Lack of fuel delivered by service station pump anyone?
Discussion
Put £40 of vpower in tonight, usually takes me up to just over half full. 5 miles down the road and the fuel light comes on and tells me I only have 20 miles left! Didn't notice the reading as I drove away. Went back to the service station and the guy says that it must be my fuel guage and not his pump and he won't go out and check it. Sure my fuel guage is OK but you never know.
Has this ever happended to anyone else? Can this actually happen?
Has this ever happended to anyone else? Can this actually happen?
Defcon5 said:
I beleive the fines from trading standards for this are phenomenal, and as such the petrol stations try their best to make sure their pumps are right.
If you want to check, go fill a 5l jerry can.
A five litre plastic can will take up to just under 6 litres if you brim it!If you want to check, go fill a 5l jerry can.
Yes, it can happen. Some years ago I was pumping (fnaar) and noticed it sounded funny. So I removed the nozel and found it was just pumping out vapour, no liquid. The counter on the pump was still going round though.
I went and got the assistant who checked it out and waived the charge.
I went and got the assistant who checked it out and waived the charge.
Had this issue a few times recently at work.
As said, our pumps need to be dead on accurate or else we are open to huge fines.
It usually happens when someone puts £10 in a big car and complains the needle has hardly moved, yes £10 doesnt get you alot of fuel anymore.
I always say to anyone questioning it: "our pumps are tested twice a year by Customs, your fuel guage was tested was once x years ago, which do you think will be more accurate?"
As said, our pumps need to be dead on accurate or else we are open to huge fines.
It usually happens when someone puts £10 in a big car and complains the needle has hardly moved, yes £10 doesnt get you alot of fuel anymore.
I always say to anyone questioning it: "our pumps are tested twice a year by Customs, your fuel guage was tested was once x years ago, which do you think will be more accurate?"
My brother is a petrol pump engineer - a big part of his job is calibrating pumps. He reassures me that they are all remarkably accurate. The apparatus he uses to do it is pretty extensive. You might find an uncalibrated pump at a wee garage in the back of beyond, but not at one of the 'big ones'
It can and does happen. I was filling up at a texaco station, I had about 1/3 of a 60l tank left. Wasnt watching the pump just waiting for it to click off. After quite a long time I eventually looked to see why it was so slow and found that it was at 80litres and still pumping.
As this was going on one of the attendants was going round putting 'out of use' signs on the pumps so I guess the tank was empty. Didnt stop them having a huge row with me insisting I had put 82 litres in my 60l tank. looking at my guage I reckoned I'd got a few litres, so gave him a fiver and left. Never heard any more about it.
As this was going on one of the attendants was going round putting 'out of use' signs on the pumps so I guess the tank was empty. Didnt stop them having a huge row with me insisting I had put 82 litres in my 60l tank. looking at my guage I reckoned I'd got a few litres, so gave him a fiver and left. Never heard any more about it.
The Black Flash said:
Yes, it can happen. Some years ago I was pumping (fnaar) and noticed it sounded funny. So I removed the nozel and found it was just pumping out vapour, no liquid. The counter on the pump was still going round though.
I went and got the assistant who checked it out and waived the charge.
Happened to me twice last summer, two different stations. Fuel supply world will tell you it's impossible. Having it happen twice in a week will convince you otherwise. It's exactly as Black Flash describes. I went and got the assistant who checked it out and waived the charge.
Great to know I am no longer alone with this misconception fuel pumps can never be faulty or wrong unless set wrong. Utter nonsense that is. 5hit happens - pumping super unleaded is no exception.
Adz The Rat said:
Had this issue a few times recently at work.
As said, our pumps need to be dead on accurate or else we are open to huge fines.
It usually happens when someone puts £10 in a big car and complains the needle has hardly moved, yes £10 doesnt get you alot of fuel anymore.
I always say to anyone questioning it: "our pumps are tested twice a year by Customs, your fuel guage was tested was once x years ago, which do you think will be more accurate?"
And when it genuinely happens and the pump is wrong, something you've never seen or heard of before, you defend the pump based on what. Everyones gauge lies or they lie so no one is an exception coz the pump is never wrong?As said, our pumps need to be dead on accurate or else we are open to huge fines.
It usually happens when someone puts £10 in a big car and complains the needle has hardly moved, yes £10 doesnt get you alot of fuel anymore.
I always say to anyone questioning it: "our pumps are tested twice a year by Customs, your fuel guage was tested was once x years ago, which do you think will be more accurate?"
DjSki said:
Put £40 of vpower in tonight, usually takes me up to just over half full. 5 miles down the road and the fuel light comes on and tells me I only have 20 miles left! Didn't notice the reading as I drove away. Went back to the service station and the guy says that it must be my fuel guage and not his pump and he won't go out and check it. Sure my fuel guage is OK but you never know.
Has this ever happended to anyone else? Can this actually happen?
Yes it can happen, have you spoken to the site manager about it? Normally they should be able to check how much is sold that day against the tank levels. If you get no joy with that do they have a customer service line? Shell's sites it should be printed on the bottom of the receipt. To rule out the fuel gauge you could try brimming the tank at another station, see how much you get in to see how far it is out from where you think it should be. Has this ever happended to anyone else? Can this actually happen?
DjSki said:
Put £40 of vpower in tonight, usually takes me up to just over half full. 5 miles down the road and the fuel light comes on and tells me I only have 20 miles left! Didn't notice the reading as I drove away. Went back to the service station and the guy says that it must be my fuel guage and not his pump and he won't go out and check it. Sure my fuel guage is OK but you never know.
Has this ever happended to anyone else? Can this actually happen?
Gauge.Has this ever happended to anyone else? Can this actually happen?
HTH.
Happened to me the other week. Put £40 in the tank, took it to halfway on the gauge.
I stalled (doh!) at the next junction, and the fuel gauge dropped to 'E' and the trip said i had 20 miles left, and the fuel warning came on. It crept up by about a quarter over the next 4 or 5 miles. By the time i came back to the car a few hours later it was back to normal
I stalled (doh!) at the next junction, and the fuel gauge dropped to 'E' and the trip said i had 20 miles left, and the fuel warning came on. It crept up by about a quarter over the next 4 or 5 miles. By the time i came back to the car a few hours later it was back to normal
Will drop Shell an email then to see if I get anywhere as the station wasn't arsed. Sounds like this can happen and is possible.
Had a good "sniff" around the car, couldn't see or smell a leak, would have to be very serous to lose that much fuel that quickly and then surely it would lead to a dry tank and it's not.
Cheers.
Had a good "sniff" around the car, couldn't see or smell a leak, would have to be very serous to lose that much fuel that quickly and then surely it would lead to a dry tank and it's not.
Cheers.
Calibration is like an MOT. Just means it was right at that point in time.
Damage, wear and tear can take a gauge out of Calibration. Not sure how susceptible petrol pumps are.
I'd hazard a guess that the problems above are not a calibration issue as such but some gross failure of the delivery system. - do pumps measure the actual petrol, or is it just calculated some how?
Damage, wear and tear can take a gauge out of Calibration. Not sure how susceptible petrol pumps are.
I'd hazard a guess that the problems above are not a calibration issue as such but some gross failure of the delivery system. - do pumps measure the actual petrol, or is it just calculated some how?
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff