My 2001 Acura RS has a fuel tank capacity (from the manual) of 13.2 Gallons.
Since buying the car new in 2001 I have NEVER put more than 12.x gallons in the car. Even when bone dry, the light burning, NEVER!
I have a 32 mile commute each way to work and I only buy gas near work as it is much cheaper. So I never let the tank get too low as I don’t want to A) buy expensive gas near my house or B) run out of gas on the 5 fwy.
So last night I pull into the Chevron station to get what I think will be about 10 gallons. The warning light is not on and It looks as if I have 1/8 of a tank left. I put the pump in and sit in my car. I go out after a minute or so as it has been running a long time and see that it is approaching 14 gallons. All tolled, I pumped a shade over 14 gallons into a fuel tank with a capacity of 13.2 gallons. Again, I was anticipating 10 gallons and the fuel light was not on and I have NEVER pumped more than 12.x gallons into this car.
I go into the station and talk to the manager and he says (in a nutshell) “reserve tank”.
Reserve tank? So, did you ask him to show you the switch on your car that switches on the reserve tank (like some motorcycles have)?
You were cheated. Give the receipt to the certification authority and tell them your story.
I think I saw something on TV where they found stations that actually had switches inside they could use to change the measurement and screw people.
First and foremost I must warn you I am not a “car guy” by anyone’s stretch of the imagination (I can change my oil and my tires that is about it). However, your story does sound odd to me. You can always call the dealership and ask if your make and model has a “reserve tank” on it.
Also did you fill up the filler tube? i.e. the tube leading to the gas tank? This might account for the extra volume (maybe).
there is no reserve tank. either their machines are not callibrated properly, and/or they’re just cheating to charge more and over time it adds up.
don’t go back to that station…it is possible they are schrimping on the quality of fuel as well.
it is not a big surprise to get jipped–be glad you’re not a woman and don’t have these situations all the time with mechanics, etc.
overall though, i wouldn’t hang onto this and continued to be pissed or try to raise a huge rukus over it (even considering principle–it’s not really worth the time and energy, is it.) worse case you spent a few more bucks–but now you know not to go there.
tell 10 people and let it be bygone.
We have this on aircraft all the time , guessing /adjusting the low light . About the only way is drain the tank / park on a slope leaning toward the filler and syphon it dry . Fill a measured volume in till you get a light to go out on level ground , filling varies with how level you are - if you top it off / burp the tank .
I am not able to let these things go. I am now talking with the corporate office of the station. He gave me the same run around.
He tried to tell me that if my car was on a slope it could happen. Anaheim Ca is headpan flat. What a joke. He is next going to waste a phone call to acura to check my fuel capacity. Has this guy ever heard of the time value of money?
I’m betting you were cheated. I would double check with Acura that you have a 13.2 gallon tank, and then call the authorities. If you have been going to this station for a long time, the crime is a lot more than $9.00
We have some sort of bureau of standards here that goes out and tests the pumps. I think there’s a sticker on each one that gives the last inspection date. If your state has such a program, I suggest you contact them. We had a local tv station going around doing these tests when prices maxed out af ew months back. There were discrepancies all over the place. Edited to add, the discrepancy was not always in the station’s favor!
I am not able to let these things go. I am now talking with the corporate office of the station. He gave me the same run around.
He tried to tell me that if my car was on a slope it could happen. Anaheim Ca is headpan flat. What a joke. He is next going to waste a phone call to acura to check my fuel capacity. Has this guy ever heard of the time value of money?
wow. i guess i’m in the camp of “pick your battles”; and the ones i tend to pick are meaningful, but alas meaningful is relative. good luck; remember there is freedom in forgiveness.
wow. i guess i’m in the camp of “pick your battles”; and the ones i tend to pick are meaningful, but alas meaningful is relative.
I get completely what you are saying, I am fighting for maybe $10 here, which is chump change. I truly thought the manager of the gas station would make things right, he was a bit insulting. So I thought the owner of the station would help but now I see where the manager gets his service skills. So the issue has escalated to the corporate level. I am dealing with Chevron customer service now and as soon as I get my way I will report them to the department of weights and measures for the county / state.
I would not waste my time going any higher than the station manager/owner. If you feel like you have to pursue this, go back to the station and tell them that you are on to what they are doing. Demand some sort of recompense (whatever you think is fair), tell them that you have been a long time customer so that they understand totally where you are going with this. Then you explain to them that if they do not show some sort willingness to satisfy you, you are going to report them to the State’s attorney general.
In Michigan this is a pretty strong tool. The AG has come down quite hard on behavior just like this. The penalty is always bourn by the local station.
Just as in interesting aside, several years ago a group that owned several gas stations in my city were caught skimming a few cents off each sale by messing with the pumps. It started out as a complaint not unlike yours but as it turns out the investigation revealed they had skimmed several hundred thousand dollars and the money was then being sent to Hezbula in Lebonon. This was pre 9/11 so they just got a few years in prison instead of being dropped out of a CIA plane on the way to Gitmo.
Or, you could just have a bigger fuel tank than you think . . .
More importantly, this is thousands of dollars a day from you and me for something that is supposed to be regulated. If I opted to not pay for part of my gasand drive off, I would have my license revoked in SC. What is this station’s punishment for doing it literally hundreds or thousands of times a day and not caring?
If I notice something like this happening and felt like there should be something done to protect the consumer, I would want it done. Our society is self-policing on these types of issues. Not everyone is born with morals.
OK - I got it. This is one of those “Car Talk” puzzlers isn’t it? The clue from the orginal post is:
**I put the pump in and sit in my car. . . . **
Your weight in the driver’s seat might have a fairly significant effect on how much gas you could get into the tank and filler pipe, especailly if the Acura has the filler on the passanger side, which I assume it is. Have you ever sat in your car while filling it before?
As for the station fiddling with the pump, it does happen but it is a seriously big deal if they get caught so when it is done, its just a few cents per fill up so no one will notice. They steal the money pennies at a time, not 8/10ths of a gallon from one customer ($1.60 worth of gas!!) like happened to you. Any station owner, even a crook, would be insane to try that.
Yes, you were cheated but not for the reasons you think. California has a gasoline recovery system at the pumps. Its main purpose it to capture the vapors that are emitted when you fill your tank. It will also captures any overfulls to the fuel system. So when you overfilled your car past 13 gallons, the excess gasoline was captured and sent back down into the station tank. In California (most counties), you never top off your car for this exact reason. Nobody has ever told you this?
So when you overfilled your car past 13 gallons, the excess gasoline was captured and sent back down into the station tank. In California (most counties), you never top off your car for this exact reason. Nobody has ever told you this?
First, thanks for the lesson. I appreciate the tone as if I were a 3rd grader. Good karma brother.
Second, I would buy your argument if I sat there holding the pump, continuing to pump after it auto shut off, but I didn’t. I turned on the pump and left it to do it’s thing. I stopped when the pump auto shut off.
