Stories when filling up at "gasoline station"

[Old Navy]

Well the picture is about 10 years old, so odds are he's dead.

 

[mr_y82]

Oh yeah? I had no idea (it was that old)... sounds like a strong possibility!

I like the rock that he's using to chock the right rear tire! I'd really like to see a video of both how it got it up there and how he gets it down.

There's no substitute for safety! It might roll!...Yes, a little DIY... I'd like to see it too..

edit: I didn't go to the gas station today.... because I drive a TDI (sometimes...when my wife lets me!)

 

[romad]

After 5 years, I have one.

Let me set the stage. I go down to Sacramento to fuel up at a Propel DieselHPR location. Propel does not have their own stations but contract with existing stations to allow a Propel pump to be installed. Propel also sells E85 fuel so each pump has both a DieselHPR hose and nozzle (hose is green) and a yellow E85 hose on each side of the pump.

OK, this station is a Shell and has the Propel pump on the east end of the 20 ft (6.1m) island, and a standard Shell gasoline pump on the west end. In addition there are 4 other Shell-only islands. I enter the station from the east and because the filler is on the right side of the car I pull up on the left side if the island facing west. The Jetta is 14.5 feet (4.42m) long so when I pull in by the pump, there is only about 5.5 ft (1.68m) open space in front of me.

A couple of months ago, Propel sent me 2 free 5 gallon fuel cards (thanking me for reporting a malfunctioning pump) so I have to do three pump transactions (5 gal + 5 gal + fill gal). I'm on my second fuel card when an SUV pulls in facing me. I finish that card then use my credit card to start the finish fill. So I'm doing this when a woman tells me I have to move back so she can use the Shell pump. I say I'm almost finished but she insists I back up, to which I say sorry but I can't. I guess she wanted me back up with the nozzle in the filler pipe dispensing fuel! I then said to go and use one of the other vacant Shell pumps, but she said she had already paid the the other pump. Well, now she starts saying I'm not moving because she's black! I was just about finished so I put the nozzle back, then went back to the pay point and got my receipt, got in the Jetta and pulled around them to leave.

 

[Tom Servo]

Let me set the stage. I go down to Sacramento

That's all you really needed to say if you wanted sympathy.

 

[ezshift5]

....she really said that?

One never knows................

ez

 

[ATR]

My local Shell has only two diesel nozzles at the station. The diesel nozzles share stations with gas nozzles... To make things worse, this station is pretty cramped. for instance if two cars are parked facing each other the middle pump is useless unless a "smart" car rolls in.

You probably can guess where this is going... but anyway the guy that pulls in just head of me takes the diesel/gas pump station when there's other gas stations open.

I beep at the guy and inform him I have a diesel and that the place he's pulling into is the ONLY station currently open that has a diesel pump on it. I wouldn't do this if the place was busy or no other stations were open, however at the time there were two or three other gas pumps open he could pull up to. He did indeed move and I thanked him for moving.

 

[romad]

That's all you really needed to say if you wanted sympathy.

Ah, Zack, I was BORN in The Big Tomato (my parents didn't make it to San Francisco in time). I also lived in the metro area from 1959 until I joined the Air Force. Only after I retired from it did I move to Oroville.

 

[mr_y82]

^you a member of miata.net? I daily drive a 2006 NC. That's an interesting experience you had at the pump........

the middle pump is useless unless a "smart" car rolls in.

I beep at the guy and inform him I have a diesel and that the place he's pulling into is the ONLY station currently open that has a diesel pump on it. I wouldn't do this if the place was busy or no other stations were open, however at the time there were two or three other gas pumps open he could pull up to. He did indeed move and I thanked him for moving.

That's the one time the "smart" car might feel smart... can't think of others...

Most people are totally oblivious to shared diesel pumps... nice of him to move.

cheers!

 

[romad]

^you a member of miata.net? I daily drive a 2006 NC. That's an interesting experience you had at the pump........



That's the one time the "smart" car might feel smart... can't think of others...

Most people are totally oblivious to shared diesel pumps... nice of him to move.

cheers!

Yep. My 1990 Miata was my daily driver for 19 years until I retired for the second time in 2008. I'm a founding member of S.A.M.O.A., the Sacramento Area Miata Owners Association.

 

[rwolff]

I guess she wanted me back up with the nozzle in the filler pipe dispensing fuel! I then said to go and use one of the other vacant Shell pumps, but she said she had already paid the the other pump. Well, now she starts saying I'm not moving because she's black!

