Gas caps

[US81]

My daughter had a 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse with gas on passenger side. Most of the gas stations around her would form lines from both directions to accommodate the majority with the gas on the driver side. There were a few times no one would let her get "in-line" to get to a pump because the lines were full of cars with gas caps on the left and no one understood or cared why she was trying to queue from the other direction. She had to make a point to buy gas on weekdays at off-peak hours.

[PHLBOS]

In most non-directional gas stations, it's a free-for-all.  Some come from one way, some from others.  Some pull up on the right, some on the left.  Almost no one pulls up on the side their gas cap isn't.  And it pretty much works out.

Bingo!  That's exactly the point I was trying to make.

[formulanone]

Most Mazda vehicles have it on the passenger (right) side, although nearly other every Asian nameplate vehicle has it on the driver's (left) side. Our Mazda 5 van has it on the passenger side, but the CX-5 has it on the driver's side.

There's little consistency, but most American cars made in the past twenty years seem to have it on the driver's (left) side, although I rented 2014 Chevy Malibu which bucked its own trend, by putting it on the passenger side.

Speaking of caps, Ford vehicles in the past few years don't have any...lift the flap and pour.

I'm guessing the location of the fuel filler neck, cap, and door flap is shelved until after 99% of the design, planning, and engineering is already completed.

[02 Park Ave]

I avoid the single priced stations because the cash customers are subsidizing the credit customers.  At the dual priced stations, credit is between 4 and 8 cents per gallon difference.  Just comparing the cash price at dual priced stations and the price at single priced stations shows what the subsidy is.

[spooky]

Most Mazda vehicles have it on the passenger (right) side, although nearly other every Asian nameplate vehicle has it on the driver's (left) side. Our Mazda 5 van has it on the passenger side, but the CX-5 has it on the driver's side.

My last three vehicles have been Mazdas and all have been on the driver's side - a 2003 Protege 5, a 2010 CX-7, and a 2013 CX-5.

[roadman]

I avoid the single priced stations because the cash customers are subsidizing the credit customers.  At the dual priced stations, credit is between 4 and 8 cents per gallon difference.  Just comparing the cash price at dual priced stations and the price at single priced stations shows what the subsidy is.

As the actual cost of electronic transactions is negligible, the government should just abolish price differentials between cash and credit/debit transactions.  Same goes for ATM fees.  It may be called a "fee", but it's no different than price gouging.

[PHLBOS]

There's little consistency, but most American cars made in the past twenty years seem to have it on the driver's (left) side, although I rented 2014 Chevy Malibu which bucked its own trend, by putting it on the passenger side.

Every Ford Motor Company vehicle I've owned ('69 LTD, two '76 LTDs, '85 Grand Marquis, '97 Crown Victoria & '07 Mustang) indeed has/had the fuel door/gas cap located on the left (driver's) side.  However, the pre-'91 Ford Escort models had the fuel door/gas cap located on the right (passenger's) side; my family owned three of those Escorts ('83, '86 & '87).

OTOH, my two Chevys ('74 Impala hardtop & '89 Caprice sedan) had the gas cap behind the rear license plate (which had the spring-hinge).

Speaking of caps, Ford vehicles in the past few years don't have any...lift the flap and pour.

IIRC, such is called a resealable (capless) system.  For the first year or so it was offered; some car reviewers commented that was prone to spillage.  Not sure whether later models had a fix for such.

I avoid the single priced stations because the cash customers are subsidizing the credit customers.  At the dual priced stations, credit is between 4 and 8 cents per gallon difference.  Just comparing the cash price at dual priced stations and the price at single priced stations shows what the subsidy is.

As the actual cost of electronic transactions is negligible, the government should just abolish price differentials between cash and credit/debit transactions.  Same goes for ATM fees.  It may be called a "fee", but it's no different than price gouging.

Good luck w/that.  Several years ago, ATMs in CT weren't allowed to charge an on-the-spot fee; but several large banks (First Union being one of them) challenged the ban in court and, sadly, won.

[kkt]

Most Mazda vehicles have it on the passenger (right) side, although nearly other every Asian nameplate vehicle has it on the driver's (left) side. Our Mazda 5 van has it on the passenger side, but the CX-5 has it on the driver's side.

My last three vehicles have been Mazdas and all have been on the driver's side - a 2003 Protege 5, a 2010 CX-7, and a 2013 CX-5.

My 2002 Protege is also driver's side.

[DaBigE]

There's little consistency, but most American cars made in the past twenty years seem to have it on the driver's (left) side, although I rented 2014 Chevy Malibu which bucked its own trend, by putting it on the passenger side.

