# I thought we had an 18.5 gal. tank



## rodolan (Jan 17, 2007)

I know we're suppose to have an 18.5 gal. tank but yet when my fuel gauge gets in the red I fill up with 14.5 gal. Is there really 4 gal. left in the tank. It don't seem to give you much range when it gets to empty. Is everyone else's like this or is my gauge off? Thanks for replies


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## 0macman0 (Nov 6, 2017)

rodolan said:


> I know we're suppose to have an 18.5 gal. tank but yet when my fuel gauge gets in the red I fill up with 14.5 gal. Is there really 4 gal. left in the tank. It don't seem to give you much range when it gets to empty. Is everyone else's like this or is my gauge off? Thanks for replies


The gauge is on the safe side, and generally shows empty a bit early. I have experienced more like two gallons, not four


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## GTINC (Jan 28, 2005)

rodolan said:


> I know we're suppose to have an 18.5 gal.....


If the published specs from VW says it is 18.5 gal tank, it is a 18.5 gal. tank.


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## chipster (May 30, 2017)

*2 gallons reserve*

I just filled my Atlas starting from a solid E. 16.5 gallons.
There must be 2 gallons left.


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## rodolan (Jan 17, 2007)

I don't have a problem with it when I drive but it's my wife's car and when it hits the red mark she's filling up and it's usually only 300 mi. whereas her Explorer use to go 360 mi. before filling up although it was usually around 17 gal to fill. Just don't seem to have the range unless you want to run it deep in the red


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## GTINC (Jan 28, 2005)

rodolan said:


> I don't have a problem with it when I drive but it's my wife's car and when it hits the red mark she's filling up and it's usually only 300 mi. whereas her Explorer use to go 360 mi. before filling up although it was usually around 17 gal to fill. Just don't seem to have the range unless you want to run it deep in the red


I live in an area that does not have a shortage of filling stations....absolutely no reason to not fill the tank any time, not just when on the red.


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## Daekwan (Nov 5, 2017)

Pretty much every car made today has atleast 2 gallons of "reserve" left when the fuel indicator actually hits E, so even when you hit E.. you still have a good 40 miles of driving left to get gas.

Some cars will actually allow you to adjust how much fuel is left in the tank before the gas light comes on. I believe the Atlas does have that feature.


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## jkopelc (Mar 1, 2017)

Not sure I have seen the feature on my Atlas - where I can adjust distance to empty?


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## ice4life (Nov 6, 2017)

Daekwan said:


> Some cars will actually allow you to adjust how much fuel is left in the tank before the gas light comes on. I believe the Atlas does have that feature.


What?


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## EPilot (Jul 27, 1999)

You can tweak the gauge in VCDS.


You could try this not sure if the same adaptation works for the Titan.
From this site.
https://sites.google.com/a/naturalnetworks.ca/vw-golf-mk7-vcds-how-to/instruments/adjust-fuel-gauge



> Reference: http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthre...new-to-VW)&p=87199207&viewfull=1#post87199207
> 
> Also consider: http://www.myturbodiesel.com/wiki/mpg-gauge-correction-and-adjustment-mk5-mk6-vw/
> 
> ...


*NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ISSUES WITH THIS *


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## passta (Jan 22, 2018)

I just drove ours on a 1200 mile road trip, and will be doing the return trip tomorrow. Each time, I got to around 5 miles or 0 miles left according to the range readout, and then stoped and filled up. I never was able to put more than 15 gallons in on any of the refueling stops, and got about 300m per tank all highway driving. I think this should be something VW should look at and am going to call when I get home. I'm fine with a reserve, but call it out as to what it actually is in the manual. Having roughly 20% of your tank left seems a bit overly cautious IMO. 

Or I might just pull a Kramer and drive it till it stops and see what it really ends up at...


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## walksonair (Aug 29, 2017)

Well, I don't recommend driving it till it stops as that could be detrimental to your cat converter, etc. I agree with everyone that this vehicle's tank and fuel management is ridiculous. I manage airplane fueling and just thinking about how the VW atlas promts to refuel with 3+ gallons left creeps me out. I'd rather have a gallon of reserve but I dont know if there is any adpative learning going on by the computer and it just errs on the super conservative side in determining when the needle gets into red zone. I'm lucky to get 300mi at the beginning of the red zone, btw. I'm apt to try the VCDS mode...anyone else tried and have any points to say about the procedure?


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## OZ.IN.USA (Jan 29, 2011)

walksonair said:


> Well, I don't recommend driving it till it stops as that could be detrimental to your cat converter, etc. I agree with everyone that this vehicle's tank and fuel management is ridiculous. I manage airplane fueling and just thinking about how the *VW atlas promts to refuel with 3+ gallons left creeps me out.* I'd rather have a gallon of reserve but I dont know if there is any adpative learning going on by the computer and it just errs on the super conservative side in determining when the needle gets into red zone. I'm lucky to get 300mi at the beginning of the red zone, btw. I'm apt to try the VCDS mode...anyone else tried and have any points to say about the procedure?


Not a new phenomenon. All my VWs have been doing the same. i.e about three gallons left when the warning light first come on.

My 1998 Jetta TDI. That was annoying (around 150 miles to actual empty) and my 2003 are consistent at around three gallons.

It would be beneficial that the warning light comes on when you have about a gallon, which usually means around 30 minutes on the highway and generally you should find a station in that time.


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## GTINC (Jan 28, 2005)

I guess I live in a more advanced area of the USA. We have places that sell fuel everywhere and many open 24 hours a day. There is no reason to every have the tank below half on the gauge.


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## Passatsquared (Oct 26, 2014)

My passat has an 18.5 gallon tank and I've run it past the "empty" point and still only put 17 gallons in.

My tdi passat actually took closer to 19.6 gallons if I filled it to the brim. If I went by the trip computer on this one, I would have missed out on 150 miles of range!

For the record, my best tank was 1050 miles! 95 percent highway in Florida with just a driver.

I get 37 to 40 out of my gasser.


