Ms. Porter: Fill it up, please.

Mr. Kobak: You’re at the self-service island, Ms. Porter. If you want me to fill your tank, you’ll have to pull over to the lane marked “full service”.

Ms. Porter: Oh, Mr. Kobak, I forgot. I pulled in here out of force of habit, I suppose. I usually fill the tank myself in order to save money. But today I’m dressed for a job interview, and I don’t want to take the chance of getting my clothes dirty. I’ll pull over to the full service island.

Mr. Kobak: I know that your car takes unleaded gas, but I forget whether you buy regular or high-octane no-lead.

Ms. Porter: I usually get the regular, but perhaps I should try the high-test. What do you think? The car has been a bit sluggish lately.

Mr. Kobak: I think you should stick with the regular. Your car doesn’t really need the higher octane, so it wouldn’t pay for you to get the more expensive kind. Your car has been sluggish because it’s been too long since your last tune-up. I remember when you left it here to be worked on. That was months ago.

Ms. Porter: Okay, I’ll stick with the regular, and I’ll bring the car in for some servicing in a week or so. Would you check the oil, please?

Mr. Kobak: (The attendant checks the oil.) It’s just a little below the “full” mark. It won’t take a whole quart. Perhaps you should let it go until you come in next week. We’ll change your oil then and fill it up.

Ms. Porter: Good idea. While you’re under the hood, would you mind checking the water in the radiator and in the battery? It’s been ages since I last checked them.

Mr. Kobak: The radiator’s all right, but this battery needs some water. You don’t want to let this level get too low. Some morning you’ll wake up and the car won’t start. There. That should hold you for a while. Uh-oh, I forgot to check the temperature level in our radiator. I’d better do that now.

Ms. Porter: What do you mean “the temperature level”?

Mr. Kobak: Winter will be here in no time, so we have to be sure that your radiator water can withstand the freezing temperatures. This gauge I’m putting into the water will tell us how low the temperature can go before your water turns to ice. It’s actually a measure of the amount of antifreeze left in your tank from last winter. It looks okay to me. It says that it would have to get down to fifteen below before you had a problem. It never gets that cold around here.

Ms. Porter: I hate to ask after all you’ve done, but do you think you could check the tires too? The front ones need twenty-nine pounds of pressure and the rear ones need thirty-two.

Mr. Kobak: (The attendant fills the tires with air and finishes pumping the gas.) I’ll clean off this windshield now, and you’ll be all set for your interview.

Ms. Porter: Do you know the best way for me to get to the interstate highway from here? I usually take the bus into the city and save my driving for these suburban roads, so I don’t know my way around town too well.

Mr. Kobak: Sure thing, Ms. Porter. Turn left and go two blocks. Then turn right onto Sepulveda and go three-quarters of a mile. The entrance to the interstate is well marked. You can’t miss it.

Ms. Porter: How much do I owe you?

Mr. Kobak: That’ll be twenty dollars even. (She hands him a twenty-dollar bill.) Drive carefully, Ms. Porter, and don’t forget to bring your car in next week.

Discussion Questions

1.      At a gas station, what is a self-service island? A full-service island?

2.      What is the purpose of using a high-octane gasoline?

3.      Besides filling the tank, what service did Mr. Kobak perform for Ms. Porter?

4.      Why didn’t she pump her own gas?

5.      How do you know when your car needs oil?

6.      Why do the radiator and the battery in a car need water?

7.      Besides the radiator and the battery, what else is “under the hood”?

8.      What is the job of antifreeze in a radiator?

9.      Do you know what psi (pounds per square inch) of air your tires need?

10.  What is the difference between an interstate and a regular road?

11.  How much does gasoline cost where you live?

12.  How many miles (kilometers) does your car go on a gallon (liter) of gas?