Filling up the tank...tips and habits

[DaSerb]

Since I bought my M, I have never yet filled up the gas tank. I usually keep it about half to 3/4 full.

I know there are "myths" about filling the gas tank, but I guess this pattern has become my habit.

I was wondering what do you guys think about all this. Anyone with the same habit.
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[06M4.5]

I try not to let the gas gauge go under 1/2 tank. I fill it up until the gas handle clicks off the 1st time and thats it. If you fill it up more your just going to mess up the e-vap system.

[wingFeather]

"...Quarter tank of gas in the new E Class..."

But seriously, I find myself at half or below. Call it a weight reduction mod.

[infinite M]

i never past half a tank. as in i only fill to half a tank... it hurts my heart to see how llittle mpg my car gets.. damn i miss those honda days

[Ilya]

Wait, it's bad (myth or not) to fill your car all the way? I always do it whenever I need gas. It's either all the way or I don't fill at all.

[BlinG*]

Same here, i fill it to the top or nothing. I let mine get low on the regular....until the light comes on

[Ilya]

Same here. Usually 1/4th or so before I fill up, and always all the way (unless I'm somewhere that I know I can get gas cheaper by waiting it out).

[TDot]

I always fill up, and always Sunoco premium.

This got my attention so I found these
http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/gastips.asp
http://news.consumerreports.org/cars/20 ... -myth.html
http://www.cars.com/go/advice/Story.jsp ... f=national
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Is_it_better_ ... most_empty
Many myths.

Anyway, I have another question. When I had my Lex LS, towards the last couple of years, I only put regular gas in it despite what i was supposed to once I found out about it's anti knock system. The car ran flawlessly with no perceivable powerloss, or knocking. Is this the M35 anti knock as good? Can I run it on standard gas with no fear? Gas is getting expensive!!

[06M4.5]

Same here, i fill it to the top or nothing. I let mine get low on the regular....until the light comes on

Waiting for the light to go on is bad, the gas is what cools the fuel pump in the tank. Having 1/4 of a tank or less will hurt the pump, even more so in the summer temps.

Filling your tank all the way up the pipe to the cap will cause gas to spill in to the e-vap system.

If any of these would fail it would cost $$$ if you don't have warranty.

[The00Dustin]

The manual says not to let the needle get past empty, so once the needle gets to empty fuel pump lubrication/heat could be a problem, but in anything other than extreme temperatures, I don't think letting the light come on is a problem. I'm pretty sure there are still 5 gallons in the tank when the light comes on. That's a lot of weight and thermal mass. Personally, I fill it up and try to get over 400 miles on each tank when my driving patterns and fuel station preferences allow. I've never had to put much over 19 gallons in it, and the needle was pretty far past empty that time, and I still imagine it had well over a gallon left given the capacity and the fact that my manually calculated mileage is pretty consistent (presumably implying a complete fill-up since I've had the tank difficult to fill tsb performed). 130K miles and counting, never had problems with fuel pumps on past vehicles with similar habits. knock on wood...

[83wildcat]

I always run my tank down below "E" and top off until I can see the gas level in the fuel neck (thus maximizing my range between fill-ups) I have never had any issues with my M35X or any other cars that I've owned over the years (Altima, BMW 5-series, Denali SUV, etc). Ditto my motorcycles.

[Double E]

+1. No issues on my multitude of vehicles over the years (15+) with filling to the neck. All went far past 150K miles as well with none having an evap or charcoal canister issue.

[DaSerb]

So I am not the only one waiting for "E" to light up.

I usually put in 8-10 gallons.

[szh]

So I am not the only one waiting for "E" to light up.

I usually put in 8-10 gallons.

I try to avoid letting it get much below 1/8 tank - and prefer to fill it at 1/4 if possible. (Much more rarely, the light comes on.) This is not always possible, of course.

So, my typical "fill to the brim" is then about 17 to 18 gallons (very rarely 19) ... leaving a few gallons in the tank to cool the pump.

In 10 years of driving my M, I have run out of gas only once ... due to the faulty fuel gauge problem (fixed under Extended Warranty) giving me a false reading of 1/4 tank.

But, I have to admit that I have never heard of filling it too much as being a problem.

