The good and the bad about NJ gas pumps!

YankeeFan said:

No idea where I'm going with this.....do ya? Well, in the state of NJ you cannot pump your own gas. Guess it keeps many people employed. The good thing is gas in NJ is about .20-.22 cheaper than PA where I live. Bad thing is they don't give a crap how the gas cap scraps the car, which I got a little of last week. I was thinking of trying to get a small piece of the 3M plastic used to protect the front of the cars. Or does anyone know of a gas cap cover that is soft enougfh to protect the paint?

Howard

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I'D STAND ALONG SIDE OF THE PUMPER AND HOLD THE CAP....... .

That's very strange how you cannot fuel up your own vehicle. That would drive me bonkers. Personally, I am very anal about recording my fuel mileage to ensure the truck is running properly. I always fill it all the way to the NECK to where it almost drips out, which usually takes a good 10 minutes.

P1et said:

That's very strange how you cannot fuel up your own vehicle. That would drive me bonkers. Personally, I am very anal about recording my fuel mileage to ensure the truck is running properly. I always fill it all the way to the NECK to where it almost drips out, which usually takes a good 10 minutes.

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Ummm....that cant be good. I've always heard that filling it up to the brim is BAD!!

On-Site Mechanic: 09/26/03 - The Car Connection
[SIZE=+0]Take it to the limit [/SIZE]


Q--A buddy of mine insists on filling the tank of his 1999 Chevy Blazer to the limit so that it is pouring out of the overflow tube. When I leave the gas station you can smell the gas fumes in the air.
I have told him that this can cause problems such as a fire or a problem with the return hose and the charcoal canister. I have tried so many times to explain this to him but still will not listen. I would really appreciate your expert advice.

A--Overfilling can, as you have noted, actually waste gas. Any that escapes your tank ends up polluting the environment as well as posing a fire risk. Yes, overfilling can also saturate the charcoal granules in the evaporate storage canister requiring replacement. It isn't cheap.
Additionally, if he fills up at a pump that is equipped with vapor recovery, some of the gas he is paying for can be sucked back into the station's own tanks

AND
Topping Off

i always round up to the next dollar, am I going to hell?

YankeeFan said:

No idea where I'm going with this.....do ya? Well, in the state of NJ you cannot pump your own gas. Guess it keeps many people employed. The good thing is gas in NJ is about .20-.22 cheaper than PA where I live. Bad thing is they don't give a crap how the gas cap scraps the car, which I got a little of last week. I was thinking of trying to get a small piece of the 3M plastic used to protect the front of the cars. Or does anyone know of a gas cap cover that is soft enougfh to protect the paint?

Howard

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That's a biggest waste of labor I can think of...If the scratch your paint - sue them. And so to the most expensivest body shop in the state. That will teach 'em a lesson...:cheers:

I don't know about a plastic gas cap but I didn't think gas stations stilled pumped gas for people anywhere in the US. What's even more amazing is a state has a law requiring it.

Just stop before you get there and take the cap off and then go and put it on when you leave.

Gary Sword said:

I don't know about a plastic gas cap but I didn't think gas stations stilled pumped gas for people anywhere in the US. What's even more amazing is a state has a law requiring it.

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Yeh this is actually a NJ law. Way back freshman year in college, my roomates GF was from NJ. She came over all pissed one night, said she went to get gas and the station wouldn't pump her gas, she waited and waited before going inside. He and I looked at her like "huh???". She said she had never pumped gas before and that it was always the station who did it and she figured everywhere else did the same........obviously not lol, and she was actually pissed that somebody didn't pump her gas. lol

P1et said:

That's very strange how you cannot fuel up your own vehicle. That would drive me bonkers. Personally, I am very anal about recording my fuel mileage to ensure the truck is running properly. I always fill it all the way to the NECK to where it almost drips out, which usually takes a good 10 minutes.

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If you're pumping past the "click" off, then any gas you pump just goes back into the gas station's pumps but you get charged anyway

Gary Sword said:

I don't know about a plastic gas cap but I didn't think gas stations stilled pumped gas for people anywhere in the US. What's even more amazing is a state has a law requiring it.

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Indeed, was quite a shocker for me as well when I visited NJ. In the South we pump our own gas Im the MAN

Surfer said:

Yeh this is actually a NJ law. Way back freshman year in college, my roomates GF was from NJ. She came over all pissed one night, said she went to get gas and the station wouldn't pump her gas, she waited and waited before going inside. He and I looked at her like "huh???". She said she had never pumped gas before and that it was always the station who did it and she figured everywhere else did the same........obviously not lol, and she was actually pissed that somebody didn't pump her gas. lol

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She drove down from NJ and never had to get gas on the way here?

Yea I live in NJ too and have to deal with this but luckily I dont think theyve hit the paint yet. NJ is a weird state, I do plan to move eventually because a lot of the weirdness is in a bad way.

We can't have fireworks either... Well legally we cant but that doesnt stop me from driving real far away every 4th of july to get some

Yeah one time getting Gas there they chipped my paint putting the gas pump into the nozzle. I was pissed when I saw the chip as I went to pump gas again.

dengood1 said:

She drove down from NJ and never had to get gas on the way here?

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Must have had a GEO!

dengood1 said:

She drove down from NJ and never had to get gas on the way here?

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Auto-Train, the train will carry cars from NJ all the way down here. Most of the kids back at college were from NJ/NY and used the auto-train instead of driving down. I almost bought a Saleen Explorer some years ago in NJ and was going to have it shipped down on the Auto-Train.

New Jersey is probably the most restrictive state in the country in many ways. I never look foward to getting gas here in New Jersey, you never know what kind of uncaring idiot is going to slap that nozzle into your tank.
I always go to the same Sunoco station in my neighborhood in hope of building some kind of understanding with the attendent about how much I enjoy maintaining my car and if he could take a little extra care when filling it. But as most of you know, some people just can't be reached. How many times have I seen the nozzle pulled out a bit before all the gas has left the nozzle only to have it drip down the side of the car. Sometimes " I'm sorry" just doesn't cut it. That's why I always have a bottle of QD and a mf towel in my trunk. It seems our state officials have a fear we will be blowing ourselves up all over the state. Wonder what they think happens when we go of state to the "pump your own gas" states? I haven't noticed people go running for the hills when they see my NJ plates pulling into a PA gas station.
Every once in awhile you'll see an article in the paper about people trying to have the this law changed, but nothing comes of it. Maybe our DMV should require everyone with a license take a intensive course in safe gas pumping. Of course they would charge a minimal fee, say $150 or $200. Seems fair LOL.

well im in nj as well and when i take my ta to get gas i hop out open up the tank and put the nozzle in myself.... no law against doing that or taking it out i just let the attendant hit the button for me sometimes they get mad but the gas station i norm go to doesnt have a problem with it i guess they got used to it

Rich189, you make a good point. My car. unfortunatly, allows the gas door to be opened as soon as I turn the engine off as long as I don't lock the doors. I have a disability that keeps me from moving as fast as I'd have to in order to beat the attendent to the cap, and beside that, I have one of the few cars that have the filler door one the passenger side of the car. That does keep me from getting to it as quickly as I'd need to. Maybe we'll see the law change in the not to distant future, untill then, a kind word of caution might help keep our cars from being abused by gas jockeys.

I frequently fill up in Jersey when possible as it is appreciably cheaper than NYC. Always I admonish them to be careful with the cap and nozzle. They mostly comply, espeially when I step around to stretch my legs and record the pump readings, but I've occassionally thought about learning some Hindi just to be sure they get the message.