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## KarstGeo (Jan 19, 2018)

I just go by miles. I know I am getting X for mileage and I have Y for tank capacity. Math.


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## SEEBEE88 (Feb 25, 2018)

*Fuel tank readings / level sensors*

Hey everyone, not sure if this has been mentioned before but I figured I would ask the community if anyone experiences this. 

We have a 3.6L Execline 4 Motion (SEL Premium) and ever since we bought the car in early March, the car seems to consume lots of fuel in the first half tank (from full to 1/2), then it slowly uses fuel until empty. 

I assume this is due to fuel tank design, but wanted to ask if anyone else is also experiencing this?

Also, in the first 1,600 km (1,000 miles) the car was getting horrible fuel mileage of approx. 17 l/100km or (13 MPG) and once we reached around 2,000 km (1,200 miles) on the odometer it greatly improved to proper numbers of 10 l/100km (19 MPG).

Thanks for the input! 

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## Atlas32 (Feb 3, 2018)

SEEBEE88 said:


> Hey everyone, not sure if this has been mentioned before but I figured I would ask the community if anyone experiences this.
> 
> We have a 3.6L Execline 4 Motion (SEL Premium) and ever since we bought the car in early March, the car seems to consume lots of fuel in the first half tank (from full to 1/2), then it slowly uses fuel until empty.
> 
> ...


I have not paid a bunch of attention to how quickly the tank empties but I can tell you that we routinely get 21mpg driving in normal mode. We just now have a little over 9000 miles and absolutely love our car! I tried it a couple of times on the same route (about 30 miles each way) in economy mode and oddly enough got about 1mpg less! The route is mostly highway with some moderate hills / grades in a 15 mile portion. Now I just always leave it in normal mode and I can say that the engine has performed better to me after about 5,000 miles as far as power/responsiveness. We have the all motion SE with tech in the 3.6. Not sure if any of that helps!


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## kkress (Sep 11, 2017)

Right, you can see the needle move each mile during the first half tank and then it slows down. Not that it actually changes consumption/MPG but just the gauge is not linear. I fill up about 40 miles from home and it's already at 7/8 tank when I get home. We have 2.0 SEL and our lifetime average has now passed 25 mpg. It's getting warmer, which really helps, and the engine is getting broken in, which also helps. And some time around now is when the 'summer blend' gas starts to hit, which I thought also helps with mpg. My current Jetta is the opposite, I can drive 200 miles and it barely gets off F, then it really starts to drop.

My learnings from all the VWs I've owned is you have about 2 gal left after your 50 mile range warning hits 0. I try not to do this but it seems to always be the case. It's not good run any tank down that low as the fuel is a heatsink for the fuel pump and helps cool it. Running on E doesn't help the pump in the tank out. Also, you don't want any air in the fuel lines of a diesel


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## Pnvwfun (Jan 22, 2018)

Just filled up yesterday after 378 miles since the previous fill-up, and it took 16.2 gallons. The needle was just past the last tick mark in the red zone and the info screen said I had 20 miles to go, so I actually probably had closer to 70 miles to go. I did run all the way to the E mark on the gauge once and it still took only 17 gallons of fuel. Yes it is conservative, and running it too low all the time could shorten the fuel pump life. I've had other cars that do the same thing. My last car would shut down when braking hard when I had about 2 gallons left, then it would run fine once I restarted.


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## GTINC (Jan 28, 2005)

kkress said:


> Right, you can see the needle move each mile during the first half tank and then it slows down. Not that it actually changes consumption/MPG but just the gauge is not linear.....


Have you ever owned or known of a vehicle with a linear fuel gauge?


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## ribbit (Jun 4, 2012)

Why would this car have a 18.5 gal tank? Other large SUVs have 25 gal tanks . My TREG TDI has 26 gals which means 700+ miles in a tank. Now that is what I call range . NE to SWFL on 2 tanks of fuel. 25 gals is what it should have IMO. BTW my Alltrack has 17 gal tank.


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## GjR32 (Dec 22, 2010)

ribbit said:


> Why would this car have a 18.5 gal tank? Other large SUVs have 25 gal tanks . My TREG TDI has 26 gals which means 700+ miles in a tank. Now that is what I call range . NE to SWFL on 2 tanks of fuel. 25 gals is what it should have IMO. BTW my Alltrack has 17 gal tank.


That’s exactly what I said on this forum over a year ago when the Atlas specs were released. I had numerous replies stating that people wouldn’t want to pay $80 to fill up their Atlas. Well don’t fill it up then!! I’m not a fan of going to the gas station all the time.


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## GTINC (Jan 28, 2005)

ribbit said:


> Why would this car have a 18.5 gal tank? Other large SUVs have 25 gal tanks . My TREG TDI has 26 gals which means 700+ miles in a tank. Now that is what I call range . NE to SWFL on 2 tanks of fuel. 25 gals is what it should have IMO. BTW my Alltrack has 17 gal tank.


Where would you put this 25 gallon tank? How would you make it safe? How would you avoid and extra pump to move fuel from one section to the other?


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## AudiVW guy (Feb 7, 2006)

my wife has decided to run the car to fumes lol 
and yes the stop start still functioned lol


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## GjR32 (Dec 22, 2010)

I’ve been driving around for a couple of days with the range on 0 miles. I filled up today and it took 18.742 gallons.


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## 0macman0 (Nov 6, 2017)

GjR32 said:


> I’ve been driving around for a couple of days with the range on 0 miles. I filled up today and it took 18.742 gallons.


Can we rename this thread I thought we had an 18.742 gallon tank 


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## AudiVW guy (Feb 7, 2006)

0macman0 said:


> Can we rename this thread I thought we had an 18.742 gallon tank
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


i would not know actually what the tank size is.. in Canada it cost $1.40 per liter to fill which is $5.51 a gallon
so i only put $10 in at a time - to get me where i need to go and back..


