What's your fuel gauge normally look like ?

Bpmull

I'm just curious as I always fill my car with diesel let it run down to 1/4 tank whatever or fill it up before I head back to college. In general I'd rarely see a fuel light come on. Although on my way home from town on Friday night the light came on in the octavia but I was practically home and it was 1am so no garages open. I would never normally drive more the 10km with the light on before filling. I always assumed that everyone had a similar outlook although recently I've noticed that nearly every car I get in to has fcuk all petrol diesel in it. People seem to only buy 20 euro at a time.

So what do you normally do. Are you always driving around on an empty tank? How much would you let the tank run down before stopping to get fuel ? Do you only buy small amounts of fuel or do you always fill the tank when your in the petrol station ?

Holsten

Light on nearly all the time.

I don't think I've ever filled it up full.

131spanner

I usually fill her til you hear it gurgling up the top of the tank, then drive her til the light comes on unless there's a long drive on in which case it's filled before I leave home, long drives being exceptional. We've a white diesel tank at home so it's handy and flexible

Ded_Zebra

I always have at least 100km range in the tank when I fill up. That means that I can go pretty much anywhere I normally go without having to get fuel first. It means that if I'm in a rush or there is an emergency I can get there. This meant that the Levin never really got below 1/4 a tank and the Primera will always be kept above 1/8.

Senecio

Fill it up, drive it until the first of my 2 lights comes on (100Km). The second one comes on at 50Km but I've only seen it once or twice.

Can't be bothered topping it up with small amounts. Someone will try to convince us that it saves money by reducing weight. I still couldn't be bothered.

TheBody

I fill it up and drive until I've about a quarter of a tank left (which happens every three days).

_Kaiser_

Filled to the top every fortnight ... €110 or thereabouts

Down to a quarter 3 days later But that quarter usually gets me through another week (don't do much distance weekdays).

Filled again whenever the light comes on.

Alanstrainor

Usually fill up at the half way point or before to ease the pain.

power pants

just put 20e in at a time and its constantly on the red light the last 7 years

wotzgoingon

I fill up half a tank every Saturday evening. Lasts me the week. Sometimes the red warning light comes on sometimes not. I don't do much driving.

tfitzgerald

Empty. My car runs on fumes.

KERSPLAT!

Light is on more than off

Supergurrier

Tssk

Usually hovering near empty but now I have to keep it up nearer to halfway as it now chugs/cuts out if it is at less than half of the quarter tank sign..Dirty petrol at play?

wotzgoingon

Tssk wrote: »

Usually hovering near empty but now I have to keep it up nearer to halfway as it now chugs/cuts out if it is at less than half of the quarter tank sign..Dirty petrol at play?

I know an old family trick to cleaning dirty petrol. What you do is take off the fuel cap and throw a lit match down into fuel tank. Cleans all your fuel.

Bandara

Tssk wrote: »

Usually hovering near empty but now I have to keep it up nearer to halfway as it now chugs/cuts out if it is at less than half of the quarter tank sign..Dirty petrol at play?

No

Your fuel guage is just faulty

nd

Hate letting it get below half full. No real logical reason though.

ION08

I fill up to the brim once a month.

It gets me 600miles which usually lasts me 4-5 weeks :-D

Gotta love diesel economy!

I shudder when I think that i used to fill up my RX-8 every 2 to 3 days at €75 a pop (few yrs ago)

Marty McFly

I put 60 euro a week into mine and sometimes it lasts longer than a week, that will give me about two thirds of the tank full then drive until the lights comes on but always get petrol first sign of the light.

flanders2006

Fill up to the neck, reset odo, and drive till range to empty is less than 50. Normal commute passes a number of garages and one about 500 from home so not worried about running out.

I get just over 1000km from the tank so lasts almost 2 weeks depending on my training schedule.

dmc17

wotzgoingon wrote: »

I know an old family trick to cleaning dirty petrol. What you do is take off the fuel cap and throw a lit match down into fuel tank. Cleans all your fuel.

Will the dirt stay in the tank though? That's what I'd be afraid of!

pudzey101

I never leave my tank go below halfway

lollsangel

Usually somewhere between half and quarter....never ever let it drop helow a quarter...partner lets it go almost empty if hes driving and it drives me nuts

Greenmachine

Usual put about €30 in every week. I had a 300mile round trip over the weekend so I filled her up. Nearly had a fright driving down the road when I saw a needle pointing all the way to the right. For a second I though it was the engine temperature.
Normal I would drive until the light comes on or a little after. Light tends to come on when I have about 5 litres left in the tank. Put 53 litres into a 55 litre tank just before setting out friday. Only thing unusual there was how much I put in. I would often drive 20 miles or so after the light has come on.

dgt

Usually brimmed till the fuel runs down the side of the car :pac:


Ah no, I always try to keep them well topped. I failed that when I was driving the 520 though, light on every other day

Bpmull

lollsangel wrote: »

Usually somewhere between half and quarter....never ever let it drop helow a quarter...partner lets it go almost empty if hes driving and it drives me nuts

My dad does that if my mother is in the car as it annoys her when he drives around with the light on he never does it unless she's in the car. Ironically my mother doesn't buy diesel. She doesn't like how it smells or gets on her hands so she just doesn't buy it :pac: my dad has to put diesel in her car or if he's away I do it at the weekends when I'm home.

