Fuel filler location...how come?

[Dark_Templer_102]

Oh I found an exerpt from his book...how lucky (Its a good book I would recommend it, its called Economic Naturalist by Robert Frank)

"If all manufacturers had happened to place fuel filler doors on, say, the left side of the car, one consequence would have been long gas lines during peak hours, because drivers in most countries would pull up on the right side of the pump. And in that case, manufacturers would have had a problem worth addressing."

[Nabster]

My filler is right in the middle on the rear of the car behind the chrome cap. I can fill regardless of which side of the pump I choose to pull up to.

[p0w3r]

Originally Posted by Dark_Templer_102

Oh I found an exerpt from his book...how lucky (Its a good book I would recommend it, its called Economic Naturalist by Robert Frank)

"If all manufacturers had happened to place fuel filler doors on, say, the left side of the car, one consequence would have been long gas lines during peak hours, because drivers in most countries would pull up on the right side of the pump. And in that case, manufacturers would have had a problem worth addressing."

i dont get it...if everybody had their doors on the left then it would make things much easier since people can face 1 direction on one side while others can just swing around and face the opposite side...that way everyone can fill up at their left side.

[hansvonaxion]

Originally Posted by Dark_Templer_102

Oh I found an exerpt from his book...how lucky (Its a good book I would recommend it, its called Economic Naturalist by Robert Frank)

"If all manufacturers had happened to place fuel filler doors on, say, the left side of the car, one consequence would have been long gas lines during peak hours, because drivers in most countries would pull up on the right side of the pump. And in that case, manufacturers would have had a problem worth addressing."

That makes sense if you can only enter from one end and exit from the other.

If cars only had fillers on one side and petrol stations put the pumps closer together so you could only fit one car between them you would be able to get just as many cars through.

[Blayde]

Doesn't the different side for fuel fillers occur when cars are made for certain markets but get incorporated for others, especially Japanese cars, most these days guess have it on the same side as the driver, but older cars or cars brought over due to apparent demand, they might not ge the same treatment, just a driving side change.

[NooDle]

Originally Posted by Spectre

I like that solution (duh). Here's the other one.





People give you *really* strange looks when you do this.

LOL. A friend of mine borrowed a car like this of a friend of hers for a roadtrip. She was allowed to drive it anywhere she wanted, as long as she filled it up afterwards. She did not know this car had 2 *HUGE* fueltanks. She was rather broke after her trip

anyway, with regards to the question, I was always told that European manufacturers mostly have the caps on the right side (ie not the drivers side) and most Japanese ones had theirs on the left side.
I was also told this was because Japanese cars were originally RHD.

Was I told rubbish?

[Blayde]

It makes some sense because you can then get out of the car and go to pay/buy stuff from the shops there without having to go between the filler and your car which you usually park close to. It all gets messed up when they change over for other markets.

[Spectre]

Originally Posted by NooDle

LOL. A friend of mine borrowed a car like this of a friend of hers for a roadtrip. She was allowed to drive it anywhere she wanted, as long as she filled it up afterwards. She did not know this car had 2 *HUGE* fueltanks. She was rather broke after her trip

I have similar conditions for the loan of my car. Oddly enough, after finding out that they might have to feed the thing close to 100L worth (~50L per tank) of gasoline, the few people who I'd allow to borrow the car seem to lose interest.... I wonder why.

anyway, with regards to the question, I was always told that European manufacturers mostly have the caps on the right side (ie not the drivers side) and most Japanese ones had theirs on the left side.
I was also told this was because Japanese cars were originally RHD.

Was I told rubbish?

Dunno. Most German cars seem to have them on the right, but the Minis made by BMW have them on the left.

Nissans traditionally have their fillers on the right side. Toyota does as well, at least on their trucks. Honda tends to put them whereever. Don't know about Mitsu, don't care.

Jeep usually puts them on the left.

There are various arguments either way - such as putting it on the off-side makes it obvious that you've left the fuel door open (should you do so) when you check your offside rearview mirror.

[Blayde]

All the nissans we have had them on the left, probably cos we got jap spec but with LHD maybe?

[LurkerPatrol]

Originally Posted by Dark_Templer_102

My economics book actually told me why this occurs.

