Having eulogised the Triumph Herald on a separate thread I have to own up to having been a Ford man for most of my (considerably long) driving life. For the most part I have found Fords to be what they set out to be - mass produced cars built to be affordable to the ordinary Joe. The current range has probably gone beyond that parameter and stands comparison with most other manufacturers' products, price notwithstanding.
One small feature of the ongoing Ford range that has baffled me for many years concerns the fuel filler cap. As far as I can recall every Ford model over the past 45 years or so has had the fuel filler cap on the driver's side of the car with the sole exception of the Fiesta which, from its introduction back in the 70's, has had its cap on the nearside of the vehicle. I'm not sure whether the new model Fiesta has the same arrangement but can anybody throw any light on why they should only have this arrangement on one of their long list of different models. What has prompted me to write is the state I got into earlier today when I (very unusually) took my wife's Fiesta for a fill-up, went to the 'wrong' side of the pump, and got into a very unseemly struggle with the filler hose which I had to feed over the roof of the car. Why can't they all be the same and do other manufacturers vary the siting of their respective filler caps?
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probably because when it was designed and built as the bobcat it was american inspired but spanish built and therefore more lhd led?
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probably because when it was designed and built as the bobcat it was american inspired but spanish built and therefore more lhd led?
But surely if it was as simple as that, then all Fords would be the same, being as they are German-designed for the most part? You'd have to go back a very long time to find a British-designed Ford.
Anyway, most Japanese cars have the filler on the passenger side, and these are very much designed for the RHD market.
My take on this was that the exhaust pipe on any car should be on the driver's side so that the car keeps fumes as far from passing pedestrians as possible, and that generally speaking the exhaust pipe is on the reverse side to the filler, therefore the filler should generally be on the passenger side. Most Euroboxes are LHD conversions so follow the "wrong" convention as far as we Brits are concerned. Same deal as the indicator stalk arrangement, which should be indicators on the right for RHD cars, but we've all been brainwashed into following the reverse configuration.
On the subject of other manufacturers, some small PSA cars have the filler on the passenger side (C2) despite most of their cars being the other way around. Also Nissans are a bit random these days due to the mongrelisation of their range by the French.
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American and Euro cars are just as random as Uk/Jap cars.It is more to do with the design of the floorpan and boot and rear suspension.The easiest was under the boot floor(or making it the floor of the boot)with a central filler but this was likely to be damaged in rear end crashes and the tank had to be moved forward.
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jase1 the front wheel drive was the car needed by ford at the time of a fuel crisis it was a first for them with fwd and they needed to get it right from the start
GB was only a small foothold for them but at the time it was a significant market and if i remember correctly crack GB and you would crack the world
The rest is history as they say
Now zoom to 2009 the americans have been caught napping again builiding gaz guzzlers that their customers cant afford to buy or run
step in fiat with its small drivetrains efficient engines and affordable prices
and they say history isnt a repeating ghurkin
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One thing I didn't realise until recently is that 'every' fuel gauge has a little arrow on it indicating which side the filler is.
Obviously, I've not checked every one, but since I was told, every car I've been in does have this.
Go on, nip outside and have a look - I bet yours has got one.
Edited by ifithelps on 30/05/2009 at 22:21
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All of mine have. It's more of a triangle than an arrow though.
Another clue on some cars is the picture of the fuel pump has the nozzle/pipe on the left/right depending on which side the filler cap is too.
Such a basic indicator and most do not know. Then again I normally know which side it is anyway even if in a hire car.
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yep , mines on tuther side but i fell for this one about 2 year ago, and the arrow ( nozzle) has no bearing on the side of the filler cap as what the fuel guage says in my honest opinion
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I did say some cars for the fuel nozzle. It's been accurate on all of mine but I don't go around car parks checking this out ;-)
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>>some cars is the picture of the fuel pump has the nozzle/pipe on the left/right depending on which side the filler cap
I think you'll find that's an urban myth.
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Eh ???
My Golf GTi had one as does my Honda !
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My Fords have the pipe on the same sides but the arrow on different sides as are the fillers.
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There'd be some long queues at the pumps if the fillers were all on the same side but I appear to be the only person at most service stations who will pull up at any pump and happily run the pipe round the car-I've never found one too short.
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Our local Sainsbury's rebuilt their petrol station with longer hoses and have had the sense to put up signs saying fill up either side. Sensible idea.
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Eeeeehhhh, thinking back to when I were a lad and me best mate's Dad ran a Jag. Gleaming, enormous Mark X as I recall. And those twin fillers, one each side. There was a changeover switch on the dashboard, one of about a dozen identical switches IIRC.
Aside from the pre-1980s Jag and the occasional Mini Cooper I've seen, have there been any other cars with twin filler caps? Sounds to me like a great idea that was mysteriously and inexplicably dropped.
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Some Light !5's had them.
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The MK11 Cortina, Hillman Hunter and HB Viva to name three all had the fuel filler on the back, and was it the MK3 Zodiac where it was hidden behind the (hinged) rear number plate ! i suppose it was not an ideal location for it in the event of a rear end shunt !
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Was it a Humber that had a screw-off rear reflector masquerading as a filler cap?
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...Was it a Humber that had a screw-off rear reflector masquerading as a filler cap?...
Snipe, I think.
The Rover 2000 had the filler next to the bootlid, bit like the Jags.
Hillman Imps had the filler under the bonnet - no need for a locking fuel cap.
VW Beetles had the cap in the front wing, as do some Porsches today.
Land Rover fillers are near the driver's door handle.
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I recently assisted a female driver of a Peugot 306, she had "popped" the fuel filler from the internal release but was trying to break her fingernails on the blank "filler" on the other side of the car. Could happen to a male I suppose, naa never happen. :-) Helps that I used to own a 306!
Edited by Old Navy on 31/05/2009 at 20:05
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Our local Sainsbury's rebuilt their petrol station with longer hoses and have had the sense to put up signs saying fill up either side. Sensible idea.
Our local tesco also has signs saying fill upeither side, the hoses are some of the shortest I have used, so you can fill from either side but if the filler cap is on the n/s the drivers door is going to be very close to the island.
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