I stopped traffic — not in a good way — the first time I had to refuel a car with Ford's nifty new capless gas filler.
The ensuing traffic backup was because of my ineptitude rather than any problem with the system, which makes its North American debut on the 2009 Lincoln MKS luxury sedan and Ford Flex wagon.
It was a rainy night in Belfast. That sounds like a Pogues song, but it just happened to be when I needed to top up the Ford Mondeo I was testing in December in Ireland.
The fuel door popped open, and I saw a sheet of stainless steel covering the pipe that led to the tank.
The steel seal replaces the conventional screw-top fuel cap. It offers several obvious advantages: reduced emissions, no cap to lose, and it closes automatically so you'll never drive off with the fuel tank dangerously open and venting expensive and toxic gasoline fumes.
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Aha, I thought at the fuel station. I know all about the capless fuel filler: I read about it in the news release.
But how to open it? I looked for a button to release the seal. No. I tried sliding the steel plate to the side. I tried pushing it back with my finger.
The line of delivery trucks waiting to get into the gas station behind me began to lengthen.
The Mondeo's a hit, I thought. Somebody in the gas station will know how to refuel a Mondeo.
After the cashier and fish-and-chips stand attendant struck out, a repairman named Liam came out to help.
He pulled the nozzle from the pump and put it in the filler neck, just like you would with any car. The steel cover flipped back, allowing the nozzle into the pipe.
"That's all," Liam said. "It's lovely simple. Just put the nozzle in and pump."
Ford's capless fuel filler is the best kind of new feature: it saves time, makes the car easier to use, reduces emissions and is so simple that you have to overthink it to screw up.
No buttons, no latches, no caps to lose or leave open. Just fill it up and drive home to Dublin.