anyone past infancy knows that in our modern world, everything (and everyone, the more jaded and cynical among us will insist) has a price. and as we all know, prices never go down. but there are certain things actually given out at no cost. like water at a public fountain. or, getting down to the dozen as they say, compressed air for your tires. (there's other free stuff surely. but at the moment i can't think of what they might be and... well, i really think you'd be better to prepare the list yourself, and if you would please send me that list) i'm bothered by this compressed air thing. perhaps after this you will be, too. remember a time when the service station guy came out to your car, tipped his cap, how-do ma'am, fill 'er up? ok ok maybe that's not exactly how it went, i did say longago right? anyway, however little or much "service" really happened, there were essentials available to you to assure your car was road worthy, insofar as water in radiators and air in tires. the air was supplied from a compressor inside which was on most of the time during the day. service work was done using this same compressed air to power various tools, repair motors, transmissions and other gizmos. so it cost the station very little indeed to pipe some of it outside for customer use. all well and good, except that today most "service stations" simply sell gas, oil and lottery tickets. the mechanic who could fix anything on wheels has retired. without him there's no repair work being done, and most stations don't need compressed air. i go through this now because it so happened that until recently a rear tire on my car had a slow leak. reassuring to me that not all technology is suspect, I knew this immediately, not by the car's operation but by an idiot light on the console. because i always delay solving a problem hoping "maybe it will go away", i kept looking at that light for a few weeks. finally i consulted the user manual and began to think about fixing the problem for a few more weeks. one day after buying at least $50 worth of gas at this kwik station i decided it was time to address my tire issue. that's when i learned the sad truth. compressed air for your tires has a price today: as with lunch, it's no longer free. i learned this as i picked up the air hose. in the good old days, hoses for air and radiator water were hung up out of the way (pictured). today this as well as most other service stations around here provide air from a compressor housed in a sturdy metal box. the box also includes a slot to insert coins, or the more convenient use of your credit card. the going rate today seems to be about $2.50 for which the pump runs for a few minutes. i was annoyed but, like most of us, having been beaten down by the system i meekly inserted the coins to pay for the air. air is supplied from the compressor to the tire through a regulator, gauge and finally a short rubber hose designed to fit the tire valve. but when i tried to put air in the tire, i noticed that this short hose was broken so my $2.50 air simply went back into the atmosphere instead of into the tire. after a few minutes of fiddling around i quit trying to fix the device, which was fine because my time expired and the compressor went silent. this surely was reason enough for reimbursement except that the clerk inside informed me that the air system was supplied by another company, air-serv by name. he could do nothing to fix the problem. so there was no air, no money back, and it was nobody's fault but mine. (this last, being the story of my life, is something i know only too well) but the story doesn't end there. government wheels may turn slowly, but in the end we're all the better for it, surely. California's Business and Professions Code Section 13651 mandates that as of january 1, 2000 service stations provide free air, water, and a pressure gauge to customers who purchase fuel. furthermore, service stations must display a clearly visible sign stating that California law requires them to provide free air and water to customers who purchase fuel. finally this: if a gas station charges for air or water after a fuel purchase, or if the equipment is unavailable or inoperable, you can file a complaint with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). i filed such a complaint with the state on this station because: i bought gas and then paid for air as well because i failed to read the sign informing me otherwise. (ok ok i hear you talking, it's my fault: i never read these f'n signs anyway.) but having paid for air i didn't receive it because the machine was inoperable. and the attendant was neither helpful regarding a refund nor able to fix the problem with the machine. so i'm waiting to hear from sacramento any day now, resolving the problem. but i won't wait forever: not one day later than after my first ride from San Francisco to LA on the california bullet train. read more

See all

I was charged $170 on my card and I was told that the $70.35 would revert back to being the charge and I would get the remainder back. He told me that I was always charged a minimum of $170 as that's what they do for all credit card sales so far I have not had my hundred dollar refund and cannot get hold of them and will have to go and see them. What a crock of you know what. I would avoid this gas station at all costs as they are liars in my opinion. read more

Overpriced and a very unpleasant experience. Attendant was very rude and unkind. Phone doesn't work and the actual building is very unsanitary. read more

Call me deranged, but I love reviewing gas stations. They aren't the sexiest businesses to write about. But let's face it, if you have a car and want to get from Point A to Point B, you're gonna need a gas station. So you might as well go to a good one. So I'm happy to report that Kwik Serv (despite its silly misspelled name) is a reliable gas station. It's located right near the Corte Madera Park and a neighborhood strip mall (which has PetSmart, a barber, a gym, and a Thai restaurant). There's never a wait for the pumps. Gas here isn't Arco cheap, but it's still more reasonably priced than most other stations in town. Plus, they have a decent convenience store on the property for all your snack/beverage/on-the-go needs. Can't speak for the restroom since I've never used it. But the station seems like it's always clean and well-kept. So if you're in the Larkspur/Corte Madera area and need to refuel, Kwik Serv is a quick & easy option! read more

Joe is the best and the scratchers are always winners. My favorite place to buy them.

Second terrible experience in less than a year with the clerk. I will not support this local station again, and have told all my neighbors to do the same. Asking to turn on the air to add little air in your tire is not a crime! read more

Cheap gas, facilities could be better. My fillup location of choice. Pros: * Gas is cheap. Not quite as cheap Gas & Shop at North Gate or the Arco, but still quite a bit cheaper than the rest. Guys in the convenience story are friendly enough. Cons: * Sometimes their pumps run slow. I've heard this can happen if the attendants don't clean out the filters. Neutrals: * Haven't tried the restroom--not sure if there is one. read more

Middle Eastern guy that works Tuesday evenings? Rude! How tough is it to be polite to a customer who is unfamiliar with how lottery tickets work? read more

I would like to suggest a boycott of this gas station. It is run by folks who might try to extort funds from you if you accidentally drive off and snap their (quick release) fuel pump from the machine. Yes, it was stupid of me, but I started to drive off without replacing the nozzle thing. I went inside to tell the station owner, who started yelling at me and said I owed him $249. I thought that sounded absurd so I drove off with him still yelling. I called the CM police to see what was fair and they said by law he is required to have quick release pumps for safety reasons and that it shouldn't have cost him anything to snap the hose back in. Sure enough, I drove back by a few minutes later and the pump was working just fine. I have lived in this neighborhood for 28 years and have regularly bought gas at this station. Never again. They are would-be extortionists and I thought people would want to know. read more

I stop here almost exclusively to fill up my tank when I'm in the neighborhood. The gas is not priced as low as Arco, but significantly less than major brands such as Chevron and Shell. It's located in a nice neighborhood near downtown Corte Madera within a small shopping mall. There is rarely a wait for the pumps and recently they did a face lift on the infrastructure to make it look a lot nicer. There is a convenience store, while although not open 24 hours a day, has good snacks, drinks, lotto, etc. It's always nice talking to the people on duty, and a less stressful way to fill up than most places. read more

Beware of fraud. The pump would not let me select gas type. Inside the guy said it had "timed out" which made no sense at all. He suggested I leave my card, go pump, and come back and sign. Done. This next morning, credit card rejected. A $2600 internet charge from NYC on card. Card canceled with all that hassle. Beware. (Phone not answered; owner unknown; employee "Dean" per slip, at 4:43 pm 10/10/16, unlikely to be affected.) read more