tom karen Posted April 18, 2004 Report Share Posted April 18, 2004 Stopped at a Super Wal Mart this morning, (basically gas is gas. I mean Wal Mart doesn't make their gas) and while filling up the pump seemed awfully slow. The computer had said 15 gallons used and the gauge said 1/4 tank (20 gallon tank as per manual ) after after about almost four minutes, and nearing 19 gallons it dawns on me that this is not right. Duh! Had to see how far this would go. At 20 gallons in a twenty gallon tank I stopped in fear of something blowing up from to much pressure, Just joking. Your first thought is that well something must not have been reset. We always check our mileage not only digitally but with a calculater. So when we got home and the mileage was 17 instead of our usual 23 it became obvious that it was the pump, and not the Eldo. Wife called the gas station and the employee said "Gee! I have been having problems with these pumps all day, and I have a call into my support desk." We have to call back at noon tomorrow to find out if there will be any satisfaction from this. Who would believe that gas pumps regulated and checked by the government could be this far off? These pumps are less than a year old and FL checks them regularly. Will let all know what happens tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAUL T Posted April 18, 2004 Report Share Posted April 18, 2004 My experience with this is that when the stations tank is almost empty it will pump real slow. There is a possibility that you got some water in your tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marika Posted April 18, 2004 Report Share Posted April 18, 2004 Your comment about "gas is gas" made me recall a recent article written by the Road Warrior, who writes a weekly column for the Bergen Record. Many times, his column covers a few different subjects as was the case this one particular week. However, I'll just include here his comments and findings regarding gas: "Brand or non-brand? Anyone serious about protecting his car's engine in this era of rising gasoline prices can appreciate John Kashickey's question. The Park Ridge man says he can save as much as $5 a tank by switching from a name-brand gas to one of the three off-brand stations in his town. Should he do it? Representatives of Exxon Mobil, the American Petroleum Institute, and the New Jersey GasolineRetailers Association agreed that additives and detergents in branded gasolines were likely to be more consistent than those of non-branded gasolines. But none would say a branded gas was far superior. It's important to understand that none of the blends distributed in the United States may legally slip below the quality specifications set by ASTM, a standards group once known as the American Society for Testing and Materials. "You're paying for the expertise and extensive research and development that went into brand-name gas," said API spokeswoman Susan Hahn. Bill Dressler, president of the gas retailers, said the difference in quality is small but distinct. "You're not taking much of a chance with the off-brands," Dressler said, "but the quality might not be the same as what your car is used to." " Something to ponder next time you fill up and have a heart attack at the same time. If you really want to make people safe drivers again then simply remove all the safety features from cars. No more seat belts, ABS brakes, traction control, air bags or stability control. No more anything. You'll see how quickly people will slow down and once again learn to drive like "normal" humans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garlicdude Posted April 18, 2004 Report Share Posted April 18, 2004 Someone told me once that the main thing to lookout for is to buy your gas from someone who sells a lot, that way the gas is fresh, and you have less worries about water and such. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom karen Posted April 18, 2004 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2004 Well! Guess what. They said that their pumps were calibrated two weeks ago and they stand by the pumps read out. I did remark that alot can happen in 2 weeks. Still I am going to do a report to the State of Florida's agency that regulates the gas stations. That sure can't hurt. We shall see if next time we are back to 23mpg versus 17mpg. The computer is still reading that we are getting around 23mpg. Karen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill K Posted April 18, 2004 Report Share Posted April 18, 2004 Be sure to give the authorities all your facts because pumps are not frequently checked. The pumps may have been calibrated, but buy by whom? Porbably not the State. In MI they said they were stepping up their checks and hoped to do more than 1200 stations. Now that doesnt seem like a very high percentage of the stations in MI. FL may be the same. First illegal workers and now illegal pumps, all from our good neighbor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted April 19, 2004 Report Share Posted April 19, 2004 In hind sight, you probably should have kept pumping. It would be pretty hard for them to explain putting 25 gallons in a 20 gallon tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg P. Posted April 19, 2004 Report Share Posted April 19, 2004 It's easy enough to check out if you really want to. Find a container that you know is precisely one gallon or get your gas can for your lawn mower and go back an fill it up. The pump should indicate the amount that you added. If it doesn't, I'd complain again, maybe to the state. If it comes out right.. well you probably need gas for your lawn mower this time of year anyways. I just got finished doing my first cut of the year here in PA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgr7 Posted April 20, 2004 Report Share Posted April 20, 2004 Awhile back here in Calif. some stations were caught changing the delivery computer, not sure just how, but in effect they were putting a modified chip in and pumping less gas than the meter would read. Example 9.5 gals would read as 10 gals, you get the picture, over the days time they were making a bundle. This could be the same thing. Just a thought. Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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