Can somebody check their fuel filler pipe and confirm something for me please? Is there supposed to be a metal flap covering the opening to the fuel tank, in the filler neck? In other cars I owned there is a flap covering the opening. In New Jersey self-serve gas is against the law so I hardly ever look there. I fear the flap broke off and fell inside the tank.

 

No flap on my '04.

 

 

Whoa - self serve is against the law, there? WTF for?

 

yea why???!?

 

Law went into effect in 1949; Oregon also bans self-serve gas. The main reason is the politicians think we are to stupid to pump gas (might be correct based on who NJ votes into office). Also the head of the NJ station owner’s association also supports the ban. They claim it keeps their insurance rates down by only having “ professionals” pump gas. We have low prices for gas anyway under $2.00/gal for 87 so there isn’t a push behind self-serve gas. The links below add a little more into.

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/news/wab...101204gas.html
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/virgin..._virgin15.html

 

I'm just thinking about the time this girl I knew in high school took her '69 Mustang to the full serve pumps. After the guy was done and put the nozzle back in the pump, she smelled gas real strong and asked him if he'd spilled it on her car. The guy told her he didn't, but the smell was just too strong, so she got out an looked. There was a big wet streak running from the filler down the back of her car and down the bumper to a puddle under the car. I often think of that when I see a station that only has full serve. I'll keep driving with my gas light on until I find self serve.

 

IIRC, there's a flap further down that only closes in the event of a rollover.

 

We are stil paying $2.35 for 87 ($2.54 for 91) in Oregon thanks to us getting Cali refined gas and 30 cents a gallon state tax. Oh, and we b 2 stoopid tu pimp r awn petrol.

 

NJ gasoline is generally cheaper because the gas tax is lower than the neighboring states. Regarding the no self serve law in Jersey, a while back the oil companies lobbied to get rid of the requirement. Then Governor Christie Whitman shut them down by saying she would veto any bill unless the oil companies/gas stations would guarantee that they would lower their prices, keeping the same profit margins. The push by the oil companies died off after that one!