Ran out of Gas, got BAD advice from Dealership!

gbgirl79 · 01-18-2006, 06:50 PM

Well, I have never run out of gas before and didnt expect to do it 1 week after buying my Prius, but s*** happens I guess.

I had about 460 miles on the tank, which the dealer supposedly filled up when we bought the car. It said we were getting 45 mpg, so I figure mathematically we should be able to make it home from work and then some. Well, I thought wrong. It doesnt make sense to me Why we ran out of gas other than maybe the dealer didnt fill it up all the way, so Ill have to just wait and see what we get on the next tank.

Onto the next problem. My bfriend walked to the nearest gas station, after our electric died as well. About 10 minutes later he returned with a small gas thing with about 2 gallons of gas and poured it in. We turned on the car and no dice. Would not start and acted like it didnt notice the gas. So I call Darcars Toyota Silver Spring, MD. The lady service advisor says "You have to have it towed to a Toyota Dealer and reprogrammed" What???

I kept saying are you sure are you sure you think theyd Warn you about this at the dealership or put it in the manual if something like this is what you have to do when you run out of gas. She said yes shes sure.

I dont trust her at this point and call Alexandria, VA Toyota. They said they dont know what shes talking about and give me the # to Roadside Assistance, who tells me that they dont support the 06 Prius anymore so I cant get help but she does say it takes 3 gallons to get the Prius to start again. So my boyfriend goes again, comes back and puts more gas in and Voila, on the road again.

So 2 things to consider...

1. If you run out of gas, you do NOT have to have your car "reprogrammed"
2. Apparantly if you have an 06 Prius, it doesnt come with Roadside Assistance. Why?? Who knows...but probably because nobody knows how the hell to even get it started again after running out of gas.

galaxee · 01-18-2006, 06:59 PM

1. do not rely on the tank being 11.9 gallons and do not rely on your own calculations. if the bar is blinking, get gas. the bladder gives you extremely variable fillups, and rarely do they get much over 10 gallons.
2. do not run until the electric dies. this can cause serious problems with your vehicle.
3. roadside assistance was discontinued after the 05s
4. the prius takes 3 gallons of gas to reset the gas gauge and the MFD, it does make sense in some twisted way.

lesson learned: if the car says to get gas, LISTEN!

sorry for the rant, but there's no reason to ever run out of gas in any vehicle, especially one that gets over 400 mi/tank.

please, spend some time on priuschat and get to know your car a bit before something else crops up that you're not sure about. good luck.

**efusco** · 01-18-2006, 07:00 PM

Until you become familiar with the bizarre tendencies of the gas tank always fill asap after the last bar on the fuel guage starts flashing.

If/when you run out of gas pull over and stop as soon as safely possible...do NOT continue to drive until the electric quits...this is clearly pointed out throughout several areas including the owner's manual. If you excessivly discharge your battery you very well MAY have to have the battery recharged...this will be an expensive and lengthy process and may lead to premature demise of your battery.

But, as you surmised, if you run out just stop and put some gas in and it should start right up with no adverse consequences.

Salsawonder · 01-18-2006, 07:10 PM

Dealership not the issue. You need to become an informed driver. You have a vehicle that is very different in some ways but has hard to screw up instructions...listen to your vehicle and read the manual!!

flynz4 · 01-18-2006, 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Salsawonder@Jan 18 2006, 05:10 PM
Dealership not the issue. You need to become an informed driver. You have a vehicle that is very different in some ways but has hard to screw up instructions...listen to your vehicle and read the manual!!

[snapback]192755[/snapback]

A friend of mine brought her car today to the dealer for an unrelated issue. She is still on her first tank, and has about 1/4 of a tank left. The dealer gave her strong advice to never let the tank go below 1/4... and those that do are likely to get expensive repairs. She was not sure why... but the dealer added that it would not be covered by warranty. Once again... I do not know if that is really accurate.

On a similar thread... my (exceptional) mechanic recently changed a fuel pump for $650 on my daughters Jeep. He asked her if she routinely ran the tank low... and she said yes (college student without extra money). He claims that he changes fuel pumps every week for people who let their tanks run low because the submerged fuel pump gets its cooling from fuel. He said that if you never let the tank go below 1/4... then you will never need a replacement fuel pump.

I have no idea if this is acurate or not for the Prius... but to me it is crazy to see how low you can go with the fuel in your tank. It is not hard to fill up more often. Maybe it is my training as a pilot (we don't have mid-air refueling for Cessnas

)... but IMHO there is no advantage to allowing the fuel to go low.

/Jim

mdmikemd · 01-18-2006, 08:25 PM

I have to say I'm puzzled with what seems to be an obsession of seeing the most you can get out of a tank. Most of the guys(and girls) doing these seem to be getting good mileage anyway. I've only let it go as low as 3 bars...well, that's my preference.

jamarimutt · 01-18-2006, 08:26 PM

I suspect that this a bogus story.

HokieHybrid · 01-18-2006, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by flynz4@Jan 18 2006, 08:07 PM
On a similar thread... my (exceptional) mechanic recently changed a fuel pump for $650 on my daughters Jeep. He asked her if she routinely ran the tank low... and she said yes (college student without extra money). He claims that he changes fuel pumps every week for people who let their tanks run low because the submerged fuel pump gets its cooling from fuel. He said that if you never let the tank go below 1/4... then you will never need a replacement fuel pump.

