Cheating / Short Fuelling Tricks at Petrol Pumps

[Sam Dinkar]

Another useful tidbit (though not directly related to the thread topic):

Q. Is there something as the best time to fill up my vehicle?

A. Yes. Always fill up your vehicle early in the morning. Fuel is sold by volume and not by mass (PJ: Its also sold by HP, Shell, IOC....). So when you are filling up your vehicle on a hot May afternoon, you are losing on volume that you wouldn't have lost had you filled it up at, say, 7 a.m. on the same day because fuel expands due to heat.

For this very reason:

1. Never buy fuel from a fuel bunk that does not have any over head cover because temperature is always higher under direct sunlight than what it is under shade.

2. Always park your vehicle under shade. Your combustion chamber does not fire on petrol vapour but on a fine mist of petrol.

As that deodorant ad goes, buy deodorant, not gas.

 

[macsvin]

I usually fuel my car, bikes from SHell and have never noticed any malfunction there. But due to this I got a new idea when in worst situation I have to refuel from other pump. I do not open the petrol tank unless I discuss all the details with attendant. I promptly tell him that I need a tankful and have change so he has to keep watch on my tank and not to his meter as to come at XXXX LTrs / Money. I ask him to reset meter to Zero an ensure that the amount field is also marked to Zero. Then I ask attendant to start filling the petrol till cut off comes and then usually a 2 ltr more.
I guess if we follow all these procedures there shall be hardly any point left to be cheated. Even if anyone else tries to distruct your attention I do not pay attention even for a single second unless the car is tanked full.

 

[amit1km]

I usually fuel my car, bikes from SHell and have never noticed any malfunction there. But due to this I got a new idea when in worst situation I have to refuel from other pump. I do not open the petrol tank unless I discuss all the details with attendant. I promptly tell him that I need a tankful and have change so he has to keep watch on my tank and not to his meter as to come at XXXX LTrs / Money. I ask him to reset meter to Zero an ensure that the amount field is also marked to Zero. Then I ask attendant to start filling the petrol till cut off comes and then usually a 2 ltr more.
I guess if we follow all these procedures there shall be hardly any point left to be cheated. Even if anyone else tries to distruct your attention I do not pay attention even for a single second unless the car is tanked full.

you have not left a single inch of room for cheating. How is your success rate for this strategy. Any distraction trick applied on you after this strategy.

 

[Vishwas]

you have not left a single inch of room for cheating. How is your success rate for this strategy. Any distraction trick applied on you after this strategy.

Usually there is no cheating when you fill the tank to full, only thing is your thousand rupee notes will fly away from your pocket (no offence)

 

[Gurrala74]

I dream of something like, you go to a fuel station, park your car, swipe your card on dispensing booth and fill the fuel yourself in the car

 

[anshuman8]

A. Yes. Always fill up your vehicle early in the morning. Fuel is sold by volume and not by mass (PJ: Its also sold by HP, Shell, IOC....). So when you are filling up your vehicle on a hot May afternoon, you are losing on volume that you wouldn't have lost had you filled it up at, say, 7 a.m. on the same day because fuel expands due to heat.

What about filling in late night? Say about 10 p.m. or later? In Bangalore nights are cooler and ambient temperature reduces fast.

I dream of something like, you go to a fuel station, park your car, swipe your card on dispensing booth and fill the fuel yourself in the car

Alas, there is no DIY petrol pumps in India, unlike foreign countries where the costliest resource is labour.

Usually there is no cheating when you fill the tank to full, only thing is your thousand rupee notes will fly away from your pocket (no offence)

you have not left a single inch of room for cheating. How is your success rate for this strategy. Any distraction trick applied on you after this strategy.

All strategies will go for waste, if the calibration of the dispenser itself is tampered. When you get, say 0.9XXL instead of 1L which you pay for.

 

[Prads]

Yes. Always fill up your vehicle early in the morning. Fuel is sold by volume and not by mass (PJ: Its also sold by HP, Shell, IOC....). So when you are filling up your vehicle on a hot May afternoon, you are losing on volume that you wouldn't have lost had you filled it up at, say, 7 a.m. on the same day because fuel expands due to heat.

