# Self-serve, or full?



## Penn's Woods (Apr 8, 2010)

Hot topic of the day on the forum at aaroads.com: places where you're not allowed to pump your own gas. In the U.S., this is the states of New Jersey and Oregon. So let's globalize this: what countries (or states, provinces, etc.) have self-service and which don't? Just curious....


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## tampasteve (Aug 8, 2007)

Interesting, I had no idea that they still required full service on those states. I have never seen a full service station down here in Florida. I have seen some a while back in North Carolina though.

Steve


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## nerdly_dood (Mar 23, 2007)

If you can't pump your own gas, how the hell can you be smart enough to drive?

...Oh wait, it's New Jersey, never mind. (Sorry Oregon!)


...I already knew about full-service in Oregon, but not NJ.


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## Penn's Woods (Apr 8, 2010)

nerdly_dood said:


> If you can't pump your own gas, how the hell can you be smart enough to drive?
> 
> ...Oh wait, it's New Jersey, never mind. (Sorry Oregon!)
> 
> ...


^^Like I've said before, y'all want to commit treason en masse again.... Although I see large chunks of Northern Virginia pulling a West Virginia this time. Or perhaps just joining the existing one.


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## Suburbanist (Dec 25, 2009)

Brazil saw a handful of self-service stations from the late 90's (I was a kid but I remember considering I learnt to read complex maps and on 2nd grade and be the "navigator" for family city trips from 4th grade ).

However, in 2002 a populist law was passed banning non-manned pumps. The argument was that gas and diesel were "dangerous" products requiring "specialized" assistance to avoid accidents. But everybody knew it was a populist push to "save" the jobs of pump assistants. The law remain unchanged and has become a "sacred cow".

Because working laws provide a lot of additional benefits for people working in hazardous conditions, pump assistants get a fairly nice salary and benefit package (like accelerated retirement) for the ridiculous low level of skills (technical or personal) they have to take. Because they are exposed to robbery risks, they get additional payment for it. Because they work at nigh shifts and at in the open, they get yet another "hardship" additional.

As more than 90% of Brazilian gas stations are owned or co-owned by major brands, the law is respected and they make a nice salary at expense of drivers. Just another dumb law IMO. No job occupation should be inherently protected because technology, automation and cultural change render it obsolete.


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## g.spinoza (Jul 21, 2010)

In Italy in the vast majority of service stations you can choose self-service or full service: the latter can cost you up to 3 eurocent/liter more.
During closing time, almost all of them still work as self-service only.


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## ChrisZwolle (May 7, 2006)

How about no-service? I always fill up at an automated gas station, it's cheaper. It saves me around € 0.10 per liter (that's almost 10% on diesel here).


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## engenx4 (Jul 2, 2010)

Brazil 100% full


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## I-275westcoastfl (Feb 15, 2005)

I've known about NJ for the longest time but thought they were the only one. I can see where they are coming from as far as the law I mean I've seen people smoking while pumping gas, people are idiots! At the same time I don't really like the idea of some minimum wage person pumping my gas.


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## Xusein (Sep 27, 2005)

Full-service is very rare in CT. I only know of one in the area that offers it, and surprise surprise, it's the most expensive gas station in the area.


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## eddeux (Jun 16, 2010)

I don't know if the '*volunteer*' state has that many full-service gas stations. I haven't come by any yet.


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## TheCat (Apr 21, 2006)

Don't think I've ever seen a full-service one in Ontario, although there is often a person on-duty in a convenience store adjacent to the station to whom you can also pay after you pump.

I used to pay by using my credit card directly at the pumps, but now I usually go to the store and pay to the guy (after pumping the gas myself) because my credit card number was once stolen, and I suspect it was at a gas station. Of course, paying to the guy doesn't really make it much safer, but there were cases of people installing scanning devices at pumps.


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## Bartolo (Sep 20, 2004)

TheCat said:


> Don't think I've ever seen a full-service one in Ontario, although there is often a person on-duty in a convenience store adjacent to the station to whom you can also pay after you pump.
> 
> I used to pay by using my credit card directly at the pumps, but now I usually go to the store and pay to the guy (after pumping the gas myself) because my credit card number was once stolen, and I suspect it was at a gas station. Of course, paying to the guy doesn't really make it much safer, but there were cases of people installing scanning devices at pumps.


Some small towns have them... I know Wiarton has a full serve station


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## xzmattzx (Dec 24, 2004)

TheCat said:


> Don't think I've ever seen a full-service one in Ontario, although there is often a person on-duty in a convenience store adjacent to the station to whom you can also pay after you pump.
> 
> I used to pay by using my credit card directly at the pumps, but now I usually go to the store and pay to the guy (after pumping the gas myself) because my credit card number was once stolen, and I suspect it was at a gas station. Of course, paying to the guy doesn't really make it much safer, but there were cases of people installing scanning devices at pumps.


