by Kurt
29 replies
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I have a tire on my truck with a slow leak and have been too lazy to get it fixed. Every few weeks I'd stop a local gas station that still has free air and fill it up.

To my disappointment, it was out of order and I had to go somewhere else. I can't believe it...It was a dollar and it barely gave me enough time to totally fill my tire.

I guess I'm getting old, but I remember when air wasn't only free, there was an attendant at the gas station that would fill your tires for you, check your oil and radiator levels, give me a free Flintstones drinking glass, and smile the whole time while doing it.

A dollar for air...Grrrrrrr!
  • Profile picture of the author Daniel Evans
    I remember people having the same thoughts when they began charging £1 for air in the UK.

    This was 20 years ago, so who knows how much it is now.

    I can see why they do it though (at least here), since people would pull in to put a bit more air into their bike tyres which, unless they use the shop, doesn't really contribute much business wise.
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  • Profile picture of the author Dave Patterson
    I hear you Kurt. I remember back in the late 70's, after the town I lived in initiated some ridiculous new tax, telling my (now ex) wife..."next thing you know they'll be charging us for air"....

    Little did I know, within a couple years they came out with those coin-op air pumps...grrrrx2
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    • Profile picture of the author MissTerraK
      Haha Kurt!

      And those free Flinstone drinking glasses go for how much on ebay now?

      Terra
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  • Profile picture of the author MikeAmbrosio
    I remember the first time I saw the 25 cent air pumps at gas stations. I went out and purchased a small compressor that plugged in to my car.

    These days, I can understand a quarter. But a buck and you can't even get one tire filled? Ow.
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  • Profile picture of the author Lori Kelly
    I had the same problem with my tires. $1 for air is ridiculous. The machine doesn't last long enough to get all tires filled and check the pressure too. I make sure I have the caps off and practically run around the car to make sure I don't have to pay $2 for air.

    We just got back from Oregon and I went to put gas in the car. A guy came out yelling at me. I had no idea you can't pump your own gas in Oregon. It's all full serve in that State. The guy washed the windows. I wasn't sure if I should tip him or not ...

    But no Flintstone cup.
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    • Profile picture of the author SteveJohnson
      Originally Posted by Lori Kelly View Post

      ...
      We just got back from Oregon and I went to put gas in the car. A guy came out yelling at me. I had no idea you can't pump your own gas in Oregon. It's all full serve in that State. The guy washed the windows. I wasn't sure if I should tip him or not ...

      But no Flintstone cup.
      You're lucky they attendant washed the windows - not very many places do that any more. Oregon isn't necessarily FULL serve, it just doesn't allow SELF serve. It comes up for a vote every few years, always ends the same. It's kind of a forced teen employment program.
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      • Profile picture of the author seasoned
        Originally Posted by SteveJohnson View Post

        You're lucky they attendant washed the windows - not very many places do that any more. Oregon isn't necessarily FULL serve, it just doesn't allow SELF serve. It comes up for a vote every few years, always ends the same. It's kind of a forced teen employment program.
        Mandated by LAW? WOW!

        I don't know about other places, but places I have driven have had signs and/or mandated that you pay ahead of time, or use a credit/debit card. Even with THAT, some states have made it a clear codified felony to get gas without paying.

        Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author Khemosabi
    If only we had one of those air pump thingies in D.C. :rolleyes:

    So sorry Kurt, that's outragious! I haven't checked the price of air in a long time.. wow.

    I too miss the days of the real service station...
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  • Profile picture of the author seasoned
    Yeah, they got rid of air and water some time ago. *****DUMB*****! And THEN they started putting the air back, and charged for it! And some charge MORE than a dollar for LESS air.

    I KNOW there is a cost for the air, but it may not even be $1000 per year. And it varies depending on how many use it. For good will ALONE it is worth it. AND, traditionally, in the US, it has been FREE! SAME with water!

    The same is true of water.

    BTW want to hear something REALLY stupid? At a local tire store, I bought some tires. I got a GREAT price! You know what they threw in to sweeten the already VERY sweet deal? FREE NITROGEN FOR LIFE!

    Nitrogen is the latest thing they are offering for tires. It is more stable, and less likely to leak. It ALSO is more expensive as far as their cost.

    Yeah, I know! It will probably be like netzero! They advertised free internet and, when *I* took them up on the service, they demanded that I pay. Eventually, they told me not to do business with them. They bit off more than they could chew!

    This is like 800 calls. They are SUPPOSED to be free to the caller! YOU THOUGHT THAT, RIGHT? *****WRONG*****! In the 1980s, or was it the 1990s, they passed a law that mandated that EVERY phone owner pay a special tax to go into a fund to pay payphone owners to handle 800 calls! They complained that they got too many 800 calls!

    Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author Charlotte Jay
    I drive out of my way to find the Hess stations where it's still free air lol
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  • Profile picture of the author Cram
    Most of the local places, i just ask the guy to turn on the air as the dollar is a donation.
    some stations would say to put money in and others were nice enough to turn on the air.

