How far have you risked it with an empty tank?

[Watts]

Being a bit lazy, I couldn't be bothered to fill up and thought I could commute for a couple of days with a range of 30 miles left. Being only 5.3 miles each way it should have been easy. I was on nights too so really didn't want to be buggering about. First out and back was fine, second night I got stuck in a lengthy jam  and by the time I got to work my range was down to 10. Being a bit tired I forgot about this and offered to drop a colleague home this morning after our shift, not far out of the way, but some distance before I got home it dropped to 0.... Still couldn't be arsed to stop so went home for a good snooze.

Anyways, managed to get to Tesco without incident and filled up. It took 53.26L to fill so it must have been really empty since the tank is quoted at 50L

So, how big is the tank in reality as it was still moving and the guage wasn't quite hitting the bottom of the scale? And, how far have people driven on empty? My old Audi seemed to have a bottomless pit of a fuel tank and would go quite some distance 'without fuel'.

[p3asa]

I got 20 odd miles, think it was 24 after it went to 0.
I never fill up straight away.
Most I've got in a tank was just under 52 litres.

[itavaltalainen]

Tank is nominal 50l..... with manufacturing tolerances you can get a bit over.
Most I have ever filled up was 52.56l - however that not after me once doing something silly and going nearly 50 miles on '0' remaining.... mind you the tractor engine in mine uses a bit less than petrol derivatives....

[Booth11]

7 miles, which was the distance to the Shell garage. Wasn't inclined to see how much further it would go. 

[Watts]

7 miles, which was the distance to the Shell garage. Wasn't inclined to see how much further it would go. 

Still risky but a wise policy

So if a frugal TDI will do 50 miles on empty that would suggest about a gallon excess capacity which in a petrol probably equates to 30ish miles. On balance, and with due regard to my nerves, I think I'll just fill up by a quarter full in future

[ffrank]

I find the fuel warning light really poor in the Golf. When you first run low in fuel it's great with the main display warning. But after parking up and then driving again the little dim orange indicator is amazingly easy to forget about. Would much rather an actual led. I've found myself on the motorway forgetting the light had come on during my previous journey and having to drive like an absolute saint to the nearest services (20 miles on a Zero indicator.) 

[GTD1414]

I've done about 30/35 after the 0 miles reading in my GTD. Only because I can only fill up at certain stations with my fuel cards.

Did 90 miles after 0 reading in my 2012 A3 140Tdi and it ran out of fuel 100 yards from a garage. 

[The ANT]

Be careful with diesel, run out of that and it's not just put more back in the tank like with petrol, the system will need bleeding, though in the gti I've put 54l in a few times but i would be more cautious with diesel.

[davewilliams000]

15-20 miles left is as low as I dared risk it! 

Filled up today...



Not my best overall MPG per tank (50.5) but the highest number of miles on a tank as I don't usually leave it to get that low. Don't think I'd ever risk letting the gauge get to zero though, especially with diesel.

[monkeyhanger]

Be careful with diesel, run out of that and it's not just put more back in the tank like with petrol, the system will need bleeding, though in the gti I've put 54l in a few times but i would be more cautious with diesel.

You would've been right years ago - the fuel pump would've needed re-priming (furiously pumping a little plunger for 5 mins), these days though, the car will shut off the fuel before starvation will happen in the lines. I did run out of fuel in my MK7 GTD once (right by a local petrol station) and it fired up immediately after a top up, with no drama.