/Jim

[snapback]192796[/snapback]

I can attest to the poor fuel pumps in Jeeps if you let them run below a 1/4 tank. My sister has a love affair with Jeeps....her only two cars have been an 89 and 99 Blue Jeep Cherokee. Our mechanic and our father continually remind her to fill up often, but she has yet to learn. Three fuel pumps later...I have yet to drive her Jeep without having to fill it up.

On the same line as the pilots...my father was a fire chief...and obsessively starts thinking about filling up the tank at 3/4.

Kiloran · 01-18-2006, 08:33 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mdmikemd@Jan 18 2006, 09:25 PM
I have to say I'm puzzled with what seems to be an obsession of seeing the most you can get out of a tank. Most of the guys(and girls) doing these seem to be getting good mileage anyway. I've only let it go as low as 3 bars...well, that's my preference.

[snapback]192810[/snapback]

I'm with you on this.

lwillis · 01-18-2006, 10:59 PM

I learned when I was young that it costs just as much to keep the tank full, as it does to keep it empty.

01-18-2006, 06:59 PM	#2
galaxee resident lab rat Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: boilermaker territory Posts: 9,676 My Car: 2005 Prius Model: N/A Package: #5 Thanks: 0 Thanked 94 Times in 37 Posts Friends: 26	1. do not rely on the tank being 11.9 gallons and do not rely on your own calculations. if the bar is blinking, get gas. the bladder gives you extremely variable fillups, and rarely do they get much over 10 gallons. 2. do not run until the electric dies. this can cause serious problems with your vehicle. 3. roadside assistance was discontinued after the 05s 4. the prius takes 3 gallons of gas to reset the gas gauge and the MFD, it does make sense in some twisted way. lesson learned: if the car says to get gas, LISTEN! sorry for the rant, but there's no reason to ever run out of gas in any vehicle, especially one that gets over 400 mi/tank. please, spend some time on priuschat and get to know your car a bit before something else crops up that you're not sure about. good luck. __________________ black 2005 prius, a few mods that make me happy g: class of '09 in intense science DH: class of '09 in medical equipment hoping to discover the 'reward' part of the sacrifice-reward cycle soon!

01-18-2006, 07:00 PM	#3
efusco Troll Slayer Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Nixa, MO Posts: 17,255 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: Package: #9 Thanks: 50 Thanked 263 Times in 158 Posts Friends: 37	Until you become familiar with the bizarre tendencies of the gas tank always fill asap after the last bar on the fuel guage starts flashing. If/when you run out of gas pull over and stop as soon as safely possible...do NOT continue to drive until the electric quits...this is clearly pointed out throughout several areas including the owner's manual. If you excessivly discharge your battery you very well MAY have to have the battery recharged...this will be an expensive and lengthy process and may lead to premature demise of your battery. But, as you surmised, if you run out just stop and put some gas in and it should start right up with no adverse consequences. __________________ Evan E. Fusco, MD "It's a damn poor mind that can only think of one way to spell a word." -Andrew Jackson

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01-18-2006, 06:50 PM	#1
gbgirl79 Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 44 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Well, I have never run out of gas before and didnt expect to do it 1 week after buying my Prius, but s*** happens I guess. I had about 460 miles on the tank, which the dealer supposedly filled up when we bought the car. It said we were getting 45 mpg, so I figure mathematically we should be able to make it home from work and then some. Well, I thought wrong. It doesnt make sense to me Why we ran out of gas other than maybe the dealer didnt fill it up all the way, so Ill have to just wait and see what we get on the next tank. Onto the next problem. My bfriend walked to the nearest gas station, after our electric died as well. About 10 minutes later he returned with a small gas thing with about 2 gallons of gas and poured it in. We turned on the car and no dice. Would not start and acted like it didnt notice the gas. So I call Darcars Toyota Silver Spring, MD. The lady service advisor says "You have to have it towed to a Toyota Dealer and reprogrammed" What??? I kept saying are you sure are you sure you think theyd Warn you about this at the dealership or put it in the manual if something like this is what you have to do when you run out of gas. She said yes shes sure. I dont trust her at this point and call Alexandria, VA Toyota. They said they dont know what shes talking about and give me the # to Roadside Assistance, who tells me that they dont support the 06 Prius anymore so I cant get help but she does say it takes 3 gallons to get the Prius to start again. So my boyfriend goes again, comes back and puts more gas in and Voila, on the road again. So 2 things to consider... 1. If you run out of gas, you do NOT have to have your car "reprogrammed" 2. Apparantly if you have an 06 Prius, it doesnt come with Roadside Assistance. Why?? Who knows...but probably because nobody knows how the hell to even get it started again after running out of gas.

01-18-2006, 07:10 PM	#4
Salsawonder Silver Lining Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: La Mesa California Posts: 1,611 My Car: 2010 Prius Model: IV Package: Solar Roof Thanks: 32 Thanked 22 Times in 18 Posts Friends: 0	Dealership not the issue. You need to become an informed driver. You have a vehicle that is very different in some ways but has hard to screw up instructions...listen to your vehicle and read the manual!!

01-18-2006, 08:25 PM	#6
mdmikemd Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Minneapolis Posts: 428 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 1 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	I have to say I'm puzzled with what seems to be an obsession of seeing the most you can get out of a tank. Most of the guys(and girls) doing these seem to be getting good mileage anyway. I've only let it go as low as 3 bars...well, that's my preference.

01-18-2006, 08:26 PM	#7
jamarimutt Senior Member Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 986 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 0 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts Friends: 0	I suspect that this a bogus story.

01-18-2006, 10:59 PM	#10
lwillis Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Russiaville, Indiana Posts: 37 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	I learned when I was young that it costs just as much to keep the tank full, as it does to keep it empty.