diesel pump(but it was one of those dual hose pumps that does both) handed him my card and said "fill it diesel" and went inside the store to use the bathroom. came back out and the car was all filled up and done. i drove out of the station and like half a mile down the road the car stalled out and wouldnt start back up. at the time i didnt even think of it, and just assumed my fuel pump went. so i had it towed to vw and assumed it was gonna be a new fuel pump under warranty and they assumed the same until they went to work on it and realized the tank was full of regular gas. worst part is i never got a reciept from the gas attendant and by the time it was all realized it was almost a weeek after the fact. so i didnt bother going to the shell station and putting up a fight id probably lose. $600 lesson learned to be more diligent and avoid filling up anywhere besides my local station where they know me as soon as i pull in and i dont even have to tell them anything

 

[Rob Mayercik]

Ouch. Even though self-serve is allowed for diesel in NJ, I always let the attendant start things up (particularly at stations where an attendant card is required to start the pump, like a Speedway I frequent), and I watch very carefully while that happens to ensure I don't have that issue.

Since you paid by card, you can get the date/time/amount of the transaction from that and then see if the station can pull up the transaction based on those parameters (assuming they'd be cooperative about it)...

 

[BuckeyeMan71]

Every where I go when I fill up my baby I always get “ hey you know you just put diesel in your car” and I turn to them with the biggest smile and say yes I do know and diesel is the only way to go. They look at me funny until I start her up and they hear the beautiful sound of my girl purring at them as I pull away.
when I goto to stations that only have one combo pump I’m the ******* that will get out and tell the person who’s about to put gas to move to a different pump because this pump was meant for my car

 

[fredthe]

So I did a stupid thing a couple of weeks ago, but the only thing damaged was my pride.

I was visiting a friend in upstate NY, and we were discussing where to fuel up before the 300+ mile trip home. He was a former TDI owner, and mentioned that one of the stations even had off road diesel. Well, I ended up going to that station, and pulled up to a pump with two diesel hoses. One had a full-size nozzle, and the other had the leaded-size nozzle needed to fit my TDI. That was labeled #2 Diesel (OK, it's all the same) but the price wasn't visible. I did note the standard and off-road labels on the pump, but it noted that off-road required going inside, no pay at the pump.

You probably know what happened. I ran my card, pushed the button for the hose that would fit, and started pumping. I figured since the pump started that all was fine, but after about 3 gallons decided to check. Yep, I was pumping nice red-dyed fuel into my car

Stopped pumping, complained inside that their pump wasn't well labeled, and figured I'd finish filling up somewhere else. As I was leaving I pulled to the other side of the pump, where (a) the off-road button clearly said off-road (not #2) and the correct hose had the correct nozzle. Put in about 10 gallons, and figured that at least I had the pair of receipts showing that it was an honest mistake. Note that the off-road was only 5 cents cheaper.

I did end up changing the fuel filter a couple of days ago (it was time for the periodic 20k change) and there was no sign of red. And next time I visit him I know which side of the pump to use

(Edited for typos)

 

[[486]]

Note that the off-road was only 5 cents cheaper.

its funny that the tax is like 28 cents here, but same story
carrying such a low-volume product has its costs associated

 

[GlowBugTDI]

What are even the chances of getting dipped? And what kind of fines are associated with that? never heard of anyone around here having it happen, and i never have. I know some truckers that have a few times, but thats kinda different. Anyone in a TDI ever get their tank dipped? If thats possible...idk if the tube can bend with the neck of the tank.

 

[scooperhsd]

Fines are STEEP if you get dipped and the official finds red diesel. Likelyhood of a diesel auto getting dipped ? close to zero ( I wouldn't say zero). Far more likely to dip trucks (especially in farm country).

If it came down to it - no on-road fuel available, but there is the off-road - I'd do it, and get a reciept from the attendent that I did, in fact, pay the taxes.

 

[amgff1984]

I've seen a couple of Mercedes owners at the stops but they haven't been very conversational.

On the other hand, quite a few Dodge/Cummins drivers have spotted the diesel nozzle going in and have asked me what kind of mileage I get.

To date, nobody has told me to stop putting diesel in my car.

I was refueling my plane two weeks ago and mentioned the diesel aircraft engines that run on Jet A and the line guy said he wanted to get a TDI. Smart fellow! I told him to check out tdiclub.com.

Post COVID and no one is conversational at the pump... or anywhere.

Times have changed.

And I'm replying to a post from when I was still in high school.

BTW, no one has told me I'm putting the wrong fuel in, but I have gotten looks at the diesel pump.

