Author Topic: Gas is apparently free now  (Read 12755 times)

MPS

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Gas is apparently free now
« on: January 23, 2015, 02:42:21 PM »
I went to the grocery store this evening and parked next to an empty idling car.  Went in, did my shopping - pretty casually - and came back out to find it was still sitting there idling.  What a waste! How long were they in there, like 20+ minutes with the car running, just to (I guess) keep the heat going?

SMH.

MandalayVA

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Re: Gas is apparently free now
« Reply #1 on: January 23, 2015, 02:43:32 PM »
You leave an empty idling car in my neighborhood and you might as well put a sign on it that says PLEASE STEAL ME.

deborah

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Re: Gas is apparently free now
« Reply #2 on: January 23, 2015, 02:54:34 PM »
When my parents lived in the North West of Western Australia a lot of people left their car running while they were at the supermarket - with the air conditioner going. With 60 days of the year over 100F, it was a really hot area!

Gone Fishing

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Re: Gas is apparently free now
« Reply #3 on: January 23, 2015, 03:02:00 PM »
Every drop counts, but an hour of idling probably only costs around a $1 at todays prices.  Pretty cheap as far as luxuries go!  Growing up, my dad would idle the car while he was waiting on my mom to get ready to leave or do a little shopping, just to hurry her along!

Indexer

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Re: Gas is apparently free now
« Reply #4 on: January 23, 2015, 03:30:03 PM »
The other night I was driving my car as opposed to my bike(long distance).  I pull up to this light next to a F250 with huge tires that has been raised way up in the air.  He starts revving his engine like he wants to race.  I do drive a little sporty car, but I ignore him.  He guns it, almost loses control of the thing, and then the next light is only a few hundred feet away.  He does it all over again, only this time he manages to keep control.  Same story at a third light. 

The saddest part... he wasn't even going all that fast.  If I wanted I could have easily passed him by just keeping my car in first gear rather than hyper miling.  He was burning a ton of gas to show off and then just making a big fool of himself. 

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Re: Gas is apparently free now
« Reply #5 on: January 23, 2015, 03:38:07 PM »

There is a small subculture around here that run diesel trucks and don't turn them off.   I mean like: all day long.

The guy that did bull dozer work when I built my house would show up at 7am and work until dark.  His truck idled the whole time.  He did 3 days of work like that.

I had a friend that used to work on oil rigs.  He swore that the guys that owned the rigs drove diesel pickups and did not turn them off the entire time they owned them.  All day.  All night.  All the time.

BlueMR2

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Re: Gas is apparently free now
« Reply #6 on: January 23, 2015, 04:43:57 PM »
I went to the grocery store this evening and parked next to an empty idling car.  Went in, did my shopping - pretty casually - and came back out to find it was still sitting there idling.  What a waste! How long were they in there, like 20+ minutes with the car running, just to (I guess) keep the heat going?

Real common around here.  At home in the driveway, at the stores, everywhere.  It's ridiculous.

caliq

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Re: Gas is apparently free now
« Reply #7 on: January 23, 2015, 04:56:17 PM »
Are these people not nervous their car would get stolen?  I live in a tiny fairly affluent town and I lock my doors and set the alarm every time I leave the car...Also how cold is it there?  It gets pretty cold here and even pre MMM it never would have occurred to me to leave the car idling -- that's why you have a coat and gloves!  And a hat if it's really really cold!

PEIslander

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Re: Gas is apparently free now
« Reply #8 on: January 23, 2015, 05:23:48 PM »
Are these people not nervous their car would get stolen?

Caliq - most people who leave their unattended vehicles running have after-market remote starters. They are relatively common in areas that have hard winters. They allow you to start the car remotely with the doors locked, alarm on, and no key in the ignition. Most who have them just use them to start the vehicle to warm up a few minutes before using the vehicle.

deborah

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Re: Gas is apparently free now
« Reply #9 on: January 23, 2015, 06:19:33 PM »
I was talking about a fairly recent time when remotes didn't exist - so these cars could get stolen - but then, where I was talking about, you put on gloves before opening the car door so it didn't burn you.

