hi, there's a few historic threads on this but my issue seems slightly different. Fuel gauge appeared to work fine ( for 10k miles) until I was topping up the tank in Folkestone before setting off on a drive to south France.Gauge was showing full and it stayed that way for over 200 miles. The range kept showing between 490 and 515 miles. Prior to this, the gauge had always moved down roughly in line with how I'd expect it to and the range had done the same. Each time I filled up in France the gauge showed full for at least 200 miles. Back in the UK it's still doing it; in fact today, filled the tank and drove home from Dundee, which is about 105 miles; gauge still shows full.Took car back to dealer last week.They said (as usual!) couldn't find anything on computer. They suggested that if the problem continued the only thing they could do was to have one of their staff use my car and drive it to and from work. Now, maybe it's just me, but not overly keen on 'someone' driving my car and parking it 'who knows where' so that they can see what I've already told them, ie the gauge is showing full for too long. Anyone else had any similar issues with gauge where it's worked fine then started 'acting it'? If so what did your dealer do? Maybe I'm being a bit over critical of the dealer, but my only other experience of this type of issue was with wife's Fiat 500. Similar thing; gauge not dropping properly. The Fiat dealership also said they couldn't find a fault but they replaced the sender because they didn't want my wife 'to have to worry'. Skoda dealerships came 3rd in the recent Auto Express survey; Fiat came last.

Edited 26 August, 201213 yr by Bishopton

I have the vRS, but mine fuel gauge has always done that, when you fill to the top, it stays on ful for hundreds of miles, then drops like a stone!

sharkrider, did you ask dealer about it?

nope just assume its normal. my fiat was opposite, went down like a shot from the top, and then stabilised.

at work we have skoda RRV's and fiat amulances, and they are ALL the same, the skoda fuel gauge doesn't move when full then drops, the fiats move loads then stabilise..

doesn't worry me to be honest.

think its just to do with the shape of a fuel tank, and where the manufacturers put the sensor..

Edited 26 August, 201213 yr by sharkrider

thing that bothers me is that it was fine for the first 10k miles? Suggests that something has changed. I probably wouldn't bother too much if it had always done it.

ah right... must have just "scanned" your post lol...

mine has always done that ... could be different system in the vRS though ?

Edited 26 August, 201213 yr by sharkrider

My dads non maxidot Fabia (with the LCD gauge) which I am currently using is the same, you go for miles before the first segment goes out and then drops very quickly. I got caught out driving it on the M25, when the last quarter disappeared far faster than anticipated along with the range on the computer. Went from 45 miles to 15 remaining in less than 5 miles, and was on the last segment.

Sounds odd the gauge not moving at all for the first 200 miles. How many miles are you getting per tank?

Sounds like you have an obsession with something that's normal, my Fabia is similar. When filling it to do a long run I make sure its full by click click click at the petrol station. Then get aprox 45mpg, so given the width of the float on the sender and the fact it's full halfway up the filler neck don't expect it to move for about 100 miles at least as the float will be held to the top of the tank. I'm guessing your getting over 60mpg on a longer run so wouldn't expect it to move for 150 at least if you fill it as full as you can.

How deep do you think 9 litres of fuel are spread over the width of the tank? The height of the float is probably 1.5cm so your 9 litres would have to drop that far before the gauge moves so if you have a couple of litres up the filler neck is very possible your gauge is working perfectly. Given the size of the tank in the owners manual have you ever compared it to how much you put in? I often get an extra 5 litres in and obviously with whatever's still in the tank means probably 8 litres fuller than its specified as holding.

The computer can only estimate on the gauge and full is full so until the float moves can't tell you otherwise. I'm also sure the garage didn't just fob you off as you seem to be saying? Maybe they did but I doubt it

Mine will stick at full for about 40 miles if I wedge the tank. By about 100 miles it is getting close to 3/4 and 200 1/2. After 1/4 it tends to drop quickly but relatively linear till then.

My vrs does the same, but my last 2cars have done this & fwiw the previous two weren't VAG models

I know this is a different engine, but my 1.6TDI doesn't move for around 120 miles. It only shows a quarter of a tank gone when I've done 250 miles, and there is no way I'm doing 1000 miles a tank

Sounds odd the gauge not moving at all for the first 200 miles. How many miles are you getting per tank?

usually about 450ish; tend to average around 50 on a run

Mine stays full for at least 140 miles before first lcd light goes out. (Tank full to click) i think there is a good gallon or more in the filler neck and expansion tank

Sounds like you have an obsession with something that's normal, my Fabia is similar. When filling it to do a long run I make sure its full by click click click at the petrol station. Then get aprox 45mpg, so given the width of the float on the sender and the fact it's full halfway up the filler neck don't expect it to move for about 100 miles at least as the float will be held to the top of the tank. I'm guessing your getting over 60mpg on a longer run so wouldn't expect it to move for 150 at least if you fill it as full as you can.

How deep do you think 9 litres of fuel are spread over the width of the tank? The height of the float is probably 1.5cm so your 9 litres would have to drop that far before the gauge moves so if you have a couple of litres up the filler neck is very possible your gauge is working perfectly. Given the size of the tank in the owners manual have you ever compared it to how much you put in? I often get an extra 5 litres in and obviously with whatever's still in the tank means probably 8 litres fuller than its specified as holding.

The computer can only estimate on the gauge and full is full so until the float moves can't tell you otherwise. I'm also sure the garage didn't just fob you off as you seem to be saying? Maybe they did but I doubt it

I do suffer from a bit of OCD, it's true, but for the first 10k miles the gauge acted, what I'd call, 'normally', ie dropped gradually so that after about 100miles it would show about 3/4 full.

usually about 450ish; tend to average around 50 on a run

Sounds like there is no major issue then which is good. I suspect you are filling the filler pipe above the tank right up which is why it doesn't move for ages

Mine won't move for approx 50miles, gets to 3/4 empty at 200 but will do another 100+ before going to the red.

My vrs analogue gauge stays full for 100+ miles before starts to go down. That's if it's full to the brim on the petrol pump click :-)

Edited 27 August, 201213 yr by Wilko251088

This is normal on most cars, and most definitely on all Skoda cars.

Yeah very normal this for a skoda well the fabias anyway both mine did this, the superb was not so tho

Never look at the fuel gauge, only the Range setting on the MaxiDot...saves the guessing!

+1 for normal - If I brim my vRS, and I mean really brim it so that the fuel appears right up at the filler neck then I can drive for around 150 miles before the gauge starts to drop.

-Will

vrs mk2 with maxidot - Tank stays on full for at least 40 miles before falling. I know my mpg is good when I get to 200 miles at the half way mark, heh.

I always played petrol light bingo with my last car. Because I had it for 6 years and and did 100,000 miles in it, I knew how far I could go on a tank, despite the display telling me I have nothing left. Even now in the vrs, range will say 0, I can do 10-20 miles after that, fill up but still I cannot put in a full 45l tank ...

With 10 miles left, I've managed 45 litres...

The LCD guage on the Monte (non-maxi dot, std MFD) is tapered. Soooo the first 1/8 increment takes about 100 miles to disappear. The next 80. As I learnt yesterday, the last two (with fuel light on) only last 40 miles or so.

Yes, it is two 1/8th increments, but not 1/4 of a tank of fuel left.

I don't know about Maxi-dot, but perhaps it does the same - any change to driving style since passing 10k? You mentioned the holiday in S France - presumably driving from full tank to empty, so you would get better economy and notice the foible. YOu did some long journeys since returning, so it is behaving the same.