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## GTINC (Jan 28, 2005)

AudiVW guy said:


> i would not know actually what the tank size is.. in Canada it cost $1.40 per liter to fill which is $5.51 a gallon
> so i only put $10 in at a time - to get me where i need to go and back..


Can you explain the advantage to only put $10 in a time. You expecting that the fuel price will drop next week? Or go up......


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## fallingapple (Dec 6, 2017)

enjoyed '0 km range' for about 30 kms


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## AudiVW guy (Feb 7, 2006)

fallingapple said:


> enjoyed '0 km range' for about 30 kms


where did you get the screen cover protection overlay ?


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## fallingapple (Dec 6, 2017)

https://www.amazon.com/LFOTPP-Volkswagen-Navigation-Protector-Infotainment/dp/B076D8X8MX


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## Atlas53 (Jan 29, 2018)

*Tank size*

The tank might hold 18.5, or more, but the fuel cools the in-tank fuel pump so you wouldn't want to run it bone dry as it could damage the pump. They may have designed the tank with a built in reservoir to protect the pump, but they really should advertise only the useful capacity. I can go further on a tank than I would want to go without a stop, so I think the tank size is okay. Knowing that there is plenty of reserve on empty is good to know.


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## Reisen (Aug 31, 2018)

I'd appreciate a larger tank. I don't necessarily need 25 gallons, but 20 or 22 would have been a big improvement, especially when traveling in rural areas where gas stations are few and far between. How conservative the gauge is only makes matters worse, as I suspect I will be constantly feeling like I need to fill up.


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## GTINC (Jan 28, 2005)

Reisen said:


> ....especially when traveling in rural areas where gas stations are few and far between......


Where would this be, exactly?


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## GjR32 (Dec 22, 2010)

An 18.5 gallon tank is small for such a large vehicle with less than stellar fuel consumption. I brought this fact up before the car was launched and lots of people said they didn’t want a larger tank because it would cost them too much to fill up! Well don’t fill it up then! I would much rather have a larger tank and not be going to the gas station all the time. The fact that the when the range says 0 miles there is still 2 gallons adds to the annoyance. I can understand being off 5 miles or so to make sure you never run out of gas but 2 gallons is ridiculous.


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## KarstGeo (Jan 19, 2018)

Math is hard for a lot of people

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## DJMcGoven (Mar 2, 2007)

GjR32 said:


> The fact that the when the range says 0 miles there is still 2 gallons adds to the annoyance. I can understand being off 5 miles or so to make sure you never run out of gas but 2 gallons is ridiculous.


All cars do this though, it's not unique to the Atlas.


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## donpost (Jul 12, 2018)

GjR32 said:


> An 18.5 gallon tank is small for such a large vehicle with less than stellar fuel consumption. I brought this fact up before the car was launched and lots of people said they didn’t want a larger tank because it would cost them too much to fill up! Well don’t fill it up then! I would much rather have a larger tank and not be going to the gas station all the time. The fact that the when the range says 0 miles there is still 2 gallons adds to the annoyance. I can understand being off 5 miles or so to make sure you never run out of gas but 2 gallons is ridiculous.


I think they took the Explorer specs and matched as many as the could. It too has a 18 gallon tank and there are a lot of other roughly the same specifications. We have been getting on order of 20ish mixed and 26 Highway as reported by the OBC and also checking it against actuals from filling up. The two were with-in 1.5 MPG for the 4 fill up's we have had so far...

-Don


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## AzAtlas (May 15, 2018)

I don't mind it so much. I fill up once a week; same day. Longer trips the mileage is "ok"...5 or so hours and I want to stretch my legs anyway.

Guess fuel tank size never crossed my mind much


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## GjR32 (Dec 22, 2010)

KarstGeo said:


> Math is hard for a lot of people
> 
> Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


What are you referring to?


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## GjR32 (Dec 22, 2010)

capclassicv2 said:


> All cars do this though, it's not unique to the Atlas.


No they don’t. In both my R32 and Phaeton when the onboard computer said 0 mile range I actually had about 5 miles before I would run out of gas. In the Atlas it’s more like 40 miles. Some people are confusing 0 mile range with when the low fuel light first comes on which are 2 completely different things.


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## KarstGeo (Jan 19, 2018)

GjR32 said:


> What are you referring to?


Your comment regarding people who don't want a larger tank because it costs more to fill up.

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## DJMcGoven (Mar 2, 2007)

GjR32 said:


> No they don’t. In both my R32 and Phaeton when the onboard computer said 0 mile range I actually had about 5 miles before I would run out of gas. In the Atlas it’s more like 40 miles. Some people are confusing 0 mile range with when the low fuel light first comes on which are 2 completely different things.


Sorry but there is plenty of articles available that you can read that talks about manufacturers having "reserve" fuel in gallons to try to curb people running out of gas. The fuel gauge and distance to empty is not an accurate estimate of what fuel is left.

Here is a result from a quick Google search that speaks on this. https://www.businessinsider.com/low-gasoline-fuel-reserve-range-2017-4

And I'm not saying your previous cars had this amount of reserve, I'm just saying that cars typically have a minimum of a gallon left past empty.


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## GjR32 (Dec 22, 2010)

capclassicv2 said:


> Sorry but there is plenty of articles available that you can read that talks about manufacturers having "reserve" fuel in gallons to try to curb people running out of gas. The fuel gauge and distance to empty is not an accurate estimate of what fuel is left.
> 
> Here is a result from a quick Google search that speaks on this. https://www.businessinsider.com/low-gasoline-fuel-reserve-range-2017-4
> 
> And I'm not saying your previous cars had this amount of reserve, I'm just saying that cars typically have a minimum of a gallon left past empty.


I noticed none of the cars on the list are VW’s. I guess this is a new thing they’ve started doing, as I said my "reserve" tank was very minimal on previous VW’s. I can understand the computer lying slightly on the range but 2 full gallons is ridiculous.


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## DJMcGoven (Mar 2, 2007)

Truth be told, I get nervous when the needle is close to the line before E, even tho the jeep tells me I may have 80 miles. But with a 24.6 gallon tank, the only time I had the refuel light come on, I don't think I put more than 22 gallons in.


