‘There R So Many Rules in Life’: Woman Just Found Out You’re Not Supposed to ‘Shake’ the Excess Gas at the Pump. Is That True?

"How am I supposed to get my money’s worth?"

Woman says she just found out you’re not supposed to ‘shake’ the excess gas at the pump. Is that true?

Photo by: iihearttx.j & Ali Mkumbwa

Mike Hayden

By: Mike Hayden

Aug 7, 2025 at 9:00am ET

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In a moment that sparked both laughter and genuine confusion, a woman recently posted a video expressing frustration over something most of us never give a second thought: Shaking the gas nozzle after filling up.

“The other day this old man came up to me and was like, ‘Did you just shake the gas pump in your tank?’” Sonia (@iheartjtt.x) recalls in a TikTok about the experience.

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After telling the guy “hell yeah” and “what about it,” Sonia says she listened to what the man had to say. He explained a variety of things that could go wrong with her car.

“Man’s not lying, I looked that [expletive] up,” she says. “That [expletive] said it could [mess] up the reading, [mess] up the tank, make it have a gas leak.”

Sonia concludes by saying, “Just let it [expletive] drop, like a [expletive] faucet, I guess.”

What Does “Shaking The Gas Nozzle” Mean?

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Many people already know the move. You fill up your car, the pump clicks, and before placing the nozzle back, you give it a few extra shakes or flicks. The idea is to get every last drop of gas into your tank. Some people top the gas tank off beyond the point at which it automatically clicks off.

Seems harmless, right?

Well, fuel station guidelines and environmental safety experts do discourage it. Readers Digest also published research highlighting the dangers of “topping off” at the pump–clicking past the point where the censor cuts off the flow of gas–calling the move a “dangerous gas-pumping mistake.”

They noted that it can “contaminate the carbon filter with gasoline—potentially damaging your car’s engine.”

“Topping off also runs the risk of fuel spillage, which can harm the environment and potentially spark a fire at the pump. In addition, most gas stations have vapor recovery systems, too. So, you’re not even getting those last few cents’ worth of gas in your already-full tank—it’s going back to the gas station,” Reader’s Digest reported.

The comments seem to suggest that Sonia’s mistake is a fairly common one.

“I shake it after it’s done pumping so the gasoline doesn’t leak all over my car,” TikTok user Evolvingerin wrote, racking up over 2,000 likes.

A second wrote, “How am I supposed to get my money’s worth?”

“Thank you from the poor,” another quipped sarcastically.

An exasperated commenter said that the situation was one rule too many for them.

What do you think?

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Comments

“There r so many rules in life and it bothers me,” Pvuhchairuh wrote.

Motor1 reached out to Sonia over TikTok direct message but didn’t immediately receive a response. We'll be sure to update this if she responds.