The Lighter Side of Driving a Grease Car

by Ray "Fried Ride" Haberland
submitted by Martha DeWolf

In little ways I find that driving the VW Jetta is a lot of fun. Not only does it get great mileage, but when you fuel your car with used vegetable oil, driving right by the gas station makes life just a little sunnier.

Strangers read the bumper sticker that says the car runs on vegetable oil, come along side and wave or shout out, “Way to Go!”.

Last month, during a visit to my children in New Jersey, a police car pulled up behind me and stayed close to my bumper for about a quarter of a mile.

My first reaction was to check my speed, turn signal lights and affirm in my own mind that I had not done anything wrong.

Full of confidence that I was driving properly and had not violated any driving laws, I dismissed the policeman in my rear view mirror.

Moments later, heart racing and a complete failure of my anti-perspirant, flashing lights recaptured my attention!

Surely he could not have been after me, he must have wanted to get by so he can answer an emergency call, but it was not meant to be, I was being pulled over.

As soon as the car rolled to a stop, I hunted down the usual paper work, driver’s license, registration, insurance papers and waited for the policeman to walk up to my window.

"Is there something wrong" I asked, in my most respectful voice as he leaned down to look into the little Jetta. He asked me if the car really ran on vegetable oil and I could hear my brain make a scratching noise like an old 78 that a needle has skipped across the grooves.

He repeated his question and, after regaining my thoughts, I told him that the car did indeed run on vegetable oil.

For the next 20 minutes I showed him how it worked, where the extra fuel tank was and all the internal workings of the car.

I’m sure that everyone that went by was convinced that I was a master criminal about to be taken off to jail, but all he wanted was information how it worked, where to get a conversion kit and if he had any problems would he mind if he called me.