Petrol Guage

[Keyzer Soze]

Hi all,

I know petrol gauges can behave pretty strangely, but my Mk 3 Leon is pretty extreme. It's a 1.2 TSI SE with Technology pack. I topped it up last week, drove around a bit and was surprised that the gauge wasn't falling. It finally dropped to 7/8ths and, out of curiosity and because I was at the supermarket anyway, I thought I would top it up again. It took 20 litres . This means that the first segment of the gauge is 40% of the capacity of the tank.

Is this normal?

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[dw911]

Yes, and was even worse on the mk2, in the first few days at the rate the gauge was dropping I'd thought I'd get 600 miles from a tank, sadly not once at half it dropped like a stone.
None of the mk3's I've had are that bad though

 

[Keyzer Soze]

Thanks, I'll just have to take it into account.

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[yellowcone87]

I've noticed two particular spots where the gauge seems to hang for a while in my 1.2.

When full, it stays on full for what feels like ages. Then once it drops the first light it is fairly consistent until 5 lights, where it hangs again for a while, then like Dw911 mentioned the last four drop fairly rapidly.

I put it down to a funny shape tank, but that's purely a guess. It does the same thing every time so I just got used to it! Digital gauges are never great in my experience. Still, remember the old style that used to move as you went round corners?..

 

[Curtly]

Pretty much the same as mine lol

 

[chrisRibiza]

My 1.4tsi seems to be about 110 miles for the 1st bar then the rest are about 50miles each.

 

[dephead2004]

I had the vcds fuel used added to the info screen. Useless. Apparently uses no fuel for 150 miles

 

[Keyzer Soze]

Looks like there's a design issue with the mechanism for recording the fuel level. Looks like the info screen just repeats what the gauge is saying, but in a different form.


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[yellowcone87]

It doesn't seem to be terribly accurate to be honest. The info screen will also be trying to take your average mpg into account when it estimates remaining miles etc. They work okay as a rough guide, but that's about it.

 

[Keyzer Soze]

Think I'll run it down to see what happens when it's nearly empty

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[murcutt]

Mine is exactly the same. I hate the fuel gauge - should be an analogue one.


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[matthab]

Always been like that for mine. Fuel gauges are always inaccurate as fuel expands and contracts plus its always sloshing around.

 

[Jonwm]

Early days but I'm finding the mk3 much improved over the mk2 gauge, my mk2 would show 1\4 tank but say 40 miles range, then turn the car off and it would say 25 miles and the needle in the red, the range massively changed depending upon driving, the mk3 seems much more stable even when driving a bit heavy at times

 

[andrewpain]

every car I've owned has seemingly used no fuel for the first 100 miles, then the last 1/4 goes in about 50 miles.
My daughters Golf V does it, so does my wife's Saab. My merc used to as well...

 

[Keyzer Soze]

That does happen, just seems more pronounced in the Leon.

 

[yellowcone87]

I once owned a 70's mini. The fuel gauge in that was pretty much a switch. You either had fuel or not, there was no in between.

Oh how I wish I had kept it.

 

[Keyzer Soze]

From my memories of 70s cars, you also either had a floor or you didn't, there was no in between lol

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[yellowcone87]

From my memories of 70s cars, you also either had a floor or you didn't, there was no in between lol

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Haha! Not quite. My dads '74 MG midget sort of had a floor up to about 50mph, at which point the carpet would lift enough to reveal that there wasn't one anymore. So as long as you kept it below 50 all was good. And err, staying below 50 in a midget isn't difficult!