Motor vehicle fuel filler pipe having fuel pump nozzle locating dimples

A fuel filler pipe comprising:

• a filler tube;
• a nozzle entry chamber;
• and
• a dimpled filler neck disposed between said filler tube and said nozzle entry chamber, said dimpled filler neck having at least three dimples circumferentially spaced around, and radially protruding in relation to, an adjacently disposed inner surface of said dimpled filler neck;
• wherein said at least three dimples are located at a predetermined nozzle engagement zone of said dimpled filler neck providing a predetermined radial loose interfit to a pump nozzle and concentrically locating the nozzle with respect to said filler neck through abutment of an apex of said at least three dimples with an outer cylindrical surface of the nozzle;
• and
• wherein said dimpled filler neck has a trough at a gravitationally lowest location thereof;
• said trough being free of a dimple.

A method for fueling a motor vehicle, said method comprising the steps of:

• inserting a service station fuel pump nozzle having a nozzle end portion with an aspirator hole of an automatic fuel shut-off sensor into a filler pipe of the motor vehicle such that the end portion of the nozzle reaches an engagement zone of the filler pipe;
• and
• abutting an outer cylindrical surface of the nozzle against at least three dimples circumferentially spaced around, and radially protruding in relation to, an adjacently disposed inner surface of the filler pipe in the engagement zone such as to concentrically align the nozzle with respect to the filler pipe;
• wherein the aspirator hole is free of abutment with respect to said filler pipe.