pumping your own gas?

[jxyama]

ok, potentially dumb thread but i've been curious for a while...

which states do not allow you to pump your own gas?

i know in NJ and OR, you cannot pump your own gas.

anywhere else?

[Mr. Anderson]

I'm not sure - but I do know that when I'm in NJ I love getting gas, and even with the full service its cheaper than down here in VA/DC/MD.

No matter how you try, it always seems you get some gas on your hands....

D

[Rower_CPU]

Hmmm, odd topic...

I'm trying to remember if Wyoming does or not - I don't think so, at least they didn't inside Yellowstone.

So, process of elimination, states that allow you to, that I know of:
HI, CA, NV, UT, ID

[Roger1]

We pump our own gas in Michigan. At 1.56 a gallon, I think they can give us full serve. :rolleyes:

[medea]

well I've never heard of that before, an odd law but makes sense in some ways I suppose. We are allowed to pump our own gas in Florida.

[Royal Pineapple]

Originally posted by Roger1
We pump our own gas in Michigan. At 1.56 a gallon, I think they can give us full serve. :rolleyes:
what we californians wouldent give for such cheep gas :D:)

[P-Worm]

I hear that places like Japan are up near $4 a gallon! :eek:

P-Worm

[jxyama]

Yeah, when I was in Switzerland, the gas price posted wouldn't be very different...

1.50 SF - roughly $1 or so

then you realize it's price per liter!
there's almost 4 liters in a gallon!

states allowing self-serve from my experience:
MI, OH, IN, IL, PA, NY, MD, WV, DC, VA, NC, SC, GA, FL, DE, CT, RI, MA, ME, CA, TX, NV, WA...

anyone living in MT, ND, SD? AR, MS, AL?

[maxvamp]

I have been in or through Floriday, georga, Tenn. Kentucky, Ill. Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Alabama, Mississippi, Lousiana, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. All allowed you to pump your own gas.

Hope this helps,

Max

[Veldek]

Here in Germany gas costs at least 1 EUR per litre which is 3.80 EUR per gallon which is almost $4.50. We have the so-called "Öko-Steuer" (ecology tax) which makes it this expensive.

But, of course, we get the gas by ourselves - no service.

[Foxer]

I lived in Kuwait for a couple years in the early 90's. Gas was about $0.35/gallon. Also, only full service throughout the country. Also, only two grades were available: Super and Premium. 96 and 98 octane, repsectively. I miss those days! Saudi was self-serve, though.

As to the U.S, I've filled up in every state and DC east of the Mississippi except Vermont, Louisianna and 'Bama - only NJ required full service. My western experience is limted to CA, CO, OK, TX, MO and AZ - all self-serve.

[Kwyjibo]

In illinois I always pump my own gas, I'm not even sure where to find a full service pump nemore.

[Powerbook G5]

I live in Palm Beach, Florida and go to school in St Augustine, Florida, and I have never seen a full service gas station besides a few places where wealthy Palm beachers wouldn't dare touching something as common as a gas station pump. My girlfriend is from New Jersey and I was shocked to hear it was full service only, but from what she told me, it is because it makes more jobs for an already depressed market. By the way, gas here is over $2.30 for premium (93 octane) gas....makes me wish I didn't have a turbo...naw, I could never shun my beautiful turbo :-) All I need now is to figure out how to run my car on dual G5s to really make it fly!

[Sun Baked]

If you pump your own gas get in the habit of staying outside the car and touching the body (a metal part) to discharge yourself before going back to the handle.

If you happen to be one of those hyperactive people that'll run around and build up a static charge, the day you light you gas tank on fire. LEAVE THE FLAMING GAS HANDLE IN THE TANK.

Removing the handle will create two very nice blow torches, the tank spout and the filler hande.

Leaving it in the car will block the Oxygen to the fire, leaving you time to get people out of the car. And keeping the fire contained.

If you light off a propane fire, run VERY fast. They make a nice glowing fireball of the surrounding area.

[Flowbee]

I always make sure to stop for gas when driving through Oregon (even if I don't really need it). Unfortunately, it's not as full-service as when I was a kid (before stations went 'self-serve'). At a lot of places, you actually need to get out of the car to pay before the attendent will pump your gas. It used to be that you would just hand them your card and say 'fill-er-up.' It's a different world today.

[wdlove]

Yes in MA we can pump our own gas. At the self serve regular we are paying $1.49.9!

[eyelikeart]

wait...what kind of gas are we talking about? :eek:

[TMA]

Interesting thread!

