Funny thing you mention this story. I live in NJ, and drive an 84 300D. Here's where it gets similar...

About a year ago, I was driving on Rt 18, and stopped at a Raceway gas station for diesel. Most places let me pump my own diesel, except for the stations along the highway. Anyway, I was feeling lazy, so I let the pump jockey fill the tank up. I paid, got my reciept, and off I went (an 80 mile drive back home). When I parked my car at home, I smelt a very familiar smell of unburnt diesel.. and heard a dripping sound.. something you generally DON'T want to hear.

Turns out the idiot didn't put my cap back on, and diesel fuel splashed all over the back of my car (which was white at the time), and all over the trunk.. staining the white paint a healthy yellow-ish diesel color. Needless to say, I called the corporate office and pretty much said "You're buying me a new paint job". Corporate called that station, and they mailed me back my gas cap. Three weeks later, and I had a new paintjob ($600 Macco job, but whatever).. from white to black.

I really wish we WERE allowed to pump our own fuel in this state.. because incidents like that could have been avoided.. and people wouldn't have to sit in their cars for 5 mins while waiting for the guy to stop gabbing with the guy 5 cars over.

Morons. You should have pressed them to paint it as it came from the factory. If I ever move to Oregon I am living near the border.

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1979 240D- 316K miles - VGT Turbo, Intercooler, Stick Shift, Many Other Mods - Daily Driver

1982 300SD - 232K miles - Wife's Daily Driver

1986 560SL - Wife's red speed machine

I live in nj.
I pump my own gas and diesel....unless it's freezing out and I have the case of the lazies.

Some attendants freak out, others are happy not to touch the diesel nozzle.

You should see what an uptight attendant does when you fill an aux. tank in the trunk.

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82 300D....went to MB heaven
90 350 SDL....excercising con rods

When I lived in Oregon the trick was to go to "gas pumping school", get the certification and then join a cardlock station where you pumped your own fuel.

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BENZ THERE DONE THAThttp://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/...c/progress.gif
15 VW Passat TDI
00 E420
98 E300 DT
97 E420 Donor Car - NEED PARTS? PM ME!
97 S500
97 E300D
86 Holden Jackaroo Turbo D
86 300SDL
(o\|/o)

When traveling through New Jersey, I always fill up at the border in order to make it clear through the state without having to buy gasolene or diesel. Generally I don't stop for food either. The reason is the prices are higher in order to support the pump labor, and the pumpers don't really care if they lose your cap or nick your paint with the nozzle.

I wonder if New Jersey realizes the revenue they miss out on - no sale no tax.



Ken300D

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1982 300D at 351K miles
1984 300SD at 217K miles
1987 300D at 370K miles

The thing is the fuel in NJ is generally cheaper than in NY and a LOT cheaper than CT so I don't have a problem with the price...I just wish they would allow me to pump it myself.

I've never had spilled fuel do any permanent damage to the paint...I have even, on rare occaision, dripped some on the quarter panel myself and just washed it off fine. Lighter colors do stain worse though and I haven't owned a light color model so I can't say from my own experience about that...have seen lots of white ones with the yellow streaks though!

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Marty D.

2013 C300 4Matic
1984 BMW 733i
2013 Lincoln MKz

There was a time when I enjoyed having the car filled by someone else along with the windshield cleaned off etc. Now I'd rather do it myself. Along those same lines imagine taking your car (when I had a honda) to Jiffy Lube and having them leave off the oil cap.....What a mess that was.

Thats not as bad as having a ramp attendant fill up your tanks and leave off the cap.....on an airplane. Had it happen...I was sure the fuel gauge was wrong but decided to turn back and land only to find that the fuel guy had left off my fuel cap..otherwise I might have rode that one to the ground...I just dont trust anyone with anything to do with something I am riding in....

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1993 300D 2.5L 240,000+ miles

OMG....

I can feel your Pain.We dont have Hess stations here in TN,so every Christmas my Father in Law sends my son and I both our Hess Christmas trucks.That is the best thing that comes from a hess station,I am with Brian on the Flying J as far as service goes.At least they did pump Diesel in your tank,I have read horror stories of folks getting gas pumped in their tanks.

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85 300sd SOLD ,85 745i,95 740i,1972 Suburban,1938 International

I concur with nhdocs station recommendation. I have done the FL-NY I 95 trip 20 times in the last 5 years. A fuel stop in Jersey ( it just works out that way on the nonstop journey) is to me like the proverbial saying goes "a pimple on the a#$ of progress".

This is the same state that has stopped functioning due to finances and has one of the higher tax bases in the country.

Ex MetroNY, now Florida ( much lower taxes means you get what you pay for )

I had a similar experience to nhdoc's in post #1. The guy forgot to screw the cap back on and when I got out of the car, I thought it was odd that there was such a strong diesel smell...it was covering a good chunk of the car! I washed it off pretty good and it didn't seem to damage the paint. When I went back to get my cap the attendent just laughed...I didn't think it was too funny, but I didn't take it personally as it wasn't the same attendent.

A couple of months ago they decided to keep the current pumping law in place here in OR. An editorial in the Albany newspaper praised the decision...I've never been so close to writing a letter to the editor. In addition to the people who you can't trust to do the job, you also have to wait twice as long to fill up. What, do they think we're morons or something?

I've yet to see a station (not a card lock) where they let you pump your own diesel, even though I know it's legal to do so. Even where I get my Bio D, the guy there knows it's technically legal for me to pump it, but he's worried about his license for other stuff they sell, so he does it himself.

Wow, that was quite a rant. Thanks for starting this thread!

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Ralph

1985 300D Turbo, CA model
248,650 miles and counting...

They probably do these days, gov't shutdown and all.
Begs the question- what kind of people inhabit New Jersey? Ah! The kind that listen to Bon Jovi!
I think that all these episodes of attendants 'forgetting' to put the cap back on people's fuel tanks are intentional, to be honest. NJ is the poor-parenting capital of the western world. More punk juvie kids in that state than anywhere, period. I can see little punks getting off messing with people like that.

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'02 BMW 325i
'85 300D 450k
'93 190E 2.6 170k(killed by tree)
'08 Ducati Hypermotard 1100S 6k
'06 Ducati S2R800 14k(sold)

No way! Here in Oregon there's no parental supervision at all; mom and dad are high on meth. Kids have free reign over the trailer park.

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Ralph

1985 300D Turbo, CA model
248,650 miles and counting...

Here in Northern NJ, I work about 10 minutes from the Parsippany Hess of the OP.
I usually pump my own fuel and have never had anyone telling me I couldn't. I just sometimes need help getting the pump started depending on how I'm paying depending on the pump design, but as far as the mechanics of the pumping and dealing with the cap, if I'm not doing it, I get out and watch them. That's for all stations.

Of course if they're doing it, I make sure they put the cap on, but it's more to make sure they don't leave a trail of fuel dripping down the side of my car or to make sure they don't slam the bejesus out of the fuel door, bending it so it doesn't line up.

Just for discussion sake...If here in NJ with the 'mandatory' full serve the price is say $3.00/gal. and they change the law to allow both, they'll still charge the $3.00 for self and just raise the price for Full Serve. The price will NOT go down if they change the law, so I'm happy to let them do it in freezing cold and rain while I look at a carefully angled passenger side view mirror to make sure things are done right.

I also hear them put the cap back on in addition to the visual check.

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85' 300D No inspection, No registration fees, Cheap insurance
"If my calculations are correct, when this baby hits 88 miles per hour, you're going to see some serious %$&^."