Fuel remaining

JTC

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 29, 2012
Location
Centreville, VA
TDI
2012 Jetta TDI Sedan
I physically hit the magic 600+ miles per tank this past weekend. My question is in general, how much fuel remains when the last fuel bar disappear?

When I filled up, It took 13.5-13.6 gallons. Do we have a gallon left at this point??
 

onehandman

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 18, 2012
Location
michigan
TDI
2012 jetta
idk i chicken out when the light comes on, how much further can you go when the light comes on?
 

JSWTDI09

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 31, 2009
Location
Las Vegas, Nevada
TDI
2009 JSW TDI (gone but not forgotten)
No fuel gauge is completely accurate and no two fuel gauges are exactly identical. In other words YMMV (Your mileage May Vary).

That said: You really do not want to run your engine out of fuel. You do not want to try to push it to the limit, because someday you might go just go a little bit too far. I personally think that VW is making a big mistake (for the reliability of their cars) in advertising that you can get xxx miles per tank (depending on tank size/model). This tends to make people actually believe and try this. Mileage varies a lot depending on temperature, speed, tires, winds, terrain, time of year, fuel quality, etc. Fill up before you need to and driving stress goes way down. Enjoy driving instead of concentrating on mileage.

In town, where I know where all the best fuel stations are, I fill up immediately when my car tells me to. On the highway, where I do not know the area, I fill up when it gets below 1/4 tank (that last 1/4 tank goes pretty fast with my fuel gauge).

Have Fun!

Don
 

JTC

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 29, 2012
Location
Centreville, VA
TDI
2012 Jetta TDI Sedan
No fuel gauge is completely accurate and no two fuel gauges are exactly identical. In other words YMMV (Your mileage May Vary).

Don
Just trying to get an average. It would be nice to hook a 700 miles/tank in the future.

This has become a big video game.
 

JSWTDI09

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 31, 2009
Location
Las Vegas, Nevada
TDI
2009 JSW TDI (gone but not forgotten)
J
This has become a big video game....
...and a potentially dangerous game. The HPFPs in our cars have been proven to be a bit "fragile". These pumps are lubricated by the oil (fuel) they pump. A lack of fuel to pump could (I'm not certain) potentially cause damage. There is circumstantial evidence that fuel temperature may also be involved in HPFP failures (more failures in the Summer than in the Winter). Your fuel can also get quite warm in the tank because it recirculates through the system. Less fuel in the tank, less time to cool before it gets heated (pumped) again. I am not willing to risk adding to the possibility of an $8,000 to $10,000 repair bill to replace my fuel system. Under no circumstances would I allow my car to even get close to running out of fuel. Video games have their place, but it's not while driving.

Have Fun!

Don
 

Plus 3 Golfer

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 29, 2008
Location
ARIZONA
TDI
Und tschüss! 2009 Jetta 12/23/2012
I think if you search, you'll see this question comes up about once a week or so.:D IIRC, some have filled up and put around 15.3 gallons in without running out of fuel.

What Don says. Just make sure that when playing your "video game", you understand the possible issues with running the fuel system near empty or dry. Fuel is a lubricant and coolant.
 

MayorDJQ

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 4, 2001
Location
Williamstown, Mass
TDI
'10 Golf 2dr 6m, sold.
My personal best has been 642 miles, with probably 50 being after the light came on. There should be about 2 gallons left when the light comes on, so if I'm averaging 47mpg, I should be able to do 75 miles.

As for fuel temp, someone logged fuel temperature over the course of an entire tank while on a long trip. The temperature rise over the course of the tank was minimal, even in the final stages of the tank.
 

NorthernMage

Veteran Member
Joined
May 5, 2005
Location
Victoria, BC
TDI
2012 Jetta TDI, 6MT, Platinum Grey
The fuel capacity of the tank is 14.5 US Gallons so you would have a gallon left with your vehicle if it took 13.5 gallons, that should get you 40 miles or so. I can squeeze more in if I fill it up to the top of the neck but you can't "vent" it like you could the older models....
 

