Fuel warning light and tank capacity

[Uriel]

Just wondering how much fuel people put in if they brim once their fuel light comes on?

I know it's supposedly about a 55 litre tank but my Octavia 1.9 SLX TDi seems to only take about 40ish litres if I fill up as soon as the light comes on. I would have expected it to appear with 7l left so around 48l.

Once brimmed the fuel gauge starts to drop immediately, where as with my old Fabia it would take a while for the needle to start moving. Am I right in thinking the gauge can be recalibrated using VCDS?

[mbames]

Just wondering how much fuel people put in if they brim once their fuel light comes on?

I know it's supposedly about a 55 litre tank but my Octavia 1.9 SLX TDi seems to only take about 40ish litres if I fill up as soon as the light comes on. I would have expected it to appear with 7l left so around 48l.

Once brimmed the fuel gauge starts to drop immediately, where as with my old Fabia it would take a while for the needle to start moving. Am I right in thinking the gauge can be recalibrated using VCDS?

Apparently someone recalibrated their fuel gauge and then ran out of fuel of a couple of times afterwards

When you fill the car, do you stop the first time the pump clicks off, or do you keep going in small amouunts (that enables an extra couple of litres of fitted in. Plus there is this expansion tank thing (not quite sure how that works - have heard there is a button to press somewhere down the filler hole to press....

[SP-1]

I often wonder this. I've got an Octavia vRS, and 99% of my driving is in urban areas.

I've seen people on here who get 400 miles on a tank. If I drive like I'm driving Miss Daisy, I can get 300 miles per tank.

I stop to fill up at the first oportunity, when the fuel light is on. If I squeeze all I can into a tank I can get 45 litres. That's brim full. The computer says I average exactly 30mpg.

Is that normal??

[Interphase]

Almost exactly like mine, but mine reports a lower average. I assumed the light came on at 10 litres left in the tank, but was never brave enough to test it

[2SkodaFamily]

My fuel light comes on when I've got an indicated 50-60 miles left in the tank. Considering I average 55-60mpg, that would suggest the light comes on when I've got about a gallon (4.5l) left.

That said, I've been past the "0 miles left" a couple of times! On those occasions I still could only get 52l or so in.

[KenONeill]

Uriel, that sounds a lot like mine. I fill up about when the low fuel light comes on, so I think about 5 or 6l left.

I'm sure you can theoretically squeeze more than the 40ish l I normally fill with in by trickling and/or filling the expansion space, but I typically fill up about 6 miles from home on my way home, and leave the car overnight, to find it reading 3 to 6l more in the morning than it did when left the previous evening.

[DBP]

I have a octy vrs mk1 and I normally put 40 litres in but I have gotten 50 in there before. As for the fuel light it comes on at 20 miles and I have driven it to zero to go and it kept going till I managed to get to the petrol station. Didn't even missfire!

[Volvomeg]

The fuel gauges are calibrated with a reserve, you carnt totally empty a tank, the sender unit wouldn't be able to do it, plus they do it for people like me that run it to 0 miles to empty so we dont run out