GetItRight

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Re: Gas is apparently free now
« Reply #10 on: January 23, 2015, 07:16:52 PM »
Been there done that when I've had a bad starter or a weak battery. Easier to leave it running than push start or find a steep hill to park on. Seems silly to make assumptions. Also leaving it running doesn't mean you can't lock it, and if someone is going to break the glass or slim jim it to steal it a key in the ignition is a moot point. And while fuel isn't free it certainly is cheap, an idling engine hardly burns Any. Typically under half a gallon an hour for a big block and far less for typical econobox engines.

kudy

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Re: Gas is apparently free now
« Reply #11 on: January 23, 2015, 07:28:45 PM »
The President of my company(owners' son) doesn't turn off his Tahoe during the day in the winter because he likes a warm car when he leaves. So the truck will literally sit all day, idling away and wasting who-knows how much fuel, just for the sake of it.  This has been going on for the 9 years I've been with this company :(


There is a small subculture around here that run diesel trucks and don't turn them off.   I mean like: all day long.

The guy that did bull dozer work when I built my house would show up at 7am and work until dark.  His truck idled the whole time.  He did 3 days of work like that.

I had a friend that used to work on oil rigs.  He swore that the guys that owned the rigs drove diesel pickups and did not turn them off the entire time they owned them.  All day.  All night.  All the time.

These two stories are the craziest thing I've heard in a long time. That is utterly baffling for so many reasons...

caliq

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Re: Gas is apparently free now
« Reply #12 on: January 24, 2015, 10:24:21 AM »
Are these people not nervous their car would get stolen?

Caliq - most people who leave their unattended vehicles running have after-market remote starters. They are relatively common in areas that have hard winters. They allow you to start the car remotely with the doors locked, alarm on, and no key in the ignition. Most who have them just use them to start the vehicle to warm up a few minutes before using the vehicle.

Ohhhhh!  I didn't even think of that, despite knowing they exist.  I actually thought about getting one over the summer because I'm scared to leave my dogs unattended in a hot car even for 5 minutes :/ 

That actually makes the concept of leaving the car on all day even sillier though -- you could just start it ten minutes before you're leaving and have the exact same effect!! I don't understand people.....

Paul der Krake

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Re: Gas is apparently free now
« Reply #13 on: January 24, 2015, 10:46:52 AM »
I was under the impression that long haul truckers kept their engines running to keep the cabin at an appropriate temperature, but then again I see them doing it even when it's a perfect 70 degrees outside. Maybe it's a macho thing, I just don't get it.

Extended cab consumer grade trucks with a bed cover left idling with no one in them are a regular sight at grocery stores too.

MgoSam

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Re: Gas is apparently free now
« Reply #14 on: January 24, 2015, 12:38:17 PM »
And I thought that my dad was wasteful for leaving the car running when filling up gas, he either does it for the heat, or the A/C, or when neither is a rational explanation, so he can continue listening to the news/music.

rocketpj

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Re: Gas is apparently free now
« Reply #15 on: January 24, 2015, 02:02:28 PM »
I once spent an evening in a pub after the funeral of a high school friend. Several of my old friends now work in the oilfield in Alberta.  All of them have huge pickup trucks (F350s etc).  The funeral was midwinter, so it was really cold outside.

After about 5 hours of talking, drinking beer and reminiscing, three of them suddenly realized they wouldn't be driving home and pulled out their remotes to shut off their trucks - all three of which had been idling in the parking lot for 5 hours straight.

Obviously frugality was not the main topic at hand, but all of them were talking about money troubles that day.

Chaplin

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Re: Gas is apparently free now
« Reply #16 on: January 24, 2015, 02:07:44 PM »
We have an anti-idling law here. I wonder if anyone has ever been ticketed.

