Pet peeve - filling station fuel pumps

CtrlSource

Does anyone else get annoyed when they're filling up at the petrol station with the crap old style pumping machines we have in this country? Some of them pump quite fast, others woefully slowly. But what gets my goat is that none of the oil company franchises here have bothered to invest in those neato automatic pumps, where you can preset the amount you want (or simply set it to 'fill') and just stand there whistling, while the nozzle does on all the work, unaided!

Almost every petrol station in the US has these pumps and many other countries i've travelled to do as well. So why not here?

Hail 2 Da Chimp

Don't you hate pants?
What's the deal with them anyway?

Adam

Ireland.

[/thread]

CJhaughey

I don't know where you are but if you ever pass through Bantry, Caseys, Esso has one of those pumps you can fill by money or by volume amount.

CtrlSource

CJhaughey wrote: »

I don't know where you are but if you ever pass through Bantry, Caseys, Esso has one of those pumps you can fill by money or by volume amount.

i'm a Dub, but i'll be in Bantry next month and will be sure to fill-up there! (is that the garage out the Glengarriff Road?)

HPT

Tesco Clearwater filling station have pumps with those buttons. They are beside the display on the pump. They offer the choice of filling to a preset price or number of litres.
I've never actually used them so I can't be sure they work, just like the pay-at-pump option they provide...

CtrlSource

Never noticed those buttons at that Tesco actually. The pay-at-pump buttons don't always work either. Maybe these pumps exist in loads of places and i'm just blind to them?!

javaboy

The auto-pumps are supposed to be verboten in this lil country. Have a search from automatic pumps in the motors forum. I think somebody dragged up the relevant legislation before.

Alun

javaboy wrote: »

The auto-pumps are supposed to be verboten in this lil country. Have a search from automatic pumps in the motors forum. I think somebody dragged up the relevant legislation before.

The little clips that hold the pump open are deliberately removed for safety reasons. And BTW, it's not just here in Ireland, but in many other countries as well. In fact the only European country where I remember coming across them intact is in Germany.

Steve_o

Hail 2 Da Chimp wrote: »

Don't you hate pants?
What's the deal with them anyway?

A creation of the devil...

OP: Those automatic pumps are cool, but in fairness pumping your own petrol isn't exactly all that difficult, I fail to see how this annoys you!

taidghbaby

were in a recession man.......no capital expenditure! end of

CtrlSource

We weren't in a recession 10 years ago when i was in Barbados and they had them there!

Yeah, i'm pretty easily annoyed

togster

It really used to annoy me too. Those clips that hole the handle down to fill always used to flip off. In Sweden you can just put in the nozzle and walk away. Simple.

CountingCrows

This is your pet peeve?? Most garages don't even have toilets!

stevoman

what really annoys me is when (usually women) park up at the petrol pump and then go in and do some shopping while your left waiting, and these idiots dont even get any petrol! uuuhhhhhhh

Archeron

I'd have to say that if it comes to pet peeves in petrol stations, mine would have to be garages that block your visibility of the road when exiting with sandwhich boards, and giant plastic ice cream cones, and signs telling you burgers are available inside.
The petrol station on the Naas road near the red cow used to be a fecker for this, and my local station is the same.
I might not be able to see the 40 foot truck coming which will smash my car and me to smithereens, but at least I know I can have a calming cup of essence coffee while waiting for the ambulance to arrive.

javaboy

Archeron wrote: »

I might not be able to see the 40 foot truck coming which will smash my car and me to smithereens, but at least I know I can have a calming cup of essence coffee while waiting for the ambulance to arrive.

It's been ages since I did a first aid course but I don't think you should actually take any fluids especially not coffee if you have just been in an accident. I'm open to correction though.

Archeron

javaboy wrote: »

It's been ages since I did a first aid course but I don't think you should actually take any fluids especially not coffee if you have just been in an accident. I'm open to correction though.

Thanks javaboy, thats good to know.
I'll have an Angelito ice cream instead

javaboy

Archeron wrote: »

Thanks javaboy, thats good to know.
I'll have an Angelito ice cream instead

Sorry I think food (although ice-cream could be considered a drink) is out too. Just sit tight. The ambulance is on its way. Nee Naw Nee Naw.

CountingCrows

javaboy wrote: »

Sorry I think food (although ice-cream could be considered a drink) is out too. Just sit tight. The ambulance is on its way. Nee Naw Nee Naw.

