Full tank vs first click

[Archer]

So filling up at 4am on a winters day vs 4pm gets you 1L free, nothing to laugh about

Except for the little fact that the pumps have temperature compensation built in... Did you really think the corporations were happy to give away free fuel depending on the weather?

 

[stroller]

Except for the little fact that the pumps have temperature compensation built in... Did you really think the corporations were happy to give away free fuel depending on the weather?

Source ?
And reference to process please.

 

[ScottulusMaximus]

Except for the little fact that the pumps have temperature compensation built in... Did you really think the corporations were happy to give away free fuel depending on the weather?

They most certainly do not give free fuel, most likely calibrated when it's cold so they're shafting you when it's warmer...

 

[thestaggy]

How is it cheaper? You still have to travel the same amount of kilometres every month regardless of how you fill up so you'll use the exact same amount of petrol overall.

Not to mention you might be losing money by making unnecessary trips to the fuel station that would be negated otherwise.

Also how is the pump being affected at all based on the level of the thank, disregarding it going completely bare bones empty of course. If anything a fuller tank should make the pump work less...because gravity and more pressure due to volume.

The pump is not going to be any less primed at quarter full vs "empty" (as in the engine still runs fine, not bone dry empty)

And you do realise you use the same amount of fuel right? It may be cheaper to fill from quarter to full, but you still using the same overall amount, you're not saving anything.

45 liter tank. At current prices running it to empty will cost anywhere from R600 - R620 to fill up and I would top up every 3 weeks by my calculations.

Rough calculations here;

48 weeks in the year.

If I fill up every 3 weeks it equates to 16 trips to the pump at R600 a trip. 16 x R600 = R9600 a year.

If I fill up every 2nd week that is 24 trips to the pump at R350 a trip. 24 x R350 = R8400 a year.

That is a pretty decent saving if you ask me. My station of choice is also 1.4 km down the road and I often kill two birds with one stone by filling up and getting my car washed at the same time, so I am not making unnecessary trips to the pump.

The fuel acts as the pump's coolant. Running it until your red light comes on may be depriving your pump of an efficient amount of coolant. One wouldn't let their water reservoir drop below minimum for obvious reasons. Also, your fuel tank will build up sediment over time and running low increases the amount of nonsense that is sucked through the fuel line, affecting the lifespan and efficiency of your pump, filter and injectors, which have the knock-on effect of increasing your fuel consumption.

 

[Sinbad]

45 liter tank. At current prices running it to empty will cost anywhere from R600 - R620 to fill up and I would top up every 3 weeks by my calculations, which means I'll have to fill up three times every 2 months, which equates to R1800 - R1900.

When I top up it is on average 25 liters every second week (R350 a pop), which means in the same two month period I am spending R1300 - R1400 on petrol.

The fuel acts as the pump's coolant. Running it until your red light comes on may be depriving your tank of an efficient amount of coolant. Also, your fuel tank will build up sediment over time and running low increases the amount of nonsense that is sucked through the fuel line, affecting the lifespan and efficiency of your pump, filter and injectors.

Your calculations are a quirk of maths.

You say when you fill up 25l, it's every two weeks, or 12.5l/week
You say if you fill up 45 litres, it would be every three weeks, or 15l/week

Bollocks.

 

[Archer]

Your calculations are a quirk of maths.

You say when you fill up 25l, it's every two weeks, or 12.5l/week
You say if you fill up 45 litres, it would be every three weeks, or 15l/week

Bollocks.

Aw come on Sinbad, you are forgetting, he probably has a TurboFlo installed which we all know gives better economy if 1) you fill up with half a tank left and 2) are really bad at maths

 

[Sinbad]

Aw come on Sinbad, you are forgetting, he probably has a TurboFlo installed which we all know gives better economy if 1) you fill up with half a tank left and 2) are really bad at maths

A turboflo AND a magsaver... it's a miracle his car doesn't actually PRODUCE fuel while he drives it

 

[Rouxenator]

I always drive until the tank is almost completely empty, the fuel light will flash, the range will show 0 km remaining and only then do I fill up. Did it for 200,000+km in my last car without any problems. Fuel filter was only changed when the car was serviced.

 

[thestaggy]

Your calculations are a quirk of maths.

You say when you fill up 25l, it's every two weeks, or 12.5l/week
You say if you fill up 45 litres, it would be every three weeks, or 15l/week

Bollocks.

45 litres will not last 4 weeks. I know, I've tried. At best I'll push it to halfway through the third week. Best case scenario I will spend the same amount over the same period.

But we get back to the point that I won't run my car in to the red, not even to the red line, so it is highly unlikely that I stretch it much beyond 3-weeks as I will never put 45 litres + in to my car. I will always fill up before then. You see 45/3 = 15, I see more ~40/3 = 13.some change.

My current ''routine'' of filling up every second Saturday/Sunday also has the benefits of providing me with a relatively structured budget. I know I will spend no more than R700 on petrol for the upcoming month. Filling up every 3.5 weeks means my budget fluctuates from month to month, as one month will necessitate one trip to the pumps while the other will see me do two.

