Car Tire Problem

I was driving to the Quad Cities on Wednesday night when an indicator on my dashboard lit up saying I had low tire pressure. I know absolutely nothing about cars so I called my Dad and asked him what to do about it. He said, "You are a mechanical engineer, figure it out," and then added, "but don't fill the tires too full because they will explode and thats really dangerous".

That was soooooo helpful. Thanks Dad. I would like to point out that I am not yet an engineer and the thing about tires exploding just made me extremely paranoid and afraid to put any air in them at all.

Anyways, I got off the highway and went to a bp gas station with the intention to ask for help from the person working there. Behind the counter was an entire Indian family who stared at me in silence as I entered. When I asked for help, all I got was that the air pump was on the other side of the cold, dark, parking lot. I went and parked over there and began trying to figure out what to do. I removed all the caps from the tires, inserted 75 cents in the pump machine thing, and began. I quickly realized that the pressure gauge was a piece of crap and I could barely see it in the dark. Just as I was becoming legitimately afraid that the tire would explode, the air machine shut off automatically. No progress had been made. Stupid waste of money.

So after this failed attempt, I went back inside to ask the Indian family for more help. Only the husband would talk to me and he had the quietest voice I have ever barely heard. As he tried to give more instructions, his adorable little daughters came out from behind the counter. One of them had a broom and proceeded to repeatedly hit me on the side of the head with it while singing twinkle twinkle little star. One would think that the parents would have some sort of reaction to their child assaulting a customer but one would be wrong. They did nothing. They did not even acknowledge that anything out of the ordinary was happening.

After the man finished whispering directions at me I went outside, paid another 75 cents, and made another attempt at filling the tires. I glanced through the gas station window and saw the family still staring at me. Good. Once I thought that I had accomplished my goal, I started the car. The indicator light was still on. I was too cold and irritated to try again so I left. My tires are still low right now.