Every Ford Motor Company vehicle I've owned ('69 LTD, two '76 LTDs, '85 Grand Marquis, '97 Crown Victoria & '07 Mustang) indeed has/had the fuel door/gas cap located on the left (driver's) side.  However, the pre-'91 Ford Escort models had the fuel door/gas cap located on the right (passenger's) side; my family owned three of those Escorts ('83, '86 & '87).

The '03 Focus I used to own had it on the right. The current '10 Fusion has it on the left. I wonder if the Focus coming over from Europe has something do with the filler cap location?

Speaking of caps, Ford vehicles in the past few years don't have any...lift the flap and pour.

IIRC, such is called a resealable (capless) system.  For the first year or so it was offered; some car reviewers commented that was prone to spillage.  Not sure whether later models had a fix for such.

Ford officially calls it the Easy Fuel™ Capless Fuel System or Easy Fuel™ for short. My Fusion has it, and as along as you don't attempt to "top-off" your tank (don't attempt to continue to fill after the pump shuts off), I've had no problems with spillage.

I never gave it a second thought, but apparently some filler nozzles are not compatible. I thought all unleaded nozzles were the same, other than the emissions capture systems.

[agentsteel53]

Some people truly don't have a credit card! 

some people also truly don't have a driver's license! 

I think that to absolutely go without one is senseless.  to not use a credit card would not even match the analogy of not driving.  if you want to build credit (and, in this society, it's necessary that one has it) then you need to use a credit card and pay it off frequently.  it's just the sensible thing to do.

like you two, I put as much as I can on my card.  I pay it off every time the balance hits about $1000.  sometimes a day or two later if I'm on the road.

[kkt]

I avoid the single priced stations because the cash customers are subsidizing the credit customers.  At the dual priced stations, credit is between 4 and 8 cents per gallon difference.  Just comparing the cash price at dual priced stations and the price at single priced stations shows what the subsidy is.

As the actual cost of electronic transactions is negligible, the government should just abolish price differentials between cash and credit/debit transactions.  Same goes for ATM fees.  It may be called a "fee", but it's no different than price gouging.

Why is this something the government has to fix?  If you don't like the fees, go to businesses/ATMs that don't charge them.

If you really want to tilt at windmills, you could report merchants with differential pricing to the credit card companies.

[agentsteel53]

As the actual cost of electronic transactions is negligible, the government should just abolish price differentials between cash and credit/debit transactions.  Same goes for ATM fees.  It may be called a "fee", but it's no different than price gouging.

it should be done in reverse. 

credit card?  free
pay cash and make someone have to count it?  1%
pay with a check?  3%
didn't have the check recipient, signature, and other static fields filled out before you got to the register?  5%
haggling at the tollbooth?  (saw it just the other day!  a trucker was trying to get a discount because his truck was empty.)  10%
playing Magic: the Gathering with coupons?  ("and if I cast '$2 off' *after* 'double next coupon' then my dragon is free!")  15%
"oh, I've got the 9 cents here ... let me start digging through this endless heap of old receipts, used condoms, etc..."  25%

time is money, people.

[1995hoo]

some people also truly don't have a driver's license! 

....

I find it hard to fathom going without a driver's license in the USA. The "ID cards" issued by the DMV to people who can't or won't get a driver's license are sometimes met with suspicion by people who think a driver's license is the only acceptable form of ID. Even passports confuse some people. I've used my passport as ID on Election Day a few times, mainly because I don't want to go to the nuisance of pulling my driver's license out of the leather case it's in. Some of the old ladies at the polling place get annoyed or confused. One of them complained it didn't have my address on it and so she didn't want to take it. I told her she had no choice because the Virginia statute specifically names a passport as acceptable. Her supervisor agreed with me.

If I'm really in an ornery mood, I sometimes use my passport card. That one really baffles some people. The guy at the Apple Store and I were laughing about that once when I picked up an order and used my passport card after hearing his British accent. He said he uses his green card as ID and it almost always confuses people.

A TSA employee at Reagan Airport once wanted to know why I was using my passport for a flight to Charlotte. I replied, "It's a valid, government-issued photo ID." I didn't see the need to tell him I was connecting on to Mexico in Charlotte. Given his job, he should have been able to surmise I had a connection somewhere.

[vdeane]

I am also confused. 

In most non-directional gas stations, it's a free-for-all.  Some come from one way, some from others.  Some pull up on the right, some on the left.  Almost no one pulls up on the side their gas cap isn't.  And it pretty much works out

In the days before the hanging-from-above vapor-recovery hoses, in fact, I don't recall anyone doing this at all. 

To bring this back on topic, can you imagine the even longer lines at the Turnpike gas stations if gas caps were all on the same side?