MoneyCat

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Re: Gas is apparently free now
« Reply #17 on: January 24, 2015, 02:37:52 PM »
I guess all these people have never heard of heated seats.  Even if your car isn't equipped with it, you can get an aftermarket heated seat cover for about $30 off Amazon.  Much more economical way to stay warm in your car in the winter.

deborah

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Re: Gas is apparently free now
« Reply #18 on: January 24, 2015, 03:25:37 PM »
I guess all these people have never heard of heated seats.  Even if your car isn't equipped with it, you can get an aftermarket heated seat cover for about $30 off Amazon.  Much more economical way to stay warm in your car in the winter.
Now if they could just make a cooled seat cover...

marty998

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Re: Gas is apparently free now
« Reply #19 on: January 24, 2015, 04:40:49 PM »
And I thought that my dad was wasteful for leaving the car running when filling up gas, he either does it for the heat, or the A/C, or when neither is a rational explanation, so he can continue listening to the news/music.

This is insane holy fuck, is he not worried about blowing up half the street?

I get that a car motor is an internal combustion engine, and a bright engineer must have come up with a fail safe solution just for <adjective deleted> americans who engage in this behaviour, but geez if he accidentally spills a bit and there's a spark or static electricity built up around the car then oh my god.

It's quite rightly a gigantic no-no. I've never ever seen this in Australia.

SpacemanSpiff

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Re: Gas is apparently free now
« Reply #20 on: January 24, 2015, 06:45:49 PM »
I guess all these people have never heard of heated seats.  Even if your car isn't equipped with it, you can get an aftermarket heated seat cover for about $30 off Amazon.  Much more economical way to stay warm in your car in the winter.

Does anyone know a good site to find such heated seat covers? A quick Amazon search only yeilded this:

http://www.amazon.com/Viotek-Heated-Cooled-Seat-Cushion/dp/B00K0SCNVG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1422149405&sr=8-2&keywords=honda+civic+heated+seat&pebp=1422149715065&peasin=B00K0SCNVG

SpacemanSpiff

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Re: Gas is apparently free now
« Reply #21 on: January 24, 2015, 06:53:27 PM »
I guess all these people have never heard of heated seats.  Even if your car isn't equipped with it, you can get an aftermarket heated seat cover for about $30 off Amazon.  Much more economical way to stay warm in your car in the winter.

Does anyone know a good site to find such heated seat covers? A quick Amazon search only yeilded this:

http://www.amazon.com/Viotek-Heated-Cooled-Seat-Cushion/dp/B00K0SCNVG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1422149405&sr=8-2&keywords=honda+civic+heated+seat&pebp=1422149715065&peasin=B00K0SCNVG

When I add filters for my car (09 Honda Civic LX sedan), this is the only one i find: http://www.amazon.com/CalTrend-Bucket-Custom-Select-Models/dp/B00JB47SZG/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1422150538&vehicle=2009-59-752-113--1-9-5-8041--1-1---1-0&sr=1-1&ymm=2009%3Ahonda%3Acivic&keywords=heated+seat+covers+for+cars&pebp=1422150549195&peasin=B00JB47SZG

bigalsmith101

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Re: Gas is apparently free now
« Reply #22 on: January 24, 2015, 06:54:51 PM »
I spent the winter of 2014 working  in the deep freeze of Fairbanks, Alaska, 300 miles south of the arctic circle. My job consists of driving either a 16ft box truck with a 4 liter, 4 cylinder turbo diesel; or a 26ft semi truck with a 6.2 liter straight 6 cylinder engine.

Due to the nature of 40 below zero temperatures, from the moment I unplugged my truck in the morning (from the block heater) and fired up the engine, I wouldn't turn it off until that night. No matter the mileage driven. Regularly the truck/s would sit for 3-4hrs without moving.

If you turned it off, you ran the risk of the oil congealing and not being able to start the engine again. It always made me uncomfortable to burn diesel all day long, but that was the nature of the beast.

