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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:

WellGoshDarnIt · 16/05/2019 14:47

Yup, was running late and thought I'd make it without filling up. Trudged to petrol station, filled can and trudged back to car. Still wouldn't start, had to get a tow. Turned out I'd killed the fuel pump by driving it around on fumes. Expensive lesson learned...

UrsulaPandress · 16/05/2019 14:50

About 50 years ago my mum ran out of petrol in the town centre with me as a passenger. Between us we pushed the car backwards to the side of the road but then realised we couldn't shut the door as there was now a bollard or some such in the way of the door and we couldn't push the car forwards as it was uphill. We couldn't lock the car and catch the bus home so we sat in the car with the door open and howled with laughter. Can't remember who rescued us. Presume we must have phoned my dad at work, from a phone box.

I once drove home late at night on the motorway with the red light on my petrol gauge.

Beaubird83 · 16/05/2019 14:50

Yep. One week after passing my test, car didn’t have ‘miles til empty’ just the red. But it wasn’t always accurate. If I went round an island I’d suddenly get a bit more fuel 🙄
It got to the red and I was like “eh, can’t be that empty.”
Running out on a dually at 10pm is a good lesson. It hasn’t happened since lol

Interested in this thread?

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Driving & parking

Still18atheart · 16/05/2019 14:50

Never - get twitchy when it hits 1/4 full. Know someone who ran out twice in one week. So aware it does actually happen

KittensinaBlender · 16/05/2019 14:52

Once in an old car with a temperamental fuel gauge and no range indicator.

That’s said even with my current car I’m always leaving it till it gets right on the bottom marker which is bad for the car and a risk. It’s better now I’m at work because I pass a couple of garages on the way but before when I was only using it for the school run, I would have to drive out of my way to fill up and I was always putting it off.

DonDadaOnTheDownLow · 16/05/2019 14:54

Yes - and tbh, if the thought of handling a petrol pump has you reaching for your smelling salts - good luck pushing your car half a mile to the forecourt.

averylongtimeago · 16/05/2019 14:55

Yes. In the middle of nowhere with no phone reception. A long walk to a phone box, eventually got hold of DH who was not best pleased to be called away from work to rescue me.

I like many others, ignored the red light thinking I had enough to get home. I hadn't.

Use the plastic gloves provided at petrol stations if you don't like using the pumps.

nancy75 · 16/05/2019 14:55

Yes, totally my fault petrol station that I use is always really busy and I always put off going until the last mile. Quite embarrassing as the petrol station was literally at the end of my road (15 houses down)

QuantumWeatherButterfly · 16/05/2019 14:58

I didn't actually quite run out, but got as low as the engine started cutting out going uphill. Then, when I went downhill it would restart, as the remaining dregs sloshed forward.

It never would have got that low had the bulb in the petrol light not blown.

Luckily, it was all downhill to the nearest garage, I was pretty much coasting by the time that I arrived.

Spinnaret · 16/05/2019 14:59

Once. On the motorway. About a mile from the next service station. Fuel light came on just after the previous one, and it was a shitty old small car with tiny tank. And a long gap between services about 25 years ago when there weren't so many.

MsMightyTitanAndHerTroubadours · 16/05/2019 14:59

Nah, the E on the gauge is E for Enough

I did put fuel in my car though yesterday, cos the light has been on for ages, I hate doing it and usually get dh to do it. Fifty fucking five pounds

Mumsie448 · 16/05/2019 15:00

Once ran out of petrol in the north of Scotland. No mobile phones back then, and the nearest petrol pump (not a garage, as such), was 10 miles away. The only time I hitched a ride, because I knew it would take too long to get the petrol and back. I now get very anxious about making sure we never get too low.
Since then, the worse time with DH, a couple of years ago, when indicator said 40 miles worth left, and nearest petrol was 35 miles, especially as we had some trouble finding the garage inidcated on the satnav.