    Also i ended up getting my self a 15G air compressor, no more going to the stations...
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    • Profile picture of the author seasoned
      Originally Posted by Cram View Post

      Most of the local places, i just ask the guy to turn on the air as the dollar is a donation.
      some stations would say to put money in and others were nice enough to turn on the air.

      Also i ended up getting my self a 15G air compressor, no more going to the stations...
      WOW, do you have a minivan and an inverter so you can use it? They DO make smaller ones you know! MANY people have to use them on the road, like after a mishap.

      Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    Last weekend I went into the mountains and got a couple of flats. Seriously it was dicey. I put a donut on my first flat then headed for home. I decided to stop a lake on the way back so Ricky and I would at least have some fun out ...right. I get to the lake, which I hadn't been to in around 15 years. It was 5 bucks to park for "day use" anywhere around the lake. So I was already chanting about BS when I parked.

    Went down to the water and it stunk. So I was starting to get upset - 5 bucks every car (at the least) and they can't clean this place up?

    Ricky goes in and swims and drinks some - and the camp hosts come down and point out a little sign on one of their camp info boards -- WARNING. The lake had blue/green algae blooms and was not safe for kids and pets. 5 bucks to park at a lake and it's dangerous for kids and pets? Isn't that one of the reasons you go to the lake?

    So now I'm pissed. There were no warning signs on the main road - or before you pay to get in and only a few little ones on info boards that people might not even read if they aren't parked near them. So I've now paid 5 bucks and have to watch that my dog is not getting sick.

    I go back to my car and, low and behold - there's another flat tire. Come on, this is no longer ANY fun. I don't have a second spare. So I walk around the camp asking if anyone has a can of fix a flat or patch kit when I find my can is gone. Finally I talk to the park host and he drives me the 4 miles to the store for a couple of cans of it because it's too hot to walk and I can't leave Ricky in the car and hitch in that heat either.

    So I get the fix-a-flat which takes all of my cash down to the last 20 cents. I go fix the tire as well as possible and it doesn't fill it but it makes it good enough to get back to the station safely to fill it up.

    I get to the station and low-and-behold - my surprise is the same as Kurt's - A BUCK for air. At this point I'm completely WTF mode. I go in and buy a cup of coffee so I can get the dollar in quarters back on my card purchase so I can get more air in my tire. They don't give cash back on cards. Now I'm just totally pissed off. Period. I looked at the guy and told him "I just bought 2 cans of fix a flat with the last of my cash. I come back here and buy a cup of columbian coffee and I HATE columbian coffee just so I can get a freaking dollar for air in my tire and you can't give me the damned dollar?"

    The guy says he's sorry and starts telling me that the next town is only 6 miles (in the other direction from that I need to go with a tire on fix-a-flat and the other on a donut). The excrement was just about to hit the air conditioning when a more senior employee came in and said he'd hit the control on the air pump so I could get free air. I imagine he had a talk with the other guy when I left.

    I'm so fed up with this damned -- pay if you step off your property country of ours. What the hell is wrong with people.

    This weekend's trip went well - thank god for small favors. One of my website members came through from Michigan with brand new 10 ply tires and HE did the driving

    Now I need to get my ass in gear and go complain to BLM about paying to be at a poisonous lake. WTF still applies to that one.
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  • Profile picture of the author mojojuju
    The air is always free, but there's a cost to compress it and dispense it. Ever try using your mouth to fill car tires with free air? It really blows!

    In my car, I keep one of those 12 volt powered mini air compressors. I think it set me back $10 or $15. It comes in handy for bikes too and I don't have to go into the garage to use the big air compressor.
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    • Profile picture of the author seasoned
      Originally Posted by mojojuju View Post

      The air is always free, but there's a cost to compress it and dispense it. Ever try using your mouth to fill car tires with free air? It really blows!

      In my car, I keep one of those 12 volt powered mini air compressors. I think it set me back $10 or $15. It comes in handy for bikes too and I don't have to go into the garage to use the big air compressor.
      YEAH, that is why I said it might cost like $1000/year. So what? It's STILL cheap for a business. YEAH, I have SEVERAL of those minicompressors ALSO. There are a lot of problems with your idea, starting with the fact that they don't seem to be made to last. I also bought about 4 battery chargers, jumpstarters. MOST didn't seem to work, one died. My latest is starting to die. next time, I will stay away from sears that USED to be known for such things.

      HECK, it sounds like heysal had funds available, but couldn't use them. I have been on several contracts where I had DOZENS or even over a hundred dollars CASH in my pocket and couldn't even buy a candy bar because the machines wouldn't take the currency.

      Steve
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      • Profile picture of the author mojojuju
        Originally Posted by seasoned View Post

        YEAH, that is why I said it might cost like $1000/year. So what? It's STILL cheap for a business. YEAH, I have SEVERAL of those minicompressors ALSO. There are a lot of problems with your idea, starting with the fact that they don't seem to be made to last. I also bought about 4 battery chargers, jumpstarters. MOST didn't seem to work, one died. My latest is starting to die. next time, I will stay away from sears that USED to be known for such things.
        That's been my experience with mini air compressors too. They always seem to seize up, I guess because of overheating. Now, I don't run them too long without pausing to let them cool. My current minicompressor has been going strong for 3 years - that's my current record.

