| Warning - Non Football Post 08:30 - Mar 6 with 1433 views | TheOldOakTree |
OK, so I’ve been driving since the dark days of Austin Allegros, but something was brought to my attention recently and I could not believe it.
I’m guessing that you probably all know this and it’s just my friends and family that have conspired to keep this from me, for the last 40 years, as a joke.
At the risk of making myself look thicker than pig shit, I can confess that I did not know that the little arrow beside a petrol pump sign on your dashboard tells you which side of the car the filler cap is on.
https://www.123rf.com/photo_70659679_fuel-gauge-with-red-indicator-at-full-level
Not all cars have this, but a lot do. It’s no shame if your car hasn’t got one, as I have done some research and it doesn’t appear to have anything to do with a cars value or age.
Question A – Why don’t all cars have this?
Question B – Why don’t we all get told about it when we learn to drive?
Can you imagine a world where you don’t have to sit patiently, on a forecourt, while some bimbo tries to stretch the hose into the next county, so it will reach to the other side of their monster 4x4 w@n#er tank.
OK, I can now feel the smugness coming from electric car drivers.
“Oh Katey, do come and look at this oik, banging on about filling his car with dinosaur juice. I can’t remember the last time I visited one of those disgusting places. I think it may have been when you forgot the spelt ryebread and avocado sarnies. You know, when we were on our way to the Latitude Festival and I had to stop for a couple of chai seed and kumquat energy bars.
“Well don’t speak too soon Tarquin, the girls from extinction rebellion are coming round this morning for an organic, shade grown, latte, and @cado have forgotten to deliver the almond milk”.
…oh no, TOOT’s down at Strawberry Field again.
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| Warning - Non Football Post on 09:56 - Mar 6 with 1389 views | wessex_exile |
LOL - not smug at all, but I learned this early on, and for a very good reason. In my line of work we use a multitude of different types of hire vehicles (all the way up to 7.5t) all the time, so that little arrow comes in very handy to know what particular side the filler cap is for whatever you were driving on that day. I did once, however, have to get a forecourt attendant's help to find the fecking lever that actually opened the damn thing... |  |
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| Warning - Non Football Post on 10:54 - Mar 6 with 1374 views | bwildered |
Had the classic firms van gone in for maintenance, so was given a reserve van. Had to do the usual checks before driving oil, water, screen wash, tyre pressures, lights etc. Has usual the fuel gauge was in the U’s position, so filled it up like a good boy, went hop skip and jump to pay only to find fuel card had expired previous day ! [Post edited 6 Mar 10:55]
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| Warning - Non Football Post on 12:26 - Mar 6 with 1352 views | TheOldOakTree |
Whilst I jest about electric car drivers, I do live in fear of the day you can do longer fill up at the garage. I’m certainly not anti-eco, but it is a simple fact that I will never remember to plug the poxy thing in every night.
I could paint ‘Now go back and plug the car in’ on my front door, but I still wouldn’t remember. | | | |
| Warning - Non Football Post on 16:53 - Mar 6 with 1310 views | burnsieespana |
Toot Toot I never was aware either so you are not alone
Everything I come back to the UK and use a hie car before the first fill have to stop and get out to check which side the fuel cap is! [Post edited 6 Mar 20:03]
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| Warning - Non Football Post on 17:10 - Mar 6 with 1306 views | Moor_Pinot |
| Warning - Non Football Post on 16:53 - Mar 6 by burnsieespana |
Toot Toot I never was aware either so you are not alone
Everything I come back to the UK and use a hie car before the first fill have to stop and get out to check which side the fuel cap is! [Post edited 6 Mar 20:03]
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I'm back now Burnsie but I have never got out of the habit and frequently get it wrong.
So many thanks to TooT! |  |
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| Warning - Non Football Post on 07:50 - Mar 7 with 1238 views | noah4x4 |
| Warning - Non Football Post on 12:26 - Mar 6 by TheOldOakTree |
Whilst I jest about electric car drivers, I do live in fear of the day you can do longer fill up at the garage. I’m certainly not anti-eco, but it is a simple fact that I will never remember to plug the poxy thing in every night.
I could paint ‘Now go back and plug the car in’ on my front door, but I still wouldn’t remember. |
At home it’s easy TOOT. Takes a mere 20 seconds to plug-in if one has installed a proper charger. But when away from home it can be a nightmare, and there (IMHO) lies the flaw with EVs, given that many properties (flats etc) can’t install a home charger…..
1. One can pay as little as £0.08 per kWh at home, yet it can be £0.70 at rip off public chargers.
2. Chargers are specific to different types of connector. Not all will fit one’s car.
3. Not all EVs can use the super fast chargers. The process is tedious.
4. The UK public EV charging infrastructure is dire (or too expensive). Range anxiety is very real.
Recognising all of these issues, I consciously chose a Plug -in Hybrid EV (PHEV). 95% of my motoring is in EV mode, hence incredibly cheap and tail-pipe emissions friendly. However, once beyond EV battery range, I can switch to petrol (hence avoiding range anxiety) and even use my ICE to recharge the EV battery. That feature seems to defy the laws of physics as it is remarkably efficient (but less so than plugging in), assisted by regenerative braking that captures otherwise lost energy. However, I’m pleased that I didn’t go 100% EV (only) as the UK infrastructure isn’t ready, but motoring in EV mode is fun, convenient (if an home charger available) and fast.
Now I have to make an even more complicated which side fill-up decision as the petrol filler is on my near side and electricity filler on my offside. But I too have a little dashboard arrow to guide me. I recall first seeing this feature in 2006 when I purchased a car with a wholly digital rather than analogue display. Going digital dashboard was a wider eureka moment as you can now suffer 50+ often inexplicable digitally displayed warnings. That represents true owner anxiety when a warning light flashes and only a dealer with computer can diagnose it. |  | | |
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