In NYC, you're lucky just to find a station that will actually pump the gas for you.

I definitely remember full service gas stations.  But  my dad was funny about all that service.  That was before hood release devices were inside the car, so if a "mechanic" popped the hood dad would make sure the fellow didn't try to check the coolant.  I think more than once a mechanic opened the top of the radiator while it was under pressure and there went coolant.  Dad was an aircraft mechanic and did almost all service on our cars himself and he preferred that they just pump the gas and MAYBE clean the windshield.

lawrence

I HATE pumping my own gas. Always have. Just the thought of touching that hose nozzle grosses me out.

Chuck- Your mentioning mandated full service for the handicapped sparked a memory: A few states that did not allow self-service at all back in the day. The national transition from full- to self-service definitely happened gradually.

Louie- I’ll bet you’re really grossed out by handling the pump handle during the pandemic! Have to admit it’s the one time I wear a disposable vinyl glove on my right hand. I use the car so little now that I’ve only put gas in the car twice since mid-March—and both times only about 1/4 of the tank.  Have left town only once, on June 25, to have a wisdom tooth pulled in Worthington, which is 28 miles away.

You got that right Eugene. I have two "Full" serve stations by me, Conoco and Gulf. Everything else is self-serve. I've only have had to fill the tank up once...since February. I'm down to half a tank now. I usually drive once or twice a week. More just to get out of the house. The lowest price I've seen on gas is $2.09 a gallon for regular.

I remember full service gas stations very well.  One of the memories that stick out is my parents always told the attendant “Fill it with Ethyl” .  They always checked the oil, tire pressure and washed the windshield.  You had to watch some of them because no matter what they would tell you you were down a quart of oil, even when you’d just changed it, so I used to tell them not to check the oil.  And lots of stations had barrels of used oil for those with “hoopties” that burned a quart of oil with every tank. I think they charged something like 15-20 cents a quart for this used oil.   I used to say these cars had self changing oil.

When I went to Beauty College after HS I had to drive 45 miles each way to school and gas was 25-30 cents a gal.  I worked as a busboy after school and on the weekends and my funds were limited.  I used to buy 50 cents worth of regular in Guerneville at the Shell station on the way to school in the morning and another 50 cents worth on the way home at the same station.  My parents itemized their taxes and insisted that I give them receipts for all these 50 cent gas purchases, so I always asked for a receipt and always got one.  And they washed the windshield at each of these 50 cent purchases.  Those were the days!

Eddie