I want more than just one "pip"!

I would like the "ADD FUEL" to continously flash on the MFD, but only to beep louder once every 15 minutes. Yes, I want it to drive me crazy enough so that I stop trying to pull a record each time.

I don't have an answer to your request, but it's a great question.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rand Reed @ Nov 14 2006, 05:58 PM) [snapback]349243[/snapback]</div>

You could try a CAN-view v4 when it comes out. It uses a seperate display from the MFD, but it's designed to show you way more data than your regular MFD. It also has a fuel guage which shows the amount in percent (%). For the last couple months, I haven't been putting gas in till the guage hits 2 or 5% depending on how many gas stations were nearby.

 

When I get down to the last pip, I want the system to dial out to a refueling tanker that pulls up beside me at the next stoplight and in about 5 seconds tops me off while the light is red. My CC is automatically billed, and the cost of the gas is the same as if I went to a station. Since they have no store front, they can afford this service.

The airforce can do it, let's start working this angle with the cars.

 

I would like to see a giant red flag pop up out of the dash board and wave back and forth in front of my face and also honk the horn repeatedly, non-stop, until I stop to get gas. Seriously, how do you miss the flashing pip? Once it flashes you know it and then you stop to get gas, right? Why tempt fate? Reminds me of Seinfield when Kramer tried to take the Saab as far as it could go on a tank.....and then ran out.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(cairo94507 @ Nov 15 2006, 09:58 AM) [snapback]349413[/snapback]</div>

That is one of my favorite episodes...thanx for the morning chuckle !!!

 

I always fill up somewhere between ¼ & ½ tank. I don’t think that I understand the rewards for taking a chance of running out of gas? :blink:

 

I would like higher gas milage. Then I would not have to drag my feet on refueling quite as often.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rand Reed @ Nov 14 2006, 08:38 PM) [snapback]349231[/snapback]</div>

Isn't that what the "Really, Really, Really Low Fuel" red triangle is for?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(cairo94507 @ Nov 15 2006, 08:58 AM) [snapback]349413[/snapback]</div>

How about a hundred or so sharp pins that come out of the seat bottom and start to draw blood 10 miles after the last pip starts to blink?

This brings to mind and old joke:

The Big Flood

It had been raining for days and days, and a terrible flood had come over the land. The waters rose so high that one man was forced to climb onto the roof of his house.

As the waters rose higher and higher, a man in a rowboat appeared, and told him to get in. "No," replied the man on the roof. "I have faith in the Lord; the Lord will save me." So the man in the rowboat went away. The man on the roof prayed for God to save him.

The waters rose higher and higher, and suddenly a speedboat appeared. "Climb in!" shouted a man in the boat. "No," replied the man on the roof. "I have faith in the Lord; the Lord will save me." So the man in the speedboat went away. The man on the roof prayed for God to save him.


The waters continued to rise. A helicopter appeared and over the loudspeaker, the pilot announced he would lower a rope to the man on the roof. "No," replied the man on the roof. "I have faith in the Lord; the Lord will save me." So the helicopter went away. The man on the roof prayed for God to save him.

The waters rose higher and higher, and eventually they rose so high that the man on the roof was washed away, and alas, the poor man drowned.

Upon arriving in heaven, the man marched straight over to God. "Heavenly Father," he said, "I had faith in you, I prayed to you to save me, and yet you did nothing. Why?" God gave him a puzzled look, and replied "I sent you two boats and a helicopter, what more did you expect?"

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rand Reed @ Nov 14 2006, 10:38 PM) [snapback]349231[/snapback]</div>

I usually glance at the fuel gauge every time I get in the car and turn it on. It's just part of the process of getting under way for me. And I have found, that under most circumstances, such as commuting, the is more than sufficient to allow me to monitor the gas level and get the car to a gas station in time without running out of fuel.

And this is not exactly new behavior for me. I've done it for every car I've driven, ever since the age of 17 when I got in my father's car, drove it 4 miles, and ran out of gas.

It only takes a half a second or so to look at the gas guage before you put the car in Drive. It should not be too much of a burden to do it.

 

:mellow: Being a light aircraft pilot taught me to NEVER push your fuel capacity. While running a Prius out of fuel cal have unpleasant consequences, running an aircraft out of fuel can have disasterous consequences.

It does puzzle me why some Prius drivers seem fascinated with pushing the range of a "tank of fuel" to its utmost limit. It seems some want bragging rights, as in "Well, I got 464 miles on my last tank.!!" - akin to a kid saying "My dog is meaner than your dog!" My habit: At one NON-BLINKING pip, I buy fuel at the earliest convenience. Only once in over two years have I had a BLINKING PIP - I stopped at the nearest service station for fuel. Sometimes at 2 pips, I will shop for the best price and fill at my convenience.

 

Maybe Toyota could provide a dipstick or at least access to the tank itself, so we could dunk a stick in there and check the level the old fashioned way.

...just like preflighting a 172.

I'm joking.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(cairo94507 @ Nov 15 2006, 10:58 AM) [snapback]349413[/snapback]</div>

And for those older people here (like me) there is the time on the Dick Van Dyke Show when Rob Petrie ran his Tarantula sports car he just bought out of gas. He was furious that when the gas gauge showed E the car ran out. He of course got rid of that car.

Kind of like when my wife's Buick gas guage became inaccurate. I tried to say that you could determine when to fill the tank by hitting 300 miles on the odometer, which still would give plenty of safety. No, either replace the guage or get rid of the car. So since there was no guarantee that the replacement guage would be any better we traded the car for a PRIUS. Yes, talk about ironic.

 

Having never seen the flashing pip myself, I don't know how obvious it is. But I know the low fuel indicators have been quite obvious in other cars I've owned. It's always been something that draws the eye like a steady yellow light or an indicator light that looks like a gas pump.

I don't know how obvious the blinking pip would be to the eye. I supposed the blinking could draw your eye, but wouldn't it be a little easier to have a indicator light where all the others are?

 

Personally, the beep it makes when the fuel is low is loud and obnoxious. And the blinking pip is quite obvious to me. But I can't stand letting it get that low. Usually, I like to fill up with 1-2 left. For a long drive, I tend to fill up a bit more often unless I know a good gas station is a little further ahead.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rand Reed @ Nov 14 2006, 08:38 PM) [snapback]349231[/snapback]</div>

And then someone would have to work on a hack to turn off this annoying warning beep and distracting flashing light!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jtullos @ Nov 16 2006, 11:25 AM) [snapback]350150[/snapback]</div>

Years ago we were driving back to Naples (IT) after a vacation to Florence, San Marino, etc and lost track of my gas level. Before I knew it, the level was dangerously low - here it was, Good Friday, barren turnpike, grumpy family when finally I see a sign for gas at the next exit. Got off, went about 9 miles and came to a very small Italian town gettng ready for their Good Friday procession. Luckily I caught the gas station just as it was closing and was able to get enough gas to get to the next biggest town on the map. I think they were ready to nail me to something.
Since then on, filling my tank is like drinking - fill (drink) early.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(nyconrad @ Nov 16 2006, 02:33 PM) [snapback]350203[/snapback]</div>

That reminds me of my coworker's car. He as a new Infinity SUV-like thing. It has a "feature" where it has a sensor in the mirror that detects lines in front of the car. If you cross over a line, such as changing lanes on the highway, without your turn signals on, it beeps at you.