Waiting for an ambulance on the Naas Rd :eek: Better off trying to walk to a hospital

daithismith

Back to the issue of petrol pumps...how do you fill up your tank?
Does the pump stop automatically when your tank is full or will it just spray petrol all over the place? I'm always afraid this will happen and end up just filling the tank 3/4 full.

swingking

I use the petrol lid stuck in between the pump to automatically pump my car :cool:

ChewChew

I absolutley HATE the chore of going to a filling station. why?? cause when I get there, there is usually a queue and I dont do those too well. And you know when you go to a garage and you pull up behind a car but the pump infront is free? Well its usually blocked by the stoooopid farmer man who's driving the micra belonging to his missus but thinks its a JCB :mad:

adsgirl

People who insist on smoking around petrol pumps, piss me off big time:mad:

Mr. Random

CtrlSource wrote: »

Does anyone else get annoyed when they're filling up at the petrol station with the crap old style pumping machines we have in this country? Some of them pump quite fast, others woefully slowly. But what gets my goat is that none of the oil company franchises here have bothered to invest in those neato automatic pumps, where you can preset the amount you want (or simply set it to 'fill') and just stand there whistling, while the nozzle does on all the work, unaided!

Almost every petrol station in the US has these pumps and many other countries i've travelled to do as well. So why not here?

Texaco on the Nass Road before the Red cow still have the little switches working on them. Well on the Pump beside the McD's front window. Very handy during winter when it is too cold to hold the pump handle. I may be the only person in the country, bar the staff, that knows this as said staff have commented on my use of said switches while pondering why no one else uses them.

daithismith wrote: »

Does the pump stop automatically when your tank is full or will it just spray petrol all over the place? I'm always afraid this will happen and end up just filling the tank 3/4 full.

They do stop automatically, the same way they do when you are manually filling you car. Probably a simple back flow switch/sensor.

My OCD is that I always have to round up the bill. We cannot have any cents on the bill!!! Even though we use a company fuel card

Now that I think of it the Texaco at the spawell might have those switches working too...

Alun

Alun wrote: »

The little clips that hold the pump open are deliberately removed for safety reasons. And BTW, it's not just here in Ireland, but in many other countries as well. In fact the only European country where I remember coming across them intact is in Germany.

I was doing a riviting job a few years ago, and had a couple of pop-rivits in my pocket, came in useful while I had them.

CtrlSource

Alun wrote: »

The little clips that hold the pump open are deliberately removed for safety reasons. And BTW, it's not just here in Ireland, but in many other countries as well. In fact the only European country where I remember coming across them intact is in Germany.

They're mostly still there under the nozzle triggers - but they've usually been disabled. i don't know how. What do they do, break them in some way? i always fiddle with them to try and get them to stick and hold the trigger!

The clips are different to the automatic pumps though. The pumps aren't illegal

CtrlSource

CtrlSource wrote: »

They're mostly still there under the nozzle trigger. But they just don't work. What do they do, break them in some way? i always fiddle with them to try and them stick and hold the trigget

The clips are different to the automatic pumps though. The pumps aren't illegal

If the holes are there from where the original pins were removed, just slip in a pin (or pop rivit) and the trigger will hold on to it.

steph1

adsgirl wrote: »

People who insist on smoking around petrol pumps, piss me off big time:mad:

Yes only idiots would do such a thing

Firetrap

I was in a filling station recently and the staff in the shop were mildly freaking out because a guy smoking a cigarette was filling up his car outside. I wasn't going to hang around for too long either

Back on topic, I hate those petrol pumps where if you pull the trigger down too far, they stop pumping petrol. So you have to keep adjusting it.

Firetrap

Firetrap wrote: »

Back on topic, I hate those petrol pumps where if you pull the trigger down too far, they stop pumping petrol. So you have to keep adjusting it.

I'd prefer to have that, than have a bootfull of unleaded!

KateF

CtrlSource wrote: »

Does anyone else get annoyed when they're filling up at the petrol station with the crap old style pumping machines we have in this country? Some of them pump quite fast, others woefully slowly. But what gets my goat is that none of the oil company franchises here have bothered to invest in those neato automatic pumps, where you can preset the amount you want (or simply set it to 'fill') and just stand there whistling, while the nozzle does on all the work, unaided!

Almost every petrol station in the US has these pumps and many other countries i've travelled to do as well. So why not here?

You really have a lot to be worrying about don't ya?! :rolleyes:

Jigsaw

Jesus, if all this stuff annoys you to that extent then I congratulate you on having a much easier life than me.

I mean, ffs.

