Self-gas stations work by allowing customers to choose their own fuel, use the pump, and pay without needing customer service.
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If you're still driving a gasoline-powered vehicle, you will need to stop between now and then at the gas station and fill your car. In the world of gas stations, there are traditional gas stations, and there is the self-gas station.
While these gas stations might sound a little bit strange to people who didn't use them before, you need to get up to speed and understand how they work to decide whether you want to use them or not.
This article walks you through all the details to help you understand how self-gas stations work. It highlights the main difference between traditional gas stations and these self-gas stations. Also, it highlights some of the main pros and cons of the self-gas stations to help you make an informed decision about whether you should use them or not.
What does a self-gas station mean??
Before we dive into how self-gas stations work, we must understand what it means when talking about a self-gas station.
As the name suggests, a self-gas station is a type of gas station where you don't need customer service. In other words, you should be able to pay and pump your gas, get your receipt, and get it done without needing anybody to help you.
According to experts, if you're using a self-gas station, you realize that it's much cheaper than the traditional gas station because they don't have to invest in hiring someone to run these gas stations.
How did the self-gas stations start?
It's also essential to understand when these gas stations started in the first place. According to experts, the idea of a self-gas station started when Henry Ford decided to flood the roads with affordable cars allowing everybody to own a car.
As a result of this increase in the number of vehicles driving around the roads, the idea of self-gas stations came into play.
Interestingly, before the invention of a self-gas station, people usually used to get gasoline from pharmacists. Even more interesting, all motorcycles used to buy gasoline in cans and fill their vehicles at home.
With the increased demand for gas stations, gasoline pumps were created. With this creative invention, companies and manufacturers could evolve the concept and convert it into the self-gas stations that we see nowadays.
In certain states, the idea of self-service has evolved even more. For example, you'll see in some states that there are service gas stations where you don't only get gasoline, but also you can service your vehicle yourself. However, you won't see any legal self-service gas stations in certain states like Oregon and New Jersey.
How do self-gas stations work?
Now that you have a good understanding of the history of these self-gas stations and what happens when you use them, the next step is understanding how self-gas stations work.
Automotive experts and companies understood the need for an easy way to fuel your vehicles without waiting in lines. Therefore, they came up with the idea of a self-gas station, and even if you are familiar with those stations, it is essential to understand the best and safest way to fuel your vehicle using a fuel pump.
If you are a teenager who's never driven a car before, you must understand how to safely fill your vehicle, even if it sounds very basic to many people.
Let's take a closer look at a fuel pump:
- Find a gas station near you
The first thing you want to do is to locate a gas station near you. Say that you're not living in this area and would like to fuel your vehicle as soon as possible. The easiest way to do it is by searching on Google or probably Google Maps for a gas station near me.
Typically, even if you open the map without searching for anything, you'll see some pop-ups of certain restaurants and other features, including gas stations, immediately near you.
- Select the right pump
Once you locate a gas station near you, the next step is to make sure you're parking in front of the right pump. You probably know that every vehicle around you will be looking to add some fuel to their cars.
However, there are some pumps specifically for diesel, which you want to be very careful about.
Many people accidentally put diesel in their gasoline cars, resulting in too many problems that could cause significant damage to the engine.
If you're still unsure about what the diesel pump looks like, the safest thing to do is to pick a pump right in the middle. In other words, the middle lanes of the gas stations are not designed for larger vehicles that rely on diesel to park. However, you still want to read carefully and confirm that you are picking the right pump.
- Ensure that you are parking in the right direction
Depending on your vehicle's make, model, and year, the location of the pump could be different. In other words, if you look at the side of your car, you should see a box showing where you can input fuel into your vehicle. Some cars might have it on the left, while others might have it on the right.
Therefore, the next step you need to take is to ensure that your parking is in the right direction and that your vehicle is facing the right way and is ready to receive the fuel.