On the haul roads up north, drivers have been known to start the engines in their semi tractors at the beginning of the freeze and not turn their engines off for 3-4 months at a time. NOT EVER turn them off. Not until the weather warms up. 

caliq

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Re: Gas is apparently free now
« Reply #23 on: January 24, 2015, 07:08:51 PM »
I spent the winter of 2014 working  in the deep freeze of Fairbanks, Alaska, 300 miles south of the arctic circle. My job consists of driving either a 16ft box truck with a 4 liter, 4 cylinder turbo diesel; or a 26ft semi truck with a 6.2 liter straight 6 cylinder engine.

Due to the nature of 40 below zero temperatures, from the moment I unplugged my truck in the morning (from the block heater) and fired up the engine, I wouldn't turn it off until that night. No matter the mileage driven. Regularly the truck/s would sit for 3-4hrs without moving.

If you turned it off, you ran the risk of the oil congealing and not being able to start the engine again. It always made me uncomfortable to burn diesel all day long, but that was the nature of the beast.

On the haul roads up north, drivers have been known to start the engines in their semi tractors at the beginning of the freeze and not turn their engines off for 3-4 months at a time. NOT EVER turn them off. Not until the weather warms up.

That's intense. I truly hope I never experience such cold (and I'm from a northern contiguous state!).  I was wondering if the idling of diesel pickups had something to do with the idea that it was better for the engine but I was just going off a vague memory of something someone must have told me so I didn't mention it.  I don't think anyone would question it in the situation you've described, but the vast majority of people aren't in that situation xD  I think they're either just wimpy about the cold, or they have some misguided idea that their truck is as "manly" as the one you were driving (and I say that to poke fun at their idea of masculinity, not at you).
« Last Edit: January 24, 2015, 07:33:11 PM by caliq »

RelaxedGal

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Re: Gas is apparently free now
« Reply #24 on: January 24, 2015, 07:22:47 PM »
I guess all these people have never heard of heated seats.  Even if your car isn't equipped with it, you can get an aftermarket heated seat cover for about $30 off Amazon.  Much more economical way to stay warm in your car in the winter.

Does anyone know a good site to find such heated seat covers?

This is the one I brought from Amazon at Thanksgiving,

Wagan IN9438 12V Heated Seat Cushion with Lumbar Support (Black Velour)

Just having it on my seat makes it feel warmer, probably the velour.  When I have it on high my bum is warm in 3-5 minutes, while I'm still waiting for the car (Scion xA) to warm up enough to defrost my toes and fingers.  The elastic holds it well but not perfectly; slides toward the passenger seat 1/8 inch/day maybe, I just nudge it back toward the door when I realize it has shifted.

Menards had one for something stupid cheap like $6 on Black Friday so you can probably find one cheaper than $30, but I can vouch for this one.  The grey one is only $25 if you're not picky.

Elliot

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Re: Gas is apparently free now
« Reply #25 on: January 24, 2015, 07:27:55 PM »
This thread makes me dizzy.

NinetyFour

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Re: Gas is apparently free now
« Reply #26 on: January 25, 2015, 08:46:01 AM »
https://co-telluride.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/2039

Until I looked at this, I didn't know about the law for the state of Colorado.  But it is only for unattended vehicles.  I think the Telluride law covers unattended and attended vehicles.

At my college, I often see students who arrive early (!) for class, and spend their extra minutes in the parking lot in their car, texting (or whatever they do with their phones), while their engine is running.

Self-employed-swami

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Re: Gas is apparently free now
« Reply #27 on: January 25, 2015, 08:53:11 AM »
I work in the Alberta oil patch, and the cold cold weather some winters is exactly why I bought a gas vehicle, not a diesel.  I can plug it in, and it always starts. I've even started it without being plugged in, at -40.  Those diesel drivers don't stand a hope of starting their trucks at that temperature.

