free Air.

decky1

my local garage has just installed a new machine for air it's 1 euro to use it , is this too much? should they not be glad that people are using their garage to buy fuel etc not too sure if this will put people off use this garage , can these companies not give a little back to the customer?:p

YFlyer

Free air if they buy a coffee and a drifter bar.

Ken.

decky1 wrote: »

my local garage has just installed a new machine for air it's 1 euro to use it , is this too much? should they not be glad that people are using their garage to buy fuel etc not too sure if this will put people off use this garage , can these companies not give a little back to the customer?:p

The guy from the AA was on Pat Kenny a few weeks ago and he said that research shows that overwhelmingly people will respect the airhose/waterhose if they have to pay for it.

I've lost count of the times I've pulled up at a services and they were in bits from previous people throwing them around the place.

Around where I live the garages all have the slot machine type like a shopping trolley. Put in your euro, use the air, return the hose get your quid back.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

That's inflation for you.

daheff

I think a eur is way too much. 20c if they insist on charging.

Balanadan

I find some of the ones you pay for are actually **** to use. If they're the ones that you set the desired pressure, they don't get to that pressure. If they're timed, you run out of time and have to pay again.

colm_mcm

The problem with air hoses is that when they’re free, people don’t put the hose back, then it gets driven over and broken. You get people who will steal the inflater attachment off the end of the hose (They’re €70 plus VAT for a basic one), then you’re looking at the cost of running and maintaining a compressor every day of the year.
A free air pumping service is a courtesy, nothing more. It has as much to do with selling petrol as giving out free engine oil. Some garages fit a shopping trolley type lock that needs a €2 or €1 coin to release the hose, you get it back when you put the hose back.

decky1

Putinbot wrote: »

The guy from the AA was on Pat Kenny a few weeks ago and he said that research shows that overwhelmingly people will respect the airhose/waterhose if they have to pay for it.

I've lost count of the times I've pulled up at a services and they were in bits from previous people throwing them around the place.

Around where I live the garages all have the slot machine type like a shopping trolley. Put in your euro, use the air, return the hose get your quid back.

no money back from this 'Bad Boy':eek::eek:

decky1

Balanadan wrote: »

I find some of the ones you pay for are actually **** to use. If they're the ones that you set the desired pressure, they don't get to that pressure. If they're timed, you run out of time and have to pay again.

thought that myself--did my tyres but they did'nt seem to be pumped up enough?

tuxy

It's preferable to the last time I tried to get air from a petrol station. Drove to 7 different ones, only 3 had compressors, none of them worked.

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime

Got a flat tyre one day on a commercial vehicle (about 20tonnes or something silly)

Needed the tyre to go up to and 120psi from near flat (slow puncture)

Threw a euro in and went for all the air..... It didn't fill it, got it about half way up and said **** it, the other 7 wheels can do the work

Would probably need about a tenner to get it right

I am happy with the places that give you the euro back shopping trolly style

decky1

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime wrote: »

Got a flat tyre one day on a commercial vehicle (about 20tonnes or something silly)

Needed the tyre to go up to and 120psi from near flat (slow puncture)

Threw a euro in and went for all the air..... It didn't fill it, got it about half way up and said **** it, the other 7 wheels can do the work

Would probably need about a tenner to get it right

I am happy with the places that give you the euro back shopping trolly style

seems to be quiet a few problems with these machines, can anyone get word to the makers maybe they'd like to respond ??:mad::mad:

freshpopcorn

It mainly happened because people didn't respect the hoses.
Originally when this was being phased in it was operated like a supermarket trolley system and they returned the €1.
Small air compressors are generally affordable.
To the best of my knowledge at my local Topaz when you pay the €1 it gives you access to the machine for about 10 minutes and you also can use the hoover.

decky1

freshpopcorn wrote: »

It mainly happened because people didn't respect the hoses.
Originally when this was being phased in it was operated like a supermarket trolley system and they returned the €1.
Small air compressors are generally affordable.
To the best of my knowledge at my local Topaz when you pay the €1 it gives you access to the machine for about 10 minutes and you also can use the hoover.

ha, would the hoover be strong enough to get my money back?:P

freshpopcorn

decky1 wrote: »

ha, would the hoover be strong enough to get my money back?:P

No, just whack it with a sledge hammer.

SuperS54

Having worked in many petrol stations in my youth I can say that air hoses were a major PITA.

If you're lucky someone might throw it 10 feet back at the post were it was supposed to be hanging, most time they just threw it on the ground and drove over it.

Hoses and connectors constantly needed to be replaced due to the above and those parking no where near the air station and trying to stretch the hose to reach.

When they were replaced new ones were a prime target for theft, would then need to buy another new one etc., they have a very short useful life between when they're old enough not to get stolen but still function correctly.

Kids with bicycles and parents with kids inflatable toys were another source of grief, even if they weren't purchasing something they somehow believed they should be a priority and everything should be put on hold until their inflatable mermaid was taken car of. The connector on the end of the hose had to be glued on because of these people as they would unscrew it and either drive off with it or throw it on the ground.

In order to counter all of the above and still provide air in one station we simply provided a high pressure hose with no gauge. Simple handheld gauges were sold in the station at cost, no profit whatsoever, if memory serves they were around a punt each. No end of complaints and instead of buying a gauge most people insisted we pump their tyres for them and use our own gauge. The whole thing ended when some stupid *&^% simply filled all his tyres until they looked "full", he had a blowout not far down the road and sued the station, had something between 80~100psi in each tyre. They simply removed the airhose in the end, no idea what happened with the case.

Del2005

decky1 wrote: »

my local garage has just installed a new machine for air it's 1 euro to use it , is this too much? should they not be glad that people are using their garage to buy fuel etc not too sure if this will put people off use this garage , can these companies not give a little back to the customer?:p

There's feck all profit on fuel so the money for the compressor hoses and gauge comes from where.

You can buy a pump for a few Euro or an 12V one for a tenner, you can pump away.

Ubbquittious

colm_mcm wrote: »

The problem with air hoses is that when they’re free, people don’t put the hose back, then it gets driven over and broken. You get people who will steal the inflater attachment off the end of the hose (They’re €70 plus VAT for a basic one), then you’re looking at the cost of running and maintaining a compressor every day of the year.
A free air pumping service is a courtesy, nothing more. It has as much to do with selling petrol as giving out free engine oil. Some garages fit a shopping trolley type lock that needs a €2 or €1 coin to release the hose, you get it back when you put the hose back.

You'd buy a whole compressor for 70 + vat. Of course an ordinary compressor wouldnt be posh enough for someone running a busy filling station. Has to be a big huge branded cabinet thing with a coin slot. Within a year that big cabinet thing will br making a profit. They are pulling a fast one on us saying they have to charge to stop people damaging the machine. Cute hoors

Berserker

Del2005 wrote: »

There's feck all profit on fuel so the money for the compressor hoses and gauge comes from where.

Tea and coffee. The markup on them is ridiculous.

daheff

my local forecourt has the air compressor line & water line on a retractable line....no worries about people running over the lines so....also no charge either.



Garages need to be careful on this...some people go to pump their wheels...and then think, feck it i'm here anyways, so go buy something in the shop.

if its costing to pump wheels, then more & more will get their own pump...and not bother going to the shop after.

Del2005

daheff wrote: »

my local forecourt has the air compressor line & water line on a retractable line....no worries about people running over the lines so....also no charge either.



Garages need to be careful on this...some people go to pump their wheels...and then think, feck it i'm here anyways, so go buy something in the shop.

if its costing to pump wheels, then more & more will get their own pump...and not bother going to the shop after.

Or else they go feck I've no change and have to buy something to pay for air. Double win for the owner.

Del2005

Ubbquittious wrote: »

You'd buy a whole compressor for 70 + vat. Of course an ordinary compressor wouldnt be posh enough for someone running a busy filling station. Has to be a big huge branded cabinet thing with a coin slot. Within a year that big cabinet thing will br making a profit. They are pulling a fast one on us saying they have to charge to stop people damaging the machine. Cute hoors

And where does the money come from to pay for this? Especially when they only last a few weeks due to damage and theft.