# Stories when filling up at a "gasoline" station



## n1das (Jul 22, 2013)

LycanNyc said:


> illegal ?????? :rofl:
> 
> I prefer pumping myself for various reasons..
> 
> ...


In NJ and OR, it is illegal to pump your own gasoline. The no self-serve laws in these two states only applies to gasoline and does not apply to diesel. You CAN legally pump your own DIESEL in NJ and OR but not every station owner and attendant may know that. Best thing I've heard to do is get out of the car and stand there and watch 'em like a hawk while they start the pump and make [email protected] sure that DIESEL goes into the tank and not gasoline by mistake. Tell the attendant you'll take over from there and top it off. Usually they will be OK with that because it frees them up to serve waiting gasser customers.

I try not to fill up in NJ to avoid the hassle when I'm traveling from NH to somewhere.


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## KeithS (Dec 30, 2001)

LycanNyc said:


> illegal ?????? :rofl:


Yes, it IS illegal to pump your own fuel in NJ. However as the pumps are the same as the ones used for self serve, most attendants will not stop you from pumping yourself, but some will.


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## LycanNyc (Apr 11, 2012)

n1das said:


> In NJ and OR, it is illegal to pump your own gasoline. The no self-serve laws in these two states only applies to gasoline and does not apply to diesel. You CAN legally pump your own DIESEL in NJ and OR but not every station owner and attendant may know that. Best thing I've heard to do is get out of the car and stand there and watch 'em like a hawk while they start the pump and make [email protected] sure that DIESEL goes into the tank and not gasoline by mistake. Tell the attendant you'll take over from there and top it off. Usually they will be OK with that because it frees them up to serve waiting gasser customers.
> 
> I try not to fill up in NJ to avoid the hassle when I'm traveling from NH to somewhere.


I'm from NYC so when I pump in NJ (gas) I always pump myself, I never let them pump.


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## Michael47 (May 9, 2014)

LycanNyc said:


> illegal ?????? :rofl:
> 
> I prefer pumping myself for various reasons..


Yes, illegal. In Oregon as well as in New Jersey. Diesel is exempted in both states as well. But Gasoline, MUST be pumped by the station employees. Go right ahead and laugh. The state governments, the courts, and the cops do not care a whit whether you prefer to pump it yourself or why you might prefer to do it yourself.


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## n1das (Jul 22, 2013)

KeithS said:


> Yes, it IS illegal to pump your own fuel in NJ. However as the pumps are the same as the ones used for self serve, most attendants will not stop you from pumping yourself, but some will.


You CAN legally pump your own DIESEL in NJ. The no self-serve law only applies to GASOLINE. Same with OR. I'm glad I stopped using gasoline years ago. :rofl:


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## SteVTEC (Feb 16, 2005)

Funny stuff!

Yeah I've gotten the same "HEY THAT'S DIESEL!!!" when filling up the X5d, more than a few confused people giving second looks, and a truck driver or two have come over wanting to check it out since they didn't know BMW made any diesels. I popped the hood for the box truck drivers and the station manager came out to chat too, and said he always takes a look when somebody grabs the green diesel pumps, and so long as it's a GERMAN car of some sort just assumes it's okay and doesn't think twice. He said that every once in awhile though, he sees someone grab that pump for a car he KNOWS can't be diesel and has to go running out. LOL. Haven't had anything interesting happen in awhile. I think more people are "diesel aware" now. 

BTW, I hate filling up when there's other truck drivers filling up also. They rob all of the line pressure which means it takes extra long to fill up.


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## O8 BMW (Apr 7, 2013)

I stopped at a " gas station" in upstate New York last week and I had quite a surprise. Although they advertised the price for diesel, all the pumps at the front of the store were for gasoline only, which is typical in the area. I headed towards the truck fueling station in the back of the lot, checking out the nozzle size on the pumps. One island had small nozzles, so I thought I was ok. This is the type of island where two hoses are available to fuel up two side tanks at the same time on the same meter. I proceeded as usual, and the nozzle would not fit in the tank... I had to turn the X5 around and use the "satellite" nozzle on the other side of the fueling area. I had to get the assistance of the attendant to start up the main pump and fuel from the satellite. Never done this before. Turns out they had replaced the nozzle on the main tank with a smaller gasoline nozzle. The fail safe device on the X5 did its thing and prevented the nozzle from going into the tank filler gooseneck. After all this consternation, I was able to fuel up and get back on the highway.

All this to say that the infrastructure for car diesel is still not up to par in less densely populated areas. It's getting better, but we're not there yet. For 30% fuel economy, it's worth the hassle, thoiugh.. Can't make this up...


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## swood02 (Nov 30, 2010)

A Shell station near me just had their entire set of pumps replaced, perhaps ten in all, of which two pump solely diesel. Nevertheless, when I attempted to fill my 335d a couple weeks ago, I found that new gasoline nozzles had been installed on both pumps. My diesel filler neck did its job and wouldn't let me fill. Dealer said he only gets complaints from German car owners. 


