i went on a long trip the other day and i could not find diesel anywhere, so i had to stop at a comercial fuelling place. you know the kind with no attendant just a place where you put in your card. anyway all the pumps had giant nozzle and the fuel came out super fast. is this fuel any different from diesel for cars? the pump said #2 diesel, but as far as additives or something.
thanks
lc

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'73 VW camper
'80 300td wagon

central valley of california.
this place was strictly designed for semis, i just have pacific pride comercial fueling account so this plcae was alast resort. i had to hold the nozzle about 1/8 the way open, and it still splashed on me. i didnt notice any difference just wondering. i thought maybey the big trucks would need thinner fuel or something because it moves through the lines faster.
lc

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'73 VW camper
'80 300td wagon

No, there's nothing unusual about truck stop fuel...except it's likely to be more fresh than what you'll see at a car pump. For that reason, I sometimes go out of my way to stop at a truck stop to take on fuel.

The fuel comes out of the truck nozzles faster 'cause most trucks have 100 or so gallon tanks, and the drivers want to get the tanks filled up in a hurry so they can get back on the road (they're paid by the mile, not the hour for the most part). So, a higher pressure pump's feeding the truck nozzles.

It depends on the station. Some stations have a little lip on the end of the big nozzles that make it impossible to properly fit in a 123 fillneck, although only barely. With that, you can hold the nozzle and it'll work.

It could be worse; my truck can't use the big nozzles at all. Ford used the same "unleaded-only" fillnecks with their diesels, and this is coupled with a God-awful tank venting system that leaves 2 or 3 gallons of unused tank space if you let the nozzle just click off (and it's worse with fuel coming in at a high volume). Because I want as much fuel in the tanks as I can use, I wind up spending a half hour to 45 minutes at the station every time I refuel the truck...

{on edit} This post was supposed to follow R Leo's}

FWIW- The big '18-wheeler' sized nozzles will fit into the fillers on W123s.

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Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm.

Warden - it used to be that some well-planned cold chisel hits would take care of that filler restriction.

Ken300D

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

I agree with Warden's gripe about his truck. My Chevy is the same way. I usually use the "auto" diesel pumps, but I always get my fuel at the same truck stop (Flying J, Edmond, OK). I always was told fresher diesel was best, so a truck stop should have the highest turn-over of any station. Besides, here, the truck stops have the cheapest fuel. The Conoco I went by up the road had diesel for 1.30, and I paid 1.22 at the J. It helps that there are 3 truck stops within a half-mile of each other!

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Keep everything as simple as possible-but no simpler--Albert Einstein

I frequently drive my 97 E300 (210) up I95 and stop at those truck fuel stops. Never had any issue with the fuel. Even at some real grungy stops (dirt pavement!) the fuel works.. The key is fresh inventory in the tank. These fuel stops won't survive if they pump bad fuel. Word gets around fast among the truckers

Besides the mentioned lower cost, had some interesting conversations with those 18 wheel drivers and me, a penny loafer type of guy..

I drive busses for my school, The U of Toledo. We have high-flow nozzles at our pumps, they are sweet. However, a few of our busses have tanks where you have to hold the nozzle in or the pressure shoots it out. I have seen another driver shoot diesel about 12-15 feet right up the side of a bus because he wasn't paying attention. The point being, be careful using those nozzles, heaven forbid it slip out and soak your Benz with diesel.
~D.J.~

When I travel I like to use Pilot truck stops to purchase my fuel Never have i had a problem and I even find I get a couple of extra mpgs per gallon.
Stay away from service stations that have one diesel pump as your probably buying stale fuel.

i filled mine at a truck stop off I95 in georgia once in what seemed like 14 seconds!

the truckers next to me were asking a lot of questions about the
MB engine etc hehe

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1984 300D Turbo - 231k....totalled 11/30/07 RIP

On-highway fuel is all #2 Diesel, so in essence it's "all the same".
But in actuality it varies in quality and properties quite a bit, from brand to brand, station to station, region to region, day to day. The truck stop theory (it's fresher) sounds plausible.
I wouldn't worry about lubricity or sulfur levels; the Bosch pumps seem pretty bulletproof. But cetane # is important, and for sure cleanliness/water, etc.
Don't use off-hwy fuel or #1 Diesel.
At the recent SAE Truck/Bus expo I was able to speak with several engineers & chemists who gave technical presentations.
Some tech tidbits (I cannot vouch for their accuracy, but they seemed very knowledgeable):
a) Fuel quality & properties are much more consistent in Europe. Mfrs. have had various service & warranty issues in North America due to this. They have seen impurities & inconsistent properties (cetane #, sulfur levels, lubricity, etc., etc.).
b) I had heard good things about Amoco Premium Diesel. A fuel injection R&D guy said he uses BP Diesel in his VW and has good results. We figured that since they are the same co., BP & Amoco are probably similar if not the same.
c) I went to BP.com and learned about Amoco "Premier" (not "Premium"). It appears to have superior properties, but it is only available at selected dealers in certain states. I called them and they said that it's probably very hard to find at the pump. I'm going to call some distributors to try to locate it. There's also a super-duper BP fuel in certain states (not mine).

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Now you're suckin' Diesel!

'88 300SEL
'92 300D 2.5 Turbo
'96 Lincoln Town Car. The Jazzmobile.

Warden,
Take a cold chisel to the filler neck restrictor then tear out the chunks with needlenose and channellock pliers. The air space in the tank is deliberate to allow for expansion. I agree with Habanero, Flying J's fuel is cheapest and the best. I get the best mpg on it. Flying J's also seem to have the cleanest facilities too. RT

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When all else fails, vote from the rooftops!
84' Mercedes Benz 300D Anthracite/black, 171K
03' Volkswagen Jetta TDI blue/black, 93K
93' Chevrolet C2500HD ExCab 6.5TD, Two-tone blue, 252K

The raised lip on the diesel fuel nozzle is meant to catch on the inside of a big rigs fuel tank. Most truck stops have a sattelite pump and hose to fill the tanks on the opposite side at the same time. The lip on the nozzle allows the nozzle to be unattended while the driver goes around to the other side. Been there -Done that as a retired over the road driver amongst my other careers.

When I was a "newbie" and drove my "new" 300TD into a truck stop for fuel, a nice attendant warned me about the satellite pump, and said some truckers would steal gas - while you were filling they would use your satellite pump to fill their tank. I suppose that had ocurred there.
And you have to be sure you open the right pump first, don't you? I recall that happened to me also, very frustrating when you can't get fuel and there isn't anyone out there at the pump to help you, and some tiny speaker to talk with the "attendant".
Dieseldiehard