Auto Correct | Gas Stations

So, Charlie, do you remember Exxon's service stations?

Yes.

ESSO?

Yes, ma'am.

Okay.

I think Exxon bought them out.

Did they not?

It was part of Exxon and Mobile when it all, everything came together.

I think Exxon bought them first before they bought Mobile.

Okay.

Well, anyway, the joke is there's a group of bees and they're flying down the road

and they're beginning to run low on gas, so the bees fly into the golf station except for

one.

And you know what that means, that there's one ENTOB in every group.

That was a good one.

Amy, we needed that in our lives.

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Welcome to AutoCorrect, helping you correct your auto problems.

Our host is Coach Charlie Melton, ASC-Certified Master Technician.

I'm Jermaine Flood.

I just getting ready for another day, getting ready for a football game.

That's good stuff.

You know, the fall always brings good stuff like football games and fairs.

And let me tell you, yesterday I finally finished my monster bag of cotton candy.

From the fair.

And that was my cheat week.

Well, you know, the fair always brings in cool weather.

And so when I've been walking every morning, it's been cool.

My wife asked me this morning, she says, is it cold outside?

I said, well, it's not cold, but it is cool.

I called it brisk yesterday morning.

52 degrees this morning.

No, yesterday morning was brisk, too.

Yes, it's supposed to get high of 73 one day this week.

That's some good stuff where you know you will not sweat.

That's right.

I know that is right.

As much as you work out, you should be sweating, but you're being great.

I know it. I know it.

It's good stuff.

So while we're getting into some good stuff, let's talk about some good things

that you found out last week of one of the callers that we had.

Who had a truck issue?

Well, you know, we had a caller call in about a seven point three

where the vehicle would die when he cut his windshield wipers on.

And I told him that I would find out that problem.

And if he calls back, I will tell him the problem.

If he doesn't call back, I will tell him at the end of the program.

OK, so if you hear that, sir, we did ask you to call back this week.

But coach has got your answer.

What you think in Abram?

I just I just pulled my mic to me.

Oh, OK, it looked like something was on your brain.

I don't ever think anything.

Yes, you do. Oh, you're just a blank.

That's exactly what it is.

Yeah, you can't give it away yet.

You can't give away the answer yet.

That's a spoiler. Yeah, that's not the problem.

The spoiler on this car is not the problem.

That's right. Not the problem.

I didn't do it.

Hey, it's put on with duct tape.

That's the one thing I've thought so far in this show.

That's right. Right.

That was a good one, though.

Appreciate it. That was a good one, Abram.

All right. So I know you heard it.

If you remember to call in today, coach has got your answer.

If not, he'll leave it towards the end of the show.

That's right. All right.

So I have got I've received a call yesterday.

It was at the wrong time, but he wanted to speak to coach

Charlie Melton. OK.

And I just so happened to answer the phone.

And it's Parker from Vicksburg.

He had a question.

He says, how do brakes work on cruise control?

And how does the electronic sensor apply and slow the car down?

OK, a lot of the electronic sensors,

he may be talking about EV on there because I know

EV will literally stop the car when the power is taken off.

OK, OK. A lot of that on that EV is not really the brakes

that are engaged in.

It is the power of the motor stopping.

OK. OK. And that is what's stopping the car

is the power of the motors until you put your foot on the brake.

The brake is not engaged until you put your foot on the brake.

Now, on a cruise control, so that is adapted cruise.

OK. And when he's talking about when you just say,

if you're coming up to a you got it on 80 miles an hour

and you're coming up on back of a vehicle, that's going 75 miles an hour.

Yeah. It will back off.

And the sensor will the radar in front of the vehicle is what determines

how far you're creeping up on that vehicle, how fast it was going.

So that's called the adapted cruise.

OK. And it will slow it down. OK.

And did you did you tap on the electronic sensor applying to any of this?

Well, the electronic sensor, like I say, it will deal with the adapted cruise

and it goes to the computer.

First, the radar has to be able to read bounce off that vehicle in front of you.

OK. OK. As it reads, it tells you how far

and how fast you're approaching that vehicle.

OK. And then it'll tell the computer,

then the computer will send the message to the sensor.

And that's how it works.

Well, Parker, I hope that helps.

Thank you for giving us a call from Vicksburg.

If it doesn't, just ring us.

1-877-MPB-RING.

That's 1-877-672-7464.

Before we get to our topic of the day, we do have a phone call.

We've got some bad news that we had to tell one of the employees

today about their vehicle, well, not their car,

but the ones that would possibly get made later on.

Let's drop that bad news to those little bitty furry things.

The hamsters are going away.

They're going away.

Don't say, oh, Abram.

They're no longer going to.

This is the last year they're making the soul.

That's the last year.

The key is soul. 2025 is the soul.

So if you ain't got one of those little fuzzy creatures,

you're not going to get one.

Or you got to get the 2025.

That's right. So better run out and get them.

That's a little bit of bad news.

That's right.

Let's go quickly to the phone line

before we talk about our subject matter today.