Spork

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Re: Gas is apparently free now
« Reply #28 on: January 25, 2015, 09:42:18 AM »
I spent the winter of 2014 working  in the deep freeze of Fairbanks, Alaska, 300 miles south of the arctic circle. My job consists of driving either a 16ft box truck with a 4 liter, 4 cylinder turbo diesel; or a 26ft semi truck with a 6.2 liter straight 6 cylinder engine.

Due to the nature of 40 below zero temperatures, from the moment I unplugged my truck in the morning (from the block heater) and fired up the engine, I wouldn't turn it off until that night. No matter the mileage driven. Regularly the truck/s would sit for 3-4hrs without moving.

If you turned it off, you ran the risk of the oil congealing and not being able to start the engine again. It always made me uncomfortable to burn diesel all day long, but that was the nature of the beast.

On the haul roads up north, drivers have been known to start the engines in their semi tractors at the beginning of the freeze and not turn their engines off for 3-4 months at a time. NOT EVER turn them off. Not until the weather warms up.

This makes sense to me.  I had a diesel car back in the 80s (when the southern states didn't have anti-gel additives in the diesel).  Winter sucked.  It would sometimes take me 30 minutes to fill a 10 gallon fuel tank because the fuel was so thick.

...but when I've seen all day idling with diesels, it's been in fine spring/summer southern weather.  I have no idea what theory they're chasing.

MgoSam

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Re: Gas is apparently free now
« Reply #29 on: January 25, 2015, 09:49:47 AM »
My guess is that many of the lot that leaves their car on idle were doing so when gas prices were high, the only difference is that now they aren't complaining about how much they spend on gas.

BlueMR2

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Re: Gas is apparently free now
« Reply #30 on: January 25, 2015, 12:38:49 PM »
We have an anti-idling law here. I wonder if anyone has ever been ticketed.

We do too.  My guess is they don't ticket anyone.  I doubt the police even think about it/realize it's an offense.  After all, they leave their cars running all day, it probably just seems normal.  :-)

guitar_stitch

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Re: Gas is apparently free now
« Reply #31 on: January 28, 2015, 09:15:56 AM »
And I thought that my dad was wasteful for leaving the car running when filling up gas, he either does it for the heat, or the A/C, or when neither is a rational explanation, so he can continue listening to the news/music.

This is insane holy fuck, is he not worried about blowing up half the street?

I get that a car motor is an internal combustion engine, and a bright engineer must have come up with a fail safe solution just for <adjective deleted> americans who engage in this behaviour, but geez if he accidentally spills a bit and there's a spark or static electricity built up around the car then oh my god.

It's quite rightly a gigantic no-no. I've never ever seen this in Australia.

1) Gas won't "blow up half the street".  There would be a fireball followed by intense flames.  That's it.
2) Shutting off the motor doesn't stop static electricity.

A lit cigarette won't even ignite gas.  Be free of paranoia!

frugalnacho

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Re: Gas is apparently free now
« Reply #32 on: January 28, 2015, 10:04:44 AM »
And I thought that my dad was wasteful for leaving the car running when filling up gas, he either does it for the heat, or the A/C, or when neither is a rational explanation, so he can continue listening to the news/music.

This is insane holy fuck, is he not worried about blowing up half the street?

I get that a car motor is an internal combustion engine, and a bright engineer must have come up with a fail safe solution just for <adjective deleted> americans who engage in this behaviour, but geez if he accidentally spills a bit and there's a spark or static electricity built up around the car then oh my god.

It's quite rightly a gigantic no-no. I've never ever seen this in Australia.

I see people filling their tanks with the engine running all the time. I also see people smoking cigarettes while filling their tank all the time.  I wouldn't do either, but it's not nearly as dangerous as you think it is.

Jack

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Re: Gas is apparently free now
« Reply #33 on: January 30, 2015, 10:55:35 AM »
Ohhhhh!  I didn't even think of that, despite knowing they exist.  I actually thought about getting one over the summer because I'm scared to leave my dogs unattended in a hot car even for 5 minutes :/ 

I heard on the radio the other day a story about how some woman called the police on someone who had left their dog in the car...