- Choose your payment method
Once you are parked and ready to pump, the next step is to look at the screen and choose your payment method. Typically, the screen will be very intuitive, telling you where to click so you can choose your payment method. For example, if you're looking to pay using a debit or a credit card, you should select the right button.
Once you choose the payment method, you can go ahead and slide your debit or credit card and follow the instructions on the screen.
- Select the amount of fuel to pump
At some gas stations, you might be asked how much fuel you want to pump. For example, the screen will ask you to input a number like $15. Your pump will stop pumping fuel once you hit $15.
This option is unavailable in every gas station, and you might even be asked to pay inside through customer service.
There are some areas where you're allowed to start pumping the fuel, and you can decide when to stop based on the number displayed on the screen specifying how much money you're all and will be withdrawn from your card.
- Choose the right nozzle
Once you figure out the payment method, the screen will ask you to pick one nozzle. At any gas station, you'll typically find three different gasoline levels with different prices. You might also see the diesel pump on the side if you're parking at a specific pump where gasoline is available.
You must understand what fuel you must use for your vehicle. For example, some vehicle owners' manuals might ask you to use only premium gas. In that case, you can't go with general regular gasoline. However, if your manufacturer is not asking you to use the most expensive gasoline, you don't have to do it.
- Start filling your car
After deciding on the type of gasoline you're using, the next step is to pick up the nozzle and insert it in the right location of your vehicle's fuel tank. Then, depending on the gas station, you might decide to stop filling your car until you reach the desired amount, or the pump will stop filling depending on the amount you decided in the first place.
What are the main pros and cons of self-gas stations?
Self-gas stations are great inventions and might be very common to many people, but those who used to use the traditional gas stations might still wonder whether it's worth using the self-gas stations. Now you know how do self-gas stations work, let's see what's next.
Let's take a closer look at the main pros and cons of the self-gas stations:
- Pros of self-gas stations
The first and most important advantage of using self-gas stations is the fact that there are much cheaper than traditional gas stations. This is not surprising because if you think from the company's perspective, they don't have to hire employees to deal with the customers or any services.
From the customer's perspective, you will definitely find that the self-service gas stations are much easier and more convenient for divers. They don't have to stop and wait in lines until they get serviced.
Finally, there are many self-service gas stations that you'll find in every state except those we mentioned, like New Jersey and Oregon.
- Cons of self-gas stations
The biggest drawback about self-gas stations is that they're not very friendly for those with disabilities. That's why companies and experts in the automotive industry should do a better job of finding ways for those who can't use self-gas stations with certain disabilities.
Where can I find a self-service gas station?
We've talked a lot about self-service gas stations; if you've never seen one of those, you might want to check them out. But, the question remains, where can you find a self-service gas station?
Typically, you should find them almost everywhere. However, you don't want to waste your time looking for those in states like Oregon or New Jersey because they don't exist.
If you are not finding it easy to locate these gas stations, you can type something like self-service gas stations near me on Google. Google Maps should be very smart to help you find the nearest one to you.
What are the main differences between full-service and self-service gas stations?
While you know about self-service gas stations, there's another term you might come across as you're looking for those stations: the full-service gas station.
Typically, both options have the same function, which means they provide you with additional services other than fueling your vehicle.
In all service gas, there is no attendant. In other words, you should be doing the work yourself, which can be very convenient, especially in the current time of COVID-19, where people are trying to stay away and avoid the face to face interactions.
However, you will find some attendance spots in certain types of self-service gas stations. This is because they typically handle the processing and payment portion of the job, and they don't do the pump for you.
Final thoughts
This article provided all the details you want to understand how those self-gas stations work. It also gave you a general overview of the main difference between a full-service gas station and a self-service gas station.
In short, self-service gas stations are very convenient and make it much easier for people to fuel their vehicles without waiting in lines for a long time. However, these gas stations are not still the best for those with disabilities, which should be a priority for companies and manufacturers in the near future.
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