When do you fill up your car?

[kakeya97]

Total wrong timing for this post I know. Putting the whole panic buying fuel thing aside. Before all this did you fill up when low or like to keep topped? The whole fuel thing has sparked this conversation with Dp though.

I have major anxiety about my diesel level getting too low. If it starts getting under half a tank I'll fill up, likely before it hits half a tank though. I can't relax until it's done. I just like the comfort on having it. I live rurally. Closest station is 8 miles away and shuts at 6pm!! Longer opening and 24 hours stations are much further afield. There aren't many stations on my most widely used routes so tend to have to make a special journey for it. I like to be prepared at all times. I have two disabled children and I like to fill up so I don't have to stop with them to get it.

Dp will literally run his work vehicle on fumes for a few days before topping up - even though he works right by a station - he often takes my (family) car to work to fill up if I'm stuck too. Most of my friends are the same - they let it get really low first.

I'm all good for now and I can assure you I am not panic buying fuel. I put some in middle of last week before it all kicked off and still got 3/4 of a tank full which should last a while. I think it will really bother me when it gets under a 1/4 a tank but it rarely gets that low.

Do you let it get right down or do you keep on top of it?

Genuinely curious that's all 😅

I have another 6 petrol stations within a few miles, so I’d go to one of them instead.

I guess I forget people have that kind of choice, lol.

We only have two stations within 30 miles of our house - if one's run out, the other probably has as well.

At the moment (obviously due to the crisis/panic) we have one garage with no diesel and the other with no petrol. But in winter, we often run out of one/both when the roads are bad and the tankers can't reach us.

@Dizzyhedgehog

When the light goes on...usually. It's never occurred to me that anyone would keep topping it up. Going to the petrol station is an inconvenience I try to avoid as much as possible. DS thinks it's called the "pretzel station", because he gets a pretzel every time we go there.

I don't really repeatedly top up. I just use what I use and fill it up every couple weeks maybe more or less depending on how much I've used. Only costs about £55 to fill up my car though! And it never costs me that much as I usually do £25-£30 a time.

@icedcoffees

All those people who let it run until the light comes on, what happens if your local garage runs out and you have no way of getting to work or school as you've run the tank down so low?

Supposed to be ~80 miles left when light comes on my car (says the chat on owner's forum, I can personally attest to the amount being > 50 miles). Anyway, There are 5-7 stations within 10 miles of my home. Distances are .... 1 mile, 5 miles, 6 miles, 2x7 miles, 1x9 miles, 1x10 miles, 1x12 miles...

I live relatively rurally. That's why there are so many petrol stations around here!

Waiting for warning lights and below can cause issues for fuel pipes and pumps.
A lot of crud and debris can collect at the bottom of the car petrol tank, flakes of metal, paint, dust, general grot.
As the pump drains an almost empty tank it can pick up particles, flakes, lumps, especially when the car is on an incline or steep curve.
This grot can be pumped up and cause blockages in the pipes and fuel pump, leading to starting/running problems.
Especially an issue in older cars as the level of grime inside a fuel tank increases with age.
I know my car can run for another 20 miles when the warning light comes on, but it is an older car and I prefer not to take such risks.

When the light comes on, or if I'm going on a long trip and I've less than half a tank. I work close to home now and am never to far away from a petrol station. I used to commute 50k to work (100 round trip) on the motorway and would fill up then at around 1/4 tank. Wouldn't have rushed having to come off the motorway to fill up

@icedcoffees

All those people who let it run until the light comes on, what happens if your local garage runs out and you have no way of getting to work or school as you've run the tank down so low?

I have 4 petrol stations within pretty close distance to my house and pass 7 on the way to/from work.

Between a half tank and 1/4, depending on what I'm doing and where I need to drive at that time. I'm an anxious person so the idea of waiting until the last moment just fills me with dread.

Light on, then I risk it for a while, then I pop in £20. I really don’t use my car much these days, we’ve done 2678 miles in the last 12 months.

