First tank

It only took, like, two years of hovering, circling and procrastinating, but I finally got my first tank of 100% BIODIESEL fuel into Miss Madeline, my 240 D. All it took was for me to join the Baltimore biodiesel coop for $100 bucks a year, which buys me the privilege to pay $3.90 a gallon at the self serve pump down by the farmers market.

I joined the coop June 5 after attending a membership meeting and giving my check to the treasurer.  While the other members had somehow managed to make the leap of faith and just put their check in the mail, my check was sticking to me, and I couldn't get it sent.  So the treasurer was kind enough to actually take it, in person, and one of the other members volunteered to shepherd me through the process of getting my first tank of biodiesel.

It happened that I'd elected to join during a transitional period for the fuel pump configuration.  The fueling setup is actually quite ingenious, there's a cage with a pad where you swipe your card, plug in a PIN, open the door and fuel up, with the bill automatically deducted from your account online.  But there had been a transition from a land-line modem to a cellular modem and the cellular wasn't working the first couple of times I tried to fuel up.  Luckily, I have learned to set aside some reservoir of patience for using technology the first time.  It only took a couple of trys.

Thanks to the thoughtful efforts of the coop's membership coordinator, I was not deterred by initial obstacles, and the day came that I arrived at the pump, swiped my card, plugged in my PIN, and-- voila- I was pumpin' the BIO-DEEZ right into the old Merc!

The first tank was, by the advice of my mechanic, mixed with about 1/3 petro diesel.  Just to try it out. I was advised that I might experience a lag in performance.  Not sure if that has happened, as the 240 D is such a lumbering beast, especially when going up hills, that it is hard to gauge.

What I like is that it smells- pretty good.  And I don't feel like I am inhaling toxic fumes in the car. I know I am renewable, sustainable, and overall just less destructive to the ecosystem.  I am sure Rudolph D. would have wanted it this way.