We've got Joyce and Greenwood on the line,

driving a 98 Toyota 4 runner.

Joyce, you're on with Coach Charlie.

Oh, good morning.

And thank you, Coach, for in sweet girl

and Abram for taking my call.

You're welcome.

Oh, you helped me one time.

I called you.

I don't know if you remember me, but you said that

that mechanic had messed up my computer

on the 1998 4 runner.

Yes, ma'am.

And I took it, I took it to a dealer

and they had messed up my computer

and I only have a half a computer now.

So I'm picky about who works on it.

So you have a half a computer.

OK.

So when I go to Walmart now,

sometimes my key won't come out

and I'm afraid to leave it in there

with the crime in Greenwood.

And I would just go back home

and then it will come out

and the man at service station

said spray my key with graphite.

So I did that and we all

turn it on and the key when I get to Walmart,

it will come out, but it's that major.

It's a cordon, you know, sometimes

if that key gets stuck, if you just move the steering wheel,

if you cut your vehicle off,

you just move the steering wheel a little bit, it'll come out.

You know, and that's usually how you can make it come out.

Just turn the steering wheel just like you're turning to the left

because really what you're doing, you're unlocking the steering wheel.

And when it's in the lock position, it might have not clicked in all the way

and then the key will come out by.

But if not, you will probably need a tumbler put inside that

initial switch and you could buy a tumbler

or maybe by a whole new initial switch and put in there.

But that that'll cost you pretty good because they're going to tear the

if the tumbler does not come out without taking the steering column apart.

You know, it would be a pretty expensive job.

Well, the man at the service station

said he thought I needed the cylinder like he did.

Yeah, that's the time where I did go.

I did go to Grenada to the Toyota place

and he said, well, there will be one hundred and seventy five dollars

for us to evaluate it.

And I said, well, I'm not prepared today

to give you one hundred and seventy five dollars.

So this may cost me five hundred plus.

Might. Well, it might if you take it to a dealer, especially.

But like I say, that tumbler, like I say, according to how that tumbler comes out,

you know, a lot of the General Motors and the Ford tumblers,

you could they have, especially the older models have a little

pinhole in there that you could stick something in there once you get

everything organized and that tumbler will come out with the key.

And that's what you would be getting is a new tumbler with a new key.

But try the steering wheel hack where you just turn the steering wheel a little bit

when you cut your car off and see if that makes that key come out every time.

Oh, I will.

And, Coach, I'm the one that sent you and sweet girl

some crosses from the Holy Land.

She did. We got those crosses.

Is that you, Miss Joyce?

Well, thank you so much, Miss Joyce.

Those crosses are sitting on my desk on the shelf.

I promise they are they are laid out so neatly and beautifully.

And I had mine on my counter at home.

Well, we're getting the Holy Season.

So for Abram and the other girl,

you know, I'm going to send I'm going to send 25 crosses to you.

And then you divide them between you four.

OK, thank you so very much.

Yes, ma'am. And they are beautiful wooden crosses.

That's right. That's amazing.

They are a little wooden crosses.

Miss Joyce, we thank you so much for listening to the show.

You are our number one fan for sure.

Well, you're my savior.

I'm still driving a truck.

Well, when they were working on my truck, I walked around.

They sell toyotas and they're like in the 40 crossies.

40,000. They ain't playing.

They ain't playing.

Well, it sounds like you got that 98 still running.

And so as long as it's still running, keep driving.

Yes, ma'am.

Well, I'm 85 and I hope it live a small life.

So it's a that it's going to live as long as you do.

So we got a few more years for both.

Very good. We good, Miss Joyce.

That's right. Miss Joyce, thank you.

Thank you for calling.

That was good stuff. That's what's good stuff.

That's a good one right there.

So we found our friend, the very first one.

Yeah, we found our friend.

That was right out the gate.

OK, listen, let's get to the subject matter at hand,

which could possibly help Joyce,

even though her key won't come out of her car.

We're talking gas stations today.

That can entail a whole lot.

But our email address for questions is auto at MPB online.org.

Or you can give us a call like Jean, who's ringing in right now.

1-877-MPB-RING.

That's 1-877-672-7464.

All right, I've got a meaning.

I want to hear your definition.

I'm about it.

I'm going to give it to you.

The meaning of gas station is a retail station

for servicing motor vehicles, especially with gasoline and oil

that was also at one time called a service station or a filling station.

Well, now if you think of most gas stations,

they're called convenient stores.

They're called Buckeys.

No, I'm saying the same thing.

They're called convenient stores because no longer do they have

bays and shops and mechanics.

You very find a very few of those.

But they sell everything inside that store besides gas.

And sometimes I think gas is just a

alt chute of everything else they sell.

Right. You know, but a gas station, just like you said,

is where gas is sold.

Right. Now, alongside some good smoke barbecue.

That is true.

I had a sausage sandwich this morning.

I did on the way up here from Hog Heaven up here.

That's right, you know, because I told that story

the other day about me walking into Hog Heaven.

