Feb
28
How low should you let it go?
Filed Under General
Has this happened to you?
There you are driving along and you glance down at the petrol gauge. The petrol gauge says it is very close to empty!
Now I really want to get to work before I am late and the petrol stations seem to have queues a mile long (well almost!) so I to carry on and get some petrol later on in the day.
Needless to say I did not remember and so it goes on. With every mile I take I am pushing my luck and promising myself that I will fill up at the next petrol station. At a guess I reckon I have travelled another 15 miles or so until I have topped the tank up.
I have a Toyota RAV4 and in my user guide it says “when the petrol light comes on you should fill up soon.” Well “soon” can mean different things to different people. Can anyone tell me how many more miles they have been able to travel when the petrol light comes on? My husband drives a peugeot and his manual says “when the petrol light comes on you can go approximately 30 more miles.”
I suppose I could experiment and top up the petrol can that I keep for a energency (usually empty I may add) and fill it up and drive in a quiet residential area until the petrol light comes on. Set the milometer and drive until the fuel is gone. Then I would know how much further I can go before I run out completely. Simple idea, but probably not too brilliant for the engine.
I suppose the sensible thing to do would be to go the other way and never allow the tank to fall below three quarters empty because at the end of the day it really is so much hassle having to panic at the last minute and find somewhere to fill up!
I would be interested to hear how many miles you have managed to drive after the red light has appeared!