Ran out of gas...again
#1
Ran out of gas...again
First i want to say that my first mini (07 MCS) i once drove it until there were no lights on. Empty circle when i pulled into the gas station and the car said i could go 2 more miles...It took 14 gallans to fill.
So now my new 09 MCS that i got in may: About a month after i got it the gas gauge was at 2 ticks on my way to work, but by the time i got to work it was just one light. No big deal i will get gas on the way home first thing. The runs out of gas 2 miles from work (1/2 mile from gas station) w/ 30+ miles to empy on OBC. Wierd but i figured the car was new and still figuring out "Miles to empty".
Now today. I had my mom's car yesterday and today so we needed to switch. They met me at work and gave me a $20 to fill up cause they didn't do it for me. They said i have 3 lights left. More than enough for me to get home 22miles from work. So i leave work a few hours later 3 ticks on the dash. By the time i get on the high way (3 miles) i am down to two ticks. about 2 miles later in stop and go traffic i run out of gas in the middle lane. It was horribly embarrassing. State tropper had to push me off to the side of the road. OBC still said i could drive 32 miles! But once AAA (MINI Roadside won't cover limited access roads like the Garden State Parkway) got me to a gas station the car tool 14.2 gallons!!!
Now i am thinking something might actually be wrong with the way my car is reading the tank.
Thoughts?
-Will
So now my new 09 MCS that i got in may: About a month after i got it the gas gauge was at 2 ticks on my way to work, but by the time i got to work it was just one light. No big deal i will get gas on the way home first thing. The runs out of gas 2 miles from work (1/2 mile from gas station) w/ 30+ miles to empy on OBC. Wierd but i figured the car was new and still figuring out "Miles to empty".
Now today. I had my mom's car yesterday and today so we needed to switch. They met me at work and gave me a $20 to fill up cause they didn't do it for me. They said i have 3 lights left. More than enough for me to get home 22miles from work. So i leave work a few hours later 3 ticks on the dash. By the time i get on the high way (3 miles) i am down to two ticks. about 2 miles later in stop and go traffic i run out of gas in the middle lane. It was horribly embarrassing. State tropper had to push me off to the side of the road. OBC still said i could drive 32 miles! But once AAA (MINI Roadside won't cover limited access roads like the Garden State Parkway) got me to a gas station the car tool 14.2 gallons!!!
Now i am thinking something might actually be wrong with the way my car is reading the tank.
Thoughts?
-Will
#4
It is a little wierd I guess, but then again I saw an episode of Top Gear once where they had a Toyota Prius driven hard around a track and got the same gas milage as a BMW M3 that simply had to keep up to it.
Your OBC is saying 30 miles, if you drive it hard it could easily go down to 10.
Those things are meant as guides not indicators to rely on - if it says 30 miles, I wouldn't take the risk of going somewhere that's 20 miles away.
Your OBC is saying 30 miles, if you drive it hard it could easily go down to 10.
Those things are meant as guides not indicators to rely on - if it says 30 miles, I wouldn't take the risk of going somewhere that's 20 miles away.
#5
#6
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Daytona Beach, Florida
Posts: 1,390
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes
on
2 Posts
????????????? Why?????
Why do you wait until the gas runs dry to fill up your tank? I have never seen any perfect gas gage and I have owned a lot of cars & Motorcycles. I can slightly see you running out the first time but the second time is not really justified because you already knew your gas gage was off a little.
Ronnie948
Ronnie948
#7
4th Gear
iTrader: (3)
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Long Island, New York
Posts: 592
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Trending Topics
#8
I've driven mine a few times below "0 miles to go" on the OBC... actually just dashed lines. However, I know my average mpg and tank capacity, so I'm not too worried when it gets down that low. The only reason I do this is, occasionally, I am very low Thursday night and the station I buy gas at has Premium for the same price as Plus on Friday. Saves me $1.30 when I fill up.
#9
3 ticks should never = 30 miles, 3 ticks is a quarter of a tank. I usually have at least 50 miles to go on the last tick. I'd say there's a glitch somewhere.
But when it says 30 miles to empty, that means hurry the **** up and get to a gas station. If you push it all it could go from 30 miles to 15 miles in no time.
But when it says 30 miles to empty, that means hurry the **** up and get to a gas station. If you push it all it could go from 30 miles to 15 miles in no time.
