Filling Station

[arbilab]

Texas, when I was first driving in mid 60s, "gas wars" pulled the price down to 17c/gallon. But there were no lines. You just drove in and bought it. No biggie. Next week it might be 19c. Or even (shudder) 21c.

OK, make me go to the inflation calculator. 21c in 1965 would be roughly $3 today, and so it is.

 

[davetranter]

Other side of the 'pond'

'Filling Station' is probably the most popular term here nowadays..... Formerly the term 'Petrol Station' was common, and before that, "Garage forecourt", or just 'Garage'.....

All best

Dave T

 

[jmm63]

It's gas station here or simply "going to get gas". And for those of you who have never bought gas in New Jersey, they still pump it for you. I think there is only one other state in the country that still does that. A nice touch when its freezing out

 

[countryguy]

Around here it is usually gas station but some times service station. The one I go to is actually a full service meaning they pump the gas, will check the oil if asked and usually clean the windshield and rear window if not too busy or if asked. Of course the price per litre is a couple cents more than at a self serve station.

Gary

 

[firedome]

Those were the days my friend...

but they did end, sadly. It was so cool to roll up to the pump to the tune of the "Ding Ding" of the air-hose-bell inside, and be greeted by the sharply dressed attendent who invariably said" "Fill her up?" Another great way of life now lost.

Our car is the same as this green one, a '58 Chrysler, but not as pretty...yet!

 

[washerboy]

full service station

There's one in my neighborhood...they have self serve and full service. I think it's really nice..the man that owns the station has been there for years. He has a lot of older adults(that probably should not be driving!!!!) that use the full service side of the pumps. I think he's a bit pricey..but it is an extra service and the older adults appreciate the fact he checks under the hood and checks their tires.

 

[tomturbomatic]

I remember when Desotos said Fire Dome on the car. I think that was the first car line that I can remember being dropped. I also remember when Buick dropped the "Special" then brought it back in the smaller model. Sorry to go OT.

 

[firedome]

FireDome...

yes, we had a '58, that went to Sweden and we got the '58 Chrysler in New Mexico.

There is a chain around here called Kwik-Fill, and they only do Full Service, meaning fill the tank... they don't evn check oil! Believe in NJ ALL stations are full service , by law, again, only pumping gas for the most part. Miss the "service bays: and "Mechanic on Duty" of those days of yore.

 

[frigilux]

Firedome---being 54 years of age, I also remember when men in caps and uniforms would fill the tank, clean all the windows, check the oil and add washer fluid. It was awesome!

 

[westingman123]

Here's one for you!

"Fill her with ethyl"

 

[rp2813]

Oregon is the other state that requires gas to be pumped by an attendant.  Here in California, an attendant must pump the gas for anyone who is handicapped or otherwise unable to do it themselves.  That would best be accomplished by frequenting the same station and establishing a relationship there.  Otherwise one would be hard pressed to get the cashier to budge from behind the counter.

 

That AMOCO station pictured above needed a "Cadiz" station across the street!

 

[tomturbomatic]

And over one of the bays of the Texaco station was the term Marfak lubrication. For decades, daddy was a devoted Texaco customer and believed that once you started off a car with a certain brand of oil, you never changed brands so it was always to Texaco for oil changes. I was always fascinated with the strange vessel that they hooked to the air hose to wash cars. It looked like it was made out of brass and there was that partial wall of white painted concrete blocks between the lube bay and the washing bay.

My father used to tell the guy, "Fill 'er up with high test." He called the accelerator the "foot feed" which I misunderstood as "foot feet" for years.

 

[circlew]

I personally call them "gas stations", but occasionally hear someone say "filling station".

Today I passed by one of the few full-service stations in the Cincinnati area. It's the Clark station on US 50 in Terrace Park. They also do auto repairs. It used to be a Sohio, then BP, but has been Clark for several years.

 

[petek]

We only have one full serve station in town that I know of, the old Texaco right downtown which is now a Shell. It also the only station in town that still has free air. It's mostly kids working there and they seldom ask or clean windows etc. The owners also own a car lot across the street where I bought a car. One day the owner himself is at the pumps, cleans the windows, ask if I want the oil checked and I mentioned geeze I haven't been asked that before here and he just shakes his head and laughs, I know I know. They will do it if you ask.. I buy my wiper blades there ever few months and ask them to put them on. Stopped in today and checked my tire pressures and the guy that works there was fluffing up the tires for a customer. So there's still some service. There should be it's 3 cents a liter more for regular which is almost about 10 cents a gallon over other stations.

 

[firedome]

"foot feed"

used by many former Model A drivers who grew up with a hand throttle no doubt!

Ethyl was essentially a lead additive gasoline developed to raise octane to facilitate the new higher compression engines, developed at GM by Chas. Kettering et al and spun off as The Ethyl Corporation. The term later became genericized for any "high test" like Frigidaire for any refrigerator, or Hoover for vacuum over in England, where they "Hoover the carpet".

Fun to remmeber the level of service back then, the triangular piles of brightly colored metal oil cans, the wide-whitewall tires on individual display in front of the station window, the below ground service pit inside some of the older stations (some of the oil change chains seem to have re-discoverd those). Seems like so long ago now, and I guess it was.

 

[rp2813]

Part of a Halloween Outfit

When I was acting as householder for a big 1937 home a family friend inherited back in the mid 80's, there were mountains of old hoarded stuff to go through.  I pulled a number of things that the owner didn't care about, including the cap pictured below.  I'm fairly certain it came from a long gone Union 76 station in the neighborhood.

 

I used it as the basis for a Halloween costume a couple of times, hitting thrift stores for a pair of white pants and a white shirt.  I already had the bow tie, shop rags and a pair of heavy black shoes.  Smeared everything with fake black grease, including my face, arms and hands, and I was ready to roll on up to The City for a wild champagne-fueled bash in a lavishly restored three-level Victorian.

 

I could only wear that outfit twice.  The pants got too small.  How did that happen?

 

[ovrphil]

old gas stations would be an interesting separate thread somewhere on aw.org...

look at a book of old gas stations or maybe a search on the web - so different from today's "get and go".

Fast forward 30 years and we'll have electric stations to recharge or the only fillin' will be food and drink

 

[Philip0603]

Funny That.

I still call them petrol stations, even if going for diesel. Most supermarkets call then petrol stations as well despite probably selling more diesel than petrol these days as everyone seems to run around in super economical diesels.

 

[arbilab]

Is diesel still cheaper than petrol/benzine/gas in UK? It was here but that has reversed, diesel is higher now.

McGarret on Hawaii 5-O calls them "gas stations". Or at least his scriptwriter did.

 

[rolls_rapide]

"Petrol Station" for me too

Diesel costs more per litre than petrol.

138.9 pence for petrol, where I live.
14-something-point-nine pence for diesel.