Personally, I'd like to end the free-for-all.  Take the local Stewart's for example.  Traffic coming from Wade Rd Ext can use one side.  Traffic coming from Forts Ferry Rd can use the other.  It works great until someone shows up who has a gas cap on the right.  Granted, stations would have to be modified to be non-directional (or at least bi-directional like the Stewart's I just cited).

I avoid the single priced stations because the cash customers are subsidizing the credit customers.  At the dual priced stations, credit is between 4 and 8 cents per gallon difference.  Just comparing the cash price at dual priced stations and the price at single priced stations shows what the subsidy is.

As the actual cost of electronic transactions is negligible, the government should just abolish price differentials between cash and credit/debit transactions.  Same goes for ATM fees.  It may be called a "fee", but it's no different than price gouging.

Why is this something the government has to fix?  If you don't like the fees, go to businesses/ATMs that don't charge them.

If you really want to tilt at windmills, you could report merchants with differential pricing to the credit card companies.

While it's easy to avoid split cash/credit pricing while home in NY, it's very common in NJ.  Unless you refuel exclusively on the Turnpike, I don't know if it's even possible to avoid split cash/credit pricing down there.

Avoiding ATM fees requires that one deal exclusively with an ATM from their own bank.  Not practical if one runs out of cash while traveling (unless they have an account with a "too big to fail" bank with crappy service).

[Brandon]

A TSA employee at Reagan Airport once wanted to know why I was using my passport for a flight to Charlotte. I replied, "It's a valid, government-issued photo ID." I didn't see the need to tell him I was connecting on to Mexico in Charlotte. Given his job, he should have been able to surmise I had a connection somewhere.

There's a reason why I like to call them things like Twits and Stupid Assholes.

[1995hoo]

....

Avoiding ATM fees requires that one deal exclusively with an ATM from their own bank.  Not practical if one runs out of cash while traveling (unless they have an account with a "too big to fail" bank with crappy service).

Or patronize a bank that reimburses you for ATM fees charged by other banks. (Ours does that.)

[jeffandnicole]

While it's easy to avoid split cash/credit pricing while home in NY, it's very common in NJ.  Unless you refuel exclusively on the Turnpike, I don't know if it's even possible to avoid split cash/credit pricing down there.

All you have to do is ask one of the many people here that live in NJ.

The answer is Yes, you can avoid it.  The #1 and most consistent way is by going to Wawa, which advertises Same Price Cash or Credit.  After that, it can widely vary.  A Citgo around the corner from me is Same Price. Another one a few miles away did Same Price, then split pricing (Cash Discount)...then Same Price...and now Cash Discount (Yeah, I almost wonder if they do that to trick people).  A Hess nearby also is Same Price.  Lukoil seems to be very consistent with Cash Discount pricing.  The truck stops I'll hit for gas (Loves at NJ Turnpike Int. 7; Flying J & Pilot near the Del. Mem. Bridge) all do Same Price.

So if someone is one that tends to hit the same gas stations often, you know which ones are always same price.  While traveling elsewhere, you know Wawa will be same price, and just keep an eye out at other stations for their pricing structures.

[DaBigE]

As the actual cost of electronic transactions is negligible, the government should just abolish price differentials between cash and credit/debit transactions.  Same goes for ATM fees.  It may be called a "fee", but it's no different than price gouging.

it should be done in reverse. 

credit card?  free
pay cash and make someone have to count it?  1%
pay with a check?  3%
didn't have the check recipient, signature, and other static fields filled out before you got to the register?  5%
haggling at the tollbooth?  (saw it just the other day!  a trucker was trying to get a discount because his truck was empty.)  10%
playing Magic: the Gathering with coupons?  ("and if I cast '$2 off' *after* 'double next coupon' then my dragon is free!")  15%
"oh, I've got the 9 cents here ... let me start digging through this endless heap of old receipts, used condoms, etc..."  25%

time is money, people.

Love that idea!   When I was a cashier, I looked forward to customers paying with plastic. Those that came with small change for a large purchase... 

I absolutely loathe getting stuck behind someone that pays by check. And instead of at least filling out the basics (name of the store, date, etc.) while they're in queue, they waste their time reading the tabloids.

[jeffandnicole]

To make this NJ Turnpike related (yeah, that's right Steve...merge this back with the NJ Turnpike thread!), I would have people come into the toll lane...hand me their ticket, and then fish around for money.  They've been sitting in line.  They knew they had to pay a toll.  Even if they didn't know the toll amount, at least they could've had their wallet in hand...or had a $20.  At the time, even for trucks, tolls would not be more expensive than $20.