MayorDJQ

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 4, 2001
Location
Williamstown, Mass
TDI
'10 Golf 2dr 6m, sold.
The fuel capacity of the tank is 14.5 US Gallons so you would have a gallon left with your vehicle if it took 13.5 gallons, that should get you 40 miles or so. I can squeeze more in if I fill it up to the top of the neck but you can't "vent" it like you could the older models....
There is a vent, it's just always "open". If you trickle fill it to the vent and it's quiet enough, you can sometimes hear the air being purged.
 

NorthernMage

Veteran Member
Joined
May 5, 2005
Location
Victoria, BC
TDI
2012 Jetta TDI, 6MT, Platinum Grey
You used to be able to do a ventectomy on the MK IVs and remove the guts from the vent in the top of the fuel filler pipe which allowed another 2 gallons to be added....
 

MayorDJQ

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 4, 2001
Location
Williamstown, Mass
TDI
'10 Golf 2dr 6m, sold.
Ventectomy?????
There's noting to remove. As mentioned above, the vent is always open.

The vent is completely different than the "button in the fuel neck" of the older cars. It appears that '09+ cars (maybe all MkV+...not sure, never owned an 05.5-06 TDI) have none of the evaporative plumbing lines that the older cars had. Venting an ALH allowed air to be purged from those lines and filled with "extra" fuel.

A fuel tank must be vented, otherwise vacuum would build up in the tank as fuel is consumed. On cars with a lift pump, the LP may be able to overcome the vacuum and still supply the HPFP with fuel, but a VE pump (or a old carbureted gasser) on an ALH would probably be starved for fuel.
 

Cogen Man

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 4, 2011
Location
Kingston, Ontario, Canada
TDI
2011 Golf TDI DSG.
I physically hit the magic 600+ miles per tank this past weekend. My question is in general, how much fuel remains when the last fuel bar disappear?

When I filled up, It took 13.5-13.6 gallons. Do we have a gallon left at this point??
My answer would be 1 gallon left. My advice, don't push it. You don't want to risk a HPFP malf. You can buy a lot of fuel for an $8-10K repair bill. Or whatever the price would be to fix the beast. Just my $0.02.
 

tbone1989

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2011
Location
NJ/NYC
TDI
2011 Jetta TDI 6-speed
Idk how you guys drive but ill get about 520 on like 13 gallons, i drive mostly highway, at about 75-80, shifting around 2,600-3,000 when all warmed up. I do notice that i can hit 200 miles on the first quarter of the tank, but once it hits half, it goes pretty quickly. Any reason why it does this?
 

MayorDJQ

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 4, 2001
Location
Williamstown, Mass
TDI
'10 Golf 2dr 6m, sold.
Check your tire oressure and crank it up to at least 36psi. You could check to make sure the rear brakes aren't dragging.

Also, dropping to <75 will help.
 

JSWTDI09

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 31, 2009
Location
Las Vegas, Nevada
TDI
2009 JSW TDI (gone but not forgotten)
I do notice that i can hit 200 miles on the first quarter of the tank, but once it hits half, it goes pretty quickly. Any reason why it does this?
Easy, the fuel gauge is not linear. The fuel gauge is not designed to be accurate. What you have noticed is completely normal. It is unfortunate, but normal.

Have Fun!

Don
 

MayorDJQ

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 4, 2001
Location
Williamstown, Mass
TDI
'10 Golf 2dr 6m, sold.
It's not so much unfortunate as it is psychological. If it "looks like" you're consuming fuel rapidly, you're more likely to fill up sooner.