Well, we call it Hog Heaven, it's Chevron.

It's Chevron.

That is what it is.

Hog Heaven gas, that's what we call it.

But I walked in and I was getting.

Mama Mama wanted some sausages.

I don't I haven't told you this one.

Mama wanted sausages.

And so I go in and I ask for, you know, the sausages.

And usually I go in all the time

and the husband and wife couple know me.

I was going in a lot before I started working out in May.

Let me preface this.

And so the husband and wife combo knew me.

But at this moment, they didn't say good morning or nothing like that.

You know, the lady just said, you know, what do you want?

And I told her I wanted, you know, sausage on a bun and whatever.

And then I get up to pay and she looks up and she goes,

you've lost a lot of weight.

She's real blunt. You know, she's very blunt.

She's very a very blunt person.

And so don't smile.

No, but you can you can eat one out of her.

That's right. You can get one out of it.

You can get a little grin.

Yeah, it's not her nature.

And it don't last long. That's right.

Yeah. She she like, she gets it.

And then and so I, she said, you lost a lot of weight.

And I said, can you tell?

And she said, yeah, yeah.

And it really made me feel good about, you know, what I've been doing

since I haven't been there.

But I go online and I tell the story on Facebook

and they actually Hog Heaven liked liked my post.

So shots out to Hog Heaven gas station.

So I'm fixing to explain to you the difference between gas stations.

OK, they're not all the same.

OK, you would think that anywhere you could go get gas and it'd be the same gas.

OK, no, it's not. Not the same.

And the pumps are not the same. All right.

So you need to be careful with some of these gas stations.

I'm going to give you a little story.

I might have told you the reason why I even want to talk about gas stations

because I went in to get gas at a gas station over here in Flowwood.

And I said, OK, I got to fill this truck up.

It's going to take $60 for gas.

OK, well, the regular gas is on the left side of the pump.

But you can always know it's on the left side of the pump.

Eighty seven. Eighty seven.

OK, that's what my truck takes.

And I started pumping gas and I said,

well, I sure ain't getting much gas for 60 bucks.

The gas had flipped over to premium.

Instead of two fifty nine, you're paying three fifty nine and I went in

there and told him about the gas, you know,

but that is the reason we're going to talk about gas and gas.

Yeah, because there's a lot of sticky things other than just that.

I've got a new story about card skimmers.

Right. So there's a there's a few sticky things before we get into

more of our gas station talk.

We're going to hit these phone lines.

We're going to go to break and then we're going to come back.

That's right. So let's go to the phone lines.

We've got Gene and Jackson.

He's got a response to Joyce's key.

OK, question. Gene, you're on with Coach Charlie.

Hey, man, how are you doing there?

All right, doing great.

Well, I'm missing this, your GT 3000 and the key was acting up real bad.

Now, I took it up to that key place on North State Street in Fondren.

Right. And that got fooled around for about half an hour

and finally made me some new keys and everything.

He had to look in the book.

I mean, he went out of his way and just charged me for

just the keys in the cell to knock him for his time.

God was real nice.

I want just to shout out to everybody if they're having trouble

with any kind of keys, a house.

But he overdid it.

And I haven't had a bit of trouble with the ignition key

or the doors or anything.

I didn't want to talk about a year.

That is true.

I didn't I didn't tell George that she could if she had it.

I didn't ask her if she had another key

because that is sometimes the problem as well.

Just another key, you know.

So if she's been using the same key, it may be wore out

just like you're talking about.

Joyce, well, if you hear that, get your get your spare, honey.

And try that as well.

But if not, if that doesn't work, you can always turn that

steering wheel a little bit and that key should come out.

You know, I had three keys and none of them, you know,

it was just plain, you know, you know, wore out.

He was able to get that code from Mr.

Bushy and and he tweaked.

I know he did it.

He made a key that it's that that was amazing.

Yeah, because he did in order to make that code, you know,

because the pins had to be just right in those tumblers.

And that's how they determine how the key is cut by the pins

that are in the tumbler when they fall or when they go up.

And that's how they do it.

And they do all of them do have a code.

And usually you have to get it, like you say,

from a book or the computer that a locksmith may have.

You're right.

But the guy just wanted to recommend that people know

here in Jackson, you got a guy that was really nice

and went out of his way to help me out.

And I haven't had a really trouble since.

And he's right there in North State Street.

And good stuff, Gene.

House keys, garage keys, car keys, any kind of.

He the key man.

He is the key man.

He's like a one lot.

He's the key master.

Gene, thank you so much for that.

Thank you, Gene.

What happened to who?

Allison, the girl used to be on there.

Yeah, she she left.

Shoot, how many years you've been here?

I've been four.

She's in North Carolina.

Yeah, it's been about four years, Gene.

She was she was one of my best friends was an instructor

at a high and she was down there one day

once she was a student.

That's why I'm better.

All right.

Well, Gene, you've been listening to the show for a long time.

Oh, yeah, I've been listening to the station started.

Yes, sir.

Well, we thank you so much for listening.