Here in the UK virtually no petrol stations offer to fill your tank for you. Most places are only manned by one person, two sometimes. In smaller towns and villages you might come accross some offering to fill up for you. But i've never tried it - seems far too strange if you ask me :)

Thought you might like to know what we pay for standard Unleaded Petrol. A year ago prices were about $5 a gallon! (US gallon not UK) although now its currently around the $4.5 mark. It's pretty sickening. :(

[Billicus]

Originally posted by eyelikeart
wait...what kind of gas are we talking about? :eek:

Right....:eek:

Here in Iowa all I ever do is fill up the gas tank myself. The only time it was ever full service was when we were inside Yellowstone National Park. That threw off my Dad who was driving. He stopped and figured he had to go pump it and was dumbfounded when the guy came to fill the car...interesting experience...;)

[Powerbook G5]

Actually, static discharge in gas stations has been a known cause of explosions. That's why they say turn off your engine and remove your key before you pump at all gas stations and why many new pumps have the new improved handles that completely seal around your tank's opening to keep oxygen from being fed into a potential fire.

[rainman::|:|]

Originally posted by Billicus
Right....:eek:

Here in Iowa all I ever do is fill up the gas tank myself. The only time it was ever full service was when we were inside Yellowstone National Park. That threw off my Dad who was driving. He stopped and figured he had to go pump it and was dumbfounded when the guy came to fill the car...interesting experience...;)

yeah, not long after i learned to drive, i stopped in a full-service lane of a gas station in Waterloo, IA... the attendant came over wondering why i was pumping my gas... The concept was so foreign to me, i had no idea places actually did that anymore.

for the record, static electricity has been around as long as gas pumps, it's exceedingly rare to have a fire... But the gas station chain can spend a few thousand dollars on stickers warning people about it, rather than paying out millions in settlements to a handful of people. It's nothing to get freaked out about... I see people in gas stations touching their car over and over again, terrified that they're going to blow up if they don't discharge it. Hell, most likely, you discharge any static electricity while getting out of the car.

What i'm saying is, in this and every other situation, react, don't overreact.

:)
pnw

[BigJayhawk]

Absolute fact . . .

New Jersey and Oregon are the ONLY two states in the U.S. that disallow pumping your own gas.

As mentioned above, there may be areas WITHIN a state (like Yellowstone -- a Federal Park) that raises the bar on the state law a bit. But, as for STATE laws -- still only NJ and OR.

Every year (for some STUPID REASON), there are a group of people in New Jersey that try to get the law repealed. They always talk about it in the summer (so people don't think about freezing their caboose off) although it never comes close to passing. Every year they talk about it they constantly repeat that only Oregon has such a wonderful law. heh.

[Powerbook G5]

I'm not worried about discharge by any means, but it also means I'm not going to stop at a gas station and leave my car running while pumpin gas, either. It's simply a case of being a reasonably safe, smart person. But back on topic, I have never tried full service, nor can I remember the last time I've ever seen a full service station. Would I use the services of one? Not on my life--I personally enjoy doing it myself, it goes with the experience and responsibility of driving a car, not to mention I'd feel lazy if I expected someone else to do everything for me.

[Phil Of Mac]

Oregon is filled with dumb laws intended to employ as many people as possible (in as many dumb occupations as possible). Any health care institution must provide a translator for any language that a patient speaks. As a result, an Oregon mental hospital once put out an ad to hire a Klingon translator (anticipating, perhaps, that a patient would refuse to speak any other language).

[Phil Of Mac]

I think the chances of death from setting off gasoline as you fill up your gas tank is pretty low. In 2000, 65 people in total died from "ignition of highly flammable material", the general category that would fall under. That's comparable to the 55 people killed by accidents involving hot tap water, and the 84 people killed by being "caught between two objects".

http://www.nsc.org/lrs/statinfo/odds.htm

[pseudobrit]

I pump diesel about once a month for my TDI (50 mpg, 14.5 gal. tank).

There are no restrictions on pumping your own diesel fuel in any state. Just an FYI.

Oh, and diesel won't explode over some silly little thing like a spark. Or a cigarette or a match for that matter.

[Powerbook G5]

So all NJ needs now is a Klingon speaking gasoline pump specialist...

[GeeYouEye]

Originally posted by Rower_CPU
Hmmm, odd topic...

I'm trying to remember if Wyoming does or not - I don't think so, at least they didn't inside Yellowstone.

So, process of elimination, states that allow you to, that I know of:
HI, CA, NV, UT, ID

Wyoming does... or at least Rawlins, WY does. (BTW, NEVER, EVER, go to the bathroom in any Rawlins, WY gas station if you value sanitation in the slightest.)

Oregon huh?... odd... I'm pretty sure I've filled up my own car in Oregon before... is that a recent law?

[Nermal]

I'm in New Zealand. First off, we call it petrol. Gas is stuff that's passed boiling point, as opposed to liquid :)

Anyway, most petrol stations have a couple of people around who will pump for you, but you're welcome to do it yourself if you want. It doesn't cost you any extra if you get them to do it.

In terms of price, it's about 60c per litre. I've got no idea how many litres are in a gallon so don't ask me to convert it!

[jbomber]

In the U.S. Virgin Islands, the prices are always near $2.00 per gallon. Pretty terrible, especially considering there's a Hess refinery on one of the islands. :p