... with the windows rolled down...

... in the winter.

Air conditioning is irrelevant; some dumbass is going to freak out about that sort of thing no matter how reasonable it is.

caliq

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Re: Gas is apparently free now
« Reply #34 on: January 30, 2015, 12:26:29 PM »
Ohhhhh!  I didn't even think of that, despite knowing they exist.  I actually thought about getting one over the summer because I'm scared to leave my dogs unattended in a hot car even for 5 minutes :/ 

I heard on the radio the other day a story about how some woman called the police on someone who had left their dog in the car...

... with the windows rolled down...

... in the winter.

Air conditioning is irrelevant; some dumbass is going to freak out about that sort of thing no matter how reasonable it is.

Oh lord! That is truly exceptional.  I mean I understand why people get upset about it in the summer -- I was worried about it for the sake of the dogs' health, not for avoiding smashed windows or police calls.  But I hope the police just laughed at that lady and sent her on her way...

Northerly

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Re: Gas is apparently free now
« Reply #35 on: January 30, 2015, 01:21:22 PM »
I spent the winter of 2014 working  in the deep freeze of Fairbanks, Alaska, 300 miles south of the arctic circle. My job consists of driving either a 16ft box truck with a 4 liter, 4 cylinder turbo diesel; or a 26ft semi truck with a 6.2 liter straight 6 cylinder engine.

Due to the nature of 40 below zero temperatures, from the moment I unplugged my truck in the morning (from the block heater) and fired up the engine, I wouldn't turn it off until that night. No matter the mileage driven. Regularly the truck/s would sit for 3-4hrs without moving.

If you turned it off, you ran the risk of the oil congealing and not being able to start the engine again. It always made me uncomfortable to burn diesel all day long, but that was the nature of the beast.

On the haul roads up north, drivers have been known to start the engines in their semi tractors at the beginning of the freeze and not turn their engines off for 3-4 months at a time. NOT EVER turn them off. Not until the weather warms up. 

I've been here in Fairbanks for about 13 years and done plenty of diesel driving/owning. At -40 there is no problem with shutting off a diesel for an hour or two. Three to four hours, no. But there is a lot of heat in that engine and it remains plenty warm to start for a couple hours. I think some of the diesel habits here are hangovers from the '70s when diesels were less reliable, along with the macho pipeline scene that kicked off the trucking industry then.

NoraLenderbee

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Re: Gas is apparently free now
« Reply #36 on: January 30, 2015, 04:33:06 PM »
Ohhhhh!  I didn't even think of that, despite knowing they exist.  I actually thought about getting one over the summer because I'm scared to leave my dogs unattended in a hot car even for 5 minutes :/ 

I heard on the radio the other day a story about how some woman called the police on someone who had left their dog in the car...

... with the windows rolled down...

... in the winter.


Well, the poor doggie might freeze!

greaper007

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Re: Gas is apparently free now
« Reply #37 on: January 30, 2015, 04:55:28 PM »
I honestly think it's a neo-con I don't believe in global warming/look how rich I am that I can just burn fuel, type of thing.   The culture wars have gotten pretty ridiculous in the past few decades.

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Re: Gas is apparently free now
« Reply #38 on: January 30, 2015, 05:23:32 PM »
I guess all these people have never heard of heated seats.  Even if your car isn't equipped with it, you can get an aftermarket heated seat cover for about $30 off Amazon.  Much more economical way to stay warm in your car in the winter.

For many it is more about keeping the engine warm than the cab.  If the diesel gels over, the car isn't going to start again.

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Re: Gas is apparently free now
« Reply #39 on: January 30, 2015, 07:45:12 PM »
I guess all these people have never heard of heated seats.  Even if your car isn't equipped with it, you can get an aftermarket heated seat cover for about $30 off Amazon.  Much more economical way to stay warm in your car in the winter.