If you think about it, if you had all fuel caps in one side, there would be sides of pumps that people would always use (you know you just pull into a gas station and stop because it is closest) and all car directions would be facing in a certain direction, and also could screw up the traffic in a gas station. (there is a better explanation but I just finished my Intro to MicroEcon class a couple of months ago and the info is a bit rusty)

I know mercedes makes fuel filler locations on both sides as well as many other cars.

That doesn't make sense. If all fuel caps were on the left for example, then you could still have the current system. People would just be facing in the opposite direction on the other side.

Same goes for it was on the left.

As for why they put the filler caps on different sides: I have no clue. Maybe the universe might rip in half if you don't balance out which side the fuel caps goes on.

[Spectre]

Originally Posted by Blayde

All the nissans we have had them on the left, probably cos we got jap spec but with LHD maybe?

They made Terranos and Hardbody pickups with it on the left???

[Cobol74]

Right it has changed over time. Many many years ago petrol pumps faced the road and were serviced by a petrol pump attendant and as the pumps faced the road you could only pull in one way. In the UK that meant that the pump was on your left always, you were not supposed to pull in 'against' the traffic, and meant a 180 deg turn if the petrol station was on the other side of the road. The attendant would ask you how much you wanted and fill you up. But the upshot was that the fuel filler cap was always on the near side of the car. But as I said this was many many years ago, the car that exemplifies this approach and is still around is the old mini. Again, the exhaust was placed away from pedestrians that is on the off side of the car.

Now over time and as LHD cars were converted for RHD use and vice versa, and petrol stations went for dual side service and self service all this went out of the window, bit like the indicators and the windscreen wiper stalks which changed too. There was no law for this it was manufacturers trying to be nice to their customers. I am talking about sometime in the early 60s when the small petrol station with pump attendants started to close.

[Spectre]

The closure of small stations didn't happen in the US until the 80s, really. And road-facing pumps usually had an entrance on both sides, so you could pull up to them either way.

Dual side service pumps have been around in the US since the 50s, IIRC.

[klankymen]

Almost every car I have ever driven (well, every car I fuelled up on anyways) had the cap on the right. So I usually go to a right facing pump.

But even if, due to all rightside pumps being full, i need to go to a left one, it's no problem. Here in Bavaria at least, the fuel pump hoses can be extended, you just need to pull a bit. It's no problem to stretch around the back of the car if you pulled forward enough, and just fill up the other side.

On another note, most gas stations I go to people usually drive through one direction (eg side of a major road, can only be reached when driving in one direction). Even when you're allowed to go through both ways, I get the impression that most people go through in the same direction as the road that leads them there, or if its parallel to the road, the same direction as the closer side of the road.

[Cobol74]

Originally Posted by Spectre

The closure of small stations didn't happen in the US until the 80s, really. And road-facing pumps usually had an entrance on both sides, so you could pull up to them either way.

Dual side service pumps have been around in the US since the 50s, IIRC.

Yes it came over from the States, but I remember them being as I describe. The economic reasons quoted are the reasons that sustain the situation but were not the original reasons. Most cars stayed in the home territorities until the 60s only since then have we had the mix up.

[Redliner]

Spectre, that picture is just awesome!

[IceBone]

I don't like the petrol stations where you can enter from any side you want and just stop anywhere you want. On a recent trip to italy i saw 2 accidents that happened just because of that. The drivers came to the exact same pump from opposite sides, 1 had the door on the left, 1 on the right and they crashed head on. Around here, we only have "one way street" petrol pumps.

My car has it on the left and as someone mentioned, the single exhaust is on the right. My dad's has dual exhausts and the door on the right, my mum's has the door on the right too, but i've no idea where the exhaust is. :S

If this keeps up, we'll end up discovering it's down to the flip of a coin...

But yeah, awesome pic that. Your wallet must scream in agony when you do that.

[The Chad]

I like when a car on the instrument cluster shows which side the fuel filler door is on. However, I've noticed of those cars, only like half of them are lit up at night. What bloody good is it to have the graphic on the cluster if it doesn't light up so if the first time you drive a car is at night, you can't see it?

[Night_Hawk]