Do You Know How to Pump Your Own Petrol?

There are many Dubai expats who have lived in countries where there was always someone employed to pump fuel, hence many of us do not know the first thing about doing pumping fuel.

1. If you are a smoker, put out your cigarette before you pull into the petrol station. It may seem like an obvious thing to do but safety should always come first.
2. Familiarise yourself with which side the fuel tank is. Park so that the side of the tank is closest to the pump. This will make life a lot easier for you when you are pumping fuel. There is a little trick to finding what side of your car the tank is, just look at the fuel gauge, there should be a little arrow next to the petrol pump picture on the gauge. This arrow tells you which side your tank is located on.
3. When you pull up to the petrol pump ensure that you have turned the engine off and put the car into park (if it is automatic).
4. Know what kind of fuel your car takes. There are three types of fuel readily available throughout the UAE, namely Special (95), Super (98) and Diesel. The engine of your car performs best when you choose the fuel that works best with it.
5. Before you do any pumping, open your gas tank and remove and stow the opener before you do anything else.
6. Remove the petrol nozzle from the pump, you may need to lift it out of its cradle, and insert it into the tank.
7. Press the handle on the nozzle to start pumping. Sometimes there is a latch that will allow the petrol to pump without you having to put pressure on the handle. The pump will stop automatically when the tank is full. Do not try to fill your tank after this as any extra petrol will just evaporate, but you will have paid for it.
8. Do not tap the pump nozzle on the side of the tank of your car. This is unnecessary and could potentially be a fire hazard.
9. Put the pump back into its holster immediately after you have finished pumping.
10. Put the gas cap on immediately after you have replaced the pump. Secure it.

That is all it takes to pump your first tank of petrol!

Good luck to the Dubai ladies who will venture out past midnight and try this out for the first time.