What's wrong with my fuel gauge??????
Discussion
Firstly, when filled riiiiiiiiiight up to the top, it only says 51 litres but manual says 56, so where's my missing 5 litres???
Secondly, how the devil do you fill these things up (T350C) without getting petrol all over the shiny, waxed wing and my shoes??? I've tried the 'nozzle at 3-o-clock, not fully in, half-trigger pressure' but I'm still getting splash back.
Finally, the guage just plays silly buggers with me once it gets down to about 10/12 litres. Display says 10, then 8, then 6, then 12, then 3!!!! then 8 then 10 again and so on and so on, so I haven't got a clue how dangerously low I'm getting.
Bit of a pain when you pass the sign 'next services 27 miles'.
As a side issue, looks like I'm averaging 25mpg, which isn't too bad.
Your help will be much appreciated.
Secondly, how the devil do you fill these things up (T350C) without getting petrol all over the shiny, waxed wing and my shoes??? I've tried the 'nozzle at 3-o-clock, not fully in, half-trigger pressure' but I'm still getting splash back.
Finally, the guage just plays silly buggers with me once it gets down to about 10/12 litres. Display says 10, then 8, then 6, then 12, then 3!!!! then 8 then 10 again and so on and so on, so I haven't got a clue how dangerously low I'm getting.
Bit of a pain when you pass the sign 'next services 27 miles'.
As a side issue, looks like I'm averaging 25mpg, which isn't too bad.
Your help will be much appreciated.
Mine only reads 51 litres when full too. As with all of the other guages, I just treat them as for indicative purposes only and don't trust the absolute number.
For filling up, I fill really slowly - about 2 seconds per litre. Much faster than that and I find it more likely to splash down the side of the car.
For filling up, I fill really slowly - about 2 seconds per litre. Much faster than that and I find it more likely to splash down the side of the car.
Ah, the joys of filling a T350!
Right, are you sitting comfortably...? Good, I shall begin!
Had mine about 6 months now, and am just about getting used to it. The max you'll ever get in is 53 litres. I was told this by the the dealer I bought from (Drivestyle) and they are absolutely right. No idea where the remaining 3 litres goes - drunk by the petrol faries for all I know.
Filling - this is a best guide from my experience and what i've been told, but it does vary from pump to pump! Pump in at 90 degrees (handle pointing to 3 o'clock), and I tend to rest the nozzle on the little metal guide inside the top of the neck (about 1-2 inches in). Try and keep the nozzle in the middle of the filler hole. Apply pressure gradually, especially at the beginning, as it has a tendency to chuck it back out at you when you put the first bit in. Max pressure you'll get is about half, otherwise either the automatic cut out will kick in, or it'll throw it all out and over your paint work. Keep an eye how much you're putting in (litreage) and add that to the number of litres on your gauge, plus add another 5 or so for good measure. When that total gets near to 50, start slowing down.
Gauge - hmmm, is a little irratic at the best of times. But it seems to under-read rather than over-read. I've driven mine for a bit when the gauge is showing only 1 litre left, and still only been able to get in 45 litres. So clearly there is a bit in reserve. Not sure that is through design or luck though! Plus it does nothing to improve my blood pressure. Fill early is usually the best option.
Umm, that's about it really. Other than always wipe off any spills straight away - I even carry a little bottle of water in the boot to give the area a quick 'wash'. I have read that it's always good to keep that area well waxed too, as it stops the petrol eating the paint!
Trust me, you get used to it, but it did take a while. I used to hate filling up, as it was just so frustating. Still get arm ache though holding the pump at half pressure though! (Or maybe I'm just a whimp!)
Ropey
Right, are you sitting comfortably...? Good, I shall begin!
Had mine about 6 months now, and am just about getting used to it. The max you'll ever get in is 53 litres. I was told this by the the dealer I bought from (Drivestyle) and they are absolutely right. No idea where the remaining 3 litres goes - drunk by the petrol faries for all I know.
Filling - this is a best guide from my experience and what i've been told, but it does vary from pump to pump! Pump in at 90 degrees (handle pointing to 3 o'clock), and I tend to rest the nozzle on the little metal guide inside the top of the neck (about 1-2 inches in). Try and keep the nozzle in the middle of the filler hole. Apply pressure gradually, especially at the beginning, as it has a tendency to chuck it back out at you when you put the first bit in. Max pressure you'll get is about half, otherwise either the automatic cut out will kick in, or it'll throw it all out and over your paint work. Keep an eye how much you're putting in (litreage) and add that to the number of litres on your gauge, plus add another 5 or so for good measure. When that total gets near to 50, start slowing down.
