BobbyT

Most of the time when I try to fuel up, the pump keeps shutting off. Costco is my usual fuel stop, and this has occurred with older pumps as well as the brand new pumps just installed in their Fontana CA location. It appears that the metal collar around the fuel inlet on the car is a bit too small for the rubber snout on the pump nozzle to fit correctly. The handshake between these two parts must be precise, or the pump cuts off.

Has anyone else experienced this problem? Any solution?

I'm going to ask my dealer as well...

This never happens on my 2015 E350.

I measured the ID of the filler inlet collar on both cars, 74 mm.

Sigp232

Same problem with my chevron station in Orange County. Pain in the rear end to fill up GLC. Keeps on shutting off have to deep throat it LOL to fill up. Nozzle seems small not long enough.

Dstopsie

I have this problem on my 2017 C300 sport sedan too. Hate this issue!!

vikeor

No problems here. Maybe it's the pumps themselves?

MercedesTheBest

it happens to me on some pumps, i need to hold it at about 25-30% flow rate or it triggers the auto shut-off.

but, not on all pumps. seems to only effect Shell and Chevron stations for me.

blizzard12

This has never happened to me on my 2017 C300. I will see how the GLC300 acts when it is delivered in about 10 weeks.

blizzard12

I have only filled up my 2017 C300 at Shell and Costco. Never had a single issue, pump never stopped before the tank was full.
I'm expecting my GLC300 delivery in 10 weeks or so. I'm curious to see if there will be any issues with that.

decorily

Happens to me occasionally. I find if I rotate the nozzle slightly when it happens it solves the problem.

dieseldoc

Occ happens to me. Depends on the station I use.

Sigp232

Yes if you move/play with the nozzle a bit it will flow better or not click off. But down side is you have to hold it there can't let go.

GLC220Exclusive

blizzard12

Look at the bright side: you drive a BENZ! It's quality, not quantity that matters.

GLC220Exclusive

BobbyT

Email I sent to Costco this morning:

I'm having a problem refueling my new Mercedes-Benz GLC300. No matter how many different ways I try of inserting the gas pump nozzle, it clicks off prematurely, even on the lowest flow setting. I have to keep my hand on the nozzle, and maintain some pressure pushing it in, otherwise it clicks off. It seems that the rubber boot on the nozzle isn't fitting into the fuel filler on the car correctly. The inside diameter of the metal collar around the fuel filler is 74mm, if that helps.

The problem has occurred at my "home" Costco store in San Bernardino, and also at the store in Fontana, which just installed new pumps.

Also, does this "EPA to remove rubber boots", dated May 2012, apply to Costco?

​h​ttp://www.cnn.com/2012/05/10/politics/epa-gas-pump-handles/

BobbyT

Costco's response later today:

Thanks for your excellent questions regarding Costco gas stations in California -- 1) difficulty pumping fuel, and 2) the EPA's 2012 ruling regarding Stage II vapor recovery. These are complicated answers so please forgive my long response. There are also blog posts about these problems that show others struggle with similar issues, and sometimes with other makes and model vehicles. My old Ford Ranger was very difficult to fuel as well, so it's not just deluxe new cars like yours!

Some vehicles are tougher to refuel than others, and the cause is typically a combination of three factors interacting with each other:

1. Restrictive vehicle fuel port designs
2. Nozzle shutoff safety features and emissions controls
3. Vehicle emissions controls (ORVR carbon canisters)

As you begin refueling, the gasoline flows down a narrow tube to the tank. This tube has bends that vary with the design of the car. Turbulence can cause the gasoline to back up into the fill tube and trigger the safety shutoff in the nozzle spout (the little hole on the underside of the nozzle tip). To alleviate this, you can start the nozzle flow on a slower setting until the turbulence subsides. Some blogs advise to turn the nozzle upside down to avoid this, which is unsafe and risks an overfill spill.

The nozzles used in California are Vapor Recovery nozzles, which have the rubber boot on the nozzle spout. Only two or three nozzle types are approved for use in California by the Air Resources Board. They are required to shut off automatically if the vapor recovery boot is not fully engaged. This rule prevents the second solution to your issue, which is to back the nozzle out of the fuel port slightly to keep the "splashing" in the fuel port from triggering the safety shutoff feature. My guess is that when you try to manage the first problem by manipulating the nozzle, you inadvertently break the vapor seal and cause the nozzle to shut off for the second reason.

The third possible cause is the Onboard Refueling Vapor Recovery (ORVR) carbon canisters mandated in all U.S. vehicles since 2001. These canisters capture displaced vapor pushed out as the liquid fuel fills the tank. ORVR keeps these vapors in your car, and are then routed to the engine to be burned. If the little tube leading to the canister can't keep up with the fuel flow, the vapor backs up the gasoline until it can trigger the nozzle safety shutoff.

All this leads to the second subject, which is the link you sent about the 2012 EPA ruling allowing states to stop using Stage II Vapor Recovery nozzles (the ones with the vapor boots). Per the 1990 Clean Air Act, Stage II systems at gas stations can be decomissioned once ORVR canisters are in "widespread use" in the national vehicle fleet. The EPA made this determination in May 2012, leading to that highly simplifed CNN article. All but a few states have allowed this decommissioning of the complicated Stage II systems, but California is a holdout. ARB has announced they won't even consider decommissioning until 2025, so the nozzle boot will remain until then. This is despite the fact that the ORVR canisters, which perform the same emission control function as Stage II nozzles (only better), are in well over 90% of the cars refueling at a typical gas station today.

