Got Gas?

At first glance, writing an article about something as mundane as pumping gas might seem a bit unnecessary. After all, we do it so often that we rarely stop to think about it while we do it. Instead, we are on our phones, looking around, or talking to other people while we pump. But that can be a huge mistake. In a New York Times article from 2006, it is said that almost 200 fires while pumping gas occurring during the time period of 1992 through 2006. (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/27/automobiles/27STATIC.html). To put this in a bit of perspective, you must also take in to account  that, according to the The Association for Convenience and Fuel Retailing, a membership group for convenience and gas stores, claims that 40 million Americans fuel up on a daily basis. So the danger is not that great, but if you are that one person who has a situation while pumping gas, you won’t be concerned with the fact that the odds are in your favor, you will just know that something’s wrong. Let’s see how to pump gas in such a way as to make sure it’s safe.

First off, the basics: Know where your gas filler is (the pipe you pump the gas in to). If you have a car built within the last ten or fifteen years, you can usually find it by the arrow that is near your gas gauge, like this gauge:

 The left arrow on the above gauge tells you that your gas filler is on the left side of the car, so that is the side of the pump you will pull up to to fuel up. On an older car, you will simply have to memorize it, or do it the old fashioned way: get out and look! Once you know where the filler is, pull up to the proper side and stop your car. Put the car in park, and turn the car off. I don’t care if the temperature is 100 above or 100 below 0. You never, ever, ever, ever fill a car up with the engine running. We will get in to why in just a bit. Once the car is off, and you are at the proper pump, get out of the car and lock it behind you. This is very important because of a recent trend called “sliding,” which occurs almost universally to women(it’s almost always a woman because men don’t carry purses, they carry wallets, and those are much harder to steal without someone noticing!). Sliders will pull up to a car that is pumping gas, open the front passenger door, and take the woman’s purse while she is pumping gas. If you think this is too far-fetched to be real, take a look at how observant you are the next time you pump gas. If you are like most people, you are staring at the pump, staring off in to space, or looking at your cell phone. Few people are as aware of their surroundings as they should be to prevent sliding. Locking all your doors makes sure that sliding is not something you need to worry about.

Ok, so you are at the proper pump, you have exited the vehicle (with wallet or purse in hand, of course), and now you have locked the vehicle. Now you have a choice. If you are paying with a debit or credit card, you can pay at the pump. If you go this route, be very observant of the people around you. You will need to enter your PIN if it’s a debit card, and if someone sees your PIN, it won’t take much for them to attempt to grab the card and used it, so make sure you put your hand over the number keypad when entering your PIN. This is good advice whenever you have to submit your PIN, to be honest.

One question that might come up now is what are the advantages and disadvantages of going inside the store to pay. I would say the advantages of going inside are primarily safety related. If you don’t feel safe pumping gas with the people who are around you, you can always lock your car doors, go inside, pretend to shop, and then when you notice that the people that spooked you are gone, you can use your debit card or cash to pay for your gas inside the store, then pump it. Whatever you decide, don’t feel bad about going inside. The main thing that gets most people in trouble is not listening to that still, small voice that talks to them all the time. If it’s saying go inside, then go inside. Safety is always better than pride any day.

Gas has been paid for, now it’s time to pump. This is usually the easiest thing about getting gas. You choose your option (usually ranging from unleaded, the cheapest gas, to premium, the most expensive), push the  button, and when the pump tells you to, release the pump handle from the cradle, push or pull the lever up, put the pump into the filler, and pump your gas. (By the way, don’t get premium gas unless your car specifically calls for it. Doing so is pretty much the same thing as serving prime rib to your dogs instead of just stew meat. Sure, your dogs will love it, but it’s more money than you really need to spend).

You’re pumping now, and this is where the danger can really come in to play. As stated in the first paragraph, there have been almost 200 static-related fires since 1992. Almost all of these happened because the person pumping gas was leaning against the car, rubbed up against it or shuffled their feet while the went to get back in the car, then got out, and touched the metal of the pump. This caused a spark, as really heavy static shocks will do (and most readers will be familiar with this: during the winter or any time of the year in certain houses, you will get shocked by touching anything metal. The stronger the shock, the more electricity you will see, and the more pain you will feel). If the static discharge is strong, and the static is discharged right by gas fumes, you can imagine it would not take long to catch those sparks on fire. So to avoid this, stay outside of your car while you are fueling. It doesn’t take the long to fill your tank, and you want to be outside to watch what is going on. I find the time while I fuel to be a good time to walk around my car and check the car out. I look at the tires, windshield, body, everything. If nothing else, you can use this time to clean the windows using the squeegee and cleaning solution most gas stations have on hand. Again though, do not enter the car until you are all done with fueling and the gas cap is back on.

To fuel the car, take off the gas cap, place it someplace you won’t forget it (never place it on the gas pump or anyplace outside of your car; placing gas caps on fuel pumps or the ground near a fuel pump is one of the main ways that you get to go buy a new fuel cap!). Now put the gas in your car. One thing you can do is use the automatic feature that most fuel pumps have. This automatic feature is simply a level that you can wedge into place to keep the fuel flowing without you having to hold the pump. Don’t worry about overfilling. Once the tank is full, the level clicks off automatically, stopping the gas before it can overflow.

Once you have finished fueling, you will know because the pump will click, indicating it is full. Do not  top off your tank. Topping off is done by trying to get more fuel in to the tank. This can cause potential engine problems and check engine lights to come on. Now find your gas cap, and tighten it according to the instructions on the  cap. Some want it tightened until you hear multiple clicks, some only want you to tighten it until you hear one click. Whatever your cap says, follow it to avoid a potential engine light coming on.

The last thing you have to decide is whether or not you want a receipt. If you do, get it from the pump or the salesperson inside the store. As always, be observant about your car. Walk back to it in such a way as to be able to see around it to notice anyone who might be hiding there. And yes, these kinds of carjacking situations do happen. Any criminal will look for the easiest target. If he or she sees you talking on your cell phone and not paying attention to what’s going on around you, they will lock on to you in case they need a car. Don’t be this person, be observant.

Get to the car, unlock it, get inside, lock the doors again, start the car, buckle your seat belt, put the car in drive, and conquer the day. Until next time…