Gauge - hmmm, is a little irratic at the best of times. But it seems to under-read rather than over-read. I've driven mine for a bit when the gauge is showing only 1 litre left, and still only been able to get in 45 litres. So clearly there is a bit in reserve. Not sure that is through design or luck though! Plus it does nothing to improve my blood pressure. Fill early is usually the best option.
Umm, that's about it really. Other than always wipe off any spills straight away - I even carry a little bottle of water in the boot to give the area a quick 'wash'. I have read that it's always good to keep that area well waxed too, as it stops the petrol eating the paint!
Trust me, you get used to it, but it did take a while. I used to hate filling up, as it was just so frustating. Still get arm ache though holding the pump at half pressure though! (Or maybe I'm just a whimp!)
Ropey
Hi 'Ropey' - Thanks for that
I have exactly the same sentiments at the moment - it's a tad frustrating! Because of my mileage, and the small tank size, I'm filling up every 250 miles, and that seems like every other day - averaging 25mpg tho, so not to bad.
My T350 gets lots of extra wax at the moment on the n/s/r wing, and a bottle of car shampoo/water mix will be going in the boot today!!!!
Cheers.
I have exactly the same sentiments at the moment - it's a tad frustrating! Because of my mileage, and the small tank size, I'm filling up every 250 miles, and that seems like every other day - averaging 25mpg tho, so not to bad.
My T350 gets lots of extra wax at the moment on the n/s/r wing, and a bottle of car shampoo/water mix will be going in the boot today!!!!
Cheers.
The age old problem rears its head again. My advice is use the guage as an estimate and decide how much you intend to put in when arriving at the pump, even if it is not full, after all you will be stopping again soon so a few litres less won't harm. The only time I ignored this and tried to get more in than planned there was petrol everywhere, particularly embarrasing as two blokes were admiring the car just as my petrol fountain errupted!
My second tip would be take it slowly... it does seem odd when topping up before a long trip when you walk up to the till after ages at the pump and they look at you questioningly when it is only £20.
As a final point I always check the numerical guage when first starting the car in a morning, as it has been level in the garage all night I tend to find this gives a more reliable reading and I can quite accurately predict how much fuel I will use on any upcoming journey.
Hope this is of some help
Cheers - Rippers
My second tip would be take it slowly... it does seem odd when topping up before a long trip when you walk up to the till after ages at the pump and they look at you questioningly when it is only £20.
As a final point I always check the numerical guage when first starting the car in a morning, as it has been level in the garage all night I tend to find this gives a more reliable reading and I can quite accurately predict how much fuel I will use on any upcoming journey.
Hope this is of some help
Cheers - Rippers
This thread made me smile, having coming from an Elise. The Stax readout was usually pretty spot on, but the fun started with 10 litres left, as the readout stopped counting down and bluntly stated 'Refill'. Quite a memory test to start with, but you got used to it. My point: with such sensitive motors I wouldn't dream of running near empty. Get used to filling from 1/4 full mark. Added bonus: you get the impression you're using less fuel!
ropey said:
Ah, the joys of filling a T350!
Right, are you sitting comfortably...? Good, I shall begin!
Had mine about 6 months now, and am just about getting used to it. The max you'll ever get in is 53 litres. I was told this by the the dealer I bought from (Drivestyle) and they are absolutely right. No idea where the remaining 3 litres goes - drunk by the petrol faries for all I know.
Filling - this is a best guide from my experience and what i've been told, but it does vary from pump to pump! Pump in at 90 degrees (handle pointing to 3 o'clock), and I tend to rest the nozzle on the little metal guide inside the top of the neck (about 1-2 inches in). Try and keep the nozzle in the middle of the filler hole. Apply pressure gradually, especially at the beginning, as it has a tendency to chuck it back out at you when you put the first bit in. Max pressure you'll get is about half, otherwise either the automatic cut out will kick in, or it'll throw it all out and over your paint work. Keep an eye how much you're putting in (litreage) and add that to the number of litres on your gauge, plus add another 5 or so for good measure. When that total gets near to 50, start slowing down.
