the gas guage is off for sure, but it is off differently for differnt car..
i drove 430mi on my mcs, and still has 2 carrots left,
and 30mi to go, but when i pumped gas, i got 13.2 into the tank!!!
in other word, there should be no carrot left.. it is very misleading...

 

People have reported getting upto 14.4 gallons into the tank, so you probably had a gallon left. Those last two petals seem to be about 4 litres each so you could easily have 2 petals and the gauge still be correct.

Its not the bottom of the tank where the inaccuracy is, it seems to be the top, I was looking at the fuel level coming out of the OBD port today while filling up (playing with a new version of "Rev" on the iPhone), I noticed that 100% was about 1.2 gallon before the pump shut off. So 100% is really 13.2 gallon, and you filled it up to 109%.

 

From another thread....




Mark

 

isnt it bad for the fuel pump to run you tank down that low. i top off every comute i run . it just feels cheaper.

 

Probably not good for the expensive ($400+) pump, but it is even more costly for your body to have the stress of 'low-fuel' on your mind.

Also, I will notice the 'extra dollars' of a 14 gallon fill a lot more than the 60 less miles driven for a 12 gallon fill.

And if the stress of 'watching an empty gas gauge' isn't enough, try the stress after it gets quiet from 'no-gas'.

 

I drive from upstate NY to NYC every week. It is about 330 miles round trip. If I can make the round trip without refilling I can fill up in NJ every week where gas is $.40 cheaper! I ran out of gas at 505 miles so the round trip should not be cutting it close.

 

Obviously no one wants to run that low. I usually get to about a 1/4 tank and refill. I was just running late that day and couldn't stop.

As far as it being bad....well, the fuel does help cool the pump but I imagine the pump as a low level cutoff to protect the pump anyways.

I keep hearing people saying how it will destroy a pump but think about it, how many times have you seen a car on the side of the road that ran out of gas?

There is no doubt in my mind that the manufacturers build in some kind of safety cutoff built into the electronics as to not let the pump run on forever.

I'm sure there are a few insolated cases that it happens but for everytime that happens, I can show you a case of fuel pump failure with a full tank of gas.

(case in point, my fuel pump died when I owned the car for one week... I still had 1/2 tank of gas when that happened)

The newer cars have plastic tanks. I remember having steel tanks and cutting them open. There was rust, sludge and all sorts of crap that you would NEVER ever want to run your tank low.

The new plastic tanks are MUCH cleaner but I still think it's best not to run out and stress the pump out.


Mark

 

I can't help but think that some crooked gas station messed with the pump to sell u a little less per gallon

 

I have no idea how the fuel pump is situation in the Mini or whether or not running the tank dry will allegedly hurt it.. but in older VW's, the reason you could destroy your pump by running dry was that it was submerged in the fuel tank and cooled by the fuel. VW specifically warned of this potential problem.

 

I've gone over 14 twice, different stations and many others have reported filling with 14.3 or 14.4 Gallons, so I think you can believe it.

Fill it with one carrot lit and you will pump past 13 when pump auto-shuts first time. Also not a good idea to keep 'topping' after auto-shutoff, as it will put gasoline into vent lines of your fuel tank's vapor control system.

 

That's a great piece of advice....


Mark

 

Unless the bean counters decided they could save a nickle by eliminating the protection mechanism.

I can't recall the last time I saw this. Don't think I've ever seen a MINI on the side of the road, having run out of gas. I did see a Clubman getting flatbedded away from a school parking lot. I think it belonged to a teacher. I saw it there everytime I passed the school. Don't recall seeing it recently.

I wonder. My 2007 owners manual says, "Do not continue driving to the point where the fuel tank is totally empty. Otherwise engine performance is not guaranteed and damage could occur."

I can understand why the rust wouldn't be in a plastic tank, but the steel of the old tanks didn't generate the sludge. Why wouldn't it be found in a plastic tank? I've always heard that a little water can acumulate at the bottom of a gas tank, and you wouldn't want to suck that into the engine--especially one with fuel injection (yes, I'm old enough to remember carberators ).

 

I'm not sure what your point is... yes, if they did, yes... I doubt it though. It may be possible but surely a manufacturer protects against something as simple as running out of fuel.


I'm talking cars in general, not minis. People run out of gas ALL THE TIME. As I stated before, it would be utterly ridiculous to think a manufacturer would let a fuel pump fry because someone ran it out of gas.

That's just legalnese to make sure they tell you to protect themselves so IF you run out of gas, they told you not to do it. They have to protect themselves for every situation. What if you were at the track at 6K rpms and ran out of gas, I'm sure it would be much more detrimental than running 2K rpms down the highway.

Because most of that "sludge" was really an accumulation of rust, moisture and the crap that the fuel filters didn't catch. I don't literally mean some form of liquid sludge, I'm just making the point that I can remember sticking my hand in a tank and seeing enough garbage I could swoop up with my hand.

If you're old enough to remember carbs, then you're old enough to remember how crappy the filtering system was. I'm sure it's safe to say that today's fuel is much more refined in the pure sense. Fuel injection won't take the crap that the carb'd cars did.

Bottom line of this discussion is that I'm sure it's more rare than not to ruin a fuel pump from running out of gas. Is it good for it? I would think not.

Could it trash your fuel pump? I'm sure it's possible but highly not probable.

And for BMW to save a few pennies by not installing something (sensor, cut off switch, etc) would be ridiculous because trashing a fuel pump could be the least of the consequences. what about starving a motor for fuel, causing it to run lean and burning a hole in the top of the piston because of no fuel?

I'd think not.


Mark

 

If it gets to bad hit the button

 

Yeah, see this thread from August:
Ran Out of Gas Again

It turned out that both of the fuel level sensors in his tank were bad. Replaced under warranty. Sounds like you may have the same problem!

 

Yes, I did see the thread. The fact that there are two sensors makes me think they must sum together to figure how much gas. I think I have one sensor stuck on full.

It goes in to the dealer tomorrow for diagnosis. I will update with the findings.

 

I thought that one handled the first half of the tank and the other the second half so if the second one covering the lower half is not doing its job it shows 1/2 tank at the best until it runs out. I would try to not go in with a full tank that way it is less chance of them spilling into the car as the tank access is under the back seat.

 

Geez, the new MINIs still have the instant out-of-gas gauge? I would think BMW would have fixed it.
When I drove my '03 back from CA, I ran out of gas between Blyth and Needles. Couldn't believe how fast the needle dropped in the last quarter.

 

They don't use needles these days.

 

I agree but it's wierd to call them carrots...lol.

 

...when everyone knows they are candy corns.

 

Same thing, other than the last tick being a bit misleading (in the way that other ticks last less) - no problems.

 

Wow thats annoying!

 

I've never trusted the fuel gauge on any car I've ever owned! Don't like surprises . Always used the trip odometer (and a log book). On my MINI, when it says 300mi, I start looking for gas. As for the "correct" term for the MINI gauge indicators, I use the old term: IDIOT LIGHTS!

 

Petals.