 

[Rob Mayercik]

I've had my TDI about 19.5 years, and I've not had really any conversations other than the one I posted years ago in this very thread. I've always chalked it up to being a "coincidence of region"...

 

[amgff1984]

I've had my TDI about 19.5 years, and I've not had really any conversations other than the one I posted years ago in this very thread. I've always chalked it up to being a "coincidence of region"...

I ran into an old friend pumping gas next to me last summer. He had a MK4 and it was in decent shape. That's about the extent here.

 

[Lightflyer1]

16 years for me here in Texas and maybe once or twice IIRC.

 

[maribellopez]

They are very funny stories, some rarer than others but really funny.

 

[AndyBees]

I've been driving VW diesels since January, 1980 .............. one freaking time an attendant wouldn't turn on the pump because she thought I was about to put Diesel Fuel in a gasoline car. That incident was five or six years ago. I've driven my Diesels in all of the lower 48 states as well as up thru Canada to Alaska!

 

[lilsmokey]

The best I have is from this last May. During the gas shortage every station was out of gasoline, but they still had diesel. This was wash DC where no one has any common sense. I was filling with diesel and forty cars came in thinking I was filling with gas. It was a great moment knowing that diesel people were not filling plastic bags and Tupperware up thinking they were smarter than everyone else. Also good to know that I could go the next 600 miles before refilling and gasoholics will be back frantically looking for fuel again in 350 miles.

 

[Cosmo's UNA]

We are visiting family in upstate NY and it is about a 1k round trip so I'm scouring the Gas Buddy and Gas Guru app on the phone for something less than 40-50 cents more than what I'm used to paying where I live. I find a place that is out of the way but on the way back from a side trip to a State Park it is convenient. I pull into the station and although the pump island is newer, the building itself is old timey. I scan the island pumps no diesel, then look to the building and there it is, very close to the corner of the building, the kind of location where I recall seeing Kerosene back in the old days. As fate would have it the fuel tanker is filling the station and for me to use the Diesel pump I would have to park very near and directly behind the tanker. I receive his OK and having a no-card pump I pop in the store to get the pump turned on. He turns it on w/o the usual, "How much fuel, dollar amount?" or leaving a credit card. Somehow I feel different and I realize that is the way it used to be when I first got my license...you pumped your gas and then walked inside to pay for it. I was happy all round as the price was only 10 cents more than my cheapest price where I live and 30- 40 cents less than any place in the general area.

 

[csstevej]

This isn’t me but my youngest was at the pump…… she’s having her NB filled when a concerned patron comes over and says that her car is making a terrible noise…..and she should check her oil as he can hear the lifters knocking…..
she said to me….she puts a smile on her face and informs the patron that’s it’s a diesel…… she said he just stood there with his mouth open

 

[Tdijarhead]

This isn’t me but my youngest was at the pump…… she’s having her NB filled when a concerned patron comes over and says that her car is making a terrible noise…..and she should check her oil as he can hear the lifters knocking…..
she said to me….she puts a smile on her face and informs the patron that’s it’s a diesel…… she said he just stood there with his mouth open

[/QUOTE]


That reminds me of the time I was not pumping diesel but coming out of a local bank, I had left my golf running while I ran in to do business and a lady comes out the door behind me and tells me I have a lifter knocking. I was surprised she knew what a lifter was, after I told her it was a diesel she seemed to realize that they are a little more noisy than a gasser.

 

[kjclow]

We are visiting family in upstate NY and it is about a 1k round trip so I'm scouring the Gas Buddy and Gas Guru app on the phone for something less than 40-50 cents more than what I'm used to paying where I live. I find a place that is out of the way but on the way back from a side trip to a State Park it is convenient. I pull into the station and although the pump island is newer, the building itself is old timey. I scan the island pumps no diesel, then look to the building and there it is, very close to the corner of the building, the kind of location where I recall seeing Kerosene back in the old days. As fate would have it the fuel tanker is filling the station and for me to use the Diesel pump I would have to park very near and directly behind the tanker. I receive his OK and having a no-card pump I pop in the store to get the pump turned on. He turns it on w/o the usual, "How much fuel, dollar amount?" or leaving a credit card. Somehow I feel different and I realize that is the way it used to be when I first got my license...you pumped your gas and then walked inside to pay for it. I was happy all round as the price was only 10 cents more than my cheapest price where I live and 30- 40 cents less than any place in the general area.

We have a local station like that. Diesel pump is in the corner away from everything else. I never see anyone at that pump and therefore won't stop to use it either. Your 03 is more forgiving on fuel quality than my 10. While on vacation before Christmas, I paid about 40 cents more per gallon because I was on the island and we were heading home on Christmas day. More concerned about what would be open than the price of fuel.