Gauge - hmmm, is a little irratic at the best of times. But it seems to under-read rather than over-read. I've driven mine for a bit when the gauge is showing only 1 litre left, and still only been able to get in 45 litres. So clearly there is a bit in reserve. Not sure that is through design or luck though! Plus it does nothing to improve my blood pressure. Fill early is usually the best option.
Umm, that's about it really. Other than always wipe off any spills straight away - I even carry a little bottle of water in the boot to give the area a quick 'wash'. I have read that it's always good to keep that area well waxed too, as it stops the petrol eating the paint!
Trust me, you get used to it, but it did take a while. I used to hate filling up, as it was just so frustating. Still get arm ache though holding the pump at half pressure though! (Or maybe I'm just a whimp!)
Ropey
Right, are you sitting comfortably...? Good, I shall begin!
Had mine about 6 months now, and am just about getting used to it. The max you'll ever get in is 53 litres. I was told this by the the dealer I bought from (Drivestyle) and they are absolutely right. No idea where the remaining 3 litres goes - drunk by the petrol faries for all I know.
Filling - this is a best guide from my experience and what i've been told, but it does vary from pump to pump! Pump in at 90 degrees (handle pointing to 3 o'clock), and I tend to rest the nozzle on the little metal guide inside the top of the neck (about 1-2 inches in). Try and keep the nozzle in the middle of the filler hole. Apply pressure gradually, especially at the beginning, as it has a tendency to chuck it back out at you when you put the first bit in. Max pressure you'll get is about half, otherwise either the automatic cut out will kick in, or it'll throw it all out and over your paint work. Keep an eye how much you're putting in (litreage) and add that to the number of litres on your gauge, plus add another 5 or so for good measure. When that total gets near to 50, start slowing down.
Gauge - hmmm, is a little irratic at the best of times. But it seems to under-read rather than over-read. I've driven mine for a bit when the gauge is showing only 1 litre left, and still only been able to get in 45 litres. So clearly there is a bit in reserve. Not sure that is through design or luck though! Plus it does nothing to improve my blood pressure. Fill early is usually the best option.
Umm, that's about it really. Other than always wipe off any spills straight away - I even carry a little bottle of water in the boot to give the area a quick 'wash'. I have read that it's always good to keep that area well waxed too, as it stops the petrol eating the paint!
Trust me, you get used to it, but it did take a while. I used to hate filling up, as it was just so frustating. Still get arm ache though holding the pump at half pressure though! (Or maybe I'm just a whimp!)
Ropey
It seems filling a T350 is a lot like making love to a beautiful woman
Yup. If you are getting 25mpg then the niggles just aren't relevant 
As said above, I work out how many litres are needed beforehand and then just run the pump on half speed. In this cold weather it has been decidedly anti-social as a couple of local pumps are so bad that I have to use them at about quarter speed.
I've also started to become an expert on fuel pump nozzle shapes and diameters as well as which brand of pump and fuel station works best. Bit of a Nerd Alert warning as I think this is something that most of us T350 owners become.
I can get a reading of 55 litres on mine if I brake heavily prior to just filling it up with 51 litres
As said above, I work out how many litres are needed beforehand and then just run the pump on half speed. In this cold weather it has been decidedly anti-social as a couple of local pumps are so bad that I have to use them at about quarter speed.
I've also started to become an expert on fuel pump nozzle shapes and diameters as well as which brand of pump and fuel station works best. Bit of a Nerd Alert warning as I think this is something that most of us T350 owners become.
I can get a reading of 55 litres on mine if I brake heavily prior to just filling it up with 51 litres
This thread made me smile I am so glad I am not the only one going through these things....
I think alot of what we suffer is magnified because you can not do anything in these cars without being noticed e.g. When petrol spits all over you, 99% odds on someone is looking at the car.
And you just know what is going through their heads (or maybe I am paranoid):
1) Why is that guy standing with a the nosel upside down
2) Why did he take so bloody long to put £20 of petrol in (Toss**)
3) Why is that bloke washing the side of his car by the petrol pump (He is just showing off)
I am so glad I am not the only one going through these things.... I think alot of what we suffer is magnified because you can not do anything in these cars without being noticed e.g. When petrol spits all over you, 99% odds on someone is looking at the car.
And you just know what is going through their heads (or maybe I am paranoid):
1) Why is that guy standing with a the nosel upside down
2) Why did he take so bloody long to put £20 of petrol in (Toss**)
3) Why is that bloke washing the side of his car by the petrol pump (He is just showing off)
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