For many it is more about keeping the engine warm than the cab.  If the diesel gels over, the car isn't going to start again.
If leaving your truck on is a necessity in order for it to start, it might be a good idea to look into something like a Webasto (or other brand) fuel fired heater. It is much more efficient at keeping the engine warm than just letting it run and significantly reduces engine wear. Also, most of them are designed to be started at very cold temperatures in order to preheat the engine for starting. Most of the ground vehicles in the canadian forces have these heaters installed and we shut the vehicles off overnight regardless of weather. Our G-wagons also have an electric coolant heater which helps keep the coolant warm when the engine is idling since many diesels don't put enough heat into the coolant to keep it at proper operating temperature during prolong idle periods.

BlueMR2

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Re: Gas is apparently free now
« Reply #40 on: February 01, 2015, 11:37:03 AM »
For many it is more about keeping the engine warm than the cab.  If the diesel gels over, the car isn't going to start again.

Yeah, my Dad had a Mercedes diesel car for a couple years.  It was worthless in the Winter.  Had the electric plugin to heat it up, but it simply couldn't handle the temperatures we get.  It was basically a 9 month of the year car.  The other 3 months he would just take my Mom's gasoline car...

Bob W

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Re: Gas is apparently free now
« Reply #41 on: February 01, 2015, 04:44:37 PM »
Gas is as close to free as it is likely to be.   I gladly pay the $1 to keep my car warm on 10 degree days.  Happens rarely and is really usually only 10 minutes.  So probably spend $5 a year doing this.

Sibley

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Re: Gas is apparently free now
« Reply #42 on: February 03, 2015, 10:26:32 AM »
Been there done that when I've had a bad starter or a weak battery. Easier to leave it running than push start or find a steep hill to park on. Seems silly to make assumptions. Also leaving it running doesn't mean you can't lock it, and if someone is going to break the glass or slim jim it to steal it a key in the ignition is a moot point. And while fuel isn't free it certainly is cheap, an idling engine hardly burns Any. Typically under half a gallon an hour for a big block and far less for typical econobox engines.

Um, fix the problem? Seems obvious to me.

ABC123

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Re: Gas is apparently free now
« Reply #43 on: February 03, 2015, 11:09:03 AM »
And I thought that my dad was wasteful for leaving the car running when filling up gas, he either does it for the heat, or the A/C, or when neither is a rational explanation, so he can continue listening to the news/music.

This is insane holy fuck, is he not worried about blowing up half the street?

I get that a car motor is an internal combustion engine, and a bright engineer must have come up with a fail safe solution just for <adjective deleted> americans who engage in this behaviour, but geez if he accidentally spills a bit and there's a spark or static electricity built up around the car then oh my god.

It's quite rightly a gigantic no-no. I've never ever seen this in Australia.

I see people filling their tanks with the engine running all the time. I also see people smoking cigarettes while filling their tank all the time.  I wouldn't do either, but it's not nearly as dangerous as you think it is.

I saw one of the tv news shows (like 20/20 or one of those, can't remember which one exactly) that did a segment on this.  They spilled gas on the ground and tried to get it to ignite -- threw lit cigarettes on it, did some other hazardous things -- and they could not get it to ignite at all.  So apparently gas is not quite as flammable as we usually think it is.  Still doesn't make sense to smoke while filling the tank, though.  That just seems like tempting fate.

When I drop the kiddo off at daycare, people leave their cars idling all the time.  And here at work, several people go out to their cars on breaks or lunch and smoke or read or whatever with the car running.  But I don't think I have ever seen anyone leave it idling unattended for long periods of time.  Seems silly to me.

HairyUpperLip

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Re: Gas is apparently free now
« Reply #44 on: February 03, 2015, 11:20:02 AM »
When I see someone smoking a cigarette at the gas station, I'm happy to relocate myself. But not without taking the second to inform the person "hey man, not sure if you know this, but gasoline is flammable."


 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!