#10
#11
#12
#13
Mine is right one when it's nearing empty. I made a trip to the Jersey shore on Tuesday, I'm actually there right now. I left CT and filled at the first rest stop on the GSP(Garden State Parkway) it said 510 miles till empty. It went up 2 miles to 512 once I started driving and the lights have not gone out yet. i have driven about 130 miles since i filled. Sweet....
#14
Don't you pass any Gas Stations on the way to work or on the way home?? C'mon they are EVERYWHERE...just STOP and put some gas in the tank. Don't rely on your car which is a mechanical machine and has no brain. I would have thought you'd have learned your lesson the first time!!
#15
4th Gear
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: RI
Posts: 348
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Its possible that the suction tube is higher off the bottom of the tank in your car or maybe has a slight leak. Now that you know that the gauge can't be trusted use the trip meter and fill up at a known safe interval (maybe 300 miles?) until you can get it into the shop. I've been burnt by inaccurate and broken gas gauges a couple of times.
#16
My gas gage and miles to empty seem to track accurately. I will usually fill up when I have about 80 miles or so to go and that usually coincides with 2 lights on.
For those that are having issues with accuracy of the lights, etc would it not be a good idea to also be estimating what you have left in the tank by the trip meter reading. If above 330 miles...about ready to fill up.
For those that are having issues with accuracy of the lights, etc would it not be a good idea to also be estimating what you have left in the tank by the trip meter reading. If above 330 miles...about ready to fill up.
#17
The once constant between my 07 and my 09 is that one take of gas would equal 400 miles. Sure enough my trip odometer was at 405 last night when i emptied out. But i don't think i should have to be using the trip odometer to know when i am out of gas. the gas meter should be somewhat accurate. 3 ticks should get me 30 to 40 miles.
#18
#19
#20
#23
I don't really think you should ever rely completely on your gas gauge. It can change drastically in any driving situation.
But, with your recent engine start problems, maybe something's wrong with your car? I know you got that fixed but maybe there are just more weird problems to come.
Good luck.
But, with your recent engine start problems, maybe something's wrong with your car? I know you got that fixed but maybe there are just more weird problems to come.
Good luck.
#24
I've noticed the gas gauge "clicks" are not proportional.. i can travel 120miles from Full to 'one click off" Full driving normal at constant 70mph. And the 2nd click might get me another 60 miles or so. At one point, i refilled the tank will "2" clicks off of FULL and it took almost 6 gallons... this is about right b/c the car is getting approx 30 MPG.
So if u do the math: first 2 clicks good for 180 miles (approx. 6 gallons).
The remaining 8 clicks is ~ 220-240 miles (approx. 8 gallons).
That's assuming you don't drive it hard or do hard accelerations, or get stuck in traffic etc...
I always fill up the gas at 5 clicks from empty just to be safe. C'mon, you might save a couple of dollars, but is it worth the embarrasement of getting stuck on the road blocking traffic? or waste a few hours of your time (not to mention everybody's else's time) to save a buck or two (literally). ?!?!
I know we live in a ProcrastiNATION, but seriously... look at ther risk and reward. Running your tank dry can't be good for your car either... you may or may not disagree, but i will never do that to my JCW. If i did, then i should go and drive a car that i don't care... like a $500 dollar clunker LOL
So if u do the math: first 2 clicks good for 180 miles (approx. 6 gallons).
The remaining 8 clicks is ~ 220-240 miles (approx. 8 gallons).
That's assuming you don't drive it hard or do hard accelerations, or get stuck in traffic etc...
I always fill up the gas at 5 clicks from empty just to be safe. C'mon, you might save a couple of dollars, but is it worth the embarrasement of getting stuck on the road blocking traffic? or waste a few hours of your time (not to mention everybody's else's time) to save a buck or two (literally). ?!?!
I know we live in a ProcrastiNATION, but seriously... look at ther risk and reward. Running your tank dry can't be good for your car either... you may or may not disagree, but i will never do that to my JCW. If i did, then i should go and drive a car that i don't care... like a $500 dollar clunker LOL
#25
Here is what I do to get an accurate estimate of how much gas is left in the tank: Every time I fill up, I reset my trip odometer and the MPG number given by the car's computer. I found out that the MPG number calculated by the computer is usually 1 MPG optimistic. To estimate how many gallons I have used at any time, I subtract 1 from the MPG number given by the car's computer and then divide the number of miles shown on the trip odometer by this number. Then, assuming 14 gallons for a full tank, I subtract that number from 14 to see how many gallons are left in the tank. It's simple math and works for me.