She had already paid, but you were already pumping at THE ONLY PUMP IN THE STATION WHICH DISPENSED THE GRADE OF FUEL YOU NEEDED. Playing the race card? Sounds like she needs a few gallons of (marked, off-road) diesel in her tank.

 

[kjclow]

My local Shell has only two diesel nozzles at the station. The diesel nozzles share stations with gas nozzles... To make things worse, this station is pretty cramped. for instance if two cars are parked facing each other the middle pump is useless unless a "smart" car rolls in.

You probably can guess where this is going... but anyway the guy that pulls in just head of me takes the diesel/gas pump station when there's other gas stations open.

I beep at the guy and inform him I have a diesel and that the place he's pulling into is the ONLY station currently open that has a diesel pump on it. I wouldn't do this if the place was busy or no other stations were open, however at the time there were two or three other gas pumps open he could pull up to. He did indeed move and I thanked him for moving.

I had that a few years back but in my case, the guy said that he had prepaid and couldn't move.

 

[mr_y82]

Yep. My 1990 Miata was my daily driver for 19 years until I retired for the second time in 2008. I'm a founding member of S.A.M.O.A., the Sacramento Area Miata Owners Association.

Seems like maybe I have stumbled into your name at miata.net... After being a member of various honda and ford forums previously it begins to get difficult to keep track of. Now VW, miata, and BMW... Of course I don't spend much time on forums anymore...

 

[romad]

Seems like maybe I have stumbled into your name at miata.net... After being a member of various honda and ford forums previously it begins to get difficult to keep track of. Now VW, miata, and BMW... Of course I don't spend much time on forums anymore...

I have posted in the Motorcraft oil and What did you do to your NA threads on Miata.net; I've also been on The List. And, just in case, I've been on PriusChat also!

 

[kjclow]

Spreading the love?

 

[mr_y82]

I have posted in the Motorcraft oil and What did you do to your NA threads on Miata.net; I've also been on The List. And, just in case, I've been on PriusChat also!

Haha... Thanks! My mom has a Prius, maybe I should check that out!

 

[n1das]

This happened tonight at RMZ Truck Stop in Londonderry, NH. My wife Lisa took some cell phone pics while I fueled up my X5 35d.

The pics say it all....

The driver of the big rig next to my X5 35d asked me about MPGs and tank range etc. He said his rig has about the same tank range as my X5 35d has (600 miles) but averages around 5.4 MPG. It was a good random diesel bonding moment.

I recommend this truck stop to diesel owners in the southern NH area along the I-93 corridor. A full tanker truck carrying 10,000 gallons of diesel fuel gets emptied there every day just to keep up with diesel demand. I only fuel up at this truck stop now because of the high fuel turnover. The diesel price is competitive too and among the lowest I've seen in the area.

 

[rwolff]

I hate cases like this. Not only is some 4-wheeler tying up one of the truck pumps, but they're facing the wrong way. Truck fuel islands are generally 1-way traffic to make things go more smoothly.

 

[kjclow]

I was going to make a similar comment about the dummy in the bimmer that can't follow the flow pattern.

 

[n1das]

I hate cases like this. Not only is some 4-wheeler tying up one of the truck pumps, but they're facing the wrong way. Truck fuel islands are generally 1-way traffic to make things go more smoothly.

The pump I was using is the auto diesel pump. The other side of the pump is not available because it is the drive-thru lane for the restaurant (Red Arrow Diner). The diesel pumps are all behind the building and the gas pumps are out front. Thankfully there are no gas/diesel combo pumps anywhere. I have seldom had to wait for the auto diesel pump and I've met a few TDI owners there too and told them about TDIclub. The auto diesel pump sometimes gets blocked by gasser owners getting something inside the c-store. Never fails that gasser drivers will still find a way to block the diesel pumps even when they are already well away from the gas pumps.

I fuel up at this station given that it has among the highest volume and highest fuel turnover in the region and is along a major route (NH I-93 corridor).

 

[romad]

I hate cases like this. Not only is some 4-wheeler tying up one of the truck pumps, but they're facing the wrong way. Truck fuel islands are generally 1-way traffic to make things go more smoothly.

Sounds like a classic case of "open mouth, insert foot".

Why didn't you ask politely why he was in that position?

BTW, I never heard of "Western Star" trucks before; what is their story?