We are going to head to a break.

The phone number is one eight seven seven MPB ring.

That's one eight seven seven six seven two seven four six four.

If you've got a question, send emails to auto at MPB online.org.

We're talking gas stations, maybe a little barbecue on the side.

Is your car under recall?

I'll tell you how you can find out next.

You're listening to AutoCorrect with coach Charlie Melton.

I'm Jermaine Flood.

If you want even more, find the podcast on all podcast platforms

for your smart device.

AutoCorrect is heard on MPB Think Radio Thursdays at 10 a.m.

with the replay Saturdays at 11 a.m.

Here's two recent recalls up first.

Stelonis is recalling more than sixty two thousand nine hundred

examples of its Alfa Romeo, Julia, Julia.

I'm not really sure.

So Dan and Stelvio SUV over an issue with the rear view camera.

This includes model year twenty to twenty five of both of those models.

The issue of makes rather the issue involves the printed circuit board

and software for the rear view camera, which may contain defects

that can cause the camera image to be inverted or blank, black or blue.

A blank or distorted camera image does reduce the driver's visibility

and increases the risk of a collision if you're not using those mirrors

Well, you know, Joyce is eighty five years old.

She has a nineteen ninety eight toyota for her.

And I guarantee you she does not have a backup camera.

And I guarantee you that eighty five.

She is still looking and using those mirrors.

If you can't act like Joyce.

Just by now, you know, you would think that all manufacturers

would have that corrected because every manufacturer has something

to do with the rear view cameras.

Yeah, so Joyce, you are you are a champion.

You know, I just had to think about that when she said she was eighty five

and what she's driving in ninety eight, you know, ninety eight

to resolve dealers are inspecting or replacing the radio

and updating the rear view camera software as necessary for free.

And you may notice they got to replace the radio as well.

Yeah. In order to fix it.

Here's the final recall from Stilitis.

Now, it's the latest recall involves a roll, roll away risk.

That was a tongue twister and affects the final generation of the dodge

dart sedan. Oh, that sounds like they ended to yes,

because they just started the dodge dart back a couple of years ago.

Remember, oh, they brought it back.

Yeah, remember, it was running around and you would hear it go sound like a little dart.

Some two hundred and ninety eight thousand examples are affected.

It includes twenty thirteen to sixteen darts.

So it's a little bit older of the shift cable in these cars may detach

from the transmission and prevent the vehicle from shifting into park,

increasing the risk of a roll away.

And this one follows up on a previous one from twenty nineteen.

And those vehicles will need to have the new remedy completed.

However, the remedy is currently under development.

Most of those cables have a little plastic end on them.

And those plastic ends do break pretty easy.

OK, you know, then you can't replace the plastic end.

You got to replace the whole cable.

Yeah. Yeah. Well, listen, everybody, you can find out if your car is a past

recall by going to the National Highway Traffic Safety

Administration's website, N H T S A dot go forward slash recalls

and inputting your VIN or find their safer car app.

Today we're talking gas stations and we're also taking your vehicle

repair questions. Our email address is auto at MPB online.org.

The phone number is one eight seven seven MPB ring.

That's one eight seven seven six seven two seven four six four.

Let's talk bad gas.

You know, have you ever noticed somebody they get gas for my gas station?

And they say, as soon as I got gas, my car stopped running or

it started running raggedy. Have you ever heard that before?

Yes. Well, usually what they do, they blame it on water in the gas.

OK. OK. And I was even told this morning when I got a haircut,

the one who cut my hair said her husband says that some of these

gas stations put water in the gas to make it go further.

That is a lie.

So I won't tell you right that the gas stations do not play.

They ain't trying to stretch the gas, trying to stretch the gas.

But how water gets in those tanks.

Just say if you maybe some of these tanks have a small crack in them,

you know, sometimes they, you know, been there for years may maybe a still

tank, you know, that has a small crack in it where water seeps in.

Groundwater seeps into that tank and you do have water in them.

OK. And you always notice that that water goes down to the bottom of the tank

and it's coming up and you're sucking from the bottom.

So you may get some bad gas.

Maybe it was at the refinery.

There there might have been some water

because most gas comes from the same refineries and Chevron gets it from

Collins or you're going to get it from the Mississippi River and Vicksburg.

All the gas comes from the same place, but not all gas is the same.

OK. OK.

So when you talk about bad gas, even

condensation will give you water in the tank.

And that's an easy thing to get, especially mixed in, especially still

tanks, because still gas tanks, they get water and then they get rushed

and they stop the whole system because of bad gas.

Well, let's talk bad gas with Francis and Natchez.

She's got a boat motor question.

Francis, you're on with Coach Charlie.

Hey, Coach.

Oh, it's it's Francis.

Then how are you doing, Mr. Francis, Mr. Francis?

All right.

First, I heard you talking about bad gas.

What you could advise to your viewers, too, is whenever you see a fuel

truck coming in, putting gas in, just imagine it is

stirring all of the rough stuff up that we were talking about.

Yeah, you can't get it.

