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To avoid being stranded due to an empty gas tank in your car, automakers have included a low gas warning light on the dashboard. The light may appear insignificant when the gasoline gauge is right there, but it serves as an additional reminder to fill your car’s gas tank as soon as possible when the tank is extremely low.

How to Avoid Low Gas Warnings

• Make use of maps: To find the nearest gas station, utilize the Google Maps app on your smartphone. Make sure to keep your eyes on LIVE traffic on Google Maps if you’re in a rush and don’t want to fill up right away. Save gas by avoiding routes that are flagged as “red” or have crawling traffic. Fuel usage rises quickly in stop-and-go traffic.
• Reduce your use of air conditioning to save money on gas: The air conditioner puts a lot of strain on a little car’s engine. In some circumstances, using the air conditioner can increase fuel usage by 15-20%. If you are very low on gas, it’s preferable to work up a sweat than to be trapped with an empty tank.
• Don’t Panic: Once you notice the low gas warning light on your dashboard, it’s easy to get upset. In most new cars, the gas tank will still hold roughly 5 gallons of usable fuel. This indicates you can drive safely to a nearby gas station.
• Take the Downhill Route: Although it’s rare that you’ll have a choice, if your map app identifies two local gas stations, one of which is downhill, choose it. When you’re coasting downhill, you use less gas than when you’re climbing a slope. When coasting, you should avoid shifting into n This used to make sense, but today’s cars are built to disable their fuel injectors and save gas during coasting, although the car’s inertia keeps the engine moving. When you put the transmission in neutral, you waste gas because it keeps the engine running so you don’t lose power steering or brakes.
• Smooth Transitions: We recommend avoiding “jackrabbit” starts and rapid acceleration because they waste a significant amount of gas. Instead, gradually increase your speed to lower your engine’s RPMs and to upshift faster. If you want to save money on gas, you should avoid using your acceleration pedal until you have to brake hard. When approaching a stop sign or red light, gradually let off the throttle and allow your vehicle to coast until it’s time to brake.

If you run out of gas, never try to start your vehicle if it’s diesel-powered. Restarting the automobile after the fuel pump has gone dry will create a vacuum in the fuel line, which is difficult to remove. Even a gasoline-powered car really should not be started when the tank is empty, since this can harm the fuel pump.

It is always a good idea to keep enough gas in your tank every time. Fill up the automobile whenever the fuel gauge falls below one-third.

Create Fuel-Saving Habits

• Once or twice a month, check the tires for inflation. Tires that are underinflated have more rolling resistance, which affects your fuel economy.
• Make sure the air filter in the engine is clean. On older carbureted cars, a dirty filter can impact fuel economy, but on current fuel-injected engines, it affects just the highest power output.
• Remove anything that isn’t necessary from the vehicle. A 100-pound increase in weight can affect fuel economy by 1%. It’s worth noting that cargo weight has a greater impact on fuel consumption in smaller vehicles than in larger ones.

Autowerks: Bring Your Mini to Us for Expert Maintenance and Service

It’s important to note though, that if your low gas warning light comes on even while there’s gas in the tank, or if your gas runs out considerably faster than it should, there’s most certainly a problem with your vehicle.

As soon as possible, bring your vehicle to our professional auto repair shop for a proper service and checkup. At Autowerks, we are here to assist you with any of your car-related concerns, as well as gas-related issues.

For nearly 50 years, we’ve been serving consumers in Brenham, Bryan, Caldwell, Madisonville, Navasota, and College Station, TX, and our dedication and consistency speak for themselves. Call us today!