 

[TornadoRed]

http://www.westernstartrucks.com

 

[romad]

http://www.westernstartrucks.com

Thanks! I see they are part of Daimler, so they probably use a lot of German technology used in Daimler-Benz trucks.

 

[scooperhsd]

I'm through trying to be nice with gasser drivers at combo pumps.

Yesterday, driving home from work (a 37 mile commute), I knew I was going to need to fillup . I stopped at the closest Sheetzs (only 1 2 sided combo pump, all the other pumps were gas only).As I was driving to the combo pump, (and passed at least 2 empty on the way), a recent Honda CRV pulled into the pump I was heading to. I went over and asked her NICELY if she would move to another gas only pump - you would of thought I had asked her to drop trou and do a strip tease on the parking lot ! She said she would not get into a pump (I replied "really ?"), and finally pulled on out (*****ing the whole time). I had enough of her whiny crap, and just pulled through and left without stopping (I hope I pissed her off royally with that).

Next time I won't say a thing just park nose to nose with them so they have to back out (and be silent as a stone about it - maybe say something about my car being diesel).

 

[n1das]

I'm through trying to be nice with gasser drivers at combo pumps.

Yesterday, driving home from work (a 37 mile commute), I knew I was going to need to fillup . I stopped at the closest Sheetzs (only 1 2 sided combo pump, all the other pumps were gas only).As I was driving to the combo pump, (and passed at least 2 empty on the way), a recent Honda CRV pulled into the pump I was heading to. I went over and asked her NICELY if she would move to another gas only pump - you would of thought I had asked her to drop trou and do a strip tease on the parking lot ! She said she would not get into a pump (I replied "really ?"), and finally pulled on out (*****ing the whole time). I had enough of her whiny crap, and just pulled through and left without stopping (I hope I pissed her off royally with that).

Next time I won't say a thing just park nose to nose with them so they have to back out (and be silent as a stone about it - maybe say something about my car being diesel).

I've done that too. I park nose to nose with them or right up close to their rear bumper and leave my car idling so they can hear it hopefully recognize it being a diesel vehicle. I once had somebody blocking the diesel pump come up to me and say there are other (gas) pumps available. I told them I'm waiting for the diesel pump they are blocking while other gas pumps are available that they could use. The person was finished anyway and apologized and then left without any further conversation.

I now fuel up only at RMZ Truck Stop in Londonderry NH (see my recent posts above w/pics). It's along a major route (NH I-93 corridor) and one of the busiest high volume / high turnover stations in my area. Fortunately all of the diesel pumps are behind the building and away from the gas pumps out front. The C-store has front and rear entrances and gasser drivers STILL manage to block the auto diesel pump and the first big nozzle truck pump. Usually it's people not getting gas and getting something inside the C-store. No matter how far away the diesel pumps are from the gas pumps, gasser drivers will still find a way to block the diesel pumps.

 

[romad]

I now fuel up only at RMZ Truck Stop in Londonderry NH (see my recent posts above w/pics). It's along a major route (NH I-93 corridor) and one of the busiest high volume / high turnover stations in my area. Fortunately all of the diesel pumps are behind the building and away from the gas pumps out front. The C-store has front and rear entrances and gasser drivers STILL manage to block the auto diesel pump and the first big nozzle truck pump. Usually it's people not getting gas and getting something inside the C-store. No matter how far away the diesel pumps are from the gas pumps, gasser drivers will still find a way to block the diesel pumps.

And you even were chastised here for that! Sometimes you can't win for losing.

 

[scooperhsd]

Sorry - duplicated between reboots

 

[ATR]

I'm through trying to be nice with gasser drivers at combo pumps.

Yesterday, driving home from work (a 37 mile commute), I knew I was going to need to fillup . I stopped at the closest Sheetzs (only 1 2 sided combo pump, all the other pumps were gas only).As I was driving to the combo pump, (and passed at least 2 empty on the way), a recent Honda CRV pulled into the pump I was heading to. I went over and asked her NICELY if she would move to another gas only pump - you would of thought I had asked her to drop trou and do a strip tease on the parking lot ! She said she would not get into a pump (I replied "really ?"), and finally pulled on out (*****ing the whole time). I had enough of her whiny crap, and just pulled through and left without stopping (I hope I pissed her off royally with that).

Next time I won't say a thing just park nose to nose with them so they have to back out (and be silent as a stone about it - maybe say something about my car being diesel).