In my 2003 M45, the pump shuts off about 1 to 1.2 gallons prior to a complete full, and I tend to fill it up to the brim - did not know that this was "bad"(?)

My wife's brand-new Acura TSX is much worse in this ... it always seems to shut the pump off anywhere between 3.0 to 3.5 gallons short (which I have checked by continuing to do the fill). Which is silly, IMHO.

Z

[Logan00]

Approximately how many miles do we "really" have after the gas light comes on? Mine comes on when it shows I have about 30 miles left, is it actually 30 miles or is it more.

Not that I want to get to E, but more for peace of mind I guess.

This morning I was driving, with the intention of filling up this evening when my car initially said I had about 6 more miles to go, then it changed to ****. Once I saw this I pulled into the first gas station I passed and put in 1 gallon of gas to hold me over till this evening; I had to hurry to catch my train.

Thanks

[Double E]

I drove almost 10 miles at 55mph with the *** displayed. Then I ran out of gas. Only time I've ever done it.

[Logan00]

Good to know

[gkdyeung]

wow....
i never knew that stuff about running too empty or too full...
i've taken my infiniti down to extreme lows before... ie computer estimates 1km of fuel left... i guess that was the 1 time and will be the last time...
i used to top up when the gas pump auto-stops... just to round up the dollar value... but i've since stopped doing that some time ago... bad for the car...
i usually do fill 'er up when i have to and when i know gas prices will rise (every little bit counts i guess)...
don't think that habit will change.
g

[EniGmA1987]

I always fill up between 1/8 to 1/4 tank, usually around 1/4 left. And I almost always fill all the way up when I get gas. I knew about getting too low but didnt know about putting a little extra in. That is good to know and Ill stop filling it past "full" when I take trips to Arizona. I just like to get as much of that $3 a gallon gas as I can when I am out that way. $4.40 a gallon in So Cal sucks

[myother45isalesbaer]

I try not to let the gas gauge go under 1/2 tank. I fill it up until the gas handle clicks off the 1st time and thats it. If you fill it up more your just going to mess up the e-vap system.

I agree. Plus letting the tank get lower than half aids in building up condensation or water in the tank in the cooler regions. When it gets cold we fill all gas tanks at half full.

[Ilya]

So I am not the only one waiting for "E" to light up.

I usually put in 8-10 gallons.

I try to avoid letting it get much below 1/8 tank - and prefer to fill it at 1/4 if possible. (Much more rarely, the light comes on.) This is not always possible, of course.

So, my typical "fill to the brim" is then about 17 to 18 gallons (very rarely 19) ... leaving a few gallons in the tank to cool the pump.

In 10 years of driving my M, I have run out of gas only once ... due to the faulty fuel gauge problem (fixed under Extended Warranty) giving me a false reading of 1/4 tank.

But, I have to admit that I have never heard of filling it too much as being a problem.

In my 2003 M45, the pump shuts off about 1 to 1.2 gallons prior to a complete full, and I tend to fill it up to the brim - did not know that this was "bad"(?)

My wife's brand-new Acura TSX is much worse in this ... it always seems to shut the pump off anywhere between 3.0 to 3.5 gallons short (which I have checked by continuing to do the fill). Which is silly, IMHO.

Z

This would explain that even when I fill up with the light on...I can barely get 18 gallons (and ours is a 20 gallon tank).

My father has been driving for 40 years now and he always tops up more than after the first click. Never heard of it being a problem either.

[DS2009m35x]

2009 M35X 102K. Within the last month, the gas gauge only reads 3/4-7/8 when filled. I've seen a number of people with the similar problem. I couldn't tell if it was a recall or people paid to correct. I read here that it sounds like the dirty connector issue. Is this a do-it-yourself or better left to the dealer.

[txchamps]

My car has a 10.8 gallon capacity. The light comes on (the computer estimates I have X miles left, usually around 70), so I figure I have 2 gallons left. After filling up, I see this is pretty accurate. I have let it get to around 30, but I prefer to fill it as soon as practicable after it starts flashing, to avoid potential fuel pump issues, and to get rid of the annoying flashing light . I fill it to shut-off, wait 20 seconds, and slowly trickle in to shut-off again. Never had an over-run or spill.