# Pumping gas isn't rocket surgery you lazy twit **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 12, 2016, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976 "2016-04-12T04:22:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/61 "2016-04-12T21:12:51Z")
> [@TheChileanBlob](#): > > If you do that, they put a $100 hold on your card which could cause you to overdraw your account. One more reason to always use a credit card and never use a debit card. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/62 "2016-04-12T21:15:01Z")
> [@TheChileanBlob](#): > > If you do that, they put a $100 hold on your card which could cause you to overdraw your account. He said credit card, not debit card. You don’t get “overdrawn”. And if you’re that close to your credit limit, you have other problems. (and anyone who pays for gas with a debit card is also an idiot.) It’s like you people just want to believe your archaic ways, filling your car using stone knives and bearskins, is the better way, and you’re going to stick to it, and rationalize it, no matter what anyone else says. Seriously - pay at the pump self serve is the greatest thing since the ding ding air hose bell for gas stations. I never have to deal with anybody. No lines, no stinky people buying smokes and lottery tickets. In and out, get the job done, go on to better things. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/63 "2016-04-12T21:18:25Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > One more reason to always use a credit card and never use a debit card. Same thing. A CC would have a pre-auth placed on it for some amount that the gas purchase would not likely exceed, and Lord only knows when the pre-auth comes off – it could be 3 or 4 days or more. Doesn’t really hurt anything except that it impacts your credit limit if you happen to be in a position where that matters. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/64 "2016-04-12T21:27:26Z")
Or - tap Fast-Pass against the sensor, start fueling. No need to ever take the credit card out of my wallet. Or use the dedicated gas card and fuel at the local Arco station, which has the cheapest prices in town as well. Who cares when the pre-auth comes off? How much gas am I gonna buy in a week? **Aspenglow** - That’s one of the best descriptions of Oregonian drivers I’ve ever read. Good job! ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/65 "2016-04-12T21:28:06Z")
[QUOTE=Just Asking Questions;19254933anyone who pays for gas with a debit card is also an idiot[/QUOTE] :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/66 "2016-04-12T21:28:29Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > It’s _extremely_ dangerous filling a car up with gasoline, that gas cap gets fucking _hot_ sitting on top of the radiator like that … blame the car makers for putting the fool thing in such a terrible place to begin with … them dorkwads. > > Y’all act like Oregonians would fill a whale carcass with dynamite or something … What are you talking about? What car are you driving where you take off the gas cap and sit it on top of a radiator? ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/67 "2016-04-12T21:35:25Z")
It’s a flying car. They go _whoosh_. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/68 "2016-04-12T21:37:42Z")
The Pit, where anyone can get their undies in a bundle over anything… (Just got back from a road trip – used CC, debit… or cash if I was going into the station to buy snacks) (Guess what? They all were equally effective) (even in the 21st century!) (even my two dollar bills…) What we _should_ be debating is whether the OP squeegeed the driver’s rear window, that he didn’t really have to see out of anyhow. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/69 "2016-04-12T21:37:47Z")
> [@curlcoat](#): > > I just drove thru Oregon and had no trouble with the attendants (maybe because I stop at truck stops?) but damn! I had forgotten how bad the driving is there. Be very glad you didn’t venture onto the streets of Portland. It’s bad enough just passing through on the Interstate. Driving here over the past seven years has aged me at least 12 years, and I only put about 3K miles a year on my car. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/70 "2016-04-12T21:51:35Z")
> [@Celidin](#): > > And to boot, NJ has the lowest gas prices of any state attached to it (NJ, DE, PA). They typically have a _higher_ pre-tax price than their neighbors\*, but you don’t see that because they don’t show the gas tax separately. Only Alaska has a lower gas tax. \*I averaged nominal price difference 1983-2011 as reported by EIA. NJ was on average 2.6¢, 5.1¢, and 6.8¢ above NY, DE, and PA, respectively. Whereas the tax deltas are 28, 8.5, and 36 venue, respectively, according to a table I found on wikipedia that supposedly comes from API. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/71 "2016-04-12T21:54:24Z")
