Free air in car tire cost me $11

[Blue Collar Guy]

So the bride says," the tire looks low", I whip out of the glove compartment my digital tire pressure gauge that i got on ebay for cheap, and low and behold 26.5 pounds. I proudly inform her that I will call roadside assistance from our insurance company and they will come with some air and I wont have to pay $1.00 for the air at the gas station. She then rains on my parade. "what you not going to tip the guy?" Ok I didnt think that far ahead. Then to make matters worse, she tells me on your way back from getting the air , they have ice cream on sale . 4 Haagen-Dazs pints for 10 dollars. I ask you have to buy 4? Answer "no, but if you only buy 2 I have no shot at getting any." So much for free air

 

[Gumby]

Sorry about that. In Connecticut, the law requires that gas stations provide the air for free.

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

Sorry about that. In Connecticut, the law requires that gas stations provide the air for free.

They need to do that here. All the free air is gone. i found a map that showed free air stations, ! station in queens, and ! in Staten Island. I know for a fact the one in queens is no longer free.

 

[AutumnElf]

This made me snicker. Air used to be free nearly everywhere when we lived in Virginia. Then everyone started charging. We'd go out of our way to the stations that had free air and also fill up there, when we needed air. We probably didn't save much but it's the principle of the thing.

 

[Bamaman]

That's why I bought a portable compressor and air chuck. Harbor Freight also sells air tanks you can fill up and take out to the car/truck.

I figure I'll be about break even on buying air around 2045.

 

[Hermit]

So the bride says," the tire looks low", I whip out of the glove compartment my digital tire pressure gauge that i got on ebay for cheap, and low and behold 26.5 pounds. I proudly inform her that I will call roadside assistance from our insurance company and they will come with some air and I wont have to pay $1.00 for the air at the gas station. She then rains on my parade. "what you not going to tip the guy?" Ok I didnt think that far ahead. Then to make matters worse, she tells me on your way back from getting the air , they have ice cream on sale . 4 Haagen-Dazs pints for 10 dollars. I ask you have to buy 4? Answer "no, but if you only buy 2 I have no shot at getting any." So much for free air

I think you have crossed the line from frugal to cheap!

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

I think you have crossed the line from frugal to cheap!

yeah, .

 

[Sunset]

They need to do that here. All the free air is gone. i found a map that showed free air stations, ! station in queens, and ! in Staten Island. I know for a fact the one in queens is no longer free.

I get free air regardless of what State I'm driving in. I use this dependable simple device I bought at Walmart to steal the air right out of the air so to speak.

 

[brucethebroker]

I get free air regardless of what State I'm driving in. I use this dependable simple device I bought at Walmart to steal the air right out of the air so to speak.

But where do you plug it in?........

 

[Totoro]

50 cent I paid last week. What I liked about it is the automatic shutoff beep once it is at pressure.

 

[Nemo2]

But where do you plug it in?........

 

[wrigley]

Bought one of those "cigarette lighter plug in" pumps many years ago at Lowes for around $30.00. I've gotten my money's worth over the years.

Mike

 

[Ronstar]

Sounds like a good deal - you got some ice cream!

 

[CardsFan]

Around here, free air went away for a while. But if I went into the station I frequent the most and asked for change for a $1, they would normally just turn the compressor on for free.

Lately, it seems many stations have returned to free air.

 

[2017ish]

I think most are still free in the rural/suburban South/Midwest? Not sure. Have compressor at home to get to spec before trips and I carry most of a roll of quarters in the car for meters/misc. in any event.

 

[braumeister]

Around here, free air went away for a while. But if I went into the station I frequent the most and asked for change for a $1, they would normally just turn the compressor on for free.

That's still the case in southern Ohio. I've done that several times, even at stations I've never been to before.

 

[Koolau]

Now that I have my own $10 (cigarette lighter powered) portable air pump, I would hate to go back to the grotte, filthy, dirty hose at the gas station (free or not.) Yes, my pump is slow, but I don't have to go anyplace to make it work. It's always clean and I never find it not working like about half the free air hoses and a quarter of the pay hoses. YMMV

 

[scrabbler1]

All the employees at my long-time local gas/service station know me and let me use their air for free. They also let me pump my gas first and pay (with cash) afterward, not beforehand as they require other customers to do.

 

[euro]

Costco will check and fill your tires for free. My in-laws swing by the Costco shop to check air every time they shop.

 

[Bestwifeever]

I get free air regardless of what State I'm driving in. I use this dependable simple device I bought at Walmart to steal the air right out of the air so to speak.

DH popped for a manual (ha!) foot pump, which cost a bit more, for our bikes, and said it was surprisingly easy to use on a completely flat tire on our car--he easily got it inflated high enough to drive to the car place.

One local gas place still has free air even though now it is not a garage--gas is the only automotive product/service it sells. I doubt the pay air pumps at other places begin to break even; the free one is out of order a third of the time, too.

 

[almost_there]

If you have a WaWa gas station/convenience store around you they have free air. At least the ones around me do.

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

If you have a WaWa gas station/convenience store around you they have free air. At least the ones around me do.

The closest one is in New Jersey. I think it would cost me more than 11 bucks in tolls to get that free air.

 

[Sunset]

Now that I have my own $10 (cigarette lighter powered) portable air pump, I would hate to go back to the grotte, filthy, dirty hose at the gas station (free or not.) Yes, my pump is slow, but I don't have to go anyplace to make it work. It's always clean and I never find it not working like about half the free air hoses and a quarter of the pay hoses. YMMV

Many, many years ago when I didn't carry a "real" pump in the trunk. I stopped at a gas station as my tire looked low.
I used my pressure gauge and saw I was down quite a few pounds, so I used the rotten garage air , stuck it on and while it pumped I heard a lot of hissing regardless of how hard I pressed on the valve.

After a short while, I measured my tire pressure and found it had gone DOWN another 2 pounds..

The hose valve thing when I looked at it, I realized the rubber was pressed in and worn away so it couldn't make a seal.

I drove home and used my pump at home.

 

[timo2]

Costco will check and fill your tires for free. My in-laws swing by the Costco shop to check air every time they shop.

Discount tires also. Although I would rather pay the dollar than wait around for someone else to do it. Also, I like a little extra air in my tires and the shops always put the manufacturer lower amount .

 

[Chuckanut]

I proudly inform her that I will call roadside assistance from our insurance company and they will come with some air and I wont have to pay $1.00 for the air at the gas station. She then rains on my parade.

It may end up costing you more than $11. Some insurance companies are now including calls for roadside assistance as a 'claim' and report that claim to the bureaus that provide information to insurance companies.

Can roadside assistance sabotage your car insurance?

According to ConsumerReports.org, some car insurance companies report roadside assistance claims to ChoicePoint, a company in Alpharetta, Ga., that collects claims information for the auto insurance industry.

When you have multiple claims, this information can make its way to ChoicePoint and may eventually be viewed by auto insurers.

State rules vary in terms of whether – and how – your provider is allowed to penalize you for making an insurance claim, Bach says. But multiple roadside assistance claims in a short period of time could cause some insurance companies to raise your rates, she says.