Method of payment has nothing to do with whether you pump your own gas. As far as Ontario goes, there were plenty of full service stations in the Niagara Region back in the 1980s and 1990s. I remember them because the guy working the pumps always had never seen a Delaware license plate and usually had no clue where Delaware was. One attendant in Niagara Falls asked if Delaware was in the Caribbean.:lol:

There are still some full service stations on Indian Reservations in New York. I was at one just a couple years ago. Like in Ontario, the attendant was stunned at the plate. He did a double-take and then was pretty much speechless. I might as well have had a European plate on my car with how dumbfounded he was.



ChrisZwolle said:


> How about no-service? I always fill up at an automated gas station, it's cheaper. It saves me around € 0.10 per liter (that's almost 10% on diesel here).


No service meaning no gas? If you pump it yourself, it's a self-service station.


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## koloite (Jun 16, 2009)

xzmattzx said:


> No service meaning no gas? If you pump it yourself, it's a self-service station.


What he meant is an unmanned fuel station. There's basically only a fuel pump and a payment terminal, and nothing else. They are very common in The Netherlands, and as Chris said, it saves you up to 10 cent per liter. I use them as well as much as I can.

Full service is very uncommon in northern Europe, and you'll normally only find it in rural areas where the local fuel station owner tries to generate some extra business by adding some extra service.


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## Capt.Vimes (Jul 15, 2009)

Bulgaria - you are allowed to pump your own gus, but most gas stations have stuff that do it for you. The price is the same.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Hong Kong is primarily full-service. I guess owning a car is expensive so people need more luxurious treatment when at the gas station.


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## Random_Guy (Dec 14, 2008)

The only gas stations in Poland having full-service that I'm familiar with are Shell. Of course some private gas stations somewhere in the villages might have full-service as well.


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## Suburbanist (Dec 25, 2009)

Unmanned gas stations are more common in some countries where tax laws and other regulations prevent them to use net operational losses from the operation of the pumps to offset profits of convenience stores.

Countries like Netherlands (and European countries too) also have far fewer gas stations per area or population than US, for instance, because regulations to install fuel tanks are tight, expensive to met and so. Therefore, the average gas station has also a higher turnover even if they are small in size.


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## Slagathor (Jul 29, 2007)

*No-service* is best. It's very common in the Netherlands. The gas station is completely unmanned and fully automatic. You swipe your debit or credit card which activates the pump and allows you to fill up your car. It's very simple and quick and 24/7, I love it.


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## piotr71 (Sep 8, 2009)

ChrisZwolle said:


> I've read the best solution in eastern/central Europe is to avoid non-major brands, and to fill up at major gas stations only.


That's true. Traveling in Poland I always fill-up on well known petrol stations. However, if there is no problem with Polish petrol in summertime or another hotter periods of year, in winter I only get 98 octane petrol and even then burning grows up somewhat from 10 to 15 % comparing to German, Dutch or English petrol, driving in the same weather conditions. 

Back to the topic. There are all sorts of service provided in Poland. But LPG gas must not be filled up by an unauthorized person to do so. Always an assistant needs to be called.

We can leave a nozzle unattended in Poland, and know there is no possibility to do so in the UK. It's probably health&safety issue there.


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## Des (Nov 10, 2005)

ChrisZwolle said:


> Oh you still have those nozzles in the US which you can leave unattended? They are forbidden in the Netherlands and probably the entire EU. It's considered too dangerous (but what isn't in this nanny-state).
> 
> You need to pull the handle all the way until your tank is full.


In Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria and Italy you can still fix the nozzle while filling up. It seems only in the Netherlands and the UK the nozzles have been modified so you can't fix them anymore (something I find really annoying!)...


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## Fargo Wolf (Oct 23, 2009)

ChrisZwolle said:


> Oh you still have those nozzles in the US which you can leave unattended? They are forbidden in the Netherlands and probably the entire EU. It's considered too dangerous (but what isn't in this nanny-state).
> 
> You need to pull the handle all the way until your tank is full.





g.spinoza said:


> I remember those, possibly 15 years ago, even in Italy. Never found one since then...


Still have those here in several places (BC). It's a convenience thing. Some have been disabled, so that you have to squeeze the handle, while others, you can lock it into the squeezed position. The gas station I go to, I can do that, which is nice, since i can fuel my truck, while I put the cap on my Jerry can (I fuel my motorcycle at home).


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## koloite (Jun 16, 2009)

ChrisZwolle said:


> Oh you still have those nozzles in the US which you can leave unattended? They are forbidden in the Netherlands and probably the entire EU. It's considered too dangerous (but what isn't in this nanny-state).
> 
> You need to pull the handle all the way until your tank is full.


I know of at least one that they have forgotten to remove in The Netherlands: When entering the town of Deventer from the A1 motorway you get a Shell Express on your right hand side. The fuel station has 4 pumps, and the nozzle of the rightmost pump can be fixed. I always choose that pump if it's free. It's a lot more convenient to fill up 80 liters with a nozzle that can be fixed than one you have to hold on to all the time. It also gives you a chance to check your lights etc while refueling.