Yes i totally agree on this one.
A little thing which many dont know or even i dint know until i spoke to a petrol pump owner is,the density shown on the pumps are just manually added in when the tanker unloads & he changed it in front of me when i dint believe.
I was under the assumption that it changes depending on temperature & shows density automatically to abolish the temperature density change.

What about filling in late night? Say about 10 p.m. or later? In Bangalore nights are cooler and ambient temperature reduces fast.

The tank in most cases would have baked till 5 in the evening ,so after 5 hours temp would have stabilized but if you wait until morning & fill by 6 to 9 o'clock the tank would have cooled to a large extent.

In most case for every 100 liters you can get 1 to 2.4 liters extra.

But the theory is you never loose out on the quantity when you fill up before 9 a.m.

 

[amit1km]

All strategies will go for waste, if the calibration of the dispenser itself is tampered. When you get, say 0.9XXL instead of 1L which you pay for.

But here in this case attendant will not be benefited instead the owner will be. Normally in company owned pump, calibration tampering will not happen.

 

[anshuman8]

But here in this case attendant will not be benefited instead the owner will be. Normally in company owned pump, calibration tampering will not happen.

Whoever gains, at end I loose.

Please advise which are COCO pumps in south Bangalore.

 

[macsvin]

you have not left a single inch of room for cheating. How is your success rate for this strategy. Any distraction trick applied on you after this strategy.

By thiss trick succes rate comes to 100 (touch Wood). Only once I was cheated near Indapur on Pune- Solapur highway by Indian Oil pump. I had put petrol of almost 1200 Rs and gave 2 1000 notes. In return I got a fake 500 Rs note which I had to finally tear it off.
But I relaized it next day when I was back to Pune and dind't had enough proof to go aginst it. but this was almost 3 years back and got a new lesson. I am now more cautious on these terms as well

 

[anshuman8]

By thiss trick succes rate comes to 100 (touch Wood). Only once I was cheated near Indapur on Pune- Solapur highway by Indian Oil pump. I had put petrol of almost 1200 Rs and gave 2 1000 notes. In return I got a fake 500 Rs note which I had to finally tear it off.
But I relaized it next day when I was back to Pune and dind't had enough proof to go aginst it. but this was almost 3 years back and got a new lesson. I am now more cautious on these terms as well

One reason I never use cash to fill up. I always use card. While the nozzle is put in to be filled, I send off the guy with my card to be swiped. By the time he swipes and comes back to pull out the nozzle it is auto cut-off.

 

[*SMK*]

One reason I never use cash to fill up. I always use card. While the nozzle is put in to be filled, I send off the guy with my card to be swiped. By the time he swipes and comes back to pull out the nozzle it is auto cut-off.

I almost do a similar thing, once he starts filling in i ask him for a bill. by the time he comes back it is filled

All strategies will go for waste, if the calibration of the dispenser itself is tampered. When you get, say 0.9XXL instead of 1L which you pay for.

Nothing can be done if this happens

 

[amit1km]

Whoever gains, at end I loose.

Please advise which are COCO pumps in south Bangalore.

I stay at BTM 2nd Stage. I always fill fuel at pump near to BTM water tank.
I never face so far any problem with them. even if you are looking at some other place the attendant will call you to ensure that meter is set to zero.

But once I had the problem with pump which is near to silk board junction while coming from BTM layout. I was tricked to short filling. But after complaining I got the fuel back but I never visited that pump again.

I have not visited many pump in Bangalore since I always fill from that particular pump. I may not help on this regard.

 

[TopCap]

So far, good informational many stories incidents and tips from our side (i.e. customer to customer). What I'd like to know are informational and helpful guidance tid-bits from the point-of-view of the manager/owner of petrol pumps towards the customer.

 

[anshuman8]

I stay at BTM 2nd Stage. I always fill fuel at pump near to BTM water tank.
I never face so far any problem with them. even if you are looking at some other place the attendant will call you to ensure that meter is set to zero.

But once I had the problem with pump which is near to silk board junction while coming from BTM layout. I was tricked to short filling. But after complaining I got the fuel back but I never visited that pump again.

I have not visited many pump in Bangalore since I always fill from that particular pump. I may not help on this regard.

Yes I am also with you on these two pumps, both in positive and negative way.