        I always use the cheap mini-compressors, and fortunately, I've never been left stranded because of one failing (Luckily, they've always failed at home instead). But they are built pretty shoddily and are made of cheap materials like pot metal.

        Here's a compressor that might be more reliable than the $15 specials that I usually buy. With air compressors, as with pretty much everything else, you probably get what you pay for... It's might be cheaper in the long run to just pay $1.00 each time at a gas station.
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        • Profile picture of the author Joe Mobley
          Originally Posted by mojojuju View Post

          It's might be cheaper in the long run to just pay $1.00 each time at a gas station.
          It would be a lot cheaper just to fix to replace the tire. :rolleyes:

          Joe Mobley
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          • Profile picture of the author Dave Patterson
            Originally Posted by Joe Mobley View Post

            It would be a lot cheaper just to fix to replace the tire. :rolleyes:

            Joe Mobley
            Who needs air...?

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            • Originally Posted by Dave Patterson View Post

              Who needs air...?

              LOL! that's murder on your shocks!...:rolleyes:

              probably not much worse than most low profile tires though...:p

              but hey...no more 'fix-a-flat'!
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            • Profile picture of the author Joe Mobley
              "Yea, I finally got the 22's out of lay-a-way. I'm gon'na pick up 1 tire per paycheck for the next 4 weeks. She'll look great then!"

              Joe Mobley


              Originally Posted by Dave Patterson View Post

              Who needs air...?

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    • Profile picture of the author Kurt
      All right! My regular place got their compressor fixed and air is back to being free!

      Originally Posted by mojojuju View Post

      The air is always free, but there's a cost to compress it and dispense it. Ever try using your mouth to fill car tires with free air? It really blows!
      While the "plot" of my story was about air, the "theme" was about changing times and how today it seems everything needs to be monetized to make the highest profit possible, without regard for just providing a pubic service.

      Not to mention that both my "regular place" and service stations in the past also used compressors to fill my tires, and they didn't/don't charge for it.

      In my car, I keep one of those 12 volt powered mini air compressors. I think it set me back $10 or $15. It comes in handy for bikes too and I don't have to go into the garage to use the big air compressor.
      I have one too...IMO, they are too loud and take too long. I don't like making all that noise in my neighborhood unless it's an emergency.
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  • Profile picture of the author Robert Michael
    Yeah, gas stations always charge for air these days.

    I just go to a local mechanic shop - They have a hose to fill your tires for free on the side of the building.

    Most shops have their hose that way too, so you might wanna do that next time

    However - They only leave the hose hooked up to the compressor during business hours, so this only works when they are open. lol

    OH - also - I have this portable air compressor for emergencies. You just plug it in to the cigarette lighter.

    Heres a link:

    Amazon.com: 250psi Portable Air Compressor...Amazon.com: 250psi Portable Air Compressor...

    Works great!
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    • Profile picture of the author seasoned
      Originally Posted by Whos That Guru View Post

      Yeah, gas stations always charge for air these days.

      I just go to a local mechanic shop - They have a hose to fill your tires for free on the side of the building.

      Most shops have their hose that way too, so you might wanna do that next time

      However - They only leave the hose hooked up to the compressor during business hours, so this only works when they are open. lol

      OH - also - I have this portable air compressor for emergencies. You just plug it in to the cigarette lighter.

      Heres a link:

      Amazon.com: 250psi Portable Air Compressor Automotive 12V Tools: Home Improvement


      Works great!
      MOST don't think so! Look at the reviews!

      steve
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      • Wow! That's pretty expensive!

        Do you use Metric Air...or Standard Air? :confused:

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        • Profile picture of the author seasoned
          Originally Posted by MoneyMagnetMagnate View Post

          Wow! That's pretty expensive!

          Do you use Metric Air...or Standard Air? :confused:

          Generally STANDARD, but it is pay by use.

          Steve
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        • Profile picture of the author mojojuju
          Originally Posted by MoneyMagnetMagnate View Post

          Wow! That's pretty expensive!

          Do you use Metric Air...or Standard Air? :confused:

          I think it was a MacBook Air. For $1, that's a great deal.
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          • Originally Posted by mojojuju View Post

            I think it was a MacBook Air. For $1, that's a great deal.
            They're lucky it wasn't NIKE Air! That can get expensive too!

            And Btw: Gas does not cost any more (less in many cases) in Oregon than it does in Ca. or Wa. - it gives somebody a job, not really any slower, and tips are appreciated...quitchergripein'...

            (and it beats pumping your own gas in a cold east wind )
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  • Profile picture of the author Robert Michael
    That isn't the exact one that I have - I just grabbed a link to the cheapest one I could find online.

    Mine came with a pack of Green Slime (that tire sealant stuff)

    & that one does work great. lol
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  • Profile picture of the author jakebvs85
    haha.. at least there's a girl who smiling at you while you tire is being fixed.
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