I'm only here for the beer!
There are as many ways round problems are there are problems! seanfocal an lá

tolosenc

CtrlSource wrote: »

Almost every petrol station in the US has these pumps

Self service is illegal in a few states though...

genericgoon

Firetrap wrote: »

Back on topic, I hate those petrol pumps where if you pull the trigger down too far, they stop pumping petrol. So you have to keep adjusting it.

You're just not doing it right. Try to adjusting your angle of entry by swivelling the nozzle if possible. Chances are theres at least one angle that will stop that backwash that is causing the clicking. Although I've seen cars which click all the time for no reason. ¬_¬

Mine has to be at 11:30 o'clock to avoid the click!

tommycahir

Alun wrote: »

The little clips that hold the pump open are deliberately removed for safety reasons. And BTW, it's not just here in Ireland, but in many other countries as well. In fact the only European country where I remember coming across them intact is in Germany.

You could always do what I do when I need to fill up the old tank, take the cap from the petrol tank of the car, turn it sideways and stick it under the lever and hey presto you have hands free pumping of petrol\diesel.

John Mason

HPT wrote: »

Tesco Clearwater filling station have pumps with those buttons. They are beside the display on the pump. They offer the choice of filling to a preset price or number of litres.
I've never actually used them so I can't be sure they work, just like the pay-at-pump option they provide...

they dont work :rolleyes:


what i hate about filling station is the fecking gobsh.ites that park Diagonally across the forecourt and block everyone in

these people should be shot on sight

Tigger

CtrlSource wrote: »

Does anyone else get annoyed when they're filling up at the petrol station with the crap old style pumping machines we have in this country? Some of them pump quite fast, others woefully slowly. But what gets my goat is that none of the oil company franchises here have bothered to invest in those neato automatic pumps, where you can preset the amount you want (or simply set it to 'fill') and just stand there whistling, while the nozzle does on all the work, unaided!

Almost every petrol station in the US has these pumps and many other countries i've travelled to do as well. So why not here?

take the fuel cap and jam the threaded part into the pump handle it fits nicely

this will fill yer tank till it clips off
now polish yous windscreen clean yer lights and yer wiper blades

Tigger

tommycahir wrote: »

You could always do what I do when I need to fill up the old tank, take the cap from the petrol tank of the car, turn it sideways and stick it under the lever and hey presto you have hands free pumping of petrol\diesel.

yeah ok i should read thread first

the amount of people in stations who ask me "how did you do that"

CtrlSource

Tigger wrote: »

yeah ok i should read thread first

the amount of people in stations who ask me "how did you do that"

Actually, that's the 3rd time someone's suggested that! i'm gonna try it next time!

Sherifu

I want a pony.

Andrewf20

In the USA they all seem to be prepay pumps. Any prepay pumps that work here seem to operate the same way, i.e they switch off when the paid amount is reached.

Toto Wolfcastle

Sherifu wrote: »

I want a pony.

Where would you put the petrol?

I don't mind using manual petrol pumps except when it goes over the amount I want by 1 cent. Oh and I hate people who wait in front of you instead of queuing behind you. How am I supposed to get out stupid?

javaboy

janeybabe wrote: »

I don't mind using manual petrol pumps except when it goes over the amount I want by 1 cent.

But if you're paying cash, they never ask for that 1 cent. I see it as my small but significant protest against old man Tesco. I'm getting one over on them.

Toto Wolfcastle

javaboy wrote: »

But if you're paying cash, they never ask for that 1 cent. I see it as my small but significant protest against old man Tesco. I'm getting one over on them.

In my local place they always ask for the 1 cent.

Blitzkrieger

janeybabe wrote: »

How am I supposed to get out stupid?

*cough Reverse *cough, *cough

obl wrote: »

Self service is illegal in a few states though...

You'll go blind anyway.....

Toto Wolfcastle

Blitzkrieger wrote: »

*cough Reverse *cough, *cough

Not possible when there is a queue behind you, where the other stupid driver should be in the first place.

Honey-ec

javaboy wrote: »

But if you're paying cash, they never ask for that 1 cent. I see it as my small but significant protest against old man Tesco. I'm getting one over on them.

But they do if you have a fuel card :mad:

And actually, I got petrol at the Texaco near the Spawell there shortly after it reopened. Petrol came to 10.02, I handed him €20 and yes, he actually gave me back €9.98...

Hail 2 Da Chimp

irishbird wrote: »

what i hate about filling station is the fecking gobsh.ites that park Diagonally across the forecourt and block everyone in

janeybabe wrote: »

Oh and I hate people who wait in front of you instead of queuing behind you. How am I supposed to get out stupid?

Thats why god invented car horns.