Sent from BimmerApp mobile app


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## Geotrash (Dec 22, 2013)

Swood, I'll bet a note to Shell corporate about that would result in a letter from them compelling him to put the right nozzles on his pumps. Especially if it's framed as a safety hazard.

Cheers,
Dave


Sent from BimmerApp mobile app


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## Pierre Louis (Oct 23, 2011)

I've found gasoline nozzles on only two pumps so far. Wonder how they will like a gasser to get diesel pumped in! The retailers don't seem to care.

PL


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## Michael47 (May 9, 2014)

I've never had a nozzle problem. Our new-to-us X5 fills the stable with diesels, the other two being a 2001 VW TDI and a 2005 Jeep Libby CRD. The former has a huge filler neck into which one could stuff 3 or 4 of the truck nozzles, if you wanted a really quick fillup (and bath). The Jeep has a restrictor plate, into which only car-diesel nozzles and smaller will fit. So in 2009 in anticipation of dragging a travel trailer across the US along US 2 just south of the Canadian border and back using the Jeep as a tow, I set about getting one of those adapter things. VW sold one for $11, BMW had one exactly like it for $6, so I ordered the BMW one. Dragged it across the US and back, with the trailer, twice now, total 16,000 miles, never once needed it. But it's still in the back of the Jeep, just in case.

I found another one under the floor of the X5's back end when we bought it last month. The previous owner was clearly concerned, but also never needed it. It'll stay back there against the day.

Only had one person in those 16,000 miles question me about pulling up to the diesel pump. That was in the middle of the heartland somewhere, at an exit off I-40 at which there was absolutely nothing save a single tiny country convenience store with one gas pump and one diesel pump.

And in driving those two vehicles a combined 340,000 miles, I've only once become seriously worried about finding diesel. That was while dragging that trailer, which has so much wind resistance it consumes a gallon of diesel fuel every 14 miles. It was in Northern California, along a stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway where I passed through several small towns, none of which had anyplace that sold diesel. I considered dropping the trailer to scout ahead for fuel (I get 30 mpg when not towing), but came upon a diesel pump in the nick of time. It had an auto-diesel nozzle on the only diesel pump.


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## thefriedboot (Apr 17, 2014)

Just a heads up. BMW usually includes (or at least with mine they did) an adapter funnel kit used to fill up at stations with the wrong size nozzles. It is in a little round plastic container and includes some rags and other things as well.


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## O8 BMW (Apr 7, 2013)

My local gas station had one diesel pump fitted with the high volume nozzle. I went to see him one day and I told him that it might not be a bad idea if he swapped the nozzle to the smaller car diesel type. I said that there was 3-4 of us who drive diesels and who would be glad to buy our diesel at his station. He shrugged his shoulders and said that he sells 150 gallons of diesel at a time with his setup and that all I would buy is 25 gallons a week, so it really was not worth it for him.

One year later, he is out of business and the station is closed. Not selling any diesel either 150 or 25 gallons at a time..Smart business move...


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## Michael47 (May 9, 2014)

@08 BMW, I suspect he's out of business because his 'tude carried over into other things.


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## O8 BMW (Apr 7, 2013)

Got that right. He was like the soup nazi. Environmental protection fined him $10,000 apparently for failure to monitor his spill wells and that was enough for him to hang it up. His previous fits were with Valero over something or another and after that he had a spat with credit card companies where he made the "wise" decision to stop accepting them altogether. Station was apparently sold at auction recently, so we shall see what the future brings. Anybody can go in business, but not everybody has the right combination for success...


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## Michael47 (May 9, 2014)

swood02;8477130My diesel filler neck did its job and wouldn't let me fill. Dealer said he only gets complaints from German car owners. [/QUOTE said:


> UM, in order of number of diesel cars sold in the US, that'd be VW, BMW, Mercedes, Audi, and Porsche, right? So who else sells diesel cars in the US? Outside of the Chevy Cruze and Jeep, who's left?
> 
> UM, ya don't suppose that would be why he only hears complaints about it from German car owners, do ya?


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## DozerDan (Dec 18, 2013)

I have only found one station that did not have a diesel filler handle on it. It is a WAWA, the weird part is that the other wawa I use has the proper ones.


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## Michael47 (May 9, 2014)

Lots of stories I could tell of fill ups in other diesels, but having only had the X5 since June, the closest I've come was a conversation with a guy filling up his diesel pickup on the other side of the pump. He just wanted to know how I liked the car and what I was getting for mileage.


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## sirbikes (Aug 17, 2012)

I was at the pump today and a guy filling an older Ford F-250 saw that I was using an additive and asked what I used. I told him the OptiLube Summer blend and he said he uses inexpensive auto tranny fluid. I said I never heard of that before. Then he proceeded to put a small amount into his tank. I don't think I would do that, but his truck looked well maintained and said he's never had any injector problems. However, it doesn't have a dpf or urea system.


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## Michael47 (May 9, 2014)

Old diesels using the latest in WWII era technology can burn almost anything, including used motor oil, tranny fluid, sawdust, old rags, etc. put any of that stuff in your bimmer (or any modern diesel) and you can count on some expensive repairs.


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