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## GjR32 (Dec 22, 2010)

capclassicv2 said:


> Truth be told, I get nervous when the needle is close to the line before E, even tho the jeep tells me I may have 80 miles. But with a 24.6 gallon tank, the only time I had the refuel light come on, I don't think I put more than 22 gallons in.


Just be glad it has such a big tank. Wow 50% bigger than the Atlas because who really uses the whole 2 gallon lie/fake/reserve tank taking it up to the poultry 18.5 gallons?!


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## GjR32 (Dec 22, 2010)

That reminds me I have to fill up again!


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## rocknfreak (Jul 10, 2018)

*Fuel Tank Size*

Hello all,

I was running low on gas last night, I had like 15 miles left and the fuel tank pointer was almost on E. 

I refilled with gas and I was able to fill 14.8 gallons in it. I am pretty sure I was reading somewhere the Atlas has a capacity of 18.6 gallons? 

How can it be so far off, do I need to re calibrate the sensor for low fuel? VW has always like 5 liter ~ 1.3 gallons when the fuel light comes on!


Does this happen to other people too? I saw a picture here or on facebook, where somebody filled it up with 16 gallons and more..

Thanks


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## DFWatlas (Jul 13, 2018)

*Yes*

Same thing I noticed with my 2018 SE Tech R-Line. I have a little over 2200 miles on it and the last three fill-ups, my Gas light came on, went to around 20 miles left, filled tank, and fuel pump stopped at 14 Gallons. I was thinking the same thing, that the fuel sensor must be "off".

My vehicle is mostly driven in City and I am starting to get "tiffed" that even though I drive it softly, I am averaging 14.6-14.8 mpg on every tank full. This thing is guzzling more fuel than the previous vehicle I had (GMC Acadia).

With actual miles from last fill-up, I am getting anywhere from 195-210 miles driven, and gas light comes on in that range.:banghead:


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## vortex40235 (Jan 18, 2019)

Last time I was able to fill 15.4 gal when it said there are 25 mi left to drive.


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## Hfqkhal (Oct 14, 2018)

When doing mostly city driving (around 90% city) my lowest avg. is around 15 mpg and I drove it for about 225 and had a bit over quarter tank left and showed me that I had 100 miles to go. which to me was not correct. Well after looking at the life time avg. this ended up being correct. So my recommendation to test is to reset all the mpg stats and see how it goes.

As to fill up. Now all my fill ups were correct but I can tell you that the gas pump strong pressure has to do a lot to do in messing up the fill up. If you stop at the first click you will be real short. a couple of times I let it settle for a bit and then continued to fill up but at slower speed and it took an additional 3.5 gallons. From that point I started with the quick fill to almost 3 quarters of what my estimates then stop the pump. Resume with slower speed of fill up and I end up with the correct amount.

A note that with driving with a 60% city 40% highway splits I have been getting between 18 and 20 avg. mpg and highway driving stints was resulting in over 26 mpg.


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## GjR32 (Dec 22, 2010)

So the tank is 18.6 gallons which I already think is small for such a large vehicle with less than stellar fuel consumption. If you fill-up when the range reaches 0 miles you will able to put 16.5 gallons in. When your range reaches 0 you actually still have 2 gallons left in your tank which I think is annoying. I could understand the range being off by 5 miles or so that you don’t run-out of gas but a 2 gallon "reserve tank" is way too much. The range was a lot more accurate on my Phaeton and R32.


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## Hfqkhal (Oct 14, 2018)

GjR32 said:


> So the tank is 18.6 gallons which I already think is small for such a large vehicle with less than stellar fuel consumption. If you fill-up when the range reaches 0 miles you will able to put 16.5 gallons in. When your range reaches 0 you actually still have 2 gallons left in your tank which I think is annoying. I could understand the range being off by 5 miles or so that you don’t run-out of gas but a 2 gallon "reserve tank" is way too much. The range was a lot more accurate on my Phaeton and R32.


I have to say yes and no for the 2 gallons reserve. What if your actual average is 20 then based on that you have 40 miles to go. Now you are doing city stop and go traffic which then could drop your avg to May be even 12 or 13 mpg which means you actually have just enough for up to 26 miles. Some people will try to stretch based on their avg and end up running out way before their expectations. With this being an annoyance one would make sure to stop for gas as soon as possible to shut the fuel warning light and be saved from aggravation. I have gotten to a bad habit by after every refuel I reset both the current and the main and this way I know that the miles remaining is based on my current driving conditions. This is one thing I miss from my old Nissan Murano as it kept history after the full reset and showed my averages based on those periods and the last one as current. I wish VW had such a record in its infotainment system. 


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## Eye Candy White (Nov 9, 2006)

Same issues here. I've never been able to put more than 13-14 gallons in it, even when it's showing 5-20 miles until empty. I may play with VAG-COM to adjust this, as I'd much rather prefer there were a 1-2 gallon reserve when displaying 0 miles until empty than 3-4 gallons.

The other thing, and maybe more annoying to me, is that I consistently have trouble with the tank not filling all the way up. It happens at multiple filling stations, and it's not every single time, but maybe every 2-3 fill-ups when I fill it until it clicks off, I get in to drive off and the needle is like 1/8 to 1/6 below "F." My range reflects this (along with the terrible MPGs that we get in the car), and together it makes it seems like you can only go like 250 miles in this car between fill-ups.

I love the Atlas, but these fueling issues and the overall MPGs have become a bit of an annoyance.


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## Spritzup (Apr 4, 2011)

Eye Candy White said:


> Same issues here. I've never been able to put more than 13-14 gallons in it, even when it's showing 5-20 miles until empty. I may play with VAG-COM to adjust this, as I'd much rather prefer there were a 1-2 gallon reserve when displaying 0 miles until empty than 3-4 gallons.


