A man who made a real positive difference in the world

[BoSoxGal]

James Moylan, inventor of the gas cap arrow - may he RIP

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... -dead.html

[MajGenl.Meade]

Good for him. Have to admit, I've never noticed the arrow. Heard it existed but just never . . . er . . . looked

[Joe Guy]

It seems to me that people who really need that arrow are probably the kind of people who don't realize it's there.

[MajGenl.Meade]

Ms. Cunk suggests that someone could cash on in your idea and invent an arrow pointing at the arrow.

[Sue U]

I actually love that feature. Of course, we don't pump our own gas here, but at least I can be courteous to the gas station attendant.

[Burning Petard]

Between 2012 and 2018 I used rental cars frequently. I could never remember which side the gas filler was on. Most of the time it was the driver's side, but there were exceptions just often enough to be annoying. In that situation, the arrow is helpful. For one's daily driver, not so much.

snailgate.

[BoSoxGal]

It seems to me that people who really need that arrow are probably the kind of people who don't realize it's there.

I'm an above average intelligent and well educated person who happened to have many occasions to drive rental cars and employer fleet cars - it's very useful to have a way of knowing where the gas cap is located from the comfort of the driver's seat and not to have to relocate the vehicle at the gas pumps after having parked wrong.

I'm sure there are people of all levels of IQ and education who don't know what that little arrow means. I can't remember who it was who told me - I'm sure it was a man - a couple dozen years ago, but it has served me well on countless occasions.

The gas cap arrow guy did more to improve the world than any number of far more famous and wealthy persons I could spend the morning listing off here, starting with the fuck face in the WH.

My new car which I've been driving a year now is chock full of wonderful features which make my daily driving safer and more pleasurable. This obituary article which I stumbled on in the DM just brings to mind all the unsung heroes in Detroit and elsewhere (here's looking at you, crackpot) who toil to make the daily commute a better experience for billions of human beings. The gas cap arrow is on the simpler end I suppose, but also of that ilk is the adjustable seatbelt which makes safety far more comfortable for the shorties of the world like me - my thanks also go out to that automotive engineer, whoever he is (or she, although given the percentages I recognize that's less likely).

[ex-khobar Andy]

As a very frequent car renter I have to agree about how useful this arrow is. My only gripe is that the image is of a petrol (gas) pump with an arrow pointing (say) to the left. Which leaves me in my rental car, hurrying to catch a plane and filling up at the airport so they don't charge me 3x for ten gallons or 40 liters depending on where you are, wondering whether that means 'pull up to the left of the pump' or 'pull up so the pump is on your left.' I've got that wrong a few times.

[Bicycle Bill]

Just curious — on some older cars, like mid-sixties Chevys and my old '69 Plymouth Fury, the filler was in the back hidden underneath the license plate.   Do any modern vehicles still have the cap located in that area, and if so, would the arrow be positioned under the pump icon and pointing downward?

-"BB"-

[BoSoxGal]

Just curious — on some older cars, like mid-sixties Chevys and my old '69 Plymouth Fury, the filler was in the back hidden underneath the license plate.   Do any modern vehicles still have the cap located in that area, and if so, would the arrow be positioned under the pump icon and pointing downward?

-"BB"-

Nobody does that anymore because of advances in automotive safety following the Ford Pinto debacle. Having the gas line neck at the rear of the vehicle (or the gas tank for that matter) raises the risk of explosive events in rear end collisions, which are one of the most common kind.

[Joe Guy]

I'm an above average intelligent and well educated person who happened to have many occasions to drive rental cars and employer fleet cars - it's very useful to have a way of knowing where the gas cap is located from the comfort of the driver's seat and not to have to relocate the vehicle at the gas pumps after having parked wrong.

I'm looking at it from the point of view of an average, sometimes dumbass guy. Before I drive any car that I've not driven before, I take a look at it and make a mental note of where the gas cap is located. It's as routine to me as adjusting rear view mirrors, seat etc. If it's a rental, I also circle the car and look for scratches and anything else that may not be normal.

But after reading yours, snailgate's & ExK Andy's posts, I realize there are times when people are likely to be rushed and/or thinking of other things when they hop into a rental car or drive a friend's car - and in those situations, that little arrow would be helpful.... if you know it's there and what it means, because I think a lot of people probably don't read their owner's manual.

