Buying Gas/Petrol

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

You may think, well how hard is that?!!

It foxed me when I first went to Florida. We had hired a rather sleek fullsize car, but when it came to filling it up with gas we could not locate the petrol cap. Fortunately after several minutes of perplexed looks one of our party recalled an episode of 'Miami Vice' and flicked open the registration/tail plate to reveal all.

The gas pumps differ to those in the UK as you have to 'Lift the cradle' before any gas is dispensed.

You can pay at the pump with a credit/debit card, but I would recommend you go in an have a look round, its amazing just what the gas staions sell.

Whatever you do don't lock your keys in your vehicle....oh that's another posting another time!

Sarah

John & Sarah Rooke
Orlando Villas

[steph_goodrum]

While we're on the subject of gas/petrol, we found if we were doing long trips that although we started with plenty of fuel we ending up almost dry looking for gas stations, once on way to Kennedy, once Miami, as the guage suddenly seemed to be registering almost empty. I mentioned this to someone else and was told they had experienced the same thing and reported the fuel guage as faulty when they returned their car. The attendant told her that if you are doing long trips, turn off the air conditioning and open windows to save fuel as the a/c uses more petrol than the engine to keep it running.

Babblin Boo

[MMFAN]

Steph, you were actually given bad advice. Opening the windows causes more aerodynamic drag which uses more power than the air conditioning. If you kept the windows closed and turned the setting to "vent" then you would get the best mileage (as you roasted to oblivion).

A couple of notes...petrol gauges are not always linear, they often seem to stay near full forever, and then drop like a rock. Some people have been known to use this knowledge to drive around a little after a fill-up but before returning the car to the agency. The next person gets a car that reads full but is really down a couple of gallons. Also American cars often have larger engines and get lower mileage than European cars. For the four-door typical rental car, figure 20 miles to a gallon, and a 14 gallon tank.

[fiona]

But look at what you pay to fill them up. It costs us $20 in the US and nearly £50 in the UK - and that's comparable sized cars!

Fiona

[kkevingo]

i know this will sound silly but i aint been there before
but do they have the same grades petrol as we do ie unleaded, leaded , diesel etc----wouldnt want to fill the rental car up with wrong juice .
thanx

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

They are all unleaded from my experience. We've never seen diesel anywhere (although I'm sure the trucks use it).

[blott]

For rental vehicles, you just need the cheapest/lowest octane unleaded petrol/gas. This seems to work for most vehicles, from a 7 seater downwards although I don't know about larger than 7 seaters.

[Captain Slog]

I used an eight seat Chevy Venture and it was normal 87 Octane Regular.

CS

[chrizzy100]

People say about the cost of running the A/C...but to be honest....with the cost of gas over here....its not worth getting you and the kids all hot and sweaty in the car....I run mine all summer....and we ran the A/C in the Grand-am all the way down to Orlando and back 3000 miles or more...without noticing a huge cost in gas.... buy gas when you get to half full....the A/C is a must have in very hot humid weather.....

[mjb]

Are there great differences in the prices like in the UK? Is there one name better to buy from than another (as far as prices go)?

We're renting in Lindfiels - where is the best place to fill up?

Thanks
Jackie

[Gillian-B]

quote:Originally posted by blott

For rental vehicles, you just need the cheapest/lowest octane unleaded petrol/gas. This seems to work for most vehicles, from a 7 seater downwards although I don't know about larger than 7 seaters.


If you have to pre-pay for a tank of fuel at the car hire counter when you pick the car up, I'm not sure that it is the cheapest gas that they charge you for and they base the price on the car with the largest tank! Often, it's more cost efficient to pay for a "platinum" car hire package that includes everything.

[chrisj]

It is cheaper to not pay for a tank as they charge more per gallon than the petrol stations, but at the end of the day its easier to not have to worry about the amount of petrol left in the
car.

We pre-paid for a tank, just meant that I didnt have to bother filling up on the way to the
airport, I know we must have paid a lot more, but hey petrol is so much cheaper does it matter
as long as you enjoy yoursleves. Dont see the point in worrying over a few $'s

[MTP]

i have always wondered with gerages that ask for pre-payment before filling, what if you pay for too much fuel?? We were also amazed at how much the price can vary between garages, even ones on opposite sides of the road.

[chrisj]

I agree the pre-payment is odd, how are you supposed to know how much its going to take thre first time you need petrol.

I didnt really notice about the prices, always filled up in the 7/11 at the junction
with OBT, thats cos they had wicked cheese and ham rolls which were just yummy

[gofer]

I did that on my first visit to a gas station in Florida, first of all I tried filling the car up without making any payment and the cashier proceeded to give directions over the loud speaker, much to the delight of everyone else on the forecourt. Then I paid $20 on my credit card and filled up on $13! I tried to sqeeze another $7 in but thats a lot of fuel in the states! I finished up looking like Hugh Grant when with my tail between my legs I had to explain to the cashier that I was a stupid Brit who didn't Know how to use a petrol pump. To top it off she said "Don't worry Geoff I'll sort it out for you". "How do you know my name" I said. " I saw it on your credit card, and you reminded me of Geoffrey Giraffe from Toys R us". It was the most stressful thing about the whole holiday but it made my kids laugh.

[blott]

Normally, if you swipe your credit card at the pump, the pump waits for you to fill up and then takes the total from your credit card - don't forget to press the 'Yes' to receipt required though!

Some pumps have the lift up holder where you remove the petrol nozzle from and won't work unless you flip the nozzle holder up. The instructions are on a small screen at the top of the pump and are really difficult to read sometimes in the sunshine...

I don't think there's a Brit who's ever been to Florida who hasn't provided a 'floor' show for the rest of the customers and staff on their first fill up visit!

I don't bother that much with driving around trying to find the cheapest garage/gas station as we're talking a few cents here only and it's so much cheaper than it is in the UK anyway, I always feel I'm getting a bargain, whatever the price!

Whatever you do, don't return your car without the stated amount of petrol in the tank as you'll be charged at least twice the price by the car rental company for the petrol/gas. If you've agreed to return with the tak full, you can fill up within 10 miles of the car return at the airport and still show full on arrival though!

[drifting]

I once went into the Pit Stop station, having got a little cockey I thought I would press the little button that allows you to let go of the pump handel....BAD MOVE! I cover the forecourt with petrol, I wrongly assumed the pump would stop when full! Was this a one off? or does this happen on all pumps?

Luckily there was an Elderly Floridain lady who told me where to find some sand to put on the petrol.

Drift.

[Ray&Sarah]

Petrol in the US is so cheap!! But you really shouldn't pour it all over the forecourt 'drifitng'. I noticed during our last visit that some gas stations have pumps that do not require you to lift the cradle. I spent a few minutes trying to lift a cradle that was truly fixed! The biggest issue I have ever had is trying to judge how much fuel to fill the tank, especially as the gallons are US, and then the miles are US too![msncool]