Fuel gauge

[Bigtonyg69]

Yesterday my car a vrs was reading distance 55 miles on reserve so I put £10 in and the gauge went to about a third with a distance reading of 185 miles this morning I've gone to go out and it's back to reserve with a distance reading of 40 miles and I only drove 5 miles back from the garage ???

[giandougl]

Looks like your a bit of a spend thrift putting in £10's worth of fuel at-a-time..LOL

On board computer is only there for when you get bored and have nothing to play with..not very accurate/ reliable..

[Bigtonyg69]

Not really mate I'm going away tomorrow and won't be using the car for 2 weeks but thanks for your worthless post

[KenONeill]

Gauge seems to be FUBAR.

 

Trip computer is pretty useless over that sort of distance anyway; 5 miles in Larndarn traffic can show my car using more fuel than my 22 mile return commute on country roads.

[Bigtonyg69]

Thanks haven't really driven it yet only moved on the drive,

[seaweasel]

If it's the reading playing up, could be a couple of different causes. Mine was the sensor in the tank - integrated into the tank pump, was about £45 IIRC from an indy factor.

[KenONeill]

If it's the reading playing up, could be a couple of different causes. Mine was the sensor in the tank - integrated into the tank pump, was about £45 IIRC from an indy factor.

Sensor should show on VCDS (but possibly not on generic code readers).

[poiuytre111]

The car computer gets a reading on how much fuel is left in the tank and can only  guess how far that will get you, based on your driving style.

If I drive home gently it may say 100 miles worth of fuel left when I park up but then my wife gets in the next morning, a cold start and heavy right foot and suddenly its only 45 miles left.

[mattbvRS]

From experience the MPG readout is a bit optimistic, so the expected range can't really be relied on either.

 

I recently did a 300mile round trip down to Santa Pod. Trip computer was saying 58MPG after the journey. But worked out properly based on the fuel I put in and used it was more like 45MPG. Which I think is fair considering I wasn't hanging around lol. But goes to show how out the trip can be. I'd imagine if you were to drive very consistently and steady it would be more accurate but any sort of heavy driving or on/off traffic will likely throw it well out. 

[Bigtonyg69]

Was fine when I took it out earlier went back up to 150 and just over a quarter of a tank thanks for the replies all sorts need sorting out on it I sealed the door seals but still rear seat wells are like paddling pools and then

Passenger window mechanism failed so replaced and now the central locking on that door don't work lol think it's jinxed

[alessio92]

My Fab's fuel gauge is a bit erratic as well tbh. £10 from the bottom puts the needle at halfway, but a full tank (from the reserve tank) is £40...

[VWD]

The car computer gets a reading on how much fuel is left in the tank and can only  guess how far that will get you, based on your driving style.

If I drive home gently it may say 100 miles worth of fuel left when I park up but then my wife gets in the next morning, a cold start and heavy right foot and suddenly its only 45 miles left.

i've had the same. My suggestion is never to believe anything the car computer says on miles once it's in the warning zone. NO-try this- computer says 45 miles. Go sit in car with engine running, waiting for Mrs to shop. Switch off and suddenly computer says 50/60 miles left.

[Alexandru]

My 1.4 mpi does the same, so it's more a rough guide instead of an accurate measurement of how much fuel is left in the tank. The very last time, my trip computer was showing me somewhere about 35km left (so about 3-4litres of petrol left). I've partially filled with 15 litres, after 3 days and about 30-50km later, my fuel gauge was nearly centered and VCDS was reading 19 litres of petrol in the tank. OBC was showing about 200km range. I got used to this though. Maybe it could be calibrated somehow.

[stuart vrs]

If you can work out using litres, usually with fuel light on I can brim fill 50 litres I then drive it then when light comes on again do the same thing divide miles by fuel put in, so 500 miles divide by 50 litres is 10 mutiply by 4.5 which is litres in a gallon gives you 45 miles per gallon that's how I work mine out. Trip computers can give false readings. Short journeys sticking at 40mph gave me once just under 100 mpg on the trip computer.

[Alexandru]

I will try this next time I will have it refilled (not brimmed):

 

1. Select ADAPTATION (-10-) on the main screen of the Instrument Cluster control module.

2. In the CHANNEL box, enter 30 and then click on READ. This will display the stored value for the fuel gauge calibration and normally should be 128. You may enter a value from 120 to 136. Each number corresponds to a 1 ohm adjustment of the fuel level sender output and corresponds to 1/4 of a liter. You can use the UP and DOWN buttons to adjust the number while you watch the gauge needle move. If you're doing it the proper way, then adjust the needle until it lines up perfectly with the red mark on the gauge. If you're doing it a different way, like I did, then adjust the needle until it sits where you want it to.

3. Click on SAVE. The new setting is now being used.

[giandougl]

Not really mate I'm going away tomorrow and won't be using the car for 2 weeks but thanks for your worthless post

Hence £10 fuel top-up's..LOL