(BPT) - The next time you find yourself pumping gas, don't be surprised if Miles offers to keep you company. He's not an attendant and he isn't a friendly good Samaritan.

Miles is the name given to the first ever BP Personality Pump, an interactive smart pump that will first start appearing at BP stations this year. Miles uses proprietary technology allowing him to "speak" with consumers as they are filling their tanks. Miles receives responses in real-time through a touchscreen tablet allowing consumers to interact with him via an array of entertainment options.

"We know that most people don't enjoy pumping gas. So we asked ourselves, how can we make those moments spent at the pump more fun," said Donna Sanker, chief marketing officer of BP Fuels North America. "With the BP Personality Pump, we hope to redefine perceptions of the routine fill-up and build a meaningful relationship with our consumers, giving them a fulfilling and entertaining experience during the time they spend with us."

Miles is programmed to interact with consumers in several different ways. During their visit, consumers will have the opportunity to engage Miles by playing music trivia, selecting songs to play through Pandora or even by recording a video e-card that they can then share on their social media channels. And, upon finishing filling up their tank, consumers will also have the opportunity to send themselves a text message with the content they created during their interaction with Miles. This message will include a link to the Pandora station they chose as well as a special return offer.

The goal, according to BP, is to make the otherwise routine task of filling a gas tank more fun and memorable.

Miles will first appear in November, 2016 in the Chicago and New York Metro areas.

To showcase more of Miles' capabilities, BP has teamed up with The Onion Inc.'s creative services agency, Onion Labs, to develop a series of videos capturing customers' interactions with Miles. You can watch this video, titled Laura & Miles, to learn more about the first-ever Personality Pump. You can find more videos at www.theonion.com/special/innovation.

Towing
Fortunately for car sellers, the costliest hidden fee when selling a vehicle is also the easiest to avoid. While it is no longer common for car buying companies to expect a seller to facilitate towing arrangements, it does occur. Towing can add up to $100 or more in additional deductions depending on where the buying company is located. Additionally, many buying companies cannot accommodate vehicles outside of cars, SUVs, vans and trucks.


Liquids

Many scrap and junk car buyers require a seller to empty a car's gas tank before they will send a towing service for collection, and if a seller fails to do so, it can result in a charge upwards of $50. A $50 deduction can make a significant dent in your overall profit, and draining a gas tank can be timely and incredibly dangerous if a seller does not have previous experience or has not been given proper direction.


Car detailing

Car buying companies take into account the condition of a car's interior when generating a buying price for a seller, but do not typically communicate that the state of the interior, down to cleanliness, could have an effect on the final offer to a seller. While a seller should ideally take care of a car's exterior and interior on a routine basis, they should also be aware of hidden deductions that could arise from a lack in communication from a buyer.


Paperwork

While many car buying companies claim to manage paperwork for a car seller, it is not unlikely for a small "document transfer" fee to be removed from a seller's original offer upon transaction for the car. Before accepting a quote from a car buyer, a seller must guarantee that they will do the heavy lifting regarding paperwork and ensure that no additional fees will be taken out of the original quote. Additionally, car buying companies have been known to buy cars without a title present, and while this is convenient for the seller, it can also lead to reputation management problems farther down the road.


Protecting yourself as a car seller

While selling a vehicle for cash can result in a headache, it doesn't have to be a painful experience with the right information and research. If you are a car seller looking for a car buying company that is fast, easy and transparent, CashForCars.com exceeds all demands. CashForCars.com is a car acquisition division of Copart, Inc., a publicly traded and reputable company with a dependable local footprint. CashForCars.com purchases vehicles directly from the public, offering free towing, clean paperwork transfer and exemplary customer service with no hidden fees, hidden charges on towing, or out-of-pocket expenses. The CashForCars.com team answers the calls of vehicle sellers looking to sell their cars, truck, SUVs, boats or RVs, and guides them through the quick and painless process while diligently working to guarantee that an honest reputation is preserved as the main priority.


The CashForCars.com business model is built around saving customers the hassle of selling a car in a traditional way, and has over 160 locations across the U.S. to ensure that a driver will be able to pick up your vehicle in as little as 24 hours - sometimes the same day! Backed by over 30 years in the car buying business, CashForCars.com diligently works to stay up-to-date on vehicle pricing by incorporating market trends, damage levels and comparable model prices to ensure that each customer is presented with the best available offer.

(BPT) - On any given day, some 40 million Americans stop at gas stations to fill their tanks. For many, it's a weekly routine, one they don't spend much time analyzing, but are there things you think you know about your fill-up that just aren't true?

Andrea Kaufman considers herself a fairly conscientious auto owner, but the St. Louis Park, Minnesota resident admits she doesn't know the finer details of pumping protocol. "I've heard plenty of gas station tips and tricks, but I'm not always sure which ones I should believe."

Let's set the record straight as energy experts dispel three common gas station myths.

Myth #1: It's best to buy gas early in the day.

The theory is that gasoline is denser at cooler temperatures, so you'll get more fuel per gallon early in the morning. While the basic science is correct, the experts at Consumer Reports point out two practical reasons why this is a myth.

First, most gas stations store fuel in double-walled underground tanks that keep gas at steady temperatures. Second, even if there were variations, the volume difference between gasoline at 75 versus 60 degrees Fahrenheit is just 1 percent - not enough to be noticeable at the pump.

Myth #2: It's dangerous to use a cell phone near gas pumps.

According to the Federal Communications Commission, there is no documented incident of a wireless phone causing a gas station fire or explosion.

It's true that many fuel companies post stickers on pumps warning motorists to turn off phones while refueling as cell phones could be a distraction. But the Petroleum Equipment Institute (PEI) reports the most likely cause of fire at the pumps is static electricity created by drivers sliding in and out of vehicles. For safe refueling, PEI recommends you turn off the car engine, refrain from smoking and stay outside the vehicle.

Myth #3: All brands of gas are the same.

Like more than two-thirds of Americans, Kaufman buys gas primarily based on price and convenience. "I don't know if there is a difference between brands," she says. While all gasoline sold in the U.S. must meet federal requirements for performance, not all gas is the same.

The auto industry has a certification system for fuel. Top Tier certified gasoline includes additional detergents and fuel additives that remove engine deposits that can hurt fuel economy.

"Today's more fuel-efficient engines need higher-quality fuel for peak performance," says Akhtar Hussain, refined fuels expert at CHS, which markets Cenex brand fuels at more than 1,450 gas stations in 19 states. "Cenex TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline provides 2.5 times the cleaning power of conventional gasoline and removes deposits for better fuel economy and reduced emissions."

Our Top Tier certified gasoline keeps newer high-precision engines clean and helps older engines perform better, he adds. "It helps clean your engine every time you fill your tank." Cenex TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline is available at every Cenex location. To find one near you, visit cenex.com/locations.

So much for those tank-filling myths. Now it's time to fuel up and enjoy the drive.