Diesel Pumps discusting
Submitted: Tuesday, Jan 03, 2012 at 19:31
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rossy
I was filling my car with Diesel at
Caltex and realised how filthy greasy and smelly the diesel handle was... and often is. No
toilet to wash my hands, only the windscreen water container which of course is not ideal. After just returning from Thailand where they "fill er up for you", like the old days here, which is nice, I decided to say something.
Well the attendant just glared at me and said a big fat nothing. I reckon it should be their responsibility to ensure the pumps are able to be handled without us having to drive away with a diesel smelling steering wheel. What do you think?
Reply By: BarryMcKenzie - Tuesday, Jan 03, 2012 at 20:08
Tuesday, Jan 03, 2012 at 20:08
After you have just returned from Thailand mate I would think that a small issue such as discusting (sic) diesel pumps in Aus would be a fairly small issue relative to the state Bangkok and surrounds was and probably still is in due to flooding, disease and the homeless masses of recent events there........
Imagine the Diesel pumps in the southern Philippines are very clean also, if they can find them or anything else after the last typhoon.....
We all have our cross to bear......some are much heavier than others.....
AnswerID:
473979
Follow Up By: Steve M1 (NSW) - Wednesday, Jan 04, 2012 at 12:57
Wednesday, Jan 04, 2012 at 12:57
all the more reason for us to actually provide some "service" if these poor buggers can manage it with their problems but hey, let's not criticise the Aussie "service" eh?
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Reply By: MEMBER - Darian, SA - Tuesday, Jan 03, 2012 at 20:58
Tuesday, Jan 03, 2012 at 20:58
I've been filling with diesel for about 13 years now - on rare occasions I've seen disposable gloves supplied at the bowser - but that is expecting far too much it seems, here in Oz - a thin box of disposable gloves is cheap and fits in the my door pocket... DIY. Couple of points - I'm more worried about standing in a
pool of spilled diesel - common in many
places - hard to keep that off your shoe soles and off the car's carpet (hence keeping some newspaper behind my
seat). As for staff fixing tiny leaks and cleaning the bowser fittings ...........what staff ? The solo staff member is usually flat out inside at the console. But you are correct, in that they need to be told !
AnswerID:
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Reply By: Rockape - Wednesday, Jan 04, 2012 at 09:10
Wednesday, Jan 04, 2012 at 09:10
rossy,
diesel is nearly impossible to keep of the pump handle. Look at it and it will crawl from one spot to another.
It is just the same as penetrating fluid and will creep everywhere. Many times a day people filling will spill a small amount on the ground that then grows and grows. The splash back from the nozzle will also creep up the handle and keep your hands lubricated.
As others have said a bit of paper does the trick.
Many years ago I used to fill a D9 at the end of the day by hand with a quart stroke pump. I would lose count of the strokes and next minute I woukld have diesel all over my head. At this point I would just stamp my feet and throw a tantrum, then mutter something about getting the electric transfer pump fixed. All the time just throwing in the odd swear word.
RA.
AnswerID:
474019
Reply By: ross - Wednesday, Jan 04, 2012 at 13:13
Wednesday, Jan 04, 2012 at 13:13
Its pointless criticising the staff at a service station. Their job is to stay behind the counter ,grab the money and nothing else.
If your upset with the cleanliness and maintenance of the facilities(and I agree with you ,some of them are bad) write a letter to the owners.
My pet hate is when I want to fill up with fuel,and that sometimes means 150 litres,and the catch that holds the bowser lever doesnt work and my poor old worn out hand has to squeeze the lever hard to maintain the flow until full.
God only knows what women do in this situation as some of them require a fair amount of strength
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Nargun51 - Wednesday, Jan 04, 2012 at 14:14
Wednesday, Jan 04, 2012 at 14:14
Most servos have removed the pin that holds the lever up for continued flow, however a long shanked rivet (or something like it) is the perfect size to put in. I haven't used one myself, but I know someone who has a piece of wire about this size on his key ring purely for that purpose.
In my current car (and the previous 2), the fuel cap is the right size to be wedged under the handle to ensure full flow until it cuts out when full.
Our nearest garage (and the cheapest in the Dandenongs) supplies latex gloves at the bowser, however this does not ensure that my wife will actually put fuel in it when she uses it!
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Reply By: Bob Y. - Qld - Wednesday, Jan 04, 2012 at 20:49
Wednesday, Jan 04, 2012 at 20:49
Rossy,
You haven't got much to complain about until you've used a high-flow pump at a truck stop.
If the truckie before you has filled tanks on both sides of the prime mover, then likely he has dragged the hose across the chassis, and picked up heaps of excess grease, from the turn table.
Now that's something that will really arc you up!!! Especially at night, when it's difficult to see the grease, on the black hose.
Bob.
AnswerID:
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Reply By: rossy - Wednesday, Jan 04, 2012 at 23:03
Wednesday, Jan 04, 2012 at 23:03
Why thank you for all your responses especially the kind practical ones and the funny stories much appreciated. At the end of the day these are my thoughts...
. The servo is providing a service and bear some responsibility to provide a safe clean product.
. If the pumps are always filthy then handwashing facilities should be handy.
. Upon valid complaints to the attendant a helpful response would have been appreciated rather than being ignored.
. In Thailand I overwhelmingly experienced polite friendly locals bending over backwards to try and help with any problems verbalised.
. We pay very good money already for fuel and And a bit more service wouldn't go astray for the customer rather than making the oil companies richer.
. I will get some disposable gloves.
AnswerID:
474079
Follow Up By: Capt. Wrongway - Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 09:38
Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 09:38
About 5 - 6 years ago, there was a very small indepentant service station in the back streets of North
Sydney. It was opperated by two brothers. They provided full driveway service. They would fill it up,
check oil, water, wiper bottle ect.... They did a very
well for themselves for a couple of years, as all the ladies around the area went there.
Caltex caught on, bought them out ... now it's a large
Caltex station.
Capt.
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