SuddenlyISee · 16/05/2019 15:02

I ran out as I pulled onto the petrol station forecourt and had to push it to the pump

defnotadomesticgoddess · 16/05/2019 15:02

Yep on the way to a funeral. Ran out before got to patrol station, got drenched in the pouring rain walking to fill up the fuel can thing, got splashed with petrol filling up the can. Turned up at the funeral stinking of petrol and still drenched...

MsMightyTitanAndHerTroubadours · 16/05/2019 15:03

we also had a car where the fuel gauge did not work so we had to leave notes about when we had filled up and the mileage :o DH found that very nerve wracking

We are that couple!! He likes to keep the cars all filled up, and I like to drive them about to empty them.

underneaththeash · 16/05/2019 15:04

I was below zero on Tuesday afternoon, left the house to do a 20 mile round trip and the empty signal came on a mile or so away from home, didn't have time to stop before collecting DD as she had a doctors appointment.

For some reason, Bucks have decide to resurface 3 of the pot-holey roads on the way to and from her school, so the 20 mile round trip was probably more like 43!!

BiddyPop · 16/05/2019 15:06

Yes,once, I had almost nothing left in the tank and had been rushing to get to a class in the morning (and petrol stations quite a distance away on the opposite side of Uni going that way). Coming up a steep hill in rush hour coming home, I had to stop at the top for lights, and it cut out while the lights were red. I had to get a push around the corner - where luckily the road flattened out again and I got going - the petrol station was a mile out the road and I prayed like I don't know what until I pulled in to refill it there.

Ever since, I hate going into the last quarter, and always tend to fill up immediately if I am on the 1/8 line. Even though there's probably 50km, or nearly a week of my normal driving these days, left in the tank.

yumscrumfatbum · 16/05/2019 15:11

Having less than half a tank makes me twitchy. During the petrol shortage I was working as a Community Nurse so was entitled to petrol that had been reserved for essential workers. My patch was quite a commute from home and I was instructed to go to work in my pretty much petrol less car and that they would source me some petrol when I got there. They did and I survived to tell the tale! My eldest DS runs out of petrol on a regular basis he's clearly not a chip off the old block!

QuantumWeatherButterfly · 16/05/2019 15:31

MsMighty That is us too! Except in reverse, DH devil-may-care tank emptier and I am the worrier/right

REDCARBLUE · 16/05/2019 16:00

I don’t trust mine. Last week i was on 32 miles and drove home, 3 miles up the side of a mountain and went down to 2 miles! But its all down to the gears so driving in 3rd all up hill and dripping down to 2nd doesn’t help.

BusterGonad · 16/05/2019 16:04

I haven't read the full thread but my husband did in a diesel, you should never get low in diesel, also when they run out it can damage the engine unlike a petrol.

TotheletterofthelawTHELETTER · 16/05/2019 16:08

Yep. Similar to spinnaret on a motorway. Set off with half a tank, thought that would get me there. Passed a services, empty light came on, thought oh I’ll stop at next one...no more bloody services! I’ve drove the same journey loads and thought i passed more than I did.
Saw a sign with 1 mile to go to services, lost power, managed to pull over on hard shoulder. Got out of the car. Cried. Before I could even ring AA a passing car removal truck stopped, asked what was up, then loaded my car and took me to the services for petrol. He wouldn’t accept any money as he said he was going that way anyway and it was only a mile away. Such a saviour.
It was only a couple of years ago. I’ve never let it get so low again.

Tensixtysix · 16/05/2019 16:09

Best not to run dry. Dirt gets sucked up and you get even more problems.

Liverpool52 · 16/05/2019 16:13

Once when I had my second ever car. My dad told me to drive it until the fuel light came on so he could calculate it's MPG. Turns out it didn't have a fuel light. 😂

Aimily · 16/05/2019 16:13

Twice on the same stretch of parkway, both times viewing distance of the petrol station.
First time was 5.30am on my way to work, I was 17, I woke a complete stranger trying to ring home (somehow misdialled the number)
Second time, nearly got hit by a police car as it was a bend and I hadn't quite made it completely into the hard shoulder 😳

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