When the needle gets to "E" I consider it 🤣

I run my car in to the petrol station on fumes. Then it get a full tank and off we go again for another 2 weeks. The petrol light might as well get deactivated on my car.

There's a list of approx how many miles left you get for different car models when the fuel light comes on
www.google.com/amp/s/www.express.co.uk/life-style/cars/1119436/fuel-light-petrol-diesel-how-far-warning-car-test/amp

When I pass a petrol station after the red light has come on I have occasionally only got there on a prayer when I forget that I don’t pass it daily and refuse to pay for the more expensive one I do pass daily…

When my miles goes under 25 - which is literally on completely empty.
Wild I know.
Has not served me well this week as I didn't want to q with everyone panic buying but was low. I've now got 7 miles to go and everywhere was saying no fuel on the way home.
Ooops!

I wait until it says zero, although not at the moment, my local garage is only allowing £20 transactions and i use that in two days so popping there once a day x

Never have the money to fill up. We usually go about 10 miles into the red light and then put £10-£30 in depending on how much we have. How much/far we drive depends on how much fuel we have that week.

My car beeps when it needs petrol (every time you turn the engine on) and counts down from 65 "miles" of petrol left.

I've waited until under 10 miles left before!

At the moment we have less than half a tank - that should do us a few days. Maybe a week.

I live relatively rurally. That's why there are so many petrol stations around here!

I'm rural too. There are two within about 20 miles of my house. Another one or two within 30 miles, but both of those take 45+ minutes to get to, assuming you don't get stuck behind a tractor.

So trying to get to one of them with only 20-30 miles to go is...optimistic, to say the least.

I know that I get approx 400 miles before the light comes on. Around 100 miles left I start thinking about when I will need to fuel up that won’t be inconvenient. I also do 200 miles/week on school runs so I know a tank will last around 10 days, depending on what other journeys I make.

@icedcoffees

All those people who let it run until the light comes on, what happens if your local garage runs out and you have no way of getting to work or school as you've run the tank down so low?

We live rurally but one of the major cities is a 30 minute drive away. There are plenty of petrol stations about. We aren't living in the UK at the moment, either, so no fuel shortages.

Usually when it dips under a 1/4 of a tank but before it goes to red.

Currently I have just under half a tank. I filled up about a week ago. A tank will last me about 7-10 days. I am beginning to get nervous abt not being able to fill up when I need to because there is no petrol as local fb pages keep telling me.
I also usually stick to one petrol station and will be a bit anxious getting it from elsewhere.

However, it is a small car. And while just under half a tank sounds good it is in fact only about £12-15 pounds of petrol as I can only get about £36 in when it is one bar above red.

Half a tank in my car will be a 1/4 of a tank in a bigger car.

Always Half a tank or slightly under, to me that's common sense as you never know when you might need to go somewhere in a emergency

Also oil deposits and bad quality always fall to bottom of tank and you don't want these going into fuel filters.

Where are all these rural places with lots of petrol stations????

@icedcoffees

All those people who let it run until the light comes on, what happens if your local garage runs out and you have no way of getting to work or school as you've run the tank down so low?

We have four petrol stations in the town where I live and I pass at least another four on my way into work. Happy to risk it under normal circumstances! Worst case scenario I can work from home if needed

@icedcoffees

All those people who let it run until the light comes on, what happens if your local garage runs out and you have no way of getting to work or school as you've run the tank down so low?

I'd get a taxi.

@Amandasummers

I run mine on fumes…..so does DP to be honest, but one of the reasons for this is because we are both constantly in and out of different vehicles so I’m reluctant to fill up because I could be driving something different the next day and I can’t afford to keep doing that!

My mum is like you OP, her tank is always full, she NEEDS fuel in her eyes before it’s half way. I think she’s mad 🤣

You are risking damaging your fuel pump and filters driving about like this. It will cost you in the long run

1/4 tank is lowest you should let car get.

A full tank normally lasts me a month so I normally top up on payday weekend and put the car through the car wash. Obviously if I'm heading out on a longer journey I'll top up before hand but that's not that often.