> [@Celidin](#): > > And to boot, NJ has the lowest gas prices of any state attached to it (NJ, DE, PA). I think that’s more a reflection of the states’ gas taxes than their policies on who pumps the gas. New Jersey - 14.5 cents a gallon Delaware - 23 cents a gallon New York - 42.64 cents a gallon Pennsylvania - 50.4 cents a gallon ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/72 "2016-04-12T22:31:08Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > You all know that topping off is bad for your car, right? . . . ??? No, this, I had never heard. What happens? (I thought it was bad because it leads to top-off spills, which are wasteful and polluting.) ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/73 "2016-04-12T22:32:57Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > Nobody who uses a credit card is required to go into debt or pay interest. > > **Absolute** is still a moron tho. Using a credit card is definitional of debt. They owe the amount they’ve spent, and must repay it. (Obviously, the phrase “go into debt” was meant differently than that. We’ve struck a figure of speech and the hull has been breached.) ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/74 "2016-04-12T22:36:31Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > [Moderating] > Also, saying “fuck you” to other posters is against the board rules. Please avoid this in the future, no warning issued, etc. etc. > [/Moderating] Oh, damn! Oops and ow! I’m very, very sorry. I’ve worked as hard as I can, all this time, not to break the board rules, and now I blundered. I apologize to **Absolute** , to the others who have read this, to **Miller** and the mods, and to the SDMB in general. Harsh language will resume shortly, but, pray God, it will be within permitted parameters. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/75 "2016-04-12T22:38:52Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Be very glad you didn’t venture onto the streets of Portland. It’s bad enough just passing through on the Interstate. Driving here over the past seven years has aged me at least 12 years, and I only put about 3K miles a year on my car. I genuinely did LOL when I read what you wrote! I’ve often said I’d rather drive dead drunk on Divisadero (alliteration for free) in San Francisco with one leg and a clutch than drive in Portland. And I learned to drive in the Bay Area, so it’s an informed opinion. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/76 "2016-04-12T22:48:13Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > ??? No, this, I had never heard. What happens? > > (I thought it was bad because it leads to top-off spills, which are wasteful and polluting.) Overfilling the tank can spill gas into the carbon filter in the car’s vapor collection system. Which is generally not desired. ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/77 "2016-04-12T23:09:02Z")
> [@Absolute](#): > > What does time management have to do with it? I swipe my card and I’m done. What’s frustrating is the guy who waits until he sees the total on the register, proudly declares “Oh, I have exact change!” and starts laboriously counting out 65 cents in nickels. I sincerely hope that someday, somewhere, I’m in front of you in the cash register line, so I can pay in cash and watch you seethe at the loss of 15 seconds from your life. I almost never pay in cash (hell, I rarely even carry cash) but in your case I’d happily make an exception. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2016, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/78 "2016-04-13T00:16:23Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > What are you talking about? What car are you driving where you take off the gas cap and sit it on top of a radiator? You have obviously never seen the Three Stooges, have you? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2016, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/79 "2016-04-13T00:22:22Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > He said credit card, not debit card. You don’t get “overdrawn”. And if you’re that close to your credit limit, you have other problems. (and anyone who pays for gas with a debit card is also an idiot.) Call me an idiot, then. I’ve been carrying a debit card for almost 20 years and it’s never been compromised. I just don’t get the hate for debit cards that I frequently encounter here. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2016, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/80 "2016-04-13T00:24:19Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > In New Jersey you’re not allowed to pump your own gas? Dear N.J., WTF? [https://www.youtube.com/results?search\_query=gas+station+fire+static](https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=gas+station+fire+static) People are stupid everywhere. The only difference is that in NJ, we’ve realized this. You guys are still dreamin’. ;p I actually don’t know how dangerous it is statistically. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976.md?page=5)