My local station is like that, six pumps on three islands. one of the islands is a combo diesel/gas pump. If I see someone pulling into the diesel pump when a gas pump is already open I'll say something nicely. I will also in that conversation kindly inform them that I have a diesel powered car and there are only two pumps at the station that pump my fuel. There are six at the station that pump gas.

Always include the fact that you have a diesel and you're not just trying to use your favorite pump.

 

[PlaneCrazy]

My local station is like that, six pumps on three islands. one of the islands is a combo diesel/gas pump. If I see someone pulling into the diesel pump when a gas pump is already open I'll say something nicely. I will also in that conversation kindly inform them that I have a diesel powered car and there are only two pumps at the station that pump my fuel. There are six at the station that pump gas.
Always include the fact that you have a diesel and you're not just trying to use your favorite pump.

I've tried that, and once like scooperhsd she gave me a look that said I'd asked her to remove all her clothes and dance for me.

In one other case a guy in a gas Rabbit was blocking the diesel pump and left his car there while he went in to the convenience store to do what looked like a week's worth of grocery shopping. I went into the store and yelled out "whoever has the black Rabbit, your car is blocking the only auto diesel pump!!! (the other side of the pump has a large truck nozzle)". At least he apologized and went out and moved his car.

On the flip side I once asked someone in an obvious gasser to move once as well but he opened his trunk, pulled out a jerry can and said he was getting diesel for his tractor. I let him off the hook, because I now do the same in my TSI

And since I often try to combine getting diesel for my tractor and gas for my car, I will also fill the car while blocking the diesel pump.

 

[nayr]

last week I was at a filling station off the interstate, as I was pulling up to the only diesel pump a car full of geriatric old ladies pulled past 4 gas pumps and tried to race me to the diesel pump..

I motioned for them to keep moving on, they returned a car full of stink-eyes, then turned off the engine and got out.. The filling hole was on drivers side so I pulled right up to there front bumper and sat there, forcing them to back out in reverse..

Then a big cummins pulling a camper pulls up behind her, and a few mins later another one also does.. At this point the station only has 4 vehicles in it, and 3 are waiting for the gasser to leave the diesel pump.. since its an interstate filling station its got dozens of unoccupied gas pumps spread about several islands.

I get out of my car and proceed to rip into her, 'pull your head out of your rear end, there are ample unused gasoline pumps here and you have 3 diesel vehicles waiting for you to give up the only pump here, and you dont need a drop of diesel'.. she returned the stink eye she gave me originally and never said a word as all the diesels drivers were trying there best to stink-eye them back.. but how can we compete with a cranky old grandma's skills..

Pisses me off that a station with a couple dozen gas pumps, installs one diesel pump and then shares it with the gassers.. if your are going to have a single pump for diesel, make it ONLY diesel.

/rant

 

[ZippyNH]

last week I was at a filling station off the interstate, as I was pulling up to the only diesel pump a car full of geriatric old ladies pulled past 4 gas pumps and tried to race me to the diesel pump..

I motioned for them to keep moving on, they returned a car full of stink-eyes, then turned off the engine and got out.. The filling hole was on drivers side so I pulled right up to there front bumper and sat there, forcing them to back out in reverse..

Then a big cummins pulling a camper pulls up behind her, and a few mins later another one also does.. At this point the station only has 4 vehicles in it, and 3 are waiting for the gasser to leave the diesel pump.. since its an interstate filling station its got dozens of unoccupied gas pumps spread about several islands.

I get out of my car and proceed to rip into her, 'pull your head out of your rear end, there are ample unused gasoline pumps here and you have 3 diesel vehicles waiting for you to give up the only pump here, and you dont need a drop of diesel'.. she returned the stink eye she gave me originally and never said a word as all the diesels drivers were trying there best to stink-eye them back.. but how can we compete with a cranky old grandma's skills..

Pisses me off that a station with a couple dozen gas pumps, installs one diesel pump and then shares it with the gassers.. if your are going to have a single pump for diesel, make it ONLY diesel.

/rant

The evil genius in me wants to buy a box of yellow plastic bags....and put the gas handle in the bag the way stations do when the pump is out of service.....
Might not be nice....but would fix the issue...unless a gasser wants a place to park, and doesn't want to piss off another gasser...then THOSE folks park at the yellow bagged pumps then get coffee, doughnuts, a paper, some lottery tickets, then use the can, then go for a walk...why park the car in a parking spot right?!