 

[Johhny04]

We are visiting family in upstate NY and it is about a 1k round trip so I'm scouring the Gas Buddy and Gas Guru app on the phone for something less than 40-50 cents more than what I'm used to paying where I live. I find a place that is out of the way but on the way back from a side trip to a State Park it is convenient. I pull into the station and although the pump island is newer, the building itself is old timey. I scan the island pumps no diesel, then look to the building and there it is, very close to the corner of the building, the kind of location where I recall seeing Kerosene back in the old days. As fate would have it the fuel tanker is filling the station and for me to use the Diesel pump I would have to park very near and directly behind the tanker. I receive his OK and having a no-card pump I pop in the store to get the pump turned on. He turns it on w/o the usual, "How much fuel, dollar amount?" or leaving a credit card. Somehow I feel different and I realize that is the way it used to be when I first got my license...you pumped your gas and then walked inside to pay for it. I was happy all round as the price was only 10 cents more than my cheapest price where I live and 30- 40 cents less than any place in the general area.

That's what pumping fuel is like for us up here all the time. Drive in, fuel up and then pay inside. The first time I drove to the US when younger, I was shocked. I had to prepay for fuel? I looked at the attendant with a funny face and asked why? I never have to do this at home, LOL.

 

[csstevej]

Lol I live in New Jersey….it’s illegal for me to touch a gas nozzle…..sometimes even the diesel pump they wont let me touch , even though it’s legal to do that……
Yet I’m surrounded by states that I have to pump my own gas……..way to go Jersey

 

[kjclow]

but think of all those gas jockies that have jobs in NJ and Washington!

 

[csstevej]

Who are always talking on there cell phones while pumping gas……

 

[romad]

but think of all those gas jockies that have jobs in NJ and Washington!

I think you meant Oregon, not Washington.

 

[kjclow]

Yup, I can never remember which side of the Columbia I get gas on.

 

[scooperhsd]

but think of all those gas jockies that have jobs in NJ and Washington!

NJ and OREGON, not Washington.

 

[TDIx3]

My biggest kick was the same as another posted, about when the pipeline got hacked last year & people freaked & did the impulse run on the gas pumps. I waited it out for several days, as I still had around 1/3 tank of fuel. I wanted to let the station I use run totally out of gasoline before going in to fill up, just to watch the swarm hit the station when they saw a car at the pumps. It never failed that about 5-6 cars would roll in & do the lap around the pumps, only to see bags covering all the gas pumps, & then stopping to look at me with confused looks on their faces. Pure entertainment!

 

[norbert77]

Never had a diesel complaint, but I did have a few truck drivers circled the pump and give me the looks.

The funniest was when I was crossing the border in my little blue 01 beetle with the flower still in the vase. I went to the border guard handed my passport, he asked why I'm going then he looks at the car and asked me whose car it is. It's mine. He nods asked me some more questions, that it says to me so, really, whose car is it? It's mine I see so we chat a little longer, he looks at me again and asked me for the third time, okay seriously, whose car is that? I said I got the ownership I can show you but he said that's fine. I guess me, 5'10, 230 lb shaved head and the 50 inch chest is not your average VW beetle driver

 

[Nuje]

Never had a diesel complaint, but I did have a few truck drivers circled the pump and give me the looks.

The funniest was when I was crossing the border in my little blue 01 beetle with the flower still in the vase. I went to the border guard handed my passport, he asked why I'm going then he looks at the car and asked me whose car it is. It's mine. He nods asked me some more questions, that it says to me so, really, whose car is it? It's mine I see so we chat a little longer, he looks at me again and asked me for the third time, okay seriously, whose car is that? I said I got the ownership I can show you but he said that's fine. I guess me, 5'10, 230 lb shaved head and the 50 inch chest is not your average VW beetle driver

Ok - this one cracked me up!
Thanks for sharing.

 

[kjclow]

Never had a diesel complaint, but I did have a few truck drivers circled the pump and give me the looks.

The funniest was when I was crossing the border in my little blue 01 beetle with the flower still in the vase. I went to the border guard handed my passport, he asked why I'm going then he looks at the car and asked me whose car it is. It's mine. He nods asked me some more questions, that it says to me so, really, whose car is it? It's mine I see so we chat a little longer, he looks at me again and asked me for the third time, okay seriously, whose car is that? I said I got the ownership I can show you but he said that's fine. I guess me, 5'10, 230 lb shaved head and the 50 inch chest is not your average VW beetle driver

I had a friend's daughter always commenting that I was the only guy she ever saw driving a beetle. She was only about 10 at the time, so I let it slide. Makes me feel old to realize that she's now in her mid 30s!