The Last Full Service Gas Station

The world’s first purpose built gas station was built in St. Louis, Missouri in 1905 at 420 S. Theresa Avenue.  Before this, automobile drivers pulled into pretty much any general or hardware store, or even blacksmith shops in order to fill up their tanks.

A Gas station that also offers services such as oil changes and mechanical repairs to automobiles is called a service station. Until the 70s the vast majority of gas stations were service stations; now very few are. These stations typically offered free air for inflating tires, since compressed air was already on hand to operate the repair garage’s pneumatic tools. A full service gas station is a gas station where an attendant pumps the customer’s gas. These types of stations are extremely uncommon in most places today. In the Festus, Missouri area, D&J Autoservice, Inc. is a full service gas station, may be one of the last of it’s kind.

Full Service Gas StationFull Service is great when you would rather not get out of the car (especially during the winter months) or risk having the smell of gasoline on their person, and don’t mind paying a couple of dollars more for the extra service.

An attendant at a full service gas station would also wash the customer’s windows, and offer to check the oil and other fluid levels in the car. This is certainly full service, and many agree that good attendants should receive a tip. The standard for tipping these attendants was anywhere between $2 to $4 US Dollars (USD) if windows are washed and gas is pumped, and possibly $5 USD if the attendant also checks oil and water levels.

At D&J Autoservice Inc, we don’t expect tips, we work very hard to provide first class service and enjoy the tradition of being a Full Service Gas Station. Unfortunately, it looks like we are one of the last of a dying breed. So, come on by and enjoy a short trip back in time, where the customer is the most important person on-site and treated that way.

Dave Kentch

Owner and operator of D & J Auto Service in Festus, Mo since 1976. We understand that every vehicle is unique. For decades, customers have been relying on us to offer professional service with individualized attention. We offer comprehensive automotive maintenance & repair for all makes and models and we take pride in offering our first-class services at a fair price.

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