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Ran out of fuel AND battery!!

Discussion in 'Prius c Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Yuval Legendtofski, Mar 9, 2013.

  1. Lutchenko

    Lutchenko Will Perrin

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    I can feel a poll coming on along the lines of.....
    How many people, should they happen to run out of fuel, would actually post it on here?
     
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  2. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    The very accurate advice I posted was not theory. I did not blame others or pretend that the car was flawed.
     
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  3. boppo

    boppo Active Member

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    I guess if the OP like to run the tank down that low he should a least carry 3.5 gals with him at all times and make sure he fills it back up when he runs out.
     
  4. Rob.au

    Rob.au Active Member

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    This is hilarious. :ROFLMAO:

    This issue is one of those things... we've seen a few threads on it here already and its in every guide for beginners I've seen (including What every newb should know | PriusChat ) so the hot tip kind of appears to be "don't run out of fuel".

    From previous posts and mention of the RACV in the first post, Yuval's a fellow Australian, which means like me, he also has to put up with this malarkey:

    [​IMG]

    My fuel buying game has nothing to do with how far I can get on a tank and everything to do with trying to second guess the fuel distribution cartel and buying petrol on the day I feel is nearest to the low point. With the c this means I rarely get below half on the display and I think I may have once seen two bars, but only briefly.

    On the flipside, as per the graph, fuel prices did their thing and soared in Melbourne on Saturday. When you find yourself in this sitatuon, if you are thinking of filling, clearly there is some encouragement to delay it where you can. I'm wondering if this was a contributing factor. Then again being "notorious for driving my cars when the fuel gauge is in the red" is clearly something many have warned must be given up when you own a Prius.
     
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  5. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Personally I fill up when there's a gas station convenient and the tank is anywhere below 1/3 tank remaining. It's simple, keeps you out of trouble. And I find the OP's attitude exasperating. But all that aside:

    Running out of gas should not break the car. Toyota must have set the programming up with a battery limp mode that's overtaxing the battery.
     
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  6. RRxing

    RRxing Senior Member

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    Ah, the old "How low can you go?" conundrum...

    THIS IS NOT A LIMBO CONTEST!!!!
     
  7. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    You would prefer programming that put the driver at risk? I think it is more appropriate to sacrifice the car.
     
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  8. Zythryn

    Zythryn Senior Member

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    The car is showing you that it is running out of petrol and you refuse to fill it.
    You then are surprised when it stops?

    You work for the NYT don't you?
     
  9. ztanos

    ztanos All-around Geek!

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    Running a car completely out of gas is also bad for the fuel pump. I'm not really sure how you could have run out and then blame it on the car... after the beep and flash of bar 1 you get 1.5 gallons. For me this has been a consistent 50 (as I don't want to run out of gas) miles after the beep. So you ignored the flashing bar on the fuel gauge for at least 50 miles (depending on your mpgs). Nobody is going to feel sorry for the cars "flaw" that you tried to exploit and failed.
     
  10. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

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    OP brodered a Prius. The only thing that's missing is a photo of the car on a flatbed as it is being towed to a gas station.
     
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  11. john1701a

    john1701a Prius Guru

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    Ignoring warnings is nothing new.

    All we can do is inform owners of the consequences of their choice.
     
  12. 2015Prius2

    2015Prius2 Member

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    I think you've upset the all mighty prius nerds, they spend every waking minute on this forum waiting for someone to jump on and call them dumb. So much for you having an opinion. It's the typical pompous attitude that gives prius drivers a bad name ( the feeling that they are better than others)
     
  13. Zythryn

    Zythryn Senior Member

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    Nothing pompous about it and it has nothing to do with driving a Prius.
    Driving until you run out of fuel is just plain stupid. Especially when you have a reserve (battery) do get that last half mile or so.
    Doesn't matter if you are driving a Prius, an Audi, a Hummer, or a pure EV.
     
  14. kenoarto

    kenoarto Senior Member

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    Let's get this straight: OP deliberately drove the car until the gas tank went dry and then wondered why the car didn't go. Rocket scientist is needed here.
     
  15. 2015Prius2

    2015Prius2 Member

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    And that gives you the right to judge somebody and say they are stupid? I love the mentality of ganging up on someone because you disagree with them.
     
  16. Lutchenko

    Lutchenko Will Perrin

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    So by the same token someone drives their car ignoring the fuel low warning until it stops. Does that give them the right to blame the car?
     
  17. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

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    I think it's because the OP was blaming everyone but themselves. Running out of fuel is totally avoidable and blaming a car is not the wisest move.

    If they'd come on saying they'd done a dumb thing and might have accidentally damaged their car, they might have had a different response, but blaming everyone and everything else just rubs everyones back up.

    Harsh but true.
     
  18. 2015Prius2

    2015Prius2 Member

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    Ok so I understand correctly, you are defending an inanimate object and in turn calling a person stupid?

    I think I understand now...... Carry on
     
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  19. kenoarto

    kenoarto Senior Member

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    Prius is a very smart car. OP not so much!
     
  20. Lutchenko

    Lutchenko Will Perrin

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    As opposed to doing something stupid and blaming an inanimate object yeah lol