This is how I interpret my 2012 Countryman's display of the fuel reserve icon.

When I get down to around ~35 miles left on my tank, the low fuel warning pops up in the nav/connected screen, the fuel gauge pips turn red, the 'jerry can' icon pops up in the digital speedometer (center of the tach) and a small triangle with exclamation point pops up in the trip info area under the digital speedo.



(I guess free roadside assistance means MINI will go out of its way to make sure they don't waste money bringing you gas!)

My problem:

The "jerry can" icon remains looming large in the digital speedo indefinitely. I can switch displays on the trip info using the end of the left stalk but the fuel reserve warning will pop up again shortly and display the big jerry can again. It will persist or repeat if canceled until filling up.

It looks like this:


I'm used to looking at the tach-center speedometer, not the one in the dash center. When this warning comes up, it's exceptionally distracting.



I just thought I'd add the picture a few times to drive the point home. Somewhat unnerving to look down to check my speed on the freeway and see that icon. yeah, I know you're almost out of gas. A speeding ticket will not fill your tank.

Are there any settings to change that behavior or is it endemic to all years of the Countryman? Anyone else experience this issue?

 

I'll bet that is exactly what the engineers wanted it to be.

 

I could imagine if it came on at, say 35 miles and then not again until 15 miles but to come on every few seconds after resetting is just odd.

 

I just never let my gas tank get low enough that the warning light goes on.

Dave

 

Don't speed up to get to the gas station. Slow down and increase your fuel mileage enough to get there.

 

sometimes the gauge is at just under 1/4 tank. I could fill up at half a tank but... why?

sure, wind resistance. but it doesn't make the issue subside

 

I suspect the "issue" exists for less than one percent of MINI owners. You might want to note that the manual says you need to refuel before the estimate becomes less than 30 miles or you risk damaging the engine.

BTW, the speedo and the mph displayed on the tach are intentionally inaccurate. I use the mph display on my Garmin and refill according to the miles driven since I reset the car's trip odometer.

 

I wonder if there is a way to program the gas Gong off using NCSExpert? might be an option.

 

Why not just buy fuel more often?!
running a car to extremely low fuel levels is usually considered determental to the life and longevity of the fuel pump as it is submerged in tge fuel and cooled by it...when the tank is almost empty, the fuel cannot do this. Also i know the car is nearly new, but running very low is a surfire way to suck any sedimit from the bottom of the tank, and fill up your filter. Sure you have a warrenty, but....

 

Manual says don't let your gas go below 33 miles, may cause damage

 

I try to refuel right before or right after the 1st gong goes off at 59-61 miles, it goes red at the 31 mile mark.

 

re: refuel more often.

if I leave for work with 45 miles to spare, I'm not going to stop on the way and fill up. there aren't convenient gas stations for a large stretch of my commute.

I understand the risks associated with low fuel levels, but I also like to know my speed for those last 5 minutes before I get to the office.

 

If you drive the same mileage and route every week, filling the tank when it is 1/4 full rather than empty isn't filling it more often.

Dave

 

We fill at 3 carrots gone usually - that's 1/2 a tank. Didn't your Daddy teach you anything... Personal safety comes to mind too should you get stranded out of gas. And it could affect your warranty if the engine or fuel pump fail - the computer(s) track your every move and will tattle on you. 22 some computers in the average car today!

 

Have you considered filling up the night before, on the way home?

 

Fill up at 1/2 a tank are you kidding me ? what 's the point of a 12 gallon tank then ? I really don't love the thought of filling up every other day. I guess everyone has their own way of doing things but I'm not going to fill up at half a tank. Even when the computer says I only have 30 miles left when I fill it's way more than 1 gallon. If they can't cool the pump with a couple of gallons of gas in the tank they need to learn to design a better tank or let someone who can. I agree the gas over the speedo is stupid. They should have it go on for a few seconds then off for a couple of min not just stay on.

 

There ya go - a vote for....

 

"If you drive the same mileage and route every week, filling the tank when it is 1/4 full rather than empty isn't filling it more often."

Topping up with 9 gallons instead of 12 would require 33% more stops. At 30 mpg it would be 11 additional stops over 12,000 miles.

 

one problem I run into is conveniently located gas stations dont exist on my commute. there is one I can stop at in the morning easily, but for the rest of my commute, it's a pretty inconvenient detour (left turns at blind intersections with heavy traffic and no lights, couple miles off the route, etc) to get to another station. Even the AM convenient one is unaccessible easily on the way home because it's across a planted median.

the weird part is that I dont live in some rural area. I'm in the DC Metro. It's just that my trip oddly doesn't take me past many fillup locations.

all my original post was trying to get across is that the low fuel reserve warning is intrusive and distracting.

 

Yes, so what's your point? You would still be using the same amount of gas.
You don't like stopping for gas?

Dave

 

So are honk blasts in your ears when other's lock their vehicles - now there's a cause I could rally behind.

But on your filling station locaions - if you are buying Top-Tier gas as recommended - that must take you even further off your beaten path. Our MINI sees only Chevron premium gas when buying locally, at one of 3 convenient stations.

 

at least those aren't in your ears at freeway speeds.

Can you imagine what kind of warnings my car would throw on the display if I drove around looking for a specific station?

 

My point was that your original statement that you wouldn't be filling up more often was incorrect:

DneprDave: "If you drive the same mileage and route every week, filling the tank when it is 1/4 full rather than empty isn't filling it more often.

 

Gotcha, I meant that you are not buying more gas, my bad!

Dave

 

Most excellent.