Re: Gas Tank Fill Location All Wrong

Nov 15, 2007 137 Replies

Your only hope is to move to New Jersey where the State requires gas station attendants fill the car for you.



Have you taken notice that some cars have the gas fill opening on the
> driver's side and others have it located on the passenger's side? Either
> way, there is only one way you can drive up to the pumps. The pump's
> transfer hose must be on the side of the gas fill opening. This is
> inconvenient at a busy gas station where your available spot may not fit
> your car's configuration. Today's gas pumps have short hoses that cannot
> reach around to the opposite side of your car.
>
> A long time ago, some cars were fitted with a central, rear-bumper > location
> for universal gas fill, under the license plate. That location is
> considered unsafe today.
>
> My suggestion is that all cars be fitted with TWO gas fill access, one on
> the left rear quarter panel and the other on the right. Then, you could
> drive up to a gas pump from either direction and pump gas.
>
> Sure, it will cost a few dollars to add this feature, but so what? The
> dozens of added features to cars already cost and nobody's complaining. At
> least, this suggestion makes good sense, more sense than many costly
> features that do little or nothing for comfort or safety: radio controls > on
> the steering wheel, for example. Cars now cost 10 times what they used to
> within the lifetime of people still in the workforce, so I say, so what if
> a two-way gas filler costs an extra $5 or $10 to the auto maker and
> translated into $10 or $20 more retail?
>
>
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One reason I know of for position of gas filler location is the exhaust pipe. Seams not many people want to pump their gas over top of a hot exhaust pipe when it is overfilled or leaks it could cause an explosion or fire.Guess they could move all exhaust to middle of the car. ; )

Have you ever tried that? Not gonna happen, even with the car still running, which is against the law...

I drive a P71 Crown Vic which has dual exhausts. So I guess I shouldn't have a fill spot on either side, huh?

I'd rather have one fill location and save my money. I go to the fuel station at OFF PEAK hours, I never worry about such s*it...

What about Oregon? They require it, too. I live in NJ. I would rather he didn't.

Jeff

I have duals also so they put the filler through a hole in the rear seat console.

I can and do fill my Safari van by draping the hose over the top of the van at the local Sams store. The same for my Toyota Tacoma. They only allow one way traffic through the pumps to avoid head bumping and fist fights ;-} Thanks to people such as you I hardly ever have to wait for a free pump.

A few years ago I was in NJ and asked an attendant why they had that law. He said its a union thing

yup it is a union thing. the gas pumpers union is all powerfull, and will never let the law be changed.

just last week, they signed a new contract, and they now are being paid over $7/hr!!!

The attendant was wrong. Do you really think most attendant are union workers? I don't. At the wages they get, I doubt they are able to afford union dues.

There is self-service gas in New Jersey because the people of the state want it that way.

Jeff

Back in the 1960's, there were many cars having the filler neck behind the rear license plate. My Dad's 1965 Dodge Coronet was this way. The plate mount was spring loaded. This enabled the vehicle to be filled from either side. Once the tanks had to be mounted further away from the rear for safety, that pretty much ended that.

-KM

But most cars today have a little arrow on the fuel gauge, telling you which side the filler is on.

Also, it was down so low, fuel often overflowed out of the filler when filling, or when full. That's an emissions problem.

Jaguars used to have two tanks, with a filler on each rear fender.

Gee, I hope you don't go into comedy for living. You'll be making less than the attendants, after paying their union dues.

Jeff

Yet another reason NOT to own a Ford

And what "reason" might that be?

While it may have started as some misguided social labor management attempt, employ the otherwise unemployable, it remains in place now because all the lazy voters who don't want to vote to pump their own gas...

You are kidding right.

Think about the Ford / Mercury Focus. Look at the Reverse / Rear fog lamps. Now tell me what you notice.

Thats right one reverse (back up) light and one rear fog light!

Now a car the size of a Focus should IMHO have one of each at either side, it would cost ford a couple of dollars per car to install one of each at either side, will they do it? Yeah right....

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