Air at forecourts

vector

One of my tyres needs pumping alot recently

anyhow I've been visiting alot of forecourts to top it up, I've noticed that in most the guage doesn't work, or sometimes it does but the winow it full of condensation so the figures can't be seen, in other places there is no tube coming from the metal pedestal that is cemented in the ground, and in other places there is no air at all (the modern fuel and convenience only garages, without the traditional workshop)

I just bought an air gauge on ebay, and I'll have the tyre looked at, but...

is there some legal requirement for a service station to have compressed air available?

mike65

Nope but you are right abut the slipshod nature of forecourt services. Often you'll find air or water or both are out of action for one reason or another (often the pipe simply is'nt connected to the compressor). I called in a Texaco a couple of months back and discovered it was now asking me to cough up a euro for the privilage! I passed and used a pump when I got home.

Mike.

kikel

I was in a garage lately. they had FREE air. But when topping up the tyres i noticed that the meter was telling me it was removing air rather than topping it up. WEIRD

Anan1

kikel wrote:

I was in a garage lately. they had FREE air. But when topping up the tyres i noticed that the meter was telling me it was removing air rather than topping it up. WEIRD

Were your tyres hot?

Dilbert75

Considering the way that most users dump them on the ground after they've used them, its hardly a surprising that they're in bits.

Our local Tesco has a new pressure gauge where you set your desired pressure and the machine sets your tyres to that once you put the nozzle onto the valve. Its right handy - and with the gauge being on the stand, rather than on the hose, it should hopefully last a bit longer.

kikel

Anan1 wrote:

Were your tyres hot?

Maybe. that could be the answer. It wasn't my car. I've never seen that or heard of it before.
I walked away when it happened. the tires weren't really needing a top up anyay.

Seth Brundle

How often (if ever are these re-calibrated?
Is a forecourt somehow liable if an incident occurs due to under/over inflation?

milltown

kbannon wrote:

How often (if ever are these re-calibrated?
Is a forecourt somehow liable if an incident occurs due to under/over inflation?

Now really, what do you think?

kippy

Reason why they are not looked after:
They are a free service, the forcourt is under no obligation to provide the services, and upkeep of such free services provides not real return to the service station.
Being a free service they are treated rather shodily by some of the people who use them too.
Kippy

The Doktor

Just get a pressure guage, leave it in your glove compartment, and then when you inflate your tyres at a garage, confirm it with your own guage. Tis what I do on my bike, as is fairly critical that you have your tyre pressures right.
From doin this, I have seen some WAY off guages in forecourts.