Yeah, you never want to get gas when you see a truck there

because once again, like you say, and they're putting gas in it

and it's staring it up and you're going to get what's coming up.

Right.

But my next question is I have a boat motor and when I'm going along

half speed, it goes pretty good.

But when I go up to full throttle, it surges.

What do you think that could be?

Well, OK.

Boat motors and is it an older boat motor?

Two thousand one.

OK, it's not fuel injected or oil injected, right?

It's not a yellow all injected, but it's not.

OK, so that means that if it's not fuel injected,

that means it still has a carburetor on it, right?

OK, so by still having a carburetor,

you have several different circuits in that carburetor.

You have an idle circuit.

You have a circuit that deals with the fuel as you put on the throttle

and that circuit there probably has, you know, I don't know if

the carburetor has ever been cleaned.

It probably has a little carbon buildup on there

and it's not getting all of the gas.

But what I would do the first day I would do

is I would check my fuel filter, make sure that fuel filter is clean.

And then I would get me a some new gas put in there

and put a cleaner in there like a throttle body cleaner

or some carburetor cleaner that will go into that tank

and let it run through that carburetor.

And that would probably clean that up for you.

What about Seafoam? Seafoam is a good one.

But then there's another one called dry gas and dry gas

is really a formula that takes the water out of the gas as well.

Seafoam is a good cleaner for transmissions

or carburetors or engines like that.

Seafoam is really good for that, but it doesn't repel water.

Got you. Got you.

And I got one more coach.

I got a nineteen ninety seven dollar truck.

And when I turn it, it turns over, but it will not crank.

I replaced the camshaft, the crankshaft surface

and I replaced the ignition coil.

What do you think could be the problem?

Does it spin fast? Yes.

OK, well, if it fast, then it normally spins.

Yes, it spins, but it won't crank.

OK, but it spins faster than it normally spins.

About the same, I say about the same.

OK, first thing I would do. OK, so it must have.

Have you ever put a scan tool on it to see if there's any codes in there?

Yeah, but I'm so far in the country.

It couldn't be if my buddy had a radar one that goes with satellite

couldn't pick up the signal. OK.

Well, like I say, I would take and try to put a scan tool on it

and see if there's a code in there because it could be the crankshaft sensor.

You know, because the crankshaft sensor controls the spark to that engine.

All right, Francis.

You still there?

OK, thanks a lot.

OK, thank you so much.

Thank you, Francis.

Thank you so much.

Listen, we are going to head to a break.

We've got Amy on the line.

She's got a joke about an old service station.

We've also got Homer on the line.

Homer is back. Homer is back.

He is giving us a call from Clarksdale.

So we're going to have to hit all of that.

All right, the phone number is 1-877-MPB-RING.

That's 1-877-672-7464.

Carol, I also see you too.

With that 2010 frontier, our email address where you can send questions

is auto at mpbonline.org.

We're talking gas stations between car repair questions

and some good anecdotal stories.

Y'all got what's in the news before you pump gas.

Look for these signs of a card skimmer.

I'll tell you more next.

Thank you for listening to auto correct on MPB.

Think Radio coached Charlie Melton,

retired instructor from Clinton High School's

automotive tech program is our expert host, I'm Jermaine.

I hope you've downloaded our app for your smartphone.

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you can click on the support button,

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We thank you for your contribution

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and we thank you for listening to auto correct on MPB.

Think Radio each Thursday at 10 a.m.

with replay Saturdays at 11 a.m.

Let's get through this quick news story

before I hit these phone lines.

Before you pump gas, look for these signs of a card skimmer.

It's one of my anxious things that I've never seen in real life,

but I literally look for every time I go to a gas pump.

Well, as they talked about card scammers

and as you're fixing to talk about it, you know,

for a while, it was really in the news

about card scammers all over the place.

And I made a habit to go inside the store

and use the one and use my and pay for my gas inside the store

until some of these new things were taken care of.

Side note, there was a card skimmer issue that they were having.

And I felt like it was with what was with the EBT cards

where they're getting these EBT cards

and people are their their their allotment is being depleted.

And I'm I'm have a feeling that,

especially in more rural or low income areas,

those snatches are happening at dollar generals.

The dollar dollar. Yes, a lot of hacks now.

Yes, that's how I feel about that.

Those snatches are happening at stores that are not as well.

Monitor, monitor, just like the pumps outside.

So, OK, before you pump gas, look for these signs of a card skimmer.

Gas stations make easy targets for skimmer thieves.

Pumps sit outdoors, like me and coach said, unsupervised with locks

that are easy to pick and many still use outdated magnetic stripe readers

so thieves can quickly attach devices and steal card data before swiping.

Do a little pump CSI, tug the card reader gently.

If it shifts wobbles or feels unusually bulky, that's your cue to bail.

A well installed skimmer often stacks onto the original reader,

creating a visual and tactile mismatch.

Look at the security seal stickers on the gas pump.

If they're broken, peeling or misaligned, someone may have tampered with it.

Compare it with its neighbor pump.

