A serious observation that may be laughed at.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

I started driving in the 1970s. Before the 1990s all gas stations had a free air hose.

During the 1990s those hoses were slowly replaced with coin operated air machines. (And many of those were subsequently replaced with nothing.)

At this point I have not seen a free air hose in my area for years.

It stands to reason that driver maintenance of tire pressure is much lower than was traditional. (When something free starts costing money use goes down.)

Currently most drivers get air in their tires when they get their oil changed, and that's about it.

It would be amusing to know the net cost in oil use of the elimination of free air. It sounds silly, but it has to be an enormous number.

(Of course free air isn't free... if gas stations went back to free air the gas price would be a fraction higher. Gas consumers are no longer very brand-loyal and the station with no amenities gets the business because people price shop gas, so there's no incentive for the station with free air. So, not to get all nanny-state or anything, but I sort of expect some state government to require gas stations to offer free air, because it can only be reintroduced through regulation.)

On Edit: A reply here suggests free air is indeed mandatory in California, so that's cool. Nice to know that CA's special pollution and efficiency standards are accompanied by little common sense measures.

[cliffordu]

1. My local gas station got tired of people breaking the coin boxes on the air/water

machine and now they have a garage door opener thingy that turns it on. Gratis.

Don't mess with free air....

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

2. Fight the Power! (Glad it's back to free)

[wtmusic]

3. Laughed at? Not at all.

Why would gasoline stations give a rat's ass about improving your mileage?

In CA they must provide air by law but the machines are largely dysfunctional. I do enjoy taking my electric car in and making them turn on the compressor for me, though.

[hobbit709]

4. I carry a little air compressor with me.

Comes in handy.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

5. Your personal life is your own business. We are not here to judge.

[cliffordu]

7. Uh....

:rofl:

[hobbit709]

10. whatever you say

[IDemo]

6. That's actually an excellent observation

[Canuckistanian]

8. We have free air at one of our local stations

But here's the catch.... you have to pay the quarter (or 50c) first, then ask for a refund.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

9. There's some sense in that, I guess

A station that offers free air doesn't want folks buying their gas at the low amenity station then swinging by for free air.

Hmmm... my proposal is taking form. Gas pumps should dispense a token for an air machine at the end of the transaction. Limits machine use to customers and reminds people to get air.

Granted, the station has no interest in reducing oil consumption, but in terms of balancing social good and the interests of the gas station that would be a good way to go.

[angrycarpenter]

11. air compressors were used to operate the drive over bell

That signaled the man to come out and pump your gas. The rise of self-serve made this device obsolete. What was a necessity became a simply an expense to be cut. When the man came in to sell a coin operated machine the owners jumped at it.

Besides, why give away something that can be sold? It's the capitalist way.