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## Attus (Jul 9, 2010)

In Hungary most of petrol stations work as self service but by all of them there are people in order to help you filling your car if you request it. This service is free but drivers usually give 1-200 forints (0.4-0.8 euros) to station employees so that they're always disappointed if I tell them I can do it myself  
In many gas stations the employees have very low salaries so that they need to cheat or at least do the job for you for some money. However you do it better not to let station employees to fill your car or even if you let them do it be very careful since if you don't watch them they will fill some cans as well - and you will pay for that petrol...
All the nozzles can be fixed and leave unattended in Hungarian petrol stations, I usually wash the front window of my car while filling the tank.


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## rower2000 (Dec 5, 2008)

Ooooooh, seems I was illegal in OR then. But this explains the surprise of the gal who put the nozzle in my tank when she came back after running away having seen I've already put the nozzle back to its place...

However, the pumps in Crater Lake NP were self-service. Is this allowed because it's on federally managed land?


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## x-type (Aug 19, 2005)

Attus said:


> All the nozzles can be fixed and leave unattended in Hungarian petrol stations, I usually wash the front window of my car while filling the tank.


i do exactly the same 

btw, how they fill truck tanks if they have to hold it whole time?! it lasts quite long to fill tank of 500 litres!


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## ChrisZwolle (May 7, 2006)

^^ I believe those can be left unattended. However, truck pumps can usually pump at a much faster rate of ~130 liter per minute.


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## Suburbanist (Dec 25, 2009)

ChrisZwolle said:


> ^^ I believe those can be left unattended. However, truck pumps can usually pump at a much faster rate of ~130 liter per minute.


Once I was driving a holiday in Italy and there were quite huge lines in the gas station. I went to the truck pumps on the other site, quite hidden, and managed to fill the tank there. Theoretically it is not allowed, but I asked the guard gently, the pumps were idle (trucks not allowed on motorways that day, the ban period was about to start in 15 minutes, so pumps were on but empty) and he let me in.

I never filled my gas tank so fast. It took like less than 40 seconds for more than 30 liters. :cheers:


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## Rebasepoiss (Jan 6, 2007)

^^ In Estonia it is allowed to tank at the truck pumps but since the "truck pistol" is larger in diameter, a lot of cars just can't be filled up there.

About self-serve or full: In Estonia there aren't any full service stations, at least I haven't seen any in at least a decade. The usage of self-serve vs. fully automated is around 50%, I guess. Fuel price is € 0.016 cheaper in fully automated ones so not by much.

BTW, pumps in Estonia can also be left unattended so there's no EU regulation.


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## nerdly_dood (Mar 23, 2007)

ChrisZwolle said:


> Oh you still have those nozzles in the US which you can leave unattended? They are forbidden in the Netherlands and probably the entire EU. It's considered too dangerous (but what isn't in this nanny-state).
> 
> You need to pull the handle all the way until your tank is full.


...If you fill your tank. My dad only does that as we're starting a road trip; otherwise he never lets it get more than half a tank. It's about a 30-gallon tank, so filling up will cost a lot more than putting in $10 or $20 worth of gas only when necessary.


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## Fargo Wolf (Oct 23, 2009)

x-type said:


> i do exactly the same
> 
> btw, how they fill truck tanks if they have to hold it whole time?! it lasts quite long to fill tank of 500 litres!


The nozzles for lorries are about twice the diameter of one for cars and light trucks. They also pump at a much faster rate. If you really, really know what you're doing, you can use a truck pump to fuel your car. Mind you, most truck pumps are a "commercial cardlock" setup, which requires a special (company) credit card.


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## tampasteve (Aug 8, 2007)

ChrisZwolle said:


> Oh you still have those nozzles in the US which you can leave unattended? They are forbidden in the Netherlands and probably the entire EU. It's considered too dangerous (but what isn't in this nanny-state).
> 
> You need to pull the handle all the way until your tank is full.


If you drive around a lot in the USA you will find a myriad of stations that have them and some that don't. It varies from state to state and county to county on the legality of them.

Steve


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## Wilhem275 (Apr 7, 2006)

Des said:


> In Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria and *Italy* you can still fix the nozzle while filling up. ...


Yeah, when it's working hno: so annoying to keep the nozzle manually...


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## Bad_Hafen (May 19, 2010)

Bosnia both.


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## nerdly_dood (Mar 23, 2007)

Don'tcha love technology? It's quite handy to be able to just leave your tank as it fills, and then it'll automatically quit when the tank is full, it won't overfill unless you try to put extra gas in (which I haven't done or seen anyone else do, but I gather it's a no-no)


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## Jonesy55 (Jul 30, 2004)

^^ it only takes two minutes to fill a tank!


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## nerdly_dood (Mar 23, 2007)

Jonesy55 said:


> ^^ it only takes two minutes to fill a tank!


...during which time you can clean your windshield, check your oil, etc.


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## ChrisZwolle (May 7, 2006)

2 minutes can be a long time.

For example; start counting slowly to 120 right now.


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## Jonesy55 (Jul 30, 2004)

nerdly_dood said:


> ...during which time you can clean your windshield, check your oil, etc.


Or simply stand still, breathe slowly amd take two minutes out to enjoy the beauty of your surroundings.

And then replace the pump


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