Is there a trick to filling up with diesel?

[Taxi_G]

Guys, only just got my superb last week, I feel the needle moves to fast suggesting I haven't filled it properly, example, I've done 35 miles since filling up and I've used about 1.5 bars of fuel. What I did notice when I filled up was it clicked, I let it settle, it clicked again and a third time, each time I think I managed to get £5 each click in.

Coming from an Octavia, I knew exactly how much fuel I used based on looking at the needle.

I'm calculating that the superb is running at 0.10p per mile which is fantastic, £20 yesterday and I done 200 miles.

G

[thedealsealer]

the clicking means not enough air the in the system, you need to slightly take the nozzle out whilst filling and the clicking goes away

[Danny 57]

Once you do "learn" the knack of filling it up you will get between 60-110 miles before the needle move off from full.

[philbes]

You seriously think that you can accurately measure fuel consumption by relatively small movements of the fuel gauge!

[Taxi_G]

You seriously think that you can accurately measure fuel consumption by relatively small movements of the fuel gauge!

When you fill up 6/7 days a week, you get a rough idea of where your sitting. So yes is the answer to that.

G

[Taxi_G]

Once you do "learn" the knack of filling it up you will get between 60-110 miles before the needle move off from full.

This is how the Octavia was. I've just done a journey from Glasgow Central to Carlisle Central station, now done 234 miles and I'm sitting slightly above 1/2 of a tank. I'd place bets on that taking £22/25 quid to fill to the top, or at least where it was this morning

G

Edited 26 January, 2016 by Taxi_G

[psycholist]

The fuel gauge on my Superb and the Octavia before it both seem to indicate what the car wants you to think is in the tank rather than the fuel level in the tank. In the Octavia particularly the fuel level would increase if I began driving economically after a a spell of hard driving, though it's not as obvious in the Superb. Even allowing for the needle not moving for the first 100 km after a fill, the needle certainly looks to move quite a bit faster in the lower half of the gauge. Since the car calculates the range left, it must have a figure in litres for what's in the tank in memory somewhere - it would be nice to have this on the display.

[lichfielddriver]

whats wrong with using the needle as only a rough guide and waiting 500 miles to refill?

 

over 100 fills it evens out

[Taxi_G]

whats wrong with using the needle as only a rough guide and waiting 500 miles to refill?

over 100 fills it evens out

Would be easier however due to the nature of my contract work I need to run on full tanks, nothing more unprofessional than having to stop for fuel before or during a journey!

G

[dstev2000]

The filler neck design on the Superb has aways been crap. I always have issues with the nozzle's overfill protection being triggered. Pulling the filler nozzle out slightly and having it at a more horizontal angle seems to help. 

 

I think pump number 2 at my local BP actually hates me 

 

The fuel tank is an irregular shape so there is a certain element of software correction in the movement of the needle. It also doesn't take into account the volume of fuel in the filler neck, I would imagine it's a good few litres.

 

I also find the full half of the fuel gauge is nowhere near as accurate as the empty half of the gauge. 

 

In VCDS, there is an actual figure for the number of litres left in the tank. I think it's a measurement block in 'Instruments'. Also, you can code the dash to show the amount of fuel needed to refill, in gallons. None of these figures will be particularly accurate if you ask me, as the fuel is sloshing around in the tank all the time, and for the reasons above.  

[SuperbTWM]

In older vag cars there was an air release on the side of the filler that you could open with the filler nozzle to let all the air out of the tank. I could go about 120 miles in my passat before the needle even moved. I think the tank is a bit smaller on the Superb but I agree its a real pain to brim it.

 

I don't think you can even use brimming the tank as an accurate way of calculating MPG anymore without spending an hour at the pump waiting for the level to settle before you can finally establish its full

[Taxi_G]

Just been to fill it, and as predicted earlier for my miles today, 264 miles it clicked around £24. I managed to get £32 in but as the above have said its a right pain in the back side!

I think I'll just run it off the first click and round it to the nearest pound.

The Octavia was spoke on, and yes older models did have that air release button which was fantastic if you wanted to keep total track of fuel.

Just wasn't sure if I was doing something wrong at the pump........ New car to me and all that

G

[Nathanio]

I think the tank is also slightly saddled to allow for a prop on the 4wd versions.

I find given the rear a shake whilst filling helps release the air and get a bit more in.

The Fabia seems to go for an insane amount of time before dropping off the full mark.

[bigjohn]

On my 2014 petrol just after I bought it I filled it with Shell Vpower in Luxembourg where I clicked numerous times to get the best value from the cheap petrol (I'm from Yorkshire     ).  A little while later an engine management light appeared although engine ran fine. After typing Skoda into my satnav I popped into a German dealer who thoroughly checked the car. Despite the language barrier , message was clear "Von click, HALT!". Think I flooded the vapour charcoal canister with petrol.  I've never had an EML appear since

 

I only fill to the first click now and yes my fuel gauge moves initially very quickly (on my old Superb I could travel well over a 100miles before it moved) . However the fuel gauge in my Superb II is a lot more linear compared to the Superb I (gauge moved quicker as you approached empty) 

Edited 26 January, 2016 by bigjohn

[cnc]

I find the pump cut out 'click' varies depending which pump and fuel station I'm using to fill it up. I do fill it right up, until you can see it in the top of the filler pipe which usually takes several clicks. My fuel gauge also starts to move pretty quickly, within 50 miles or less which I feel is about right anyway. I usually get from a completely full reading to 3/4 tank reading takes 175 miles, then to half takes 350 miles, then 500 miles to 1/4.

