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Align your gas cap to the nozzle. This step requires some spatial awareness. Station attendants see people drive to the wrong side of the pump, then circle around to another pump, again on the wrong side. Renting a car? Your dash board often indicates the gas cap location with a gas pump icon and a tiny arrow on pointing to the correct side of the car.
Flip the release button or lever inside your vehicle. You’ve likely discovered it by now if you’ve ever purchased gas before.
OK, now you have to get out of your vehicle and the tricky part starts:
If your gas cap does not have a tether, make sure you place the cap somewhere in plain sight (not on the gas pump) so you won’t drive away without it. Many gas cap doors have receivers for holding the cap.
Your card goes into the slot indicated on the pump. Wait for the screen to tell you to remove your card.
IMPORTANT: Insert the card as indicated by descriptions on the pump. Attendants watch people insert their card backwards several times, then move to the next pump and insert their card. Backwards. Again.
Once the computer approves your purchase it will tell you to lift the nozzle off the pump. In some cases the “holster” will have a “seat” for the nozzle, which you’ll have to flip up before the gasoline will flow.
This is the octane level represented by different numbers. Regular is generally 87, the higher the number the higher the octane and the higher the price. If you’ve purchased gas in the past, you know which grade you prefer. Press that button.
After selecting the gas grade, the price indicator on the screen should register zero. Insert the nozzle into your tank’s receiver until it fits snugly.
Squeeze until the gas starts flowing. Look for the screen to start measuring your purchase.
Squeezing the nozzle releases a little tang. Rest that metal tang against the ridges on the bottom rung of the handle to hold the nozzle in the open position. Different styles of pumps have different styles of locks. You don’t have to manually hold the handle for a 20-gallon fill-up. However, if you’re going for a set amount of gas, say $10, you better stay right there on the handle. Those numbers spin by remarkably fast.
While the gas pumps, you might consider washing your vehicle’s windows to get the full DIY gas-pumping experience.
When your tank is full, the nozzle will resound with a satisfying ‘chunk’ and the numbers will stop spinning on the screen.
Tap the tip of the nozzle so the last few drips fall into the tank and not onto your car’s paint, or your pants, or your shoes. Don’t forget to lower that “seat” if you had to lift it earlier.
Don’t forget to close the door to the tank.
The screen will politely ask you if you would like a receipt. Press the screen to give it the answer of your choice. If you generally tip your gas attendant, you no longer need to add that expense. So far, gas pump screens do not ask for tips.
Pumping gas is not without its hazards. Listen closely to these two admonitions:
1. Do not smoke … anything … while pumping your gas. Gasoline and gas fumes are flammable and explosive in the quantities present at a gas station.
2. Do not confuse the green pump with any other pump. This is some serious stuff. The green pump is for diesel. Diesel will ruin a regular engine. Regular gas will ruin a diesel engine. While the diesel nozzle is too large to fit into the receiver of a car that runs on regular fuel, it is possible to insert the regular nozzle into the receiver of a vehicle that runs on diesel fuel. One attendant we spoke with witnessed a woman put regular fuel into her husband’s brand new pickup, ruining the engine.
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