Out of petrol - how embarrassing!!

[Dapster]

All was well with the world as i was glliding to work this morning in the beautiful sunshine. The orange low fuel light had come on ages ago, but as I sat at the lights the readout said "11 miles". I engaged first, the readout went to "----" and the car just cut. I left it a few seconds and twisted the key. Nothing. Zilch. Zip.

So there I was, rush hour in central London, crowds of irate motorists, cabbies, white vans and cyclists around me and I was stuck in the middle of three lanes with a dead car. And what a car to conk out in! I didn't realise there were so many angry people in London. The nasty, snide comments were endless.

Anyway, 2 nice coppers in a van rolled up and pushed me to the side of the road, and a 10 minute round trip to the Esso station later, I was on my way.

In the past I've driven miles on "----" so the fact that it just cut when it flashed up suprised me. It was so cold this morning I sat with the car stationary for a few minutes to defrost the screen so that must have confused the miles to empty calculation.

 

[JCB..]

I like a man with a sense of occasion. [8D]

 

[Michael Downing]

[]

But, if you're going to do something like that, do it in style......

 

[vitesse]

Sounds to me like you have to save up to fill up or perhaps you are trying to get a really accurate mpg figure.Still,a car with no petrol can be very economical.

 

[juliany27]

I recall Woody Allen telling a story about hiring a car and then reversing along the Brooklyn Bridge to keep the mileage down.

Was this an attempt to get more mpg? And to see the police help a law abiding citizen?

 

[pvernham]

I have this thing in the back of my mind that with a fuel injected car you should not let the tank go dry. Is there any truth in this?

Anyway, it means I always top up before my car gets below 25 miles to go.

 

[juliany27]

Paul

I also recall this advice given to me many moons ago - something to do with the bits and pieces in the bottom of a fuel tank being 'sucked' up into the injection system and causing damage- sorry, I am a non-techie.

In any event, it is always wise to have some fuel in the car; just a gallon [few litres] or so in case of a sudden emergency and a fuel shortage etc.

 

[vitesse]

Being a Lancastrian and looking for value for money,nothing would irk me more than having to fill up at say 94.9p/litre when I normally pay 91.9p.In either car that equals£1.80 extra and no Tesco clubcard points.
As to empty tanks,I believe that pick-up points are much better protected and higher up the tank than before.However,with very low fuel levels,you can get fuel starvation when cornering which could be rather dangerous;I suppose you don't get the "G" in London traffic.

 

[Alan_Armstrong]

I go along with the most recent posts with regard to crap in the bottom of the tank...even though most sytems have an in-line filter before the fuel hits the engine, this would probably mean more £££ to Mr Porsche to change said filter come service time.

I really cant see a positive on running a car so low on fuel...even if you were to think on the lines of keeping £££ in your pocket for longer...fuel prices normally change in a upward direction..therefore the more you by sooner, the less it could cost you![8D]

 

[Dapster]

Crud in the fuel from years ago was partly rust from the inside of the tank and impurities in the petrol. I would assume that with plastic tanks, better refining technology and finer filtration systems, the problems are all but gone - though I wouldn't recommend running a car dry. I'm sure that it was idling higher afterwards but I can't be sure.

The only reason I was so dangerously low was because I was holding out for a Shell garage where I could Optimax the car - stopping for cheapo fuel would have resolved the problem miles earlier!!

 

[Alan_Armstrong]

Slightly off topic I know...your signiature doesnt show sat nav built in your car...so if you up for buying a removeable one...think about Tom Tom as it has petrol stations plotted as standard POI and lists if BP, Texaco, Shell etc[]

 

[thboxster]

It's a pain in the neck, but I will drop into a station just to stick as little as 5.00 quid. That should then get me to the next Shell station.

 

[Tool Pants]

I have the 99.9 miles per gallon economy option.

 

[David White]

I had exactly the same problem in an area unknown to me and very few (not to say NONE) garages in the locality. Middle lane of busy road and viewing the garage on the other side of the roundabout with 10miles still showing then silence.........

All very embarrassing but fortunately a colleague was following me - so he was able to broadcast the news to everyone after pushing etc!!!

Strange though how other drivers come right up your backside when you have all hazards flashing and then they have to reverse to get past!!!!

 

[evoke]

Isn't there a warning in the Boxster about letting it run dry may cause damage to the engine (or specifically the catalytic convertors)? I'm sure I read that when I used to have my Boxster. I've certainly got a similar warning in my 5-Series manual.

Anyway, glad to see you managed to sort it with only a 10-minute roundtrip! Could've been worse...

 

[Steve Brookes]

Being without an onboard computer to tell me the MPG and miles to go (one of the most unbelievable options from Porsche for a £32K+ car when it was new, in my opinion), I only get the orange light coming up on the fuel gauge when I'm running low. Since the needle is still reading approx 1/8 full at this time, does anyone know if the light means I am now on the reserve tank (and therefore have 9 litres left) or do I hit the reserve tank when the needle reads zero?

 

[Guest]

I have now run out of petrol 3 times by reling on the "on board computer" it just aint accurate - I now know if it shows 12 miles there is nothing left!!