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