Can petrol pumps be faulty?

[PostHeads123]

I have a tip run car even at todays prices if I put £12 in its registers on fuel guage and miles left usually 20miles. I went to a petrol station with 5 miles left bunged £12 in, when I started the car the fuel gauge and miles left didn't move I thought it odd, drove off forecourt and within 200meters miles left went to 0, I was close to a BP so went in put another £12 in this time fuel gauge moved and usual 20miles left appeared. I went back to orginal place and they said no else report issue with pump, can petrol pumps be faulty these days, I know its only £12 but I can't work out what went on? I've been losing my memory recently and wondering now if I actually put the petrol in.

Thanks

[Glenn63]

Take a container and fill that and see.

[Saleen836]

Vauxhall by any chance?

My Astravan will do this if I do a 'splash & dash'

[Wacky Racer]

PostHeads123 said:

I have a tip run car even at todays prices if I put £12 in its registers on fuel guage and miles left usually 20miles. I went to a petrol station with 5 miles left bunged £12 in, when I started the car the fuel gauge and miles left didn't move I thought it odd, drove off forecourt and within 200meters miles left went to 0, I was close to a BP so went in put another £12 in this time fuel gauge moved and usual 20miles left appeared. I went back to orginal place and they said no else report issue with pump, can petrol pumps be faulty these days, I know its only £12 but I can't work out what went on ?I've been losing my memory recently and wondering now if I actually put the petrol in.

Thanks

I would be more worried about this.

If it persists see a doctor.

[ridds]

More chance of your gauge or range calculator being faulty (or adjusting to your most recent driving style) than the petrol pump being at fault.

The petrol pumps are calibrated regularly and the stickers are usually visible on the pump somehwere.

[wong]

Something about the shape of the petrol tanks at the bottom. You may have to fill over a certain amount to "trigger" the sensor.

[HJG]

Coincidentally I had the same tonight and was going to ask the same thing. £20 gave me 10 litres supposedly. Needle barely moved on a 50litre tank.
I've had it happen to me before at this particular petrol station too. In Woking.

[Mojooo]

Petrol pumps are tested by Trading Standards using precise equipment that is calibrated regularly - usually 5l 10l and 20l cans.

Petrol pumps can be wrong but it is more likely to be an issue with your own equipment.

If they are wrong they tend to be worn by relatively small amounts - i.e. highly unlikely they are out by 50% for example.

You can always report it to your local Trading Standards and hope they have enough staff left to check.

[anonymous-user]

Happens with my t5 if I do a splash and dash

[Pica-Pica]

wong said:

Something about the shape of the petrol tanks at the bottom. You may have to fill over a certain amount to "trigger" the sensor.

Fuel gauges still work on a float on a stick. The float;
a) cannot touch the bottom, as it would get damaged, so there is always fuel left below zero.
b) cannot touch the top of the tank, as it would get damaged, so there is the possibility of filling above a ‘FULL’ mark. (If you fill until, say, the third click stop on the pump you will travel some miles before the needle moves below ‘FULL’.
If you drive rapidly, then stop, then resume, you may have a situation where the miles-to-empty shows 150 (say) then if you drive carefully it may adjust to read 160, or simply take a long time to move below 150. This is because the fuel injection rate has slowed down and the algorithm will re-compute. It sounds something like that, maybe?
(For reference, tank capacity will typically be something like the volume of fuel from a level-road run-dry, to a fill-up to the second click stop on the pump)