If something's off, walk away.

Fake keypads and hidden cameras are the tech crooks used to harvest your pin

number, often capturing it right above the keypad or as an overlay.

And even tiny signs like misaligned graphics or glue residue are worth noticing.

So whenever possible, pay inside, like coach says,

instead of at the pump, it's harder for criminals to tamper with indoor terminals.

If you must pay at the pump, use a credit card instead of a debit.

Credit cards have better fraud protection.

You know, which other one? A prepaid.

That's right. And the chip.

You'll make sure you use a card that has a chip.

Make sure you use a card. OK.

They have better protection and you won't risk your bank account

being directly emptied and many banks also offer the tap to pay

contactless card or digital wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay,

which are harder to skim, also stick to pumps closest to the attendant's

booth, which are less likely to be tampered with for extra caution,

enable transaction or fraud alerts on your online banking or app.

So you'll know instantly if something is suspicious.

And here's the big one.

Trust your instincts.

If something about a pump feels sketchy, the readers lose.

The seals broken or the station just seems poorly maintained.

Skip it and report to the authorities.

Skimmers thrive on people being in a rush and not paying attention.

It's not a matter of topping off your gas tank and going on with your day anymore.

Slow down, check twice and you'll be far less likely to become the next person

calling their bank to say, oh, I didn't spend that $600 in Cali.

That's right.

But you want to make sure I think they want to know where the seal is located.

The seal is located on the card where you put the card in.

It goes across there and it is if you see no seal on it.

Or you see that it's broken, you need to go somewhere else.

Got to get out of there.

That's right. Get out of there.

I'll include a link to this story in our shows, podcasts, description.

We're talking gas stations.

Let's go to the phone lines.

Let's go to Amy and Brandon.

Amy, you've got a joke.

I'm going to need you to keep it very, very clean.

But I do want to hear it.

Amy, you're on with me and Coach Charlie.

Oh, you will say you got you got it.

If not, we'll have to just cut the phone line.

But I want to hear the joke in the cleanest way possible.

That's right. Cleanest way possible.

All right. Well, kind of have to be old to catch this one.

OK.

Coach Charlie, do you remember SO service stations?

Yes.

ESSO. Yes, ma'am.

OK. I think I think Exxon bought them out.

Did they not?

It was part of Exxon and Mobile when it all everything came together.

I think Exxon bought them first before they bought Mobile.

OK. Well, anyway, the joke is that the bee,

there's a group of bees and they're flying down the road

and they're beginning to run low on gas.

So the bees fly into the gas station except for one.

And you know what that means

that there's one SOB in every group.

That was a good one.

Amy, we needed that in our lives.

Amy, thank you for the fat toy before it as well.

OK. And that and also that was the first

that kind of joke I ever heard.

And it was told by my high school algebra teacher, a woman.

Well, you know, as teachers, you know, we do tell a few jokes

break the ice with our students.

That's right. That's right.

Amy, thank you so much for that.

You're welcome. All right.

You too. You too.

All right, let's head to Homer.

Homer gave us a call.

Homer, you are back on with Coach Charlie

about this diesel truck.

Good morning. I'm back.

Good morning. How y'all doing?

We doing all right.

Are you ready, Homer?

Are you ready?

I am ready.

I'm sitting on the floor so I can't fall.

OK, well, it's not going to cost you much money, neither.

And that's a good thing about it.

I called my buddy that had the same problem

with his seven point three Ford truck, the exact same thing.

There he called it a cam sensor

because where it's located, I don't think it's the cam sensor.

I think it's the crank sensor,

because he said it was right there by the crank underneath the vehicle.

It takes a 10 millimeter to take the sensor out.

He said his would do it with the windshield wipers

and the turn signals sometime because they're all connected.

OK, and what do you think?

It's right. It's right below.

If you look under the vehicle, you know what the crankshaft is,

the pulley right there by the crankshaft that's on the crankshaft.

Yeah. OK, it's right there on the side of that pulley.

You'll see it. It's going into the engine.

It's not on the pulley itself.

It's behind the pulley and he said it takes 10 minutes

to take it out and put it in.

Cost about what is it called?

If it's located on the crankshaft,

I'm thinking it's the crankshaft sensor and he says it's the camshaft.

But the camshafts are up high.

What I would do, I would take it out right there

on the crankshaft pulley, take that sensor out

and take it to the auto parts store and get a new one.

And then they'll tell you if it's the crankshaft or the camshaft.

OK, and they're about 50 bucks.

They're about 50 dollars.

Actually, one other thing.

It is this truck, I mean, you know,

it's got pretty well average miles on it, but I and I want to ask you

whether I'm kind of spending bad money or spending good money.

I always use a diesel clean attitude

in anything that I've got with a diesel mode in it.

I mean, does that stuff help?

Well, the same thing at gas stations.

The same thing you get a certain type of diesel fuel has sulfur in it.

You know, one of there is low sulfur and high sulfur.

OK, I think vehicles on the road supposed to have low sulfur

in the gas and the diesel itself.

