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Original poster

Has anyone actually ran out of petrol?

94 replies

1wokeuplikethis · 16/05/2019 14:15

My car said I have 32 miles left of diesel this morn but I know that when I start it again this afternoon it will say ‘refuel now’ which always makes me a bit nervous! So even though I know it has 30 miles in it, to see the refuel now makes me panicky. I’ve only got to do the school run tomorrow which is about 6 miles but I’ll be too twitchy and will have to fill up tonight.

As an aside, I hate getting petrol. It’s smelly and messy and an inconvenience and I hate spending £60 in something I can’t see or hold!!!

But anyway, has anyone actually ran out of fuel on a journey?

OP posts:
Widowodiw · 16/05/2019 14:17

I drove on 0 miles the other day . You will be fine I don’t think it’s exact in that it will tell you to fill
Up earlier than you need. Or just go and get petrol .

bloodywhitecat · 16/05/2019 14:18

Yes, many years ago before tanks were fitted with the gizmo that tells you how many miles you have left. I was pretty hard up, 18 and living on my own, every week was a struggle from payday to payday. Many years on and nowadays I don't like to let the tank get too low as running out is no fun.

Skyejuly · 16/05/2019 14:19

Mines saying 3miles and fuel station is 6miles+

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Driving & parking
RestingBitchFaced · 16/05/2019 14:19

I've gone down to 8 or 9 miles but never ran out. Think they are pretty accurate. Avoid sharp acceleration and braking and you should be fine

lazymare · 16/05/2019 14:19

Twice. Once on the motorway with no phone battery and no cash. Lovely lady stopped and let me use her phone to call the RAC. New car and was waiting for petrol light but there wasn't one 🙄 it was around 1998. Second time same car and 20 yards from the petrol station.

IHeartKingThistle · 16/05/2019 14:20

Yep in my old Picasso when it said I had 12 miles left. I don't let it get that far down now!

Also, had no phone battery so had to walk down the side of a very scary road to get to a pub to call the AA, who wouldn't come out because I had left the car. I dont leave the house without phone battery now either!

Ivy44 · 16/05/2019 14:21

I haven’t, but my friend did. She said the car made some spluttering sounds then just stopped. She was in the middle of nowhere at the time and had to phone her DP to bring petrol in a canister.

As the above poster said, I think the car says it’s empty a good few miles before it actually is, to give you time to go and get some. My uncle is a mechanic and says it really bad for the car to consistently drive it on low petrol.

randomsabreuse · 16/05/2019 14:21

Yep. Thought car had 55l tank, had 50l tank. Fortunately expired on garage forecourt in queue for pump. Bloody embarrassing. Did try to push to pump but slightly too weak. Blush

PinkOboe · 16/05/2019 14:22

yes, quite a few times. there aren't many petrol stations around here and i'm always running late so don't want to stop and fill up

GaraMedouar · 16/05/2019 14:22

Yes, because someone had siphoned my petrol out. I got a couple of miles down the road, just turning right ( so in middle of the road) and it conked out. I was only young and had no idea what to do so sat in it with my hazards on. A nice man came up and asked if I'd broken down and pushed me into the side turning. Before days of mobiles but luckily there was a phone box. I had no money on me but did a reverse charge call to my friend who came with a can of petrol for me. I had no money on me or anything.

purplelass · 16/05/2019 14:25

Never run out in a car - Top Gear did a thing once about how far they could go on zero.

I've run out on a bike though - I hadn't had it long and a previous owner had switched the main and reserve tank hoses so when I put it onto reserve it was already empty.

BarbaraofSevillle · 16/05/2019 14:25

Many many years ago before the days of digital mileometers that tell you the range.

32 miles left when you only have to do 6 is loads, don't worry about it.

I've unintentionally let mine go down to 5 or 10 miles once or twice and apparently they can go past zero - this was the response I got when a brand new car got delivered to me with about a 20 mile range during the fuel strikes a few years ago and I had a close call as I had to go to three garages to find one that had any fuel.

Obviously it's better to fill up when the light comes on so you don't risk running out at an inconvenient time, eg during an unexpected/emergency journey. Just do it tomorrow during the school run?

Fifthtimelucky · 16/05/2019 14:25

My father did once, when I was a child. He left us in the car and walked off to find a petrol station where he bought a can of petrol. If I remember rightly it took him about 2 hours to get back to us (rural area).

