Ran out of fuel today........
Discussion
What a clot I am......but the good news is.......I put a can of fuel in and the good old girl started on the first attempt at getting the fuel back through the system....but what I want to check is....will it cause any problems in future with air in the system or crud from the bottom of the tank. she seems to be running ok, have I got away with being a plonker????
Happened to me within the first month of owning my TVR. I'd never owned a car that could run out of fuel at 180 miles before. 
I had the same concerns as you, but the advice at the time was just to fill up and not do it again. I duely did and in the 2 years since I have had no problems.
I had the same concerns as you, but the advice at the time was just to fill up and not do it again. I duely did and in the 2 years since I have had no problems.
Years ago, I had to borrow a spare car at work, as mine was in for a service, IIRC it was a Corsa. Anyway, picked it up at work and had to go and see a client in Tunbridge Wells so headed off without checking the fuel etc (was in a rush). Got as far as a bit before the Tonbridge turning on the A21 when it coughed and died. I drove it on the starter motor along the hard shoulder ( 
) and up the inclined slip road.
Did it harm the car? No idea and couldn't care less...
>> Edited by charlescrawley on Friday 4th June 15:26
) and up the inclined slip road. Did it harm the car? No idea and couldn't care less...
>> Edited by charlescrawley on Friday 4th June 15:26
Los Angeles said:
As someone else famously said, the best handling car is the one you've rented.
once entered a hillclimb event whilst on holiday in Jersey..........and yes, you've guessed it...........it was in a rented car
it was a brand new fiesta with about 200 miles on the clock, and when I gave it back after 3 days, it had bald tyres and a rattley cam
Los Angeles said:Hmmm. Should I tell this anecdote or not?
TVR at Blackpool handed me the keys to my new Griffith 500 LE with nought but a tablespoon of petrol in the tank.
Oh sod it.
My dad had a very big shunt in a 400SE in the early 90's and the car had to go back to the factory for the chassis to be re-jigged.
They had the car for most of that summer to fix it.
Anyway, my mum and I drove my dad up to Blackppol to collect it when it was fixed. They sent us on our way, and a mile or so down the road the car conked out. So my mum and I drove back to the factory and confronted them with the fact that they had sent us on our way with an empty tank (especially since it had had a full tank when it had arrived with them).
The person we talked to denied it and somewhat snootily told us that all their cars were sent off with full tanks.
We pointed out that either they had sent the car out with an empty tank or else the car had broken down not 5 mins after they had released it having taken several months to fix it, so either way it was their problem.
So the guy calls over a grease monkey and tells him to follow us with a jerry can, turns on his heels, and walks off. Great customer service.
So the grease monkey follows us back to the stricken wedge, puts a glug or two of fuel in, points us in the direction of a filling station and buggers off.
Impressed? Not particularly. Yet a decade later I buy my own TVR. Funny old world, eh?
Took my Chim in for its MOT the other day to a garage across the road from my mother's house.
Dropped the car off with not a lot of fuel in it, intending to fill her up after the MOT.
After about an hour of waiting I hear the little Chimp being driven out from round the back of the workshop.
Ah ha! MOT finished I think to myself.
Not a bloody bit of it, I peer through the hedge to see two grinning mechanics hammering my poor car up the road at a rate of knots and into the distance.
Now I bet you're thinking 'they ran it out of petrol'.
Yes and no. They reappeared half an hour later, with even bigger grins, much to my relief.
THEN they managed to run it out of petrol; they were doing the emissions test when it finally died.
One of the mechanics had to come over and sheepishly ask if it was ok to bung in some petrol 'as we think it may have been a bit low on fuel when you bought it in Sir'.
Sailed through the MOT though; methinks some feelings of guilt may have contibuted to the clean bill of health.
Dropped the car off with not a lot of fuel in it, intending to fill her up after the MOT.
After about an hour of waiting I hear the little Chimp being driven out from round the back of the workshop.
Ah ha! MOT finished I think to myself.
Not a bloody bit of it, I peer through the hedge to see two grinning mechanics hammering my poor car up the road at a rate of knots and into the distance.
Now I bet you're thinking 'they ran it out of petrol'.
Yes and no. They reappeared half an hour later, with even bigger grins, much to my relief.
THEN they managed to run it out of petrol; they were doing the emissions test when it finally died.
One of the mechanics had to come over and sheepishly ask if it was ok to bung in some petrol 'as we think it may have been a bit low on fuel when you bought it in Sir'.
Sailed through the MOT though; methinks some feelings of guilt may have contibuted to the clean bill of health.
DustyC said:
I guess at Stuttgart they have a "is the fuel tank full" check box on their check list.
However, this checklist cost thousands of man hours in the quality department and has helped to make Porsche what its is.
Im quite happy with TVR being what it is.
As far as I'm concerned the factory still owe us a tank of fuel. It went in for repair with a full tank and was collected running on fumes.
I must remember to bring that up with them if I ever visit.
"Hi there, you won't remember me but just over 10 years ago....".
>> Edited by JonRB on Monday 7th June 13:59
AArrrghh! I read this article the other day and sniggered to myself - how could anyone run out of fuel! But driving home from visiting my mother on Sunday, sun shining, roof off, and ignoring the fuel gauge, yep, you guessed it.
Managed to conk-out literally two minutes (in the car) from the next petrol station, on a rather dodgy bend. Definitely not much fun.
I'll add myself to the hall of shame.
Managed to conk-out literally two minutes (in the car
) from the next petrol station, on a rather dodgy bend. Definitely not much fun. I'll add myself to the hall of shame.
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