Mechanics say tilting car to fill more petrol can be dangerous

A photo of a man filling up his tilted Singapore-registered car at a petrol station in Johor Baru has gone viral in online forums on both sides of the Causeway.

The picture, initially posted and edited on a Malaysian forum, had captions in Chinese describing the man as "silly" and a "cheapskate" for jacking up the rear of his car just to get a few extra dollars' worth of petrol.

The photo on citizen journalism website Stomp has more than 46,000 views and almost 100 comments.

Netizens in Singapore forums mocked his unorthodox method, with some saying they were embarrassed with his actions while others defended him, saying he had done nothing wrong.

Car mechanics told The New Paper that his method would not increase the intake of petrol into his car.

One of them, Mr Hanafi Othman, 32, said he has never seen it in his 12 years in the industry and described it as "quite crazy".

"Jacking up the car would not make any difference," he said.

"Maybe the idea was to let the air escape from the petrol tank to create more space, but I doubt there would be any noticeable difference.

"If he fills up the tank to the brim before removing the jack to lower his car, some petrol might spill out, which could be dangerous."

Another mechanic, who wanted to be known only as Mr S.H., has seen this method before but agrees that it might do more harm than good.

The mechanic, who is in his 40s and has six years of experience, said: "Filling up this way might cause uneven weight distribution to the car and loosen screws and bolts underneath the car.

"The method does not work at all."

TNP had in the past reported on other Singaporeans jacking their vehicles in attempts to get their money's worth at petrol stations across the Causeway.

Drivers were seen filling up after tilting their car with a wooden ramp. To gain a further saving of just over $1, these drivers even filled their tanks to the brim, putting themselves at risk.

Mova Automotive service adviser Luqman Nurhakim, 29, said: "Filling fuel tanks to the brim might cause the petrol to flow out and pose potential danger. It is best not to overfill."

Myths

Other fuel-efficiency myths that car mechanics have heard of include rocking the vehicle while pumping petrol and filling up in the morning when underground petrol storage tanks are cooler, thus producing denser petrol.

Both methods, however, are either myths or produce minimal increments in the amount.

Mr Luqman said: "Rocking the vehicle till the tank overflows and filling the tank to the brim again afterwards or jacking the car up can squeeze in only about 1 litre more of petrol.

"Petrol storage tanks are very insulated so there won't be any huge temperature differences no matter the time of day," Mr Luqman said.

"A definite way to save money on petrol would be to take care of the vehicle's engine, cutting down on excessive braking and sending the vehicle for regular maintenance."

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