So, I agree that James Moylan made a positive difference in the world but if he had come up with a talking gas cap indicator, he might have reached more people. If I had designed it, if not an audio alert, I would make the arrow blink when your fuel level is low. [I'm assuming they don't do that now]

[BoSoxGal]

I'm an above average intelligent and well educated person who happened to have many occasions to drive rental cars and employer fleet cars - it's very useful to have a way of knowing where the gas cap is located from the comfort of the driver's seat and not to have to relocate the vehicle at the gas pumps after having parked wrong.

I'm looking at it from the point of view of an average, sometimes dumbass guy. Before I drive any car that I've not driven before, I take a look at it and make a mental note of where the gas cap is located. It's as routine to me as adjusting rear view mirrors, seat etc. If it's a rental, I also circle the car and look for scratches and anything else that may not be normal.

But after reading yours, snailgate's & ExK Andy's posts, I realize there are times when people are likely to be rushed and/or thinking of other things when they hop into a rental car or drive a friend's car - and in those situations, that little arrow would be helpful.... if you know it's there and what it means, because I think a lot of people probably don't read their owner's manual.

So, I agree that James Moylan made a positive difference in the world but if he had come up with a talking gas cap indicator, he might have reached more people. If I had designed it, if not an audio alert, I would make the arrow blink when your fuel level is low. [I'm assuming they don't do that now]

Typically when fuel levels are low, the whole little gas pump icon lights up.

[Joe Guy]

If I had designed it, if not an audio alert, I would make the arrow blink when your fuel level is low. [I'm assuming they don't do that now]

Typically when fuel levels are low, the whole little gas pump icon lights up.

That's when the talking alert should kick in... " Your vehicle's gas cap is located on the left rear of your vehicle......Please plan accordingly"

[MajGenl.Meade]

FTFY

That's when the talking alert should kick in... " Your vehicle's gas cap is located on the left rear of your vehicle......Please plan accordingly dumbass"

[Joe Guy]

FTFY

That's when the talking alert should kick in... " Your vehicle's gas cap is located on the left rear of your vehicle......Please plan accordingly dumbass"

Thanks, Meade. It improves the chances of reaching the target audience when computer-voices are more humanized.

[Burning Petard]

TO BB and others, in the late 1960's I ran a gas station in Michigan for several years. I gained the idea that the Detroit designers were in a contest to hide the gas filler. Some put it INSIDE the rear light fixture. The ones behind the license plate just above the middle of the rear bumper were down right scary. They had a pipe running from that filler cap down to the gas tank. Frequently that pipe was rusted just above the gas tank and leaked--or worse just flopped around and one needed to check carefully that the tube was actually directing into the tank. That seemed to me to be a much worse hazard than Ralf Nader's rant about the mounting of the tank in the Pinto

snailgate.

[MajGenl.Meade]

Sue, in South Africa there is no self-service at petrol pumps. There are two reasons:
1. it provides employment for 6-10 people at every station and it is expected that they will be tipped
b. a significant number of self-serve customers would drive off without paying

Reason a. is the main one though. A really good tip would be R5 or about 30c. It is important to stock a rental car with plenty of coins. Altho' it won't be long before paper money will be needed (perhaps already is). R10 would be if they also wash all the windows and check the water & oil.

Another good reason for having pump attendants is that one can get out and have a chat which I like - music, what's happening locally, and the inevitable "what's America like?". Social contact is not high on oil company priorities tho'.

[Joe Guy]

....Of course, we don't pump our own gas here, but at least I can be courteous to the gas station attendant.

When are youse guys gonna get wit' us and pump ya own gas already, huh?

[BoSoxGal]

....Of course, we don't pump our own gas here, but at least I can be courteous to the gas station attendant.

When are youse guys gonna get wit' us and pump ya own gas already, huh?

When I have the time, I drive a couple of miles out of my way and past a number of self serve stations to visit one of only two stations in my area where they pump the gas for you. I enjoy the human interaction and the avoidance of stink on my paws - I do try to keep a set or two of latex gloves in the vehicle at all times for when I have to pump for myself, or in case I need to move a carcass from the roadway.

[Sue U]

....Of course, we don't pump our own gas here, but at least I can be courteous to the gas station attendant.

When are youse guys gonna get wit' us and pump ya own gas already, huh?

Hopefully never, for the reasons BSG mentions above and also because I'd rather not stand in the heat/cold/rain/sleet/snow to feed the fossil fuel industry. It's one of the many many things I love about New Jersey.