I was just coming here to ask if their was a VAG-COM setting to adjust the amount of "reserve" fuel left. Did you ever find the setting?

~Spritz


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## DasJunk (Mar 5, 2012)

*Atlas Fuel Tank Issue / Question*

Need some help understanding how much fuel everyone can put into their tank when the gauge and computer say 20 or less miles to empty.

I’ve got a 2018 Atlas SEL-P and I can’t put more than 14 gallons in it. Occurred twice for me and once to the dealership service department - I bought it mid June.

After going back and forth with the dealership for weeks, they are telling me that the usable amount of gas is only 16.5 gallons, which is all I would ever be able to fill up (according to them). There are a number of equipment safety reasons for this, but that’s the bottom line. They are also saying that the fuel gauge and computer use the 16.5 gallons for all calculations and gauging actual fuel remaining. So despite having an 18.6 gallon tank everything is tied to the 16.5. However whenever I’ve filled it, I’m only able to put 14 gallons and the gauge and computer then tell me it’s full. 

Am I crazy or does that all sounds like crap they’re making to get me to take the car and move on?? 

Really need anyone to just provide some of their experiences.


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## speed51133! (Aug 5, 2002)

drive the car until it stalls out on level road. then refill. report findings.


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## DasJunk (Mar 5, 2012)

speed51133! said:


> drive the car until it stalls out on level road. then refill. report findings.


Car is at the dealership right now. Based on their explanation, I could drive it to physically empty and the tank would then take 18.6 gallons (assuming the gas station is perfectly level bc otherwise it won’t take full quantity), but I’d be burning ~2 gallons with the gauge and the computer saying I’ve been on empty for 50+ miles. 

My question is what have other people experienced? When you run it to empty or very close, how many gallons of fuel is your Atlas taking?


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## Bbb34 (Aug 5, 2010)

Mine was showing 5km remaining range (3.1 miles) and it took 67.541 liters (17.84 gallons) of gas on fill up.


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## Pnvwfun (Jan 22, 2018)

I drove mine 55 miles past the point when it started saying 0 gallons left once. It took about 18 gallons to fill it up again. Depending my mpg, I'm guessing I have 60 to 70 miles of range after says it has nothing left. I don't drive it that low on fuel as a habit, just usually until the needle is in the red. My usual fillup is 15-16 gallons.


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## mhjett (Oct 16, 2000)

Pnvwfun said:


> I drove mine 55 miles past the point when it started saying 0 gallons left once. It took about 18 gallons to fill it up again. Depending my mpg, I'm guessing I have 60 to 70 miles of range after says it has nothing left. I don't drive it that low on fuel as a habit, just usually until the needle is in the red. My usual fillup is 15-16 gallons.


I drove 45 miles past when the computer said 0 miles remaining. I don't remember exactly but I think it took just under 18 gallons.

Moral of the story -- the distance-to-empty computer is about 50 miles off, and the gas tank is, indeed, 18.6 gallons.


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## DasJunk (Mar 5, 2012)

I appreciate everyone providing input.

Here’s what’s behind my situation: 

I drove until it said 15 miles remaining, filled it and the tank only took 14 gallons. The gauge and computer said it was full after taking 14 gallons. The dealership replicated the issue.

My concern is that I’m only able to use 14 gallons of gas before I hit zero on the gauge and the computer and then have no real idea at that point what’s left in the tank. I really wouldn’t push it past 17 gallons, but that 3 gallons is a good amount of fuel and distance to cover. 

I’ve never had this issue on a vehicle before and I don’t have it with my wife’s 2019 Tiguan so I’m pretty frustrated. I don’t want a work around solution of fill it up every 14 gallons, I want to be able to look at my fuel gauge and truly know what I have in the tank. Sorry if I seem a bit spun up, the dealership has had my car more than I have since mid June. 


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## Pnvwfun (Jan 22, 2018)

You can drive well past the 0 miles until empty if you want. It's just a conservative calculation to keep you from completely running out of gas. Go by the mileage. I had a Ford that not only told me I had 0 miles left, it would also shut down when I came to an abrupt stop. It started right back up and I knew I still had another 50 miles of driving before it was empty.


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## KarstGeo (Jan 19, 2018)

The light comes on around 15.5 I believe. It's an ~18.5 gal tank. The "0" miles to go will leave you about 1.5 gal left so around 30 miles past "0". I find it v. helpful to enable the "gallons to fill" mod using OBDEleven - it will show you how many gallons to fill up the tank and help you figure out how far you can drive until you tap out.


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## mhjett (Oct 16, 2000)

DasJunk said:


> I appreciate everyone providing input.
> 
> Here’s what’s behind my situation:
> 
> ...


It's really not that big of a deal once you understand what's going on. As has been said, fuel gauge and DTE readout are pessimistic and you can drive, with a comfortable margin of error, about 50 miles past 0 miles DTE. Just a mental correction. I'd assume the car is set up this way simply to prevent people from running out of gas.


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## KarstGeo (Jan 19, 2018)

mhjett said:


> It's really not that big of a deal once you understand what's going on. As has been said, fuel gauge and DTE readout are pessimistic and you can drive, with a comfortable margin of error, about 50 miles past 0 miles DTE. Just a mental correction. I'd assume the car is set up this way simply to prevent people from running out of gas.


Nailed it - mentally adjust and move on. It's really not a big deal. Id' say driving until zero is fine as you have 1.5 gal left/miles depending on mpgs. And yes, it's set up so you don't run out of gas which is generally bad for your fuel pump/system. My Golf is the same way in terms of filling up at 12 gal when it holds 14.5 if you go by the light.


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## Mrprice (Jul 30, 2013)

Can anyone share how to enable gallons to fill in vagcom?


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## KarstGeo (Jan 19, 2018)

Mrprice said:


> Can anyone share how to enable gallons to fill in vagcom?


Google "refuel quantity vcds"

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## Bbb34 (Aug 5, 2010)

DasJunk said:


> I appreciate everyone providing input.
> 
> Here’s what’s behind my situation:
> 
> ...


