Full tank indication?

[lakeland phantom]

When I fill my tank the level gauge does not indicate it is full. Dealer told me this was normal and the gauge would level out in a few miles and indicate full. I've filled the car about 8 times now and it only registered full twice. Anyone else have similar experience?

[Chris Wurgler]

Yes, Everyone is having the experience and
I believe there are several strings on here that discuss the fuel gauge quirk.

It's a smart thing, just get used to it.
It fills up as you drive it.

[BigWarpGuy]

When I fill up, it always shows as full. Perhaps it is not being filled up as much as it should? In NJ, we can not fill up our own tanks but it does show as being full when I ask for a fillup.

[jimvw57]

There are a number of threads about this.
Gas Gauge STILL has problems

Gas Gauge Again

topping off gas - stops early?

Some pumps deliver gas faster than others. Gas will foam up. Have them use the slowest setting, when it clicks off, wait 30 seconds or more and add more. DO NOT fill until it runs out. That will damage the vapor canister system.

If that still doesn't work, try a different station or at least a different pump. If all else fails, the dealer can recalibrate the sending unit, but I have not had that done.

[Alan From New York]

Originally Posted by lakeland phantom

When I fill my tank the level gauge does not indicate it is full. Dealer told me this was normal and the gauge would level out in a few miles and indicate full. I've filled the car about 8 times now and it only registered full twice. Anyone else have similar experience?

Yes, and it's a pretty common trait. I live with it.

[too smart one]

ditto,even after recalibration

[jwight]

It is an issue; smart is aware of it. It is not normal nor is it caused by poor filling technique. One Dayton owner is still fighting the problem after several computer reflashes, new tank sending unit, etc. I'd advise documenting the issue with your smart center and elevating the issue to your regional manager if you get the "it's normal" response. It's not.

[Old smart]

The ‘07+ W451 Euro Operators Instruction has the following notation:

“¡If you wish to fill the fuel tank to its max-
imum level, wait 30 seconds after the first
switch-off. Then start filling the tank with
fuel again until the pump nozzle switches
off.”

Some owners may have found themselves in this situation and not have had a faulty gauge.

On Thursday I thought I had the perfect opportunity to determine filler neck capacity. I was down into the 1/10ths gallon-remaining flasher, and while stopped and waiting to pull left across oncoming traffic into the gas station the indicator changed to 0.8 gal. Aha! I knew the tank (without the filler neck) holds 8.7 gallons, so the tank itself was 7.9g down at that point. I figured that any excess gas over 7.9g at auto shut-off would indicate the neck capacity. I began fueling with the nozzle tab on the slow notch. With 7g in I stopped fuelling and waited (for the reason noted above). After the 30 seconds I returned to fueling on the slow notch until the pump switched off. It shut down at 7.92g. I thought it should take more so a re-set the nozzle on slow and it again shut down at 7.94g. I thought that the pump might run until about 8.4g (i.e., another half gallon of “neck” taken), but nope. Apparently the nozzle with the tab set sensed the difference between tank and neck, and was disinclined to fill neck (Could there could be a check valve at the bottom of the neck?). Maybe I should have hand-squeezed the nozzle until it shut off when the gas level came up the pipe. I’ll try that the next time the opportunity arises. I presume the pump was calibrated because its VA Weights & Measures record showed it having been tested in JAN 09.

[Big Panda]

Originally Posted by Chris Wurgler

Yes, Everyone is having the experience and
I believe there are several strings on here that discuss the fuel gauge quirk.

It's a smart thing, just get used to it.
It fills up as you drive it.

EVERYONE? Mines been fine from the get go. Yes, they told me of a potential problem, but I've not experienced it. First time I filled up, it had run the tank down to about .4/gal (at least that's what the dash indicator said), I filled it up to the first 'click' and it read "FULL". Every time I've filled up, it's always gone to "FULL" and I have nearly 1500 miles on it in a month and 3 days.

EVERYONE? Sorry, not "Everyone"......

[Turbo42]

My mom's 09 is doing the same thing. The unplug the speedo at the dealer to fix the problem b/c thats what the tech line tells them to do. There is no true fix for this yet.