And it's pretty clean.

But, you know, it's a byproduct of making gasoline.

And once again, your truck has a water filter,

a water separator on it right at the top of the engine.

And most of it should separate that water.

But, you know, people down 18 wheelers, they put some kind of cleaner in there

and just to clean those injectors to keep that carbon off those injectors

and off the top of those pistons.

So yeah, you're good.

Yeah, OK, all right.

All right, thanks, Coach. I appreciate that.

Homer, we appreciate you for giving us a call back.

Listen, I'm going to give a little factoid before we head into our break.

The first drive in Filling Station was the Gulf refining company

opened to the motoring public in Pittsburgh on December 1st, 1913.

And prior to this, automobile drivers pulled into almost any general

or hardware store or even blacksmith's shops in order to fill up their tanks.

On its first day, the station sold 30 gallons of gasoline at 27 cents per gallon.

Those were the days.

And this was the first.

We're past those days.

This was the first architect design station in the first to distribute

free road maps, the first alternative fuel station, which is the new stuff

that was opened up in San Diego, California in 2003.

Another factoid, did you know that we didn't have gas at service

to at convenience stores and all because you had top tier gas,

Shell Gasoline, Chevron, Mobile, Exxon, Sinclair.

Does anybody remember what Sinclair gas stations look like?

No, no.

They got the big dinosaur.

No, I never saw Sinclair, but I never saw Sinclair.

I miss BP. I tell you that.

Well, that's British petroleum. That's true.

Yeah. OK.

And then you don't see many guffs around anymore.

Seventy six, you know, seventy six, as you don't see.

Well, seventy six was Venza Venzaway station.

That's where most their gas came from.

But think about the top tier, the top tier or you don't see Amaco much

anymore because they're all by by the big companies.

Now, when I said top tier, what's the difference between top tier

and a regular gas station? I don't know.

Oh, I see the Sinclair dinosaur.

That's a big old dinosaur.

No, what's the difference between top tier gas stations

and regular convenience store gas stations?

Yeah. It's the gas is what they put in their gas.

Oh, that makes the additive.

Have you ever been to a Shell station and gas was two seventy nine

and you went a block down the road and it was two fifty nine.

Yeah. But you know, I know what Shell's serving in there.

They've got that little advanced thing.

They put it on the tech run.

You have different detergents in there.

And when it's not dawn, this was a detergent.

It is a detergent that cleans the carbon off the engine.

OK. You know, and then you have friction modifiers in there

that allows the metals to move better because the modifiers in there.

You have different type of additives to top tier.

OK, then you do in a regular gas, so all gas is not the same.

Even though it comes from the same place.

Got it. Remember, sit, go.

I do remember, sit, I'm just saying all the ones mobile.

Conoco, those are all top tier stations.

Yes, they are all top tier.

Listen, the phone number one, eight, seven, seven MPB ring.

That's one, eight, seven, seven, six, seven, two, seven, four, six, four.

We're talking gas stations, taking repair questions,

filling, filling up and making sure we're going to be safe.

All of that. And talking about the dinosaur.

That's it. Send an email to auto at MPBonline.org.

What other auto show do you know does all this?

All at one time.

We've got a new car review from Casey Williams coming right up

and coach's tip of the week.

Also, Carol and Parker are on the line.

This is AutoCorrect on MPB Think Radio.

Here's a new car review from Casey Williams.

It's Auto Casey on AutoCorrect.

The Toyota Corolla hatchback has always been super practical,

but it's not really been all that much fun.

Well, the one we have this week is a lot of fun.

It's the 2025 GR Corolla.

And what this one means is it's been finessed by Toyota's

guys do racing team.

It has wider wheels, 18 inch wheels, has fender extensions on it,

has an upgraded suspension, body bracing,

and a 1.6 liter turbocharged three cylinder engine

putting a 300 horsepower and two or 95 pound feet of torque.

All that through all wheel drive and eight speed transmission.

Gas mileage is not bad.

19 miles per gallon of city, 27 highway.

So a quick car and good gas mileage.

But it's also everyday practical.

Inside you've got suede seats.

You got deep bolsters, but they hold you right in the seats.

All day comfortable, automatic climate control, JBL audio,

flat screen gauges, wireless connections and a head up display.

So a car is fast, but also very daily usable.

So let's talk about price.

The GR Corolla starts at $39,000.

This one went in $50,144.

See the full video on his YouTube channel,

Auto Casey, and listen to AutoCorrect

on the MPB Think Radio YouTube channel.

This is AutoCorrect.

If you've missed any of today's show, listen to the whole thing

from autocorrect.mpbonline.org

or your favorite podcasting streaming platform.

AutoCorrect is heard on MPB Think Radio Thursdays at 10 a.m.

with replay Saturdays at 11 and after the show at 11 today.

It's southern rivety kids and teens.

I'm Jermaine Flood.

Our expert is the man.

Coach Charlie Melton, ASC certified master technician.

And it's time for coach's tip of the week.

