$5 a gallon is just around the corner, here is how to get your dollars worth, and avoid scams at the same time

[Ray paulsen]

From a guy that worked with petroleum in the pipe lines in CA for 31 years tells how to get more of your money's worth for every gallon
　
Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early morning when the ground temperature is still cold. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground the more dense the gasoline, when it gets warmer gasoline expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening....your gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products plays an important role.

A 1-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.

When you're filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a fast mode If you look you will see that the trigger has three (3) stages: low, middle, and high. You should be pumping on low mode, thereby minimizing the vapors that are created while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapor return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some of the liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapor. Those vapors are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you're getting less worth for your money.

One of the most important tips is to fill up when your gas tank is HALF FULL. The reason for this is the more gas you have in your tank the less air occupying its empty space. Gasoline evaporates faster than you can imagine. Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the gas and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation. Unlike service stations, here where I work, every truck that we load is temperature compensated so that every gallon is actually the exact amount.

Another reminder, if there is a gasoline truck pumping into the storage tanks when you stop to buy gas, DO NOT fill up; most likely the gasoline is being stirred up as the gas is being delivered, and you might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom.

Gas pump credit card fraud
If using your credit or debit card, pay inside because universal keys are used to open gas pumps, it’s easy for someone to steal or duplicate a key and use it to open the pump at any gas station and install a device used to capture your credit card and PIN numbers. Once placed inside, the device can’t be detected except by opening up the pump. The fact that many of the gas pumps use wireless technology makes it even riskier because thieves can sit nearby, intercept wireless signals and download the information to their computers while consumers fill up.

Credit card skimming machines have been detected in gas stations across the country - pay for their gas — with credit or debit card — at the register " not at the pump"
If you still insist to use your credit or debit card at the pump then at least make sure to check the clear field on the pump when finished, this is an area where consumers get scammed

['97ventureowner]

Add to that keep an eye in your area for gas stations that have "gas sales" where they discount the price on a certain day or days. Some stations are going back to the old ways of the 1970s by charging more per gallon if you use a credit card ( Visa ,MasterCard, etc. but usually not their store branded one though) as the costs involved in the transaction eats away at their profits. Some gas stations in my area (Valero, and Kwik Fill ) offer a discount if you use their card to purchase gas, 5 cent a gallon discount. One particular franchise offers a cash discount price.
Also consider a wholesale club membership that has fueling stations. In my area we have BJs Wholesale Club and Sams Clubs and their gas is always less per gallon, sometimes as much as fifteen cents. If you regularly purchase gas there you can recoup the costs of the membership.
One other note is to try and not purchase fuel at stations near a highway as they tend to be higher in price than those stations that are a little farther away from the major roads.
Those tips plus using online sites that track gas prices in your area such as gasbuddy.com can help you keep your fuel costs lower.

[danielsatur]

Pay at the pump, so you buy less snacks!

[Ray paulsen]

Originally Posted by danielsatur

Pay at the pump, so you buy less snacks!

So true
Damned if you do, damned if you don't,,,lOl

[danielsatur]

LOL- There putting snack machines near the pump now.

2) Improve driving habits, and min wasted miles by good mapping.
3) Make sure your Auto's fuel economy is good, Google ''EPA (make,year model) fuel economy'' ,It might be ready for a tune up.

[speediva]

Slower acceleration will win on the MPGs every time. My 97 Honda coupe got 32mpg on the last full tank because I "forced" myself to shift gears before 3000 rpm every day, every trip. Not too shabby for city driving!

[blazee]

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/gastips.asp

[Ray paulsen]

Originally Posted by blazee

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/gastips.asp

Thanks for the input, when I received the info it just seemed so real I posted it, a lesson learned but never forgotten

['97ventureowner]

Part of that snopes discussion I have an issue with. They say that service stations have filters on the pumps which is true. BUT how often are they serviced? And are they serviced in accordance with the manufacturer or home office's recommendations? Many times the answer is NO. The state attorney generals office ( or Dept of Ag & Markets cannot remember which one ) did a survey a few years back in our area and discovered many gas stations had not regularly serviced or changed the filters on the pumps, and many were way past the due date to be replaced. They are just like the oil or fuel filters on our own vehicles and when they get clogged, their filtering abilities are compromised.

Originally Posted by danielsatur

Pay at the pump, so you buy less snacks!

Eh, walk the extra distance to the store and pay there LOL. Heavens knows many of us need the exercise. Just be disciplined and avoid looking at the snacks and other temptations around the register and just pay for the gas. Especially if it's one of the stations I mentioned in an earlier post that charges extra for using a card or givers a discount for paying in the store. Those extra charges or savings add up over a year's time.
I know the stores go out of their way to get you in their stores to buy other items as that is where their profits come from, not from the sale of fuel.

[danielsatur]

Don't let your fuel go below 1/4 tank, this will give more time to shop for fuel prices.

Add gasbuddy app to your smart phone for local best gas price.

[danielsatur]

BIOF & PEIX are the NASDAQ trades for weeks 8->?
10% Ethanol mix is also a demand for today's fuel.

Also see https://www.GasBuddy.com

[kevinande]

Hmn kind of an old thread, but still relevant. Allow me to offer some real world advice that will save you fuel. The rest of that nonsense is just hogwash, for lack of a better term.

1. Keep your car tuned up.
2. Use the recommended oil from the manufacturer, not grade you decided was better.
4. keep your tires properly inflated. I(ridiculously sized wheels do not help)
3. Slow starts and keep it between 55 and 60 mph on the freeway.

These are some real world ways to save fuel that actually work. Good luck.

[Jamesfranklin]

You have provided excellent information in the context fuel use in cars .If fuel filled up in cars in the way you have suggested will be quite economical for every customer. Some points which are mentioned in this post are quite rare to find on such a open platform.

[danielsatur]

Take a 5-gallon gas take to your regular service station and buy 2 gallons of gas to gauge or measure your gas by weight or volume.

Are you being shorted?

[danielsatur]

Add a grocery list App to your smart phone to reduce grocery store go back.

See Apple App store for -
Coupon app
Barcode app
& Buy your milk @ the service station, it's cheaper than fuel!