Hidden Secrets

This is the first in a new series of posts. They will teach you stuff. Valuable, practical stuff. You may also find the knowledge amusing and can impress your friends with it.

Product-manufacturers do things to make our lives easier but, sadly, few consumers know about those efforts. They're secrets in a sense.

The first secret has to do with cars. There is something on the dashboard of your car which you've looked at a thousand times without knowing what it means. Or that it even means anything at all. And the knowledge could help you.

When borrowing a friend's car or driving a rental, you often wonder which side of the car the gas-tank is on when pulling into a gas-station. Its location affects the side of the gas-pump you pull up to. Getting out of the car to check this is a pain but there's an easier way. The car is telling you which side the tank is on, but are you listening?

On the dashboard, in the fuel-gauge, there is a symbol of a gas-pump. Next to that symbol is a triangle. What is the triangle for? Does it mean anything?

Yes! It points to the side of the car your gas-tank is on. Really! Now you instantly know, without looking outside, where the tank is and how to pull up to a pump. For example, here's a car whose tank is on the left (driver's) side:

For cars with tanks on the right side, the triangle points the other way.

Isn't this a fun little fact to learn?!