You know, I was thinking about I got a question for my tip of the week.

OK, what was the last country that banned

let it gasoline, the last country that banned gasoline?

US. Let it gasoline.

Did you get the Abram gas right because that was going to be my guess?

No, that's wrong. Oh, OK. OK.

Think about it.

The last in 1986, they banned gas.

I don't know France. No, Russia.

Algiers. Algiers.

What do you mean? Think about it.

How would we have gotten that?

Hey, that was when you think about it.

See, that's where that's where you do your research.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's right.

That's right. I should have googled it faster.

That's right.

But that was the last one that banned gas.

And we had led gas.

And the reason I'm telling you this, we had led gas in all of our older vehicles.

Yeah. OK.

Before they knew that it was dangerous to the environment and to us as individuals.

Right. So they took all that gas out.

And now that's why it's all unleaded.

Right.

Just because that reason then they had to change the engines

and the way they manufactured the engines because of the leaded gas going to unleaded

because the lead was used as a lubricant.

OK. And then you also told me on break that Costco is a top tier gas station.

So if you're buying gas at Costco, you're getting good gas

because it has the detergents.

It has the additives in it. OK.

So when you go down and you pay five cents or 10 cents a gallon less,

you're paying 10, five and five and 10 cents less of what you're getting.

OK. OK. All right.

Well, that's that's a factoid there.

All right. So here's a couple other things.

There are, like you say, there are different types of station facilities.

You've got the automatic gas distribution stations.

That's the AGDS.

These are self-contained units that can be transported by land, sea or rail.

You have the agricultural experiment stations

like the one in Georgia that are established to conduct research

and improve agricultural practices and living standards.

And then you've got general gas stations, just like what we know.

One more question, one more thing for you. OK.

What is the difference between farm gas and regular gas?

I don't know. Farm gas has dye in it. OK.

So it's red. It's red.

Oh, OK. So you know the difference.

So if DLT stops you on the side of the road

and they know you didn't pay taxes on it because you don't have to pay

taxes on farm gas, empty your tank right now.

That's right. Here's a few more factoids.

Most gas stations are owned independently.

The location of a gas station isn't random.

Several factors go into deciding where they're going to build it.

Size lot traffic and the number of people living in the area.

KFC started life as a gas station back in the forties in the fifties.

The chains found or Colonel Sanders owned a gas station

where he also sold chicken dinner.

He was making biodiesel.

That's what it was.

He was using the chicken grease to make diesel fuel.

He was on the curve. What an inventor.

What an entrepreneur.

You cannot pump your own gas in two states or again in New Jersey.

You better not touch it.

And how many gas stations are in the United States?

There are approximately 10,700 standalone ones operating in the US.

But that doesn't include the 84 percent of convenience stores

that also sell gas.

So that adds another 126,800 fuel outlets to the total.

And there is more to a gas station than just the pumps.

And we know that.

So that means we should be able to get gas anywhere.

That's right. We should be able to get gas anywhere.

Let's quickly go to the phone lines.

Parker, you've got about a minute cruise control question.

You're on with coach Charlie Parker.

So coach, how does electronic signal go to something mechanical

that actually slows down the car?

OK, what they're doing.

So first, the radar, you're talking about adapted cruise, right?

OK, so the radar picks up the cruise signal from the distance

and how fast you're approaching the other car in front of you.

And it goes to the computer, not really putting on the brakes.

It does put on the brakes.

But in the process, putting on the brakes with the sensor,

if it's electronic adaptive cruise, because not all vehicles are like that.

But what it does, it slows the vehicle power.

Decelerates as well.

OK, well, Parker, I hope that helps.

If that does not help, give us a call back next week.

Also, Cara and Scott Wapa.

I'm trying to pronounce this right.

She had a 2010 frontier, no engine lights on, just cuts off.

Need emails. So next week is drive.

Oh, next week is drive.

Send us emails.

That's auto at MPB online or Cara will get you then.

Or if you want to call us back after the drive week, we'll get you there.

All right, that'll wrap us up for today's autocorrect.

It was jam packed.

Our crew engineer, Abram Nanny, call screener, Marissa Vaughn

for Coach Charlie Melton, master technician.

I'm Jermaine Flood next week.

Like like Abram said, it's an all email pledge drive show.

Thank you for listening to MPB on to autocorrect.

Yes, you're listening some to something next week.

Call in and play radio.

We've got really great show.

We love you all. Bye.

This is an MPB think radio podcast to hear previous shows.

Visit MPB online dot org or download the MPB public radio app

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Auto Correct | Gas Stations

About this episode

cruise control

EV

radar

Kia Soul

Toyota 4 Runner

tumbler

General Motors

Ford

Alfa Romeo Julia

Alfa Romeo Stelvio

backup camera

Dodge Dart

shift cable

transmission

plastic end

carburetor

fuel filter

throttle body cleaner

Seafoam

dry gas

ignition coil

camshaft

crankshaft

cam sensor

crank sensor

auto parts store

diesel fuel

Toyota Venza

Toyota Corolla

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