 

I've had a few cars where you can fill it up and you can drive 150 miles before the fuel gauge moves. You know in your head you've been using fuel but it makes you feel better.

 

One thing I'm not keen on is the low fuel red warning on the Superb fuel gauge which starts not too far under a 1/4 tank. It's a psychological thing but I really don't like it getting near the red marking. The wife's BMW doesn't have any red warning on the fuel gauge at all and I'm quite happy to run it until the low fuel dash warning light comes on with about 50 to 60 miles of fuel left. My Superb low level warning light often comes on and says I only have 130 miles left, but I often exceed over 60mpg average.

[Martin.S]

It is all a bit of guesswork. On my Saab when the light went on you had 25 miles to empty. If you managed 26 it was because you had walked the last one!

[nazitf]

The filler neck design on the Superb has aways been crap. I always have issues with the nozzle's overfill protection being triggered. Pulling the filler nozzle out slightly and having it at a more horizontal angle seems to help. 

 

I think pump number 2 at my local BP actually hates me 

 

 

Thank you for the tip!! I’ve also been plagued with the overfill protection going off too early and its really annoying when you’re trying to fill up the tank from empty. I originally thought it was the forecourt fuel pump at fault but the same problem occurs no matter which pump I use. 

 

I’ll try pulling the nozzle a little further out of the tank next time to see if that solves the problem.

[lichfielddriver]

When you fill up 6/7 days a week, you get a rough idea of where your sitting. So yes is the answer to that.

G

 

 

wrong

 

only fill brim to brim after 500+ miles, after 10 fills you will have proper figures, use Fuelly....

[Taxi_G]

wrong

only fill brim to brim after 500+ miles, after 10 fills you will have proper figures, use Fuelly....

This may be the way to exactly measure it but it also means starting a shift with 1/4 tank or less on some days, I cannot gamble incase I get a distance hire which is more often than not.

[lichfielddriver]

This may be the way to exactly measure it but it also means starting a shift with 1/4 tank or less on some days, I cannot gamble incase I get a distance hire which is more often than not.

 

 

doesnt have to be down to the dregs, i get 610 miles to a tank without the light coming on, i fill up and record the odometer when i see Shell/BP at a fair price, i pass a few

[skippy41]

I fill until the click, then put the nozzel on the lip and trickel ithe fuel in until it can be seen at the top of the neck, and wont go down anymore, can normally get between 1 and 2 litres from the click

Edited 1 May, 2016 by skippy41

[175GDY]

I roughly estimate the volume needed to get the tank filled.
After 2/3s of this volume I reduce the flow.  If not, the tube leading to the tank fills up with diesel foam, which triggers the filler stop.
By reducing the diesel foam during filling it seems to be easier to top up the tank.
Also retracts the nozzle at the end of filling to get max fuel into the car.

In the summer I leave some space for expansion if I intend to park shortly after.
Had an incident with this in my G-Class, filled to the brim in warm weather and drove off.  After a while the rear of the car was covered in diesel.

[WaveyDavey]

Why do you need to brim to brim to get your mpg figures if you are using something like fuely or Spritmonitor????? All you need is the mileage since the last entry and the amount going in!!! I've added entries to my Spritmonitor fuelings that have been twenty-odd or thirty-odd litres and it still gives the actual mpg for that amount of fuel used. I've also missed the odd fueling, (As you can see from some of the mileage jumps in the history of my cars on spritmonitor), which again doesn't matter as long as you still reset the trip each time fuel is added you still get the trip mileage of a fueling so you could miss a few and then add another to the system and still get accurate figures for that last fueling etc....

 

 

 

I've also not had any issues filling the car either.... Maybe two or three times where it has clicked a few times but i think you have to put this down to being an issue with those particular pumps rather than an issue with the car's filler etc.... I just stand there with the pump going full whack till it clicks at which point i then take the nozzle out slightly and then keep filling till the fuel is just about to overflow and doesn't slowly go down...... Simples.

 

Also back to the original point made about the needle moving..... If you are doing stop start driving around town the car senses this and starts dropping the needle slightly quicker..... I've had it where i've driven like this and parked up with the needle at a particular position... Then come back to the car with the needle in that same position but then started driving on a steady run... maybe motorway etc.... and the needle has actually risen by a bar or so as the car starts to sense the driving style has changed again....

Edited 1 May, 2016 by WaveyDavey

[lichfielddriver]

Why do you need to brim to brim to get your mpg figures if you are using something like fuely or Spritmonitor????? .

 

 

you wont know what its used if you dont fill it

 

Option A - 200 miles brim to brim, 4 gallons = 50mpg

 

Option B - 200 miles dont fill it, 2 gallons = 100mpg....

 

work it out

[WaveyDavey]

you wont know what its used if you dont fill it

Option A - 200 miles brim to brim, 4 gallons = 50mpg

Option B - 200 miles dont fill it, 2 gallons = 100mpg....

work it out

I took it that when you were saying brim to brim you were trying to mean you could only take the measurements when you were brimming the car from empty and not when brimming from a partially full tank which is what I was trying to say.

Obviously as long as you brim it regardless of how much were already in the tank and the trip was reset at the last fill up the measurements can be taken accurately as per my previous post.

Edited 1 May, 2016 by WaveyDavey