Did you know that the arrow on your gas gauge points to the side of the car that the fuel cap is on?

It's a huge help when you have a rental car and are in a hurry to refill it before returning at the airport.

Mine is vertical.

Your dumb OP

Not true, a fallacy. An old fallacy.

Our '89 Acura has that arrow. Most Japanese cars have the gas cap on the driver's side, hence the arrow.

German cars usually have it on the passenger side. American cars are a mixed bag.

[quote]Your dumb OP

Oh dear.

Here is a shocker - your turn signal has 5 positions.

What R6 said, R2.

Forget the gas gauge. Every time I rent a car, programming radio presets is different by make and model.

Max. Max? Max!

You don't have to 'warm-up' your car. A minute or so is plenty of time for all fluids to circulate and be ready for the road.

And Iiiiiiiiiiii begin to wonder.....,

[quote]Here is a shocker - your turn signal has 5 positions.

That's three more than my boyfriend.

I already knew that. What surprises me more are the staggering amount of people that actually forget to remove the fuel nozzle from their gas tank and end up driving off. On a side note: I actually remember when Full Service meant that you sat in your car while the workers cleaned your windows, checked/filled your oil, and pumped your gas.

Op, I learned this on Datalounge a number of years back. After years of scrambling to figure out which side the gas cap on a rental was situated while heading to the airport, it was a revelation. Oh, and I'm 65, so it was many years of ignorance...in my defense, I didn't own a car the 35 years I lived in Manhattan.

Gas filler should be on the passenger side, so if you ever run out and need to fill it on the highway you’re not standing exposed on the traffic side.

[quote]You don't have to 'warm-up' your car. A minute or so is plenty of time for all fluids to circulate and be ready for the road.

I find this one hard to believe in the dead of winter

Not always, R16. Perhaps the filler should be on the passenger side, and European cars tend to have theirs there. Japanese cars are mostly on the driver's side. American cars are mixed. And, of course, not everyone drives on the right.

r17 depends if it has an engine block heater or not. Most of the fluids in a car don't freeze.

[quote]I actually remember when Full Service meant that you sat in your car while the workers cleaned your windows, checked/filled your oil, and pumped your gas.

Yeah, yeah. Ya had faces then, too. We know. We know.

R14

Lone among all other 49 states self service gas pumping is illegal in New Jersey.

Sometimes it is great (such as bad weather), others a royal PITA. Six service bays with one or two attendants working means you are going to wait. That and some drivers fee it is an ideal time to leave their cars and go inside to shop, get a coffee, go to bathroom, etc....

[quote]Gas filler should be on the passenger side, so if you ever run out and need to fill it on the highway you’re not standing exposed on the traffic side.

That’s true. But you have to consider where the car was designed. That’s why German cars tend to have their fuel filler on the passenger side. Cars from Japanese companies (which is a left-side-of-the-road driving country) have theirs on the driver’s side, for the reason you mentioned.

[R21], can you tell us why?

Being middle-class, and almost an eldergay, and definitely a perv, I would prefer to have more full-service stations. It is safer, cleaner, and the contact is pleasant, and someone gets a job.

r21 There's no self-serve gas in Oregon, either (unless things have changed recently.)

R21 - Yes, laws were changed, so as stated only NJ remains where it is illegal to self-serve fuel.

R25 - That is what they tell people, but it's a job thing pure and simple. Some of those gas jockeys besides having a job can make decent funds in tips. Not all driver do tip, especially NJ natives; but for gas stations along the GSP, NJT, or any other route/road with plenty of interstate traffic there are excellent opportunities.

Plenty of drivers do get out and pump their own gas; especially if place is busy and there are only a handful or maybe just one attendant.

They don't do anything that one cannot do oneself. and some people don't like handing over their CC to strangers. This especially when attendant tells you he has to go into the office to process the transaction.

I don’t know everything, or even a lot of things, but I do know, and have known for quite some time, about the gas cap arrow.

Some gas stations are going back to full service with Covid - as a way to entice people in.

I'm learning so much this morning, it's DIZZYING.

Not only does the arrow on your gas gauge point to the side of the car with the fuel cap, but the position of the Exit number on an exit sign indicates whether the exit will be off to the right or the left.

A lot of people don't know that exit numbers indicate the distance (in miles) between exits, as well as the distance from the origin of the road (usually the westernmost or southernmost point in the state--at least in California.)

R32 not on all highways.

I heard this a few years back on Tosh.O. I was shocked that it was true.

[quote] A lot of people don't know that exit numbers indicate the distance (in miles) between exits,

Bullshit.

My first car had the gasoline fill in the back.

I found this out many years ago when Vanna White said it one night on WHEEL OF FORTUNE during the last minute of the show when she and Pat Sajak talk about factoids.......I think i also posted it here are DL soon after.....

I can still remember when cars had the filler under the registration plate in the back. Of course that stopped around 1980. And they hadn't yet figured out to put the indicator on the gas gauge to tell you where the filler was.

Umm they stopped putting it in the back when then pinto blew the fuck up - a rear-end collision would be a death sentence.

Do you not think gas tanks are in the rear of vehicles even today?

We’re discussing the filler tube, not where the tank is.

In 1990-1995 the Chevrolet Caprice has the filler tube beneath the license plate in the rear.

Filler access has been made illegal to position it at or near the rear due to it’s tubing being vulnerable to breakage/spillage in the event of an accident. Filler tubes are now positioned on the sides where they are the safest, clearing heat (exhaust) and convenient (shortest) to the tank. Tanks are arbitrarily placed where they fit the best, and in the safest position.

[quote] due to it’s tubing being vulnerable

Oh, dear!

Yes, the mileage on every federal interstate does in fact reflect miles to (or from) the state line (or the starting point of a beltway) But it’s only helpful in one direction unless you know the total miles of the state.

The dummy upthread is speaking of a turnpike, in which case the exit numbers are not tied to the mile markers.

Also, even numbers on interstates reflects a predominately East/west direction while odd numbers reflect north/south.

[quote] But it’s only helpful in one direction unless you know the total miles of the state.

It's helpful to know the distance between exits.

Snopes says MIXED.

Yes.

R19, what if it's winter and you haven't used your car for a week. You can just turn it on and go?

I think what r19 was referring to was the old way of warming up your car. In winter, you’d start it and let it run at least 10-20 minutes before moving it.

Today’s cars don’t require any more than a minute or so at idle. Any longer can actually be deleterious to the engine.

I was driving a rental car and pulled into a station to fill up. Had no problem seeing which side the tank was on but it took me forever to find the lid release switch which was hidden inside the glove compartment.