How many miles after the fuel light comes on?

[niceyellow vrs]

After a "discussion" with SWMBO yesterday about not worrying when the fuel light comes on, I decided to actually find out how far the car will go before actually running out, much to her unamusement as she seems to have an uncanny fear of running out of petrol

Anyway, I managed 72.9 miles before having to pull into the conveniently placed layby.

What's the furthest you've gone with the fuel light on?

[Jim H]

When the fuel light come on, the trip counter usually says 75 miles to go. I very rarely drive with this light on and normally fill up when it does.

On my old car, it did not have a low fuel warning light and I quite regally drove when below the red line. I only ran out of fuel twice. Once was on purpose as I was changing the tank as it had a pin hole in it.

[ruku]

Mine usually says about 45 miles left, but I've done 30 miles after it's gone 0 miles before now.

[Andy tfsi]

After a "discussion" with SWMBO yesterday about not worrying when the fuel light comes on, I decided to actually find out how far the car will go before actually running out, much to her unamusement as she seems to have an uncanny fear of running out of petrol

Anyway, I managed 72.9 miles before having to pull into the conveniently placed layby.

What's the furthest you've gone with the fuel light on?

Is yours the petrol or diesel?

I always start getting my knickers in a twist when the fuel warning light comes on and get to the nearest petrol station.:eek:

[Bassa]

Extract from the facelift Octavia owners manual (page 222) :-

" Vehicles fitted with catalytic converter should never be allowed to let the fuel tank to run completely empty. An irregular supply of fuel to the engine can result in misfiring and unburnt fuel may get into the exhaust system, which may result in overheating and damage to the catalytic converter"

A few "mays" - but the warning is there!

[Andy tfsi]

Carrying on from the above thread, you'd think they would have engineered a small reserve that couldn't be drained for just this reason or a simple cut out switch once the car is down to 0.5l or something.

[sms]

done once on my car so i knew how far i could actually push it and from 0 miles to empty i did another 50 miles and only ran out luckily as i went into the petrol station forcourt (which was on a slight slope), reckon it probably had 5 more on top of that (but wouldnt want to have to use a spare can that was in the boot). Have driven from the m6/m42 all the way to the shell garage between bicester and oxford on the A34 with fuel light on and that was almost limit too with a car full of camping gear and swmbo (not saying swmbo is heavy lol) but again only because i had a fuel can in the boot and there wasnt any other shell stations from the lakes back to near me on the motorway.

Quick question when you got to the fuel light on how was your driving (hard, normal or light footed)?

[niceyellow vrs]

Is yours the petrol or diesel?

Mine's a 1.8T petrol.

Quick question when you got to the fuel light on how was your driving (hard, normal or light footed)?

Once it came on, I drove it really gently just to see how far I could go.

[jacko203]

1.4 16v, after the fuel gauge doesn't move when you turn the ignition have got at least another 15 miles out of it... when the electronic indicator runs to 0 miles of fuel left, have ~25 left.

Mind you, ran the other car out of petrol on a main trunk road into manchester the other day, so it does have its downsides! Still, adds a bit of excitement...

[Phil-E]

Coming back from Isle of Skye the fuel light came on with no petrol station on thr route so just kept going (50-70mph driving on single carriageways) and made it to fort william with just under 2 litres left in the tank and had covered about 52 miles!

I could get about 100 miles out of my old Citroen ZX 1.9D once the light had come on.

Phil

[KenONeill]

Coming back from Isle of Skye the fuel light came on with no petrol station on thr route so just kept going (50-70mph driving on single carriageways) and made it to fort william with just under 2 litres left in the tank and had covered about 52 miles!

I could get about 100 miles out of my old Citroen ZX 1.9D once the light had come on.

Phil

This is not a good time to tell you that, if you'd turned left at Invergarry, there was a filling station about 400 yards up the road, is it?

[*tim*]

I did 80 miles after the light came on the other day, no particular reason other than laziness. The trip still indicated another 10 miles before it would run out. I managed to get 44 l in without to much trouble, which isn't too bad from a 45 l tank...

[Jim H]

Didn't Jeremy Clarkson drive for several miles with the tank on empty and the trip saying 0 miles to go. He was in an Audi TDI or was it a Jag when he drove from London to Edinburgh and back on one tankful.

[yegnold]

It depends.

If you hoon it around for 50 miles and get the fuel light to come on, you'll get possibly a hundred miles from the remaining fuel.

If you drive like a granny for 50 miles, get the fuel light to come on, and then hoon it for the rest of the tank, you'ld probably be lucky to get 15 or 20 miles. Even if you drive normally after driving economically you won't get as much as you expect. The fuel gauge reads differently depending on how you've been driving for the last (x) miles, or at least that is how I understand mine to work.

[KenONeill]

Well, that's true of the "available range" mode on the trip computer. I've gone on holiday, filled up after a few miles, checked the mode, dirven 100 miles, checked it again after driving faster than I do commuting, and had more available range than I did immediately after filling up!

[Dragonrider]

This is not a good time to tell you that, if you'd turned left at Invergarry, there was a filling station about 400 yards up the road, is it?

Just to rub it in, are there not another three or is it four other petrol stations before the one at Invergarry.

Well, that's true of the "available range" mode on the trip computer. I've gone on holiday, filled up after a few miles, checked the mode, dirven 100 miles, checked it again after driving faster than I do commuting, and had more available range than I did immediately after filling up!

I love to do this in Scotland, there's to much traffic down here. My best yet.

[Wardy]

Don't think I'd have the nerve to keep driving on with 0 miles showing! Plus I'd worry I was doing some permanent damage. Best I've done is to pull into the garage with 0 miles showing - was coming back from a Malt House meet in the Fabia actually!

So to answer, the best I've done is 75-80 miles in the Fabia with the light on, probably about 50 upto now in the Octy.

Steve

[Phil-E]

This is not a good time to tell you that, if you'd turned left at Invergarry, there was a filling station about 400 yards up the road, is it?

I could have looked it up on the sat-nav probably but I kind of knew i could make it with only 50 miles to get to Fort William (and cheaper petrol!)

I have before now gone to get fuel after having the light on for a while and it's just chugged to a halt as I got onto the forecourt!

Phil

[KenONeill]

Just to rub it in, are there not another three or is it four other petrol stations before the one at Invergarry.

3 between the Skye Bridge and the foot of Glen Shiel, one at the Clunie Inn, then the one I mentioned is the only one I know of between there and the Fort (there may be one in Spean Bridge, up the Roy Bridge road, but I've never been that way).

[sms]

Didn't Jeremy Clarkson drive for several miles with the tank on empty and the trip saying 0 miles to go. He was in an Audi TDI or was it a Jag when he drove from London to Edinburgh and back on one tankful.

Yes and managed to roll up to the pump, love to see the car start again after refilling it.

[Phil-E]

Yes and managed to roll up to the pump, love to see the car start again after refilling it.

Hehe.. It was an Audi A6 4.2 TDi.

It was starting to chugg on the motorway so will have been fun!