A couple of months ago, we answered a letter from a reader wondering why the position of the gas fillers on cars isn't standardized. He complained that he can never remember which side of the filling station island to pull up on. We said we had no idea why it isn't the same on all cars. After weighing the pros and cons of right vs. left, we suggested that the filler tube be standardized on the driver's side, to make filling the gas tank more convenient for the driver, who usually dispenses the gas in these days of self-service/self-pay/self-window wash/self-oil check/self-spill gas on pants and self-lose gas cap. Here's some of what you had to say. ***

Dear Tom and Ray:

Hooray for the guy who wrote in about this! I thought I was the only guy this drove nuts. Mine's on the left, my wife's is on the right. I regret selling my '58 Chevy, the last year with the filler tube behind the license plate. Tell the manufacturers to make up their minds! -- John ***

Dear Tom and Ray:

Both sides are nuts. It should go in the back so that no matter which side of the station you pull up to, you can easily get at it. I have an '87 Mustang 2+2, which has it in the correct spot. -- Pat ***

Dear Tom and Ray:

Your column on the gas filler pipe location reminds me a great deal of the debate about leaving the toilet seat up or down: No matter which side you prefer, half of the population will prefer it the other way. The toilet seat dilemma also suggests a solution. For the toilet seat, the solution is to put both the seat and the lid down. For the filler pipe, the solution is to return to the superb design of my old 1965 Buick LeSabre and put it in the middle! -- Dave ***

Dear Tom and Ray:

I am of the opinion that there should be gas filler tubes (GFT) on both the right and left side of all vehicles. How hard could that be? This will prevent all that silly jockeying around the gas pumps that occurs promptly at 7:15 every Monday morning. I'm sure you've seen or participated in these wacky events: You pull up to the only vacant pump, then, realizing that your GFT is on the other side, you try to stretch the hose to reach the filler tube. It just about makes it, but not enough to slip the nozzle into the GFT. You sullenly get back in your car and shift into reverse in order to turn your car around and line up properly with the pump. Looking into the rearview mirror, you see that some schmo has pulled in behind you. As you wave for him to back up, he only backs up enough for you to get out, but not enough for you to turn around. Rather than suffer the embarrassment of explaining to this dope that you forgot which side your GFT was on, you drive around the cramped parking apron of the gas station. With crystal clear recollection of your GFT's location, you blithely pull ahead of a line of cars in order to back into a slot soon to be vacated by a young mother in a minivan who looks to be nearly finished filling her tank. As gas flows from the pump, out of her GFT and onto the ground, she has suddenly decided to squeegee all 17 windows on her van. With great frustration tinged with not a little fury, you decide to "blow this joint" and stomp on the accelerator pedal. With a great roar of your engine and a loud squeal of rubber, you tear off to take your business elsewhere. Just as you get ready to make a sharp right turn back into traffic, your engine dies due to lack of fuel. Now you must somehow swallow your pride, ignore the great public humiliation you've just imposed upon yourself, and ask the guy in the bullet-proof booth to help you push your car back up the driveway and next to a pump so that you can put some gas into your GFT. I'm not the only one this happens to -- am I right? -- Tom

Ray: You forgot to describe how the guy behind the bullet-proof glass can't make out what you're saying, and calls the police because he thinks it's a stickup. We'll add that to the script when we do the "Car Talk Movie." *** Order Tom and Ray's pamphlet, "Ten Ways You May Be Ruining Your Car Without Even Knowing It!" Send $3 and a stamped (55 cents), self-addressed, No. envelope to Ruin, PO Box 6420, Riverton, NJ 08077-6420. *** © 1999 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

Don't get stuck with a lemon. Be an informed shopper. Read Tom and Ray's guide "How to Buy a Great Used Car: Secrets Only Your Mechanic Knows." To order, send (check or money order) to Ruin, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. You can also order online.

© 1999 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

Back to the February 1999 index