GarthFunkel · 16/05/2019 14:25

Yes. A teeny tiny small courtesy car, which ran out within sight of the nearest petrol station. A very nice man got out of the car behind me and we started to push it. The problem was it was slightly downhill, the car weighed nothing and the man was really going for it. It was quite tricky to stop it at the garage!

CanoeDoYouThinkYouAre · 16/05/2019 14:26

Yes, on a test drive!

DH and I thought it was low before we left the dealership so the salesman 'took it round the back ' to fill it.

He obviously didn't and we came to a grinding halt just outside Peterborough.

Didn't buy the car.....

PrincessDaff · 16/05/2019 14:27

Yes I did on the motorway once. It was in my old car that didn't tell me how many miles were left and the light had been on for a few days but being young I thought I would be fine. The car just started to slow down until it eventually stopped when I pulled onto the hard shoulder.

I had to call my granddad to come and take me to a petrol station buy a canister, fill it up and take me back to the car to put it in. I was also on my way to my first smear test so was late for this!

I haven't learned from this though I always leave my car with the petrol light on for too long. My DP is always having a go at me.

Backwoodsgirl · 16/05/2019 14:29

Having less than 1/4 tank is bad for your fuel pump because the pump is cooled by the fuel it is sitting in.

I nearly ran out on a 400 mile snow mobile ride. (Literally point A to B with Nothing and no one in between) I was carrying extra fuel but was using it quicker than I calculated I would. I was thinking I was going to have to walk the last 40 miles. However I was lucky that DH has slightly more than he needed and we syphoned some of his fuel

Clutterbugsmum · 16/05/2019 14:33

No I haven't because I never let it go below a quarter of a tank, don't know why I just panic at that point.

And yes my DH takes the piss about me still having 100 miles worth. But it's my car.

On the other hand my brother was always running out of petrol.

SpeckofStardust · 16/05/2019 14:34

It’s my worst fear, I do a lot of freeway driving here and the idea of being stuck on the shoulder awaiting rescue as a million cars fly by doing a million mph (exaggerating for dramatic effect) terrifies me. As soon as that low fuel sign comes on I’m looking for a gas station. DH, on the other hand, is almost aggressive in his unconcern but he is also exceedingly lucky. A few times I’ve been with him, running on fumes and he’s somehow hit a downhill stretch coasting for miles, rolled through lights that turned green the second before he had to brake and right up to the bloody pump just as the car gave out. I kinda admire and hate him at the same time.

BiBiBirdie · 16/05/2019 14:35

Yep,I had a right old rust bucket and the petrol gauge was completely crap. The worse way to find that out is driving up a very steep, very busy hill when it says you have a quarter of a tank left and it conks out.
It then died completely as my neighbour who I called for a hand moving it came with a can of petrol. Except it wasn't petrol, his son had nicked that for his moped and replaced it with water hoping his Dad wouldn't notice before he could replace it.
Engine ruined.
Good job it was literally a skip on wheels or I would have been so angry.

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 16/05/2019 14:40

DH did once... Work van that they had driven from Austria to Yorkshire, and ran out within 3miles of home, 100m from the petrol station.

TheFaerieQueene · 16/05/2019 14:43

30+ years ago in my old mini. I ran out of petrol in Walton on Thames. Luckily my DF came out with a can of fuel and off I went.

MatchSetPoint · 16/05/2019 14:44

Yes but I was only 18 at the time and my Dad had to come and rescue me! My car was an old 1993 Corsa it didn’t tell me how many miles I had left. I can drive with my red light on for three days with the car I have now.

WhatHaveIFound · 16/05/2019 14:44

Years ago i ran out because of a faulty fuel gauge which showed 30 miles left when it was empty. Plus we've run out a couple of times when DH is driving as he leaves it lower than me. Not recently though.

We did just trade in our old car and virtually ran it into the garage on fresh air. It was showing zero miles when we parked up!

BrieAndChilli · 16/05/2019 14:46

yes not that long ago, i thought i would have enough to go from work to pick kids up and then go to station, probably would have made it but halfway up a steep hill i had to stop for a buiders van who was blocking the road, stalled and because on a hill any remaining petrol had gone to the back of the tank and the car wouldnt start again.
Was in the middle of nowhere, walked to pick the kids up but it took the recovery service 4 hours to get to us, phone battery died after about 2 hours, it got dark and cold early and we had no food or drink!!
So now i dont let it run so low!!!