Motoring mystery....the triangle on the fuel gauge.
Oct 10, 2018 07:24:41 #
SteveR wrote:
I never knew it was there. Just another interesting bit of trivia....however....useful whenever you have a rental car!!
https://www.foxnews.com/auto/motoring-mystery-solved-inventor-of-that-triangle-that-tells-you-what-side-to-fill-a-car-up-on-revealed
https://www.foxnews.com/auto/motoring-mystery-solved-inventor-of-that-triangle-that-tells-you-what-side-to-fill-a-car-up-on-revealed
Yes, I rent cars a lot and learned this some time ago.
I purchased an little Dodge car for commuting around and found out that my indicator points to the wrong side.
How hard is it to get that wrong?
At least my Jeep is correct.
Oct 10, 2018 09:03:26 #
Yes, very good idea, especially if you drive more than one model car.
Another bit of trivia. If you are driving behind a car, you can tell what side of the car will have the fuel filler. It will be on the side opposite the tailpipe. If the car has dual exhausts, that doesn't work, of course.
Another bit of trivia. If you are driving behind a car, you can tell what side of the car will have the fuel filler. It will be on the side opposite the tailpipe. If the car has dual exhausts, that doesn't work, of course.
Oct 10, 2018 09:04:15 #
Architect1776 wrote:
I purchased an little Dodge car for commuting around and found out that my indicator points to the wrong side.
How hard is it to get that wrong?
How hard is it to get that wrong?
"What we have here is a failure to communicate."
Dodge told the instrument maker that the gas filler would be on the left, and the instrument maker assumed Dodge mean the left when you're standing in front of the car.
Oct 10, 2018 09:29:57 #
BassmanBruce wrote:
I worked at a full service gas station in the early seventies and a lot of Vette owners wouldn’t let me put the handle in the car. They insisted on doing it themselves, same for a lot of bikers.
I had the same experience...Jags too...one guy told me he was afraid I’d scratch the paint or let gas drip on it.
Oct 10, 2018 09:32:34 #
Got me thinking: why are some fillers on the left and some on the right? Seems like back in the day most were behind the rear plate.
Anybody know?
Anybody know?
Oct 10, 2018 09:52:54 #
Even with the triangle people will still pull up on the wrong side of the pump. They either are in a hurry and go to the line that is moving the fastest or they just don't care about the triangle.
Oct 10, 2018 09:57:26 #
I like Costco's perk with the pump hose...it will reach either side of the vehicle with little effort.
Oct 10, 2018 10:40:29 #
Well I'll be darn I had never noticed that.
SteveR wrote:
I never knew it was there. Just another interesting bit of trivia....however....useful whenever you have a rental car!!
https://www.foxnews.com/auto/motoring-mystery-solved-inventor-of-that-triangle-that-tells-you-what-side-to-fill-a-car-up-on-revealed
https://www.foxnews.com/auto/motoring-mystery-solved-inventor-of-that-triangle-that-tells-you-what-side-to-fill-a-car-up-on-revealed
Oct 10, 2018 10:51:06 #
jerryc41 wrote:
"What we have here is a failure to communicate."
Dodge told the instrument maker that the gas filler would be on the left, and the instrument maker assumed Dodge mean the left when you're standing in front of the car.
Dodge told the instrument maker that the gas filler would be on the left, and the instrument maker assumed Dodge mean the left when you're standing in front of the car.
Could be but all other Dodge and other brands I have driven except for this one car it is correct as you sit in the driver's seat.
Oct 10, 2018 11:00:28 #
wrangler5
Loc: Missouri
Dannj wrote:
I had the same experience...Jags too...one guy told me he was afraid I’d scratch the paint or let gas drip on it.
They were removed from the rear of the vehicle (license plate, tail light, etc) to be farther from damage in the event of a rear end collision, which back in the day could open the fuel tank to drain all its contents onto the ground. As to which side the filler pipe goes on today, I saw an article just the other day (no idea where, of course) that said it's mostly an engineering decision based on the available space(s) around the interior sheet metal that makes up the vehicle structure. That's why vehicles from the same maker can have filler doors on opposite sides - because their innards are not the same, and there isn't always room to put the pipe where most drivers prefer it, on the driver's side.
Oct 10, 2018 11:16:08 #
wrangler5 wrote:
They were removed from the rear of the vehicle (li... (show quote)
But you would think that if the car industry decided on a standard, going by what drivers prefer, the overall engineering could be done so that it was on that side.
Oct 10, 2018 12:12:10 #
wrangler5
Loc: Missouri
JohnSwanda wrote:
But you would think that if the car industry decided on a standard, going by what drivers prefer, the overall engineering could be done so that it was on that side.
My impression is that vehicles are now worldwide products. Left or right hand drive configurations affect the front end, and engineers design the unibody structure to accommodate installation of both sets of bits. But the rear structure, from, say, the front seats back (there's a "pillar" designation for that point on the car, but I forget which one) is pretty much standard, and is NOT necessarily symmetrical side to side. Exhaust pipe and muffler location on single exhaust setups is the most obvious asymetrical space hog, but I gather there are others that are the result of the ongoing effort by all designers to retain strength and chassis stiffness while reducing weight, production costs, etc. (Some cars have batteries in the trunk or under the back seat, for example, which obviously changes the sheet metal in that area, and brings different load/stress calculations into play for that part of the chassis.)
Oct 10, 2018 12:42:12 #
Oct 10, 2018 12:50:46 #
wrangler5 wrote:
My impression is that vehicles are now worldwide p... (show quote)
But if having the gas filler standardized on one side was considered at the beginning of the car design, instead of an afterthought, it shouldn't be a problem.
Oct 10, 2018 13:18:14 #
My car doesn't have a little triangle, its got a gas pump icon and the side the hose is on is the side of the car the gas filler is on.
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