I do remember a particularly funny phone call I got of her a few months ago. She was stuck to get diesel to go somewhere. She rang to tell me she was in the petrol station and didn't know how to open the fuel door/ cover. At this stage she had the guy that worked in the petrol station out trying to open it I could only imagine how funny it would have been to be there. All she had to do was push it in its on a spring. I still laugh about it :pac:

greasepalm

you run fuel low and you take the dirt from bottom of tank with it. i try to keep out of the red.

biko

I'd drive until aprox 1/4 left, then fill with 30 euros worth, gets me up to aprox 3/4.
Occasionally brim it when I drive across the country or similar long distances.

OldMrBrennan83

This post has been deleted.

pred racer

Fill to the brim, drive till nearly empty, fill and repeat.

Chris_Heilong

Like this most of the time. 30 euro will get me a bit below half.

Mint Sauce

Usually brim it as soon as possible after the red light comes on, fill till I feel the click, then keep toping till the next litre.

Repeat about 2-3 weeks later, after about 600km.

OldMrBrennan83

This post has been deleted.

dudara

Always fill to to the OP for about €90. Will drive until first light comes on. My travel patterns vary lots so no predictable pattern, but that's usually enough for about 700km.

Zoney

Usually goes from a bit over 3/4s full to a bit under 1/4 full, petrol, fill up by anything from €60 to €75.

In general, always have enough for a 2 hr journey even if I don't get a chance to fill up (often stop the car = wake the baby!)

Have gone into the red on occasion but never seen the fuel light. Similarly occasionally have brimmed the tank if somewhere cheaper.

Cookie_Monster

I ignore it
the wife has the car for work and so takes care of the fuel

Dempsey

Fill to the brim soon after the reserve light comes on. €70-75 to fill the tank. Im recently getting 490+ miles before the light comes on. Different route to work. Usually 450 before the reserve light in less economical driving conditions. Not bad at all for a 97 Civic!!

bazz26

Just leave it drop till about 1/4 full and then brim it again.

Two reasons, first my car has a fair size fuel tank and I just have a mental dislike to spending over €100 per fill up. Secondly, I just don't like going to filling stations period.

whizbang

you run fuel low and you take the dirt from bottom of tank with it.

you always take the fuel from the bottom. can't take it from the top!

Sam Kade

I always fill up lasts about a fortnight. I see people pulling into petrol stations and putting a tenner in every time you drive in to put in a tenner you are only wasting extra fuel driving in there never mind the hassle getting petrol every day or every second day.

greasepalm

whizbang wrote: »

you always take the fuel from the bottom. can't take it from the top!

only so well i know that doing those in tank petrol pumps and strainers but with plenty say 4 gallons of fuel in bottom of tank dirt is left on the bottom the more fuel you remove dirt starts moving together and can pass through strainers:D.
ford mondeo diesel have fuel pumps that break up and the filings go into the tank through the filter and score fuel lines,ford say new tank,lines pump:eek:
now how did that start low fuel:Dmakes you think.

dgt

Patww79 wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Heh heh

Tank on my pug does about 800 miles

greasepalm

still pushing it

whizbang

well, Its a pug, so most of that is being towed.:)

dgt

Choke on my smoke :pac:

Greenmachine

Dempsey wrote: »

Fill to the brim soon after the reserve light comes on. 70-75 to fill the tank. Im recently getting 490+ miles before the light comes on. Different route to work. Usually 450 before the reserve light in less economical driving conditions. Not bad at all for a 97 Civic!!

Thats a pretty hefty tank for a civic. Would have though anywhere between 50-60 tank was typical for anything but 4x4, station wagon and maybe some larger diesel estates.

Scottie99

Usually I'm down to 2/3 bar at the end of day, then plug in.

Skatedude

Cant actually fill up the tank on my 93 740 bmw. If i do, the exhaust catches on the many, many huge speedramps i have to deal with. and the car is actually raised up from stock. So half tank at most.

1500+ for replacement exhausts over the years

jimgoose

Fifteen-gallon tank here, range of about 300 miles between the jigs-and-reels. I do brim it occasionally, but more often I put 30 or 40 euro in.

Dempsey

Greenmachine wrote: »

Thats a pretty hefty tank for a civic. Would have though anywhere between 50-60 tank was typical for anything but 4x4, station wagon and maybe some larger diesel estates.

70-75 Euros worth of petrol. The tank is 50l size afaik

Greenmachine

Dempsey wrote: »

70-75 Euros worth of petrol. The tank is 50l size afaik

Some reason I read your original post as litres. :P