While today you are far more likely to get a Big Slurp at one than a battery, there’s a reason that the place with all the pumps was once called a Service Station. In fact, in many smaller communities where car dealerships didn’t exist, getting your oil changed at the same place you got it checked while getting gas was probably the rule not the exception. Texaco even used the notion in their promotion, advising to always trust your car to the man who wears a star.
Today gas stations seem like an endangered species, and a lot of those that remain have traded service bays for food marts. What were once places where high school kids could find an after school job that would also actually continue their education have now turned into self-serve ghost towns.
The question however is whether or not that’s a bad thing. As cars have become increasingly complicated it’s more and more likely that owners would turn to specialists, or at least manufacturer trained or ASE certified mechanics. What about you, do you have a gas station nearby that still has its bays open, and if so, would you set tire inside them? The reputation of the gas station as repair resource is not as shiny as it was when their personnel wore stars. Would you trust your car repairs to a gas station?
Image: RoadKillCustoms
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