No need for the sarcasm either.

 

[Rouxenator]

What does cause fuel filters to get dirty is if the car stands for prolonged periods of time. I recall a not-so-pleasant weekend back in my student years trying to clean the fuel tank on an E36 that stood for 3 years and the fuel filter clogged up all the time. My current car stands for up to two weeks at a time and I have not noticed any fuel filter problems. I fill it bimonthly.

 

[Sinbad]

No, what causes them to get dirty is dirty fuel.

 

[SauRoNZA]

45 liter tank. At current prices running it to empty will cost anywhere from R600 - R620 to fill up and I would top up every 3 weeks by my calculations.

Rough calculations here;

48 weeks in the year.

If I fill up every 3 weeks it equates to 16 trips to the pump at R600 a trip. 16 x R600 = R9600 a year.

If I fill up every 2nd week that is 24 trips to the pump at R350 a trip. 24 x R350 = R8400 a year.

That is a pretty decent saving if you ask me. My station of choice is also 1.4 km down the road and I often kill two birds with one stone by filling up and getting my car washed at the same time, so I am not making unnecessary trips to the pump.

The fuel acts as the pump's coolant. Running it until your red light comes on may be depriving your pump of an efficient amount of coolant. One wouldn't let their water reservoir drop below minimum for obvious reasons. Also, your fuel tank will build up sediment over time and running low increases the amount of nonsense that is sucked through the fuel line, affecting the lifespan and efficiency of your pump, filter and injectors, which have the knock-on effect of increasing your fuel consumption.

Your logic and maths are completely and utterly broken.

A car doesn't use fuel based on time...it uses it based on driving. Litres per kilometre.

45 litres will always get you more than if you car remains in the same condition and your driving style remains the same.


As for the fuel pump it's fitted "below" the fuel level in just about every modern car and requires maybe 1 litre to stay submerged. So as long as you don't drive it completely dry this logic doesn't work either.

I've done hundreds of thousands of kilometres between cars and motorcycles and I've never had a fuel pump failure...and I drive it well into the red light more often than not.

The only thing that should matter to you is your l/100km driven. Anything else is a mind trick.

Sediment is a reasonable thing to worry about...but again this will always be sitting at hte bottom of your tank regardless of how full it is. So unless you run it dry completely this shouldn't make any difference between a low and full level. In fact the way you drive with the tank never completely full this risk actually increases for you. But it's ultimately an inconsequential paper value. You have filters in the middle and regular maintenance for good reason.

Do yourself a favour and start using Fuelly.com so that you can have some real statistics instead of your broken math.

 

[LCBXX]

Use common sense:
If it is a cool morning or day and you are filling up with the intention to let your car stand warm up with the day after driving only 5km, filling it to the brim will result in the fuel expanding and leaking out the overflow or nozzle cap. Auto-stop is the way to go here.

If you intend on driving a long distance right after filling up, filling it to the brim is fine.

9/10 times I filled my 9N Polo to the brim, with venting, and it took almost 55L on a 45L tank. Using common sense as described above, I never had leaks or spillover. With the Civic it doesn't matter what I do - I have never been able to get more than 47L into its 50L tank.

 

[_kabal_]

My tanks capacity is stated as 60 liters. Empty, filling to first click is 60 liters. Who I am to argue with German engineering.

 

[HavocXphere]

All the way. I find the autostop to be unreliable. I usually know +- 3 liters how much is needed for a full tank and the auto stop is just all over the place.

 

[thehuman]

All the way. I find the autostop to be unreliable. I usually know +- 3 liters how much is needed for a full tank and the auto stop is just all over the place.

Most cars will have a vent on top of tank leading to filler hose.
If this hose is small in diameter or blocked air will escape slower than the rate pump is filling car .
This will lead to underfill on first click.

 

[phoneJunky]

And then explain that's "first click"?

This morning I said fill up to automatic stop and the attendant filled it till first click and then proceeded to manually fill it to the brim. Made me think of this comment, should just have said first click.

 

[Dave]

This morning I said fill up to automatic stop and the attendant filled it till first click and then proceeded to manually fill it to the brim.

You can't help stupid, I suppose, even if you said first click he might still have squeezed as much extra in as he could.

 

[Colin62]

You can't help stupid, I suppose, even if you said first click he might still have squeezed as much extra in as he could.

Sometimes I wonder if they get commission based on the volume they pump. Then I realise that if they did, they'd fill till the first click and hustle you out of there to get started on the next one, cos that last litre or two takes ages.

 

[KingMikel]

What does cause fuel filters to get dirty is if the car stands for prolonged periods of time. I recall a not-so-pleasant weekend back in my student years trying to clean the fuel tank on an E36 that stood for 3 years and the fuel filter clogged up all the time. My current car stands for up to two weeks at a time and I have not noticed any fuel filter problems. I fill it bimonthly.

Which tank did you clean? Main or reserve?

This impacts the outcome you recieved.