Motorists queue at a Texaco gas station on Half-Way Tree Road, St. Andrew. - NORMAN GRINDLEY
IT IS A familiar sight across the Corporate Area at the service stations which normally have very good prices, long lines of traffic inching slowly up to the pump. Motorists wait patiently for their turn at the pump to pay a dollar or two less than at other not-so-expensive stations, or even up to five dollars a litre at the more expensive ones.
However, although lower than accustomed to prices on the billboard may be a real "head and steerbest mileageing wheel turner,' there are situations where hunting down low gas prices may be an empty hunt. Really empty.
Paul, who has been a mechanic for more than 30 years, says that running the gas tank to the 'orange light' and then filling up at a cheap gas station may not be profitable in the long or even the short run.
"What people must remember is that when you run the tank down to the 'E' you affect the performance. The more gas you have in the tank the better the mileage you get, up to about half-a-tank. So when you are going down to quarter tank and less and pushing on just to save $2 a litre and so on, it does not make any sense, because the amount that you are wasting in the meantime is more than you make up for when you fill up," he said.
He also raised the issue of affecting the car's performance. "When you go down too far with the gas you suck up all sort of dirt and that chokes up the gas line. Is not only that it cost you in service, like gas filter and so forth, but also it can choke up the car and make you stop on the road," he said.
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