Since your new vehicle has a modern ORVR carbon canister, you won't be polluting anything if you try my only tip. Make a fork of your index and middle fingers and put the nozzle spout tip between your fingers. Use your fingers to keep the nozzle vapor boot depressed while you insert the nozzle tip into your fuel port. Slowly depress the nozzle trigger to start a slow fuel flow. Increase the fuel flow rate slowly, keeping the nozzle boot depressed. Not easy, not fun, but it's a possible solution to a very vexing problem.

For safety reasons, do not turn the nozzle upside down and please do not top off. By regulation, we must test the vapor boot shutoff feature on all our nozzles weekly.

I'm sorry my response is so long, and that you have trouble filling your car at Costco. Our attendant may be able to provide additional assistance, as they see these refueling problems every day. I hope this helps!

Regards,


Tim Hurlocker
Director, Fuel Quality and Compliance
Costco Wholesale

fearyoda

I've had same problem at 1 Shell gas station but other Shell gas station don't give me a problem.

BobbyT

My most recent email to Costco:

I tried your suggestion this morning at the San Bernardino Costco, but no joy. I still couldn't get the pump to stay on, and what I got for my efforts was a small fuel spill, which certainly created more released fuel vapor than refilling with the old-style nozzles would. The only way to get fuel to flow is to keep the nozzle pushed against the fuel inlet. As soon as pressure is released, the nozzle moves away from the inlet, loses its handshake, and clicks off.

This is a very frustrating situation, and I think the problem is widespread. Many people just find some way to cope, and don't go to the trouble of letting you know about it. I'm not a mechanical neophyte, I've done all the maintenance and minor repairs of my cars for many years, so I don't think my particular way of trying to pump fuel is the problem--it is the pump nozzles.

Apparently, there is a mismatch in the size of the metal collar around the fuel inlet on my car (measured at 74 mm, and the size of the rubber boot on the nozzle. The boot just won't fit into the collar, so the seal is poor, limited to just the edges of the mating parts. This is an engineering problem that needs to be solved, and I think the manufacturer of these nozzles (Healy et al), needs some strong encouragement to do so from Costco--certainly one of the biggest vendor of gasoline in California.

Thanks again for your quick and thorough response, and I am confident Costco will be a leader in getting this problem resolved.

BobbyT

I also forwarded my exchange with Costco to South Coast Air Quality Management District.

"Thank you very much for your email. I will be forwarding this on to our inspection unit

Derrick Alatorre
Deputy Executive Officer/Public Advisor
Legislative, Public Affairs & Media Affairs
South Coast Air Quality Management District
909-396-3122"

Move'n

Is this a Mercedes Benz design flaw? It's a P.I.A. and just one of a few big disappointments I've experienced with my GLC.

BobbyT

At first I though that the problem was because the rubber boot on the fuel pump nozzle was a bit too large, and didn't fit far enough in for the GLC to fill easily. Now I'm not sure, because I've never had the problem to a bothersome extent on my 2015 E350, and the inside diameter of the metal collar on the fuel filler of my GLC is exactly the same as the E350, 74 mm. It might be some difference in the GLC filler pipe internally, maybe the way it is designed to control the fuel flow, the shut-off valving, or something else. Anyway, I don't expect the CA authorities to do anything about it, nor do I expect Mercedes to address it either. It would be too costly for them, and it doesn't affect safety or driveability, it's just an annoyance. Lately I am getting better results by starting the fuel flow slower, and getting the nozzle/fill pipe mated carefully. I don't think it's big disappointment, just a small niggle in an otherwise very satisfying car.

Axel B

I find that if I rotate the nozzle so it's at the 10 o'clock position (almost upside down) it's easy to fill my GLC43 with the California vapor recovery nozzles....although you must then take care to not scratch your paint.

Sigp232

Only disappointing thing about this car is when it's time to fill it up. Shuts/clicks off so many times hard to tell when tank is full. Other than that it's great.

Skizz

Crap. I have to do exactly that on my DD 2009 avalanche. I was sooo much looking forward to never having to screw with that again when I decided to buy a new DD. Now that I've ordered a GLC43, looks like I'll be back in the same boat. Wish manufacturers could solve this issue once and for all.

jeffzou

Hello everyone. I've been reading this thread and certainly it is a PIA to have to watch over that pump while filling the tank. I too am a Californian and we have to deal with those vapor lock hoses.

I was originally having challenges as well. However, I found something that works on my GLC and hoping that I can explain it well enough for you all to try.

I insert the hose end into the filler tank to where it naturally stops..Then - and this is where the magic happens - I push in and down further. It almost seems to lock the nozzle into the filler tube.

Since I have started downing this with my GLC I have never had any additional problems.

Remember, push firmly in further then down all in sort of one motion.

Jeff

ajpogi24

Filled up today, as usual same issue with the crappy CA vapor recovery boot being on the way and had to push in the nozzle harder to keep the lever from popping, and had to pull up and out with extra force to remove the nozzle out after filling up. Probably gonna be like this from now on when filling up...not good.