Something is not quite right here, no other vehicle I owned behaved this way.
If you ignore the fuel gauge position and "light" warning - as both are slightly less accurate than on board computer calculation displayed.

Say you get down to 0 miles remaining on your display. 
Yeah, you can still drive for a bit as there's a fuel left in engine, gas lines... etc... but you should be able to fill up very close to 18 gallons - as my test has shown.
I find the computer calculations on Atlas to be actually very accurate in terms of gas mileage, range remaining and as I mentioned in my earlier example (tried it few times to learn more since this vehicle is still brand new).

It's simple, driving almost to empty resulted in almost 18 gallon fill up. Same as it was with most vehicles I owned.


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## Languid (Sep 6, 2015)

*Dealership BS*



DasJunk said:


> Need some help understanding how much fuel everyone can put into their tank when the gauge and computer say 20 or less miles to empty.
> 
> I’ve got a 2018 Atlas SEL-P and I can’t put more than 14 gallons in it. Occurred twice for me and once to the dealership service department - I bought it mid June.
> 
> ...


Regardless of all other comments, which are not wrong, but are missing the point: there is something wrong with your computer as it is clearly indicating very low when you still have at least 2 gallons of fuel left in the tank. Now, whether you adjust your thinking to accommodate the error, or whether you go back to & remonstrate with the Dealer, is over to you. But you are not wrong in believing that there is a fault. If they then won't do anything about it, I'd write to Wolfsburg, to the Chairman of The Board, mark it 'personal', and wait for the US Distributor to launch a rocket up the Dealership's arse. Don't waste your time trying to work up the chain of command, that will merely result in a constant & likely futile exercise where they keep trying to cover said arse. If it goes to the top, some-one will be instructed to solve the problem. 

You could also consider telling them that you will use your 'lemon laws' (don't they trigger after 3 times?), to take your money and buy a Volvo XC90 or an MB or BMW! That would surely invoke some action.


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## GTINC (Jan 28, 2005)

Languid said:


> Regardless of all other comments, which are not wrong, but are missing the point: there is something wrong with your computer as it is clearly indicating very low when you still have at least 2 gallons of fuel left in the tank. Now, whether you adjust your thinking to accommodate the error, or whether you go back to & remonstrate with the Dealer, is over to you. But you are not wrong in believing that there is a fault. If they then won't do anything about it, I'd write to Wolfsburg, to the Chairman of The Board, mark it 'personal', and wait for the US Distributor to launch a rocket up the Dealership's arse. Don't waste your time trying to work up the chain of command, that will merely result in a constant & likely futile exercise where they keep trying to cover said arse. If it goes to the top, some-one will be instructed to solve the problem.
> 
> You could also consider telling them that you will use your 'lemon laws' (don't they trigger after 3 times?), to take your money and buy a Volvo XC90 or an MB or BMW! That would surely invoke some action.


There is no make on the face of this earth that would consider this OP's "issue" something that is unusual or needs any attention.


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## DasJunk (Mar 5, 2012)

I’ve got a call with the dealership manager, service manager, and a VW Tech quality Manger, to discuss the issue schedule me for tomorrow. I’ll update the thread after that. To be fair, the dealership is making my first payment on my behalf “while I’m waiting for this to get resolved to my satisfaction.” 


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## mhjett (Oct 16, 2000)

It sounds like there's nothing wrong with your car so I don't know what you're expecting. But the dealer covering your payment is generous. 

And writing to Wolfsburg is a little much. You can't invoke lemon laws when a car is performing as designed.


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## DasJunk (Mar 5, 2012)

In talking with the pacific region technical quality manager (really great guy btw), he was clear that the atlas has a approximately 2.8 gallons of fuel remaining in the tank when your computer says 0 miles remaining and the gauge hits exactly zero. This is primarily due to the high pressure fuel pump which is lubricated and cooled by the fuel coming from the low pressure pump in the tank. He wasn’t surprised that I couldn’t put ~16 gallons of fuel into the tank after my car hit that level, but seemed to be stretching fuel quantities and the volume of the “protection level” to suit his explanation. And the previously suggested idea that I couldn’t put 16 gallons on top of this “protection level” because the ground I fueled up at was not perfectly level was never mentioned. After some significant time talking through all of it, he instructed the dealership to replace my fuel tank, the fuel level sensor, sending unit, and fuel pump. He kicked around the idea that it may be a deformity in the tank, but thought that was low probability. I think he did all that primarily to get me off his case, but I appreciate the time and effort so I’ll keep everyone posted when I’ve got an update. 


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## DasJunk (Mar 5, 2012)

mhjett said:


> It sounds like there's nothing wrong with your car so I don't know what you're expecting. But the dealer covering your payment is generous.
> 
> And writing to Wolfsburg is a little much. You can't invoke lemon laws when a car is performing as designed.


I’m expecting to be able to fill up my tank to capacity, on top of whatever protection level is being considered. That doesn’t seem like an unreasonable ask.


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## GTINC (Jan 28, 2005)

DasJunk said:


> I’m expecting to be able to fill up my tank to capacity, on top of whatever protection level is being considered. That doesn’t seem like an unreasonable ask.....


Stop being an idiot.


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## KarstGeo (Jan 19, 2018)

This still sounds "normal" to me for this vehicle and based on my experience. Light on around 15.5. gallons and "0" miles to go is usually about 17 gallons so 18.5 total is left which in the Atlas is about 30 miles to full empty. The Atlas has a larger safety built in is all and is more than many cars folks have owned. This was a nearly daily discussion on the Atlas FB page at times. I don't think there is anything wrong with your vehicle but if they are willing to replace some stuff, cool. Please report back after the repair and let us know if anything changed. Also, as I've said above, get an OBDEleven and turn on the refuel quantity...it really helps with this concern. Bonus b/c I know you will say "I shouldn't have to pay XYZ (it's less than $100) for stuff to make my car right" but it offers so much more in terms of other cool features that can be "unlocked" as well as the ability to scan and read codes. 