Once tye light came on In my '02, I knew I had at 70 miles left, but the needle would go from the top of the red to zero in 20 miles or so. The '10 fuel gauge isn't much different.
 

pdt165

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 28, 2011
Location
Fl
TDI
2011 Jetta 6 speed (Bought Back)
Idk how you guys drive but ill get about 520 on like 13 gallons, i drive mostly highway, at about 75-80, shifting around 2,600-3,000 when all warmed up. I do notice that i can hit 200 miles on the first quarter of the tank, but once it hits half, it goes pretty quickly. Any reason why it does this?
From talking to other owners you get best milage shifting around 2000 rpm. Make sure every once and a while to get the rpms up tho.
 

MayorDJQ

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 4, 2001
Location
Williamstown, Mass
TDI
'10 Golf 2dr 6m, sold.
From talking to other owners you get best milage shifting around 2000 rpm. Make sure every once and a while to get the rpms up tho.
You might get great mileage doing that but your savings will go down the drain when your DPF ash load is above spec at 80k miles.
 

pdt165

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 28, 2011
Location
Fl
TDI
2011 Jetta 6 speed (Bought Back)
You might get great mileage doing that but your savings will go down the drain when your DPF ash load is above spec at 80k miles.
thats why I said to get the RPMs up every once n a while. DO NOT drive like this all the time.
 

Corvus

Veteran Member
Joined
May 27, 2004
Location
Mid-South
TDI
2014 Passat
A "Ventectomy" only applies to older VW TDIs. Mk5 and Mk6 VWs do not have a vent to remove, so there is no such thing as a ventectomy.

Have Fun!

Don
You read my mind! I was going to ask if there was a vent button to depress with the gas nozzle during fill-ups! So basically when the pump clicks off the 2012s are full, eh? I just filled up my first time and saw that I could only squeeze in another half-gallon of diesel (where I used to be able to squeeze in 2.2 gallons with my 2004 TDI).

C.
 

pdt165

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 28, 2011
Location
Fl
TDI
2011 Jetta 6 speed (Bought Back)
You read my mind! I was going to ask if there was a vent button to depress with the gas nozzle during fill-ups! So basically when the pump clicks off the 2012s are full, eh? I just filled up my first time and saw that I could only squeeze in another half-gallon of diesel (where I used to be able to squeeze in 2.2 gallons with my 2004 TDI).

C.
If you use a gas nozzle youre in for some serious problems :p.

I know you put diesel later on in the post. ive just learned if you beat it into yourself when talking it makes the odds of misfueling alot less.
 

jpog

Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2012
Location
Huntsville, AL
TDI
2012 Jetta, premium w/ Nav, 6-spd manual
My first tank showed promise of over 600. I put 11.1 gals in after 486 miles of driving, top-off to top-off (43.5 mpg). Now the MFD shows 690 given miles driven and miles to empty, so I think 700 is a cinch, too. Loving the TDI as a n00b!

jpog
 

MayorDJQ

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 4, 2001
Location
Williamstown, Mass
TDI
'10 Golf 2dr 6m, sold.
So basically when the pump clicks off the 2012s are full, eh?
It depends how you fill up. If you pump at full blast and put the cap on at "click-off". You won't have a full tank of fuel. You'll have 7/8 or 15/16 of a tank of fuel and the rest will be foam. You could probably trickle in another gallon at that point.

Unless it's brutally cold, I always fill at 1/2 blast. When the pump clicks off I trickle fill it to the brim. It usually only takes another .25-.5 gallon at that point.
 

11JTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 8, 2011
Location
Ladys Island, SC
TDI
2011 Jetta TDI
My personal best has been 642 miles, with probably 50 being after the light came on. There should be about 2 gallons left when the light comes on, so if I'm averaging 47mpg, I should be able to do 75 miles.

2 gallons, 47mpg=75???? Wouldn't that be 94???
 

MayorDJQ

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 4, 2001
Location
Williamstown, Mass
TDI
'10 Golf 2dr 6m, sold.
2 gallons, 47mpg=75???? Wouldn't that be 94???
Yes, if I wanted to run it down to fumes.

But since I don't know if my low fuel light is calibrated exactly at 1.9 gallons and I really don't want to risk damage to an $8,000 finding out, I decided to play it safe.
 
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