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Jai
Jagannath,
( Following
information is as per lines from a petrol pump employee and bitter
experiences of people )
Referring to last few days of petrol politics, here are few secrets
unveiled that happens behind screen.
1. Knowing that prices are going
to hike from Thursday early midnight, all petrol pumps and LPG
dealers kept closed since Wednesday morning, telling there is no
stock. They openly hid all their stock so that they can sell the
same old stock with higher price the next day morning. And they did
that. Even petrol pumps just adjacent to police stations also didn't
hesitate to do this. Police on complain remain deaf, they would have
got warm violet by pump owners. Andhra Pradesh Govt. Openly
announced to sell off the ready stock fuel and LPG with older rates
and only then to allow new stock into the state and that will be
sold at new price. Even though it because they don't wan to be
another Chandra Babu Naidu, but thanks to their timely step to save
public. Other state Govts kept quite as silent watchers.
2. Rs. 1000
magic – I am sure all of you would have noticed this, but
may be not knowing that there is a magic behind. Every time you show
a 1000 rupee crispy note to the petrol attendant and ask to fill for
1000 to your car, the attendant always fills for 200 first and after
you reminding him again to fill for 1000 like an innocent kid and
would start filling the remaining 800 Rs of petrol. And some times
during your discussion you will also notice another attendant will
try to distract your attention from another side.
The magic here is they some times don't reset the meter back to 0
before refueling for the remaining 800 ( And thus they swallow
straight Rs. 200 ) , or some times they reset the meter back to zero
but only on the meter screen panel and not exactly inside. This is
controlled by one more flip lever just below the steps of the
attendant. Have you noticed a small steel plate on ground next to
petrol pump fueling meter. That's the step on which the attendant
may step at times.
3. We know petrol is coming out
of the fuel stand thru the pipe till your vehicle and meter is
running on the fuel stand, but how do we ensure that from the meter
regulated valve area the fuel pipe may not be divided into two. Thus
the meter may be reading for 10 litters, but a part of the fuel
would be draining out thru a branch pipe back to their underground
tank.
4. As per an employee of a
petrol pump, all petrol pump meters use to have a dented ring inside
the machine. By tampering the dents makes less petrol flow per
liter. Thus even if you have purchased 5 liters, you have actually
received 4.5 liters. Per liter they cheat 100 ml.
5. It seems all petrol pump
meters jump a mark at start of flow. Means, if you fill petrol for
10 rupees also the pointer on petrol meter just 1 unit and even the
same for if you buy for Rs. 500. Thus they make money for their
infrastructure.
6. Mixing of Kerosene and other
cheap oils with the petrol that's stored in under ground tanks is of
course quite common and we all know this is the most traditional &
conventional way of cheating by oil pumps.
7. Apparently, the modus
operandi is like this. The 'official' who is supposed to give out
the equivalent of "business certificate" to these bunks forces them
to tamper with the meters, and then share the 'loot'. If the person
operating the bunk tries to sing tunes of honesty and ethics, this
"officer" knows umpteen tricks to deny him the "business
certificate".
8. If you won't ensure Zero
before filling, all the times you will start getting filled from the
point the previous customer had left. I mean suppose some one before
you filled for 50 rupees, now you fill for 200, the attendant will
start filling for you from that 50 mark onwards. Thus you land up
paying 50 extra not for petrol but for his talent to cheat.
To tackle Petrol Politics :
1. For point no. 1 in previous
section, I request all to identify such pumps who did like that and
then stop taking petrol from there, suggest others too to do so. Let
the pump owner loose customers at least worth to what he earned
during last day of price change.
2. Not to advertise, but Shell
pumps have less complains than others. May be to first establish in
Indian market they are sticking to honesty and later they will also
sing the same tune of other pumps. Filling from Shell pumps gives
better millage, good performance and
3. Tell the attendant not to put
the fuel nozzle inside your vehicle petrol tank and start pouring.
Thus you may not know when meter reading is starting and when actual
flow of fuel is starting. Tell him to use a funnel and show the fuel
nozzle above the funnel. Thus you will know when meter reading
starts and stops and whether fuel flow starts and stops in the same
time or not.
4. Tell the attendant not to
start fueling in a high speed. Tell him to press the fuel nozzle
clutch slow, this ensures little more fuel. Believe it.
5. Never get distracted while
fueling, be attentive and monitor carefully. This will save you from
being cheated.
6. Only buy or fill up your car
or bike in the early morning when the ground temperature is still
cold. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks
buried below ground. The colder the ground, the denser the fuel,
when it gets warmer petrol expands, so buying in the afternoon or in
the evening. . . . Your liter is not exactly a liter.
In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature
of the petrol, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum
products play an important role. A 1degree rise in temperature is a
big deal for this business. But the service stations do not have
temperature compensation at the pumps.
7. When you're filling up, do
not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a fast mode. If you look,
you will see that the trigger has three (3) stages: low, middle, and
high. In slow mode, you should be pumping on low speed, thereby
minimizing the vapors that are created, while you are pumping. All
hoses at the pump have a vapor return. If you are pumping on the
fast rate, some of the liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapor.
Those vapors are being sucked up and back into the underground
storage tank so you're getting less worth for your money.
8. One of the most important
tips is to fill up when your tank is half full. The reason for this
is, the more fuel you have in your tank, the less air occupying its
empty space. Petrol evaporates faster than you can imagine.
Petroleum storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof
serves as zero clearance between the petrol and the atmosphere, so
it minimizes the evaporation.
9. Another reminder, if there is
a fuel truck pumping into the storage tanks, when you stop to buy,
do not fill up - most likely the petrol/diesel is being stirred up
as the fuel is being delivered, and you might pick up some of the
dirt that normally settles on the bottom.
Hope, this will help you get the maximum value for your money.
Regards
Nilachakra
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