---------------------------------------------------------------
Gallons to refuel

Long coding
Control unit: 17 Dash Board
Values: 
Volume to be replenished: 
Old value: No
New value: Yes
---------------------------------------------------------------


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## DasJunk (Mar 5, 2012)

KarstGeo said:


> This still sounds "normal" to me for this vehicle and based on my experience. Light on around 15.5. gallons and "0" miles to go is usually about 17 gallons so 18.5 total is left which in the Atlas is about 30 miles to full empty. The Atlas has a larger safety built in is all and is more than many cars folks have owned. This was a nearly daily discussion on the Atlas FB page at times. I don't think there is anything wrong with your vehicle but if they are willing to replace some stuff, cool. Please report back after the repair and let us know if anything changed. Also, as I've said above, get an OBDEleven and turn on the refuel quantity...it really helps with this concern. Bonus b/c I know you will say "I shouldn't have to pay XYZ (it's less than $100) for stuff to make my car right" but it offers so much more in terms of other cool features that can be "unlocked" as well as the ability to scan and read codes.
> 
> ---------------------------------------------------------------
> Gallons to refuel
> ...


That certainly makes me feel a bit better that it was talked about on the FB page, I really just wanted to know what other people were experiencing. Seemed way off that if my gauge and computer are saying 5-15 miles remaining I’d get pretty close to 16 gallons in the tank, not 14. I’m sure I’ll get everything replaced and it won’t change anything, but at least I’ll have some peace of mind that it’s not just VW telling me that’s how it is. The whole trust but verify thing. I’m more than happy to pay for the $100 for ODB11, in a prior life I had a buddy that would do all the vagcom mods I could throw at him for my Jetta so it’ll be cool to mess around with it myself. Thanks for recommendation on gallons to refuel.


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## KarstGeo (Jan 19, 2018)

DasJunk said:


> That certainly makes me feel a bit better that it was talked about on the FB page, I really just wanted to know what other people were experiencing. Seemed way off that if my gauge and computer are saying 5-15 miles remaining I’d get pretty close to 16 gallons in the tank, not 14. I’m sure I’ll get everything replaced and it won’t change anything, but at least I’ll have some peace of mind that it’s not just VW telling me that’s how it is. The whole trust but verify thing. I’m more than happy to pay for the $100 for ODB11, in a prior life I had a buddy that would do all the vagcom mods I could throw at him for my Jetta so it’ll be cool to mess around with it myself. Thanks for recommendation on gallons to refuel.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


The mpgs on the Atlas is a constant discussion and I've held that 95% of that concern by many is simply the light coming on so early (low gallons) vs. other vehicles. If it came on at 17 gal used, nobody would complain about the mpgs. Folks are hung up the range without doing the math.


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## mhjett (Oct 16, 2000)

DasJunk said:


> In talking with the pacific region technical quality manager (really great guy btw), he was clear that the atlas has a approximately 2.8 gallons of fuel remaining in the tank when your computer says 0 miles remaining and the gauge hits exactly zero. This is primarily due to the high pressure fuel pump which is lubricated and cooled by the fuel coming from the low pressure pump in the tank. He wasn’t surprised that I couldn’t put ~16 gallons of fuel into the tank after my car hit that level, but seemed to be stretching fuel quantities and the volume of the “protection level” to suit his explanation. And the previously suggested idea that I couldn’t put 16 gallons on top of this “protection level” because the ground I fueled up at was not perfectly level was never mentioned. After some significant time talking through all of it, he instructed the dealership to replace my fuel tank, the fuel level sensor, sending unit, and fuel pump. He kicked around the idea that it may be a deformity in the tank, but thought that was low probability. I think he did all that primarily to get me off his case, but I appreciate the time and effort so I’ll keep everyone posted when I’ve got an update.


This confirms what everyone in this thread was trying to tell you -- there's a reserve left after the car says 0 miles remaining and the fuel gauge reads E. This prevents people from running out of fuel, burning up the high-pressure fuel pump, and then trying to get VW to pay for it. 

They're doing quite a bit beyond what's to be expected in replacing all those parts for you. Hope that satisfies you, even if the vehicle performs exactly the same afterwards. 

You can always do the coding change if this is really that big of a stumbling block for you. 




DasJunk said:


> I’m expecting to be able to fill up my tank to capacity, on top of whatever protection level is being considered. That doesn’t seem like an unreasonable ask.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Capacity is 18.6 gallons and that means total capacity including reserve. I believe this is the way most, if not all, cars are -- it's just that the "reserve" capacity varies.


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## DasJunk (Mar 5, 2012)

mhjett said:


> This confirms what everyone in this thread was trying to tell you -- there's a reserve left after the car says 0 miles remaining and the fuel gauge reads E. This prevents people from running out of fuel, burning up the high-pressure fuel pump, and then trying to get VW to pay for it.
> 
> They're doing quite a bit beyond what's to be expected in replacing all those parts for you. Hope that satisfies you, even if the vehicle performs exactly the same afterwards.
> 
> ...


Maybe we’re talking past each other. I’ve never be confused about the fact that there’s a reserve. However, if the reserve is 2.8 gallons and I run my car to the point the gauge and computer say 0, I should then in fact be able to put 15.8 gallons of gas into the tank (not the 14 I’m seeing). If I run the car 60 miles after it hits zero, I risk damage to components, but I should then be able to put right around 18.6 gallons into the tank. Those are the straightforward concepts that I’m taking issue with on my Atlas.

I agree that VW is doing me a solid here, and I’m going to feel a hell of a lot better about all this after they replace those parts compared to just saying “it is what it is.” Even if the answer is still the same. 


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## Mrprice (Jul 30, 2013)

Okay, I’ve had “Gallons to Fill” enabled for over a week and so far the display has only read “- - -“. I’ve filled up once and got down to about 30 miles on the range and it showed those three dashes the entire time. Anyone experience this? I have a 2019 SEL-P.


