Chances are that if a meter on a local gasoline pump malfunctions, customers are getting more fuel for their money, not less.

As gas prices have risen to top $3.60 a gallon, Glenn Brown has fielded a higher-than-usual number of complaints from drivers who claim they are not getting the right amount of gas.

But in his 26 years as the director of York County's Bureau of Weights and Measures, Brown has never run across a situation in which a gas station owner has rigged his pumps to dispense fewer gallons at the expense of drivers.

Headquartered in Springettsbury Township, the bureau inspects every gas station in York County at least once a year to ensure that each pump is dispensing the correct amount of gas for the money paid.

In York County, stations are doing well, Brown said. "People are really getting an accurate gallon."

Friday, residents paid a record average of $3.651 per gallon for regular gas, according to AAA's Daily Fuel Gauge Report.

In the past month, the bureau has fielded about six complaints, Brown said.

For example, a driver might claim that his or her gas tank holds 16 gallons of gas, but they paid for 161/2 gallons, he said.

"We don't loaf around on complaints," Brown said. "Sometimes the complaints are valid, but, more often than not, the complaints are not valid."

Scott Hartman, president and chief executive officer of Rutter's Farm Stores in Manchester Township, said his company, much like the bureau, has addressed a few complaints from people concerned about the amount of gas that flows into their tanks.

Rutter's employs two maintenance workers who are certified to test the meters on the gas dispensers to ensure the equipment is working properly.

Tuesday, Brown and his assistant, James Crager, inspected the gas dispensing equipment at the Sheetz at Memory Lane and Industrial Highway in Springettsbury Township.

Brown's inspection was not prompted by a complaint; the station was up for its annual review.

Starting at pump No. 1, Crager snaked the bureau's Chevrolet Suburban around each of the station's gas-dispensing islands towing a white trailer filled with testing equipment.

For each grade of gas, Crager and Brown dispense five gallons of gas into an equal-size tank that measures the fuel in cubic inches.

The duo repeats the test twice and also inspects the meters that work below the dispensers.

Five gallons of gas is equal to 1,155 cubic inches, Brown said.

Each cubic inch is worth slightly more than a penny, he said.

If the amount of fuel tops 1,155 cubic inches, that particular pump is dispensing more fuel than a driver is paying for. If the amount is less, the customer is losing out.

In most occurrences, a

broken or worn meter on the gas pump is to blame for an inaccurate reading registered by Brown's equipment.

Much of the time, the pumps dispense more gas than what is charged, Brown said. During the recent inspection at Sheetz, Brown rejected one dispenser of regular gas that registered eight cubic inches of gas more than the perfect level of 1,155.

Basically, people were saving about 12 cents for every five gallons dispensed from Sheetz's pump 11's regular gas nozzle.

Brown rejected the dispenser and told the company that it had to get the pump back into compliance.

State law permits a gas dispenser to be off by a maximum of six cubic inches, Brown said. So, a dispenser that is off by six cubic inches would either save or cost a customer a bit more than six cents per five gallons.

Two days later, Brown re-inspected Sheetz's dispenser and found it was working well.

Charlie Wetzel, owner of two CS Convenience Stores, in Jefferson and Glenville, said he had a similar problem with one of his gas pumps about five years ago.

The bureau found that one of Wetzel's pumps was dispensing too much gas and that the meter needed to be recalibrated.

"We were always short of gas because of it," Wetzel said. "The bureau checks all of our scales in the store and the gas pumps. It protects me as well as the public."

ON THE WEB

--- Lowest gas prices in York, plus automotive news, advice and Wheels of the Week: inyork.com/drive

--- National Public Radio's "Car Talk": cartalk.com

--- AAA average gasoline prices: fuelgaugereport.com

--- Estimate the cost of a road trip: fuelcostcalculator.com

--- The Environmental Protection Agency's green vehicle guide: epa.gov/greenvehicles

--- The Department of Energy's fuel economy index: fueleconomy.gov

--- The American Petroleum Institute: api.org

TIPS ON SAVING GAS

--- Use regular gasoline: Higher octane provides no additional performance for cars that are designed to run on regular gas. Premium gasoline not only costs more, it pollutes more.

--- Slow down: Wind resistance increases dramatically with speed. For every 10 miles per hour, a vehicle loses as much as 15 percent in fuel economy.

--- Don't linger in low gears: Get into the highest gear you can, at the lowest possible speed. You use less gas when the engine is turning slowly.

--- Don't increase speed when climbing hills: Accelerating up a hill can cause mileage to plummet from 25 or 30 mpg down to 6 mpg, or sometimes even as low as 2 or 3 mpg.

--- Anticipate stops: If you see a need to stop ahead, coast. Don't continue to accelerate and then brake at the last minute; you'll save lots of fuel.

--- Dump the roof rack: It's costing up to 5 percent in miles per gallon. That also goes for standard luggage racks, kayak holders, ski racks, etc. Lose them, and you'll reduce your aerodynamic drag significantly.

--- Stop idling: You're just burning money. This tip also applies to warming up the car. Unless it's below freezing, cars don't need to be warmed up at all. Driving them gently is the best warm up there is.

--- Turn off the AC: If you don't need to run your air conditioner, don't. Your car's air conditioner forces the engine to work harder. If it's 74 degrees outside, open the windows.

--- Stop and ask directions: Cut down on unnecessary driving.

--- Check tire pressure: Under-inflated tires lowers gas mileage by 0.4 percent for every one pound of drop in pressure of all four tires. So, if you're down by 10 pounds, you're losing 4 percent in fuel economy. Over-inflated tires can seriously jeopardize your car's handling.

--- Get your car serviced regularly: It's one of the most important things you can do to maximize fuel efficiency.

--- Use the right grade oil: Thicker than required oil will reduce your gas mileage because it takes more energy to push through thick oil than it takes to push through thinner oil. Check your owner's manual for the recommended viscosity, and ask for it specifically when you get your oil changed.

--- Avoid tankers: If you see a fuel tanker refilling a gas pump, try a different gas station for your fill-up. Freshly filled fuel pumps are not your best option. When the gasoline from the tanker is poured into the in-ground tanks, it stirs up water and debris that has settled at the bottom of the in-ground tank. If you fill your tank, it will most likely contain the water and debris.

Sources: cartalk.com, aaanewsroom.net