[Travel] When do you top up the fuel in your car?

[Badger Boy]

I got into a discussion with a friend early today about when to top up the fuel in the car. I tend to run mine pretty much to empty but he never lets it get below a quater tank. Interested to know the consensus.

 

[maltaseagull]

Defintly kwater tank

 

[Weststander]

When the light comes on.

So stupidly caught a cropper by running out, no one near a service station, twice in recent years.

 

[Brian Parsons]

Several things to consider, never leave it for the low fuel warning to light up, in this scenario it is possible for dregs that lie in the bottom of your tank to be drawn into the line to your injectors, hopefully the fuel filter should catch it. Also filling a tank to its capacity because it is possible to be picky here, full tank equals extra weight, petrol or diesel are relatively heavy therefore requiring more effort from engine equaling more fuel being used. I worked in motorsport for many years and I've learnt from that keeping the tank between 3/4 - 1/4 full still got a good distance range and reasonable economy motoring.

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[Eeyore]

I've only had to fill it up once this year. I'd almost forgotten what you had to do.

 

[Cian]

Because the ethanol/organic content in petrol these days 'goes off' over a while, and I'm rarely using the car, I'll go a bit after the light comes up and put in about half a tank. Full tank could take a month or more to get used.

I'm still occasionally driving to work; if I was just using it for shopping I'd probably put a fiver in a week at most to try keep whats in there vaguely fresh.

 

[Justice]

Every friggin day at the moment, still can’t complain.

 

[AmexRuislip]

When the light comes on

 

[Cheshire Cat]

When it gets to about half empty.

I don't trust the supply chain these days, dating right back to the fuel tanker strike twenty years ago.

I also reserve the right to be paranoid.

 

[BN41Albion]

Always panic when the gauge says about 30miles left then suddenly dashes appear. Generally fill up soon after the light comes on

 

[BN9 BHA]

Usually a quarter of a tank or just under, I never wait until the light comes on.

 

[Si Gull]

Quarter full, normally. Don't like the idea of letting the tank get too low in case it starts sucking up the shite from the bottom....is that a thing or just urban myth?

 

[Perkino]

The light comes on with around 40 miles left and my journey to work is about 35 miles round trip. When the light comes on I fill up on my way home, always at the same petrol station.

The only exception is when I've a long journey to do and I just fill it up

 

[maltaseagull]

When it gets to about half empty.

I don't trust the supply chain these days, dating right back to the fuel tanker strike twenty years ago.

I also reserve the right to be paranoid.

We are watching you.

 

[A mex eyecan]

trouble with getting it too low is all the rubbish in bottom of tank ballsing up the engine.

Mate of mine is a mechanic and had a car in the other day with just that problem. When owner arrived to collect the car and asked him what the problem was he answered ‘shit in the injectors’ to which the customer replied, ‘ oh okay, how often do i have to do that?’

 

[Brian Parsons]

Quarter full, normally. Don't like the idea of letting the tank get too low in case it starts sucking up the shite from the bottom....is that a thing or just urban myth?

Its not a myth, the fuel maybe better refined but the sediment is usually from the tank itself. It used to be rust now its the synthetic lining on the inside of tank that starts to slowly degrade and form a fine sludge. Still this thread will be redundant in twenty years when every car will be electric, ha ha ha ha ha .

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[Cian]

Quarter full, normally. Don't like the idea of letting the tank get too low in case it starts sucking up the shite from the bottom....is that a thing or just urban myth?

Fuel filter should prevent that being an issue. There is of course the constant problem with "should"s.

 

[Coldeanseagull]

As I drive a fossil fuel guzzling, ancient smoke box, I lumber up to a pay at the pump every couple of weeks...or ten days maybe.
There's another thread to start a poll on, supermarket fuels

 

[studio150]

Still this thread will be redundant in twenty years when every car will be electric, ha ha ha ha ha .

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No, the thread will still be going, but it will be when do you recharge your car, with options of 1) whenever I get home 2) whenever I get to where I'm going, 3) whenever the car shouts at me to plug in

 

[WATFORD zero]

It's worth remembering if you have a car that doesn't get run out that often (I have one that only gets used in the summer), petrol starts going off after about three to four weeks

But the others, normally somewhere between quarter tank and warning light.