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## GTINC (Jan 28, 2005)

Mrprice said:


> Okay, I’ve had “Gallons to Fill” enabled for over a week and so far the display has only read “- - -“. I’ve filled up once and got down to about 30 miles on the range and it showed those three dashes the entire time. Anyone experience this? I have a 2019 SEL-P.


So, have you actually read that section of the OM?


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## KarstGeo (Jan 19, 2018)

Mrprice said:


> Okay, I’ve had “Gallons to Fill” enabled for over a week and so far the display has only read “- - -“. I’ve filled up once and got down to about 30 miles on the range and it showed those three dashes the entire time. Anyone experience this? I have a 2019 SEL-P.


Yes, with the digital dash I've read this doesn't work. No idea why.


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## samwoo (Apr 16, 2020)

0macman0 said:


> Can we rename this thread I thought we had an 18.742 gallon tank
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Does anyone here think its good to run your tank all the way down to empty?
"When you are pumping gas, it goes into a large fuel/gas tank. The tank is located in the rear, under car (directly below the back seat). This is why the fuel door to pump gas is in the rear of the car. The tank has a pump that propels fuel to the front of the car so it can be injected into the engine. This fuel pump must be working efficiently to get gas to the front. The fuel acts like a lubricant/coolant for the hard working pump. Running your gas tank on empty will cause the fuel pump to work harder to propel fuel up to the engine. With less gas to cool and lubricate the pump, it may burn out. Now you can’t get gas to the engine and your car will not start."

Your car will need to be towed to a shop, the fuel pump removed and a new pump installed. Not a cheap job.


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## GTINC (Jan 28, 2005)

samwoo said:


> Does anyone here think its good to run your tank all the way down to empty?
> "When you are pumping gas, it goes into a large fuel/gas tank. The tank is located in the rear, under car (directly below the back seat). This is why the fuel door to pump gas is in the rear of the car. The tank has a pump that propels fuel to the front of the car so it can be injected into the engine. This fuel pump must be working efficiently to get gas to the front. The fuel acts like a lubricant/coolant for the hard working pump. Running your gas tank on empty will cause the fuel pump to work harder to propel fuel up to the engine. With less gas to cool and lubricate the pump, it may burn out. Now you can’t get gas to the engine and your car will not start."
> 
> Your car will need to be towed to a shop, the fuel pump removed and a new pump installed. Not a cheap job.


I suspect your quote is from a few decades ago. Design has moved on and DI engines have the main pump located on the engine, not in the tank.


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## DasJunk (Mar 5, 2012)

Finally got my car back last week after the dealership replaced fuel tank, sending unit, and fuel level sensor. It had a full tank so I wasn’t able to report findings until today. My gas light came yesterday morning on my drive to work right about when I left the house, computer was telling me 50 miles to empty and the gauge had just hit the first red bar (1/8th of a tank). I drove to work and then stopped at the closest gas station to my house meaning I drove approximately 46 miles. The computer told me 0 miles remaining about 1 mile before I made it to the gas station. I was able to put 16.6 gallons of fuel into the tank without topping up. Topping up, I was able to get 17.1 into the tank. That’s worlds about from the 14.4 I’d gotten in the tank previously when computer said 10 miles remaining. If nothing else, I’d say that I feel substantially better based on this one data point. I’ll keep track for future reference and update if I run into any issues again.


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## samwoo (Apr 16, 2020)

DasJunk said:


> Finally got my car back last week after the dealership replaced fuel tank, sending unit, and fuel level sensor. It had a full tank so I wasn’t able to report findings until today. My gas light came yesterday morning on my drive to work right about when I left the house, computer was telling me 50 miles to empty and the gauge had just hit the first red bar (1/8th of a tank). I drove to work and then stopped at the closest gas station to my house meaning I drove approximately 46 miles. The computer told me 0 miles remaining about 1 mile before I made it to the gas station. I was able to put 16.6 gallons of fuel into the tank without topping up. Topping up, I was able to get 17.1 into the tank. That’s worlds about from the 14.4 I’d gotten in the tank previously when computer said 10 miles remaining. If nothing else, I’d say that I feel substantially better based on this one data point. I’ll keep track for future reference and update if I run into any issues again.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I PAID FOR AN 18.5 GALLION GAS TANK NOT A 16 GALLION GAS TANK this needs to be strightend out by VW. If thay cant come up with a fix im going to look into a starting a class action law suite over this


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## *DesertFox* (Sep 26, 2017)

samwoo said:


> I PAID FOR AN 18.5 GALLION GAS TANK NOT A 16 GALLION GAS TANK this needs to be strightend out by VW. If thay cant come up with a fix im going to look into a starting a class action law suite over this


Go ahead and DO it.....keep us updated.


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## GTINC (Jan 28, 2005)

samwoo said:


> I PAID FOR AN 18.5 GALLION GAS TANK NOT A 16 GALLION GAS TANK this needs to be strightend out by VW. If thay cant come up with a fix im going to look into a starting a class action law suite over this


The US is just too full of idiots like you.


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## DasJunk (Mar 5, 2012)

samwoo said:


> I PAID FOR AN 18.5 GALLION GAS TANK NOT A 16 GALLION GAS TANK this needs to be strightend out by VW. If thay cant come up with a fix im going to look into a starting a class action law suite over this


At the end of the day, they’re going to tell you the same thing they told me, it’s to protect some of the fuel system components. It does in fact have a 18.6 gallon tank, but the gauge and computer operate off the “usable” volume, not including that protection reserve. It’s certainly deceiving, but you could also have the same problem I had with the tank actually being an issue. After getting mine replaced, it would take 16-16.5 gallons when I’m showing empty on the gauge or 0-15 miles on the computer. 


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## Jayhawk49er (Aug 6, 2020)

*Gotta love VW*

My 1960 Beetle didn't have a guage, just a lever down over the shift tunnel, when you ran out of gas, you flipped the lever and had another gallon to you to a station! But you had to remember to flip it back up, or there was no reserve the next time!


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