And guess what...most of the time, after looking at their money, they eventually pulled out a $20 anyway.  That, my friends, is one of the reasons why toll lines take forever.  It's not the toll operator.  Its the motorist that takes forever to pull their money out of their ass (nearly quite literally). 

As for the people that had a toll of, say, $3.55, hand me a $20, and then try to look for exact change:  They give me the $20.  I would have the $16.45 in my hand by their door within seconds.  After they finally searched for and successfully (or unsuccessfully) found that change, they would turn and see my stretched-out hand with their change all ready for them.  I would have to be in a really nice mood if I took their 55 cents at that point, because they just slowed me down, and slowed everyone else behind them down too.

[SteveG1988]

The Taurus/Sable from 1986-2007 had it on the passenger side

[1995hoo]

Love that idea!   When I was a cashier, I looked forward to customers paying with plastic. Those that came with small change for a large purchase... 

....

I remember when I worked at a computer store and a guy paid for a $4600 purchase in cash, all $100 bills. That held up the line forever as I had to count it multiple times. Ugh. Really made me wish there were something larger than a $100.



Regarding the tolls, I remember when the Verrazano had a lane marked for exact cash (not a toll machine–bills were OK, but it had to be exact) or tokens only in the years prior to E-ZPass. One time the toll collector was berating the guy ahead of us.....turned out the guy wanted to pay with a $50, in the exact toll lane, for what was then a $7 toll.

[PHLBOS]

While it's easy to avoid split cash/credit pricing while home in NY, it's very common in NJ.  Unless you refuel exclusively on the Turnpike, I don't know if it's even possible to avoid split cash/credit pricing down there.

All you have to do is ask one of the many people here that live in NJ.

The answer is Yes, you can avoid it.  The #1 and most consistent way is by going to Wawa, which advertises Same Price Cash or Credit.  After that, it can widely vary.  A Citgo around the corner from me is Same Price. Another one a few miles away did Same Price, then split pricing (Cash Discount)...then Same Price...and now Cash Discount (Yeah, I almost wonder if they do that to trick people).  A Hess nearby also is Same Price.  Lukoil seems to be very consistent with Cash Discount pricing.  The truck stops I'll hit for gas (Loves at NJ Turnpike Int. 7; Flying J & Pilot near the Del. Mem. Bridge) all do Same Price.

So if someone is one that tends to hit the same gas stations often, you know which ones are always same price.  While traveling elsewhere, you know Wawa will be same price, and just keep an eye out at other stations for their pricing structures.

The QuickCheck along US 130 just north of NJ 32 (which interchanges w/I-95/NJTP at Exit 8A) also charges the same price per gallon cash/credit/debit.  I first discovered that station one day when I was bypassing the Turnpike due to construction-related jam-ups in that vicinity.

....
Avoiding ATM fees requires that one deal exclusively with an ATM from their own bank.  Not practical if one runs out of cash while traveling (unless they have an account with a "too big to fail" bank with crappy service).

Or patronize a bank that reimburses you for ATM fees charged by other banks. (Ours does that.)

Sounds like either a credit union or USAA Bank.

[1995hoo]

....
Avoiding ATM fees requires that one deal exclusively with an ATM from their own bank.  Not practical if one runs out of cash while traveling (unless they have an account with a "too big to fail" bank with crappy service).

Or patronize a bank that reimburses you for ATM fees charged by other banks. (Ours does that.)

Sounds like either a credit union or USAA Bank.

Nope, it's a local bank that's been in business forever. We also have accounts at other banks, but patronizing one that doesn't charge fees when you use someone else's ATM and reimburses the other bank's fee is really nice when you travel.

[agentsteel53]

The Taurus/Sable from 1986-2007 had it on the passenger side

yep; I've got a 97 Taurus so I know that fact well.  between this and the '89 Escort and '02 Mustang that I have owned, I had thought it a universal that Ford had theirs on the passenger side.

[PHLBOS]

The Taurus/Sable from 1986-2007 had it on the passenger side

yep; I've got a 97 Taurus so I know that fact well.  between this and the '89 Escort and '02 Mustang that I have owned, I had thought it a universal that Ford had theirs on the passenger side.

The original Mustangs through '73 had the gas cap located in the center-back above the rear bumper.  Such was repeated for the '70-'77 Maverick (& Mercury Comet) and the '75-'80 Granada (& Mercury Monarch & '77-'80 Lincoln Versailles).

All full-size (RWD) Fords from 1965 onward, all mid-size Fords from '72-'79 (Torino, Elite, LTD II, '77-'79 T-Bird), and all Pintos & Mustang IIs ('74-'78) had the fuel door/gas cap on the driver's side.