petrol or diesel
Don’t drive the car on reserve: When to refuel
If you go to the gas station too late to fill up and drive on reserve, you risk potentially devastating consequences (symbol image)
© ZB | Hendrik Schmidt / Picture Alliance
If you try to avoid high petrol or diesel prices and wait for a good time to refuel, you can quickly drive your car on reserve. But it is important to avoid this at all costs. Otherwise there is a risk of vehicle damage.
Who doesn’t know it: In the hope that petrol or diesel will become cheaper again, you keep driving the car, even though the fuel needle is gradually approaching the red zone. With the high fuel prices, one would prefer to avoid going to the gas station altogether. But there is no way around it. If you not only want to protect your wallet but also your car, you should not drive your vehicle’s petrol or diesel tank completely empty.
The motor vehicle expert at Tüv Rheinland, Hans-Ulrich Sander, advises the “world” against this in principle. Instead, you should refuel regularly and with a view to the current fuel prices. Otherwise there is a risk of vehicle damage.
In older vehicles, a damaged fuel system can often lead to a defect in the injection and fuel pump, “T-Online” quotes vehicle expert Torsten Hesse from TÜV Thüringen as saying. After all, these are no longer cooled and lubricated by the fuel. The service life of the engine decreases significantly. In the worst case, a complete failure is even possible. Then four-digit costs can be incurred.
On the other hand, if you have an older diesel car, you would have to bleed the fuel system manually if the tank ran empty. It doesn’t damage the engine, but it’s a messy business.
According to the manufacturers, modern engines are hardly susceptible to damage when the tank is empty. Nevertheless, this should not be fully exhausted here either, according to experts. Newer cars have a fuel filter, but dirt particles that are deposited in the fuel could be sucked in. And that can prevent clean fuel combustion.
If the tank is empty anyway, you should of course refill the tank first. It may then take several attempts before the car starts again.
Failure to refuel risks a fine
An empty tank can also have legal consequences. If a vehicle stops because it has no more petrol or diesel in reserve, the police will impose a fine. Anyone who breaks down with their car on the motorway, for example, faces a fine of 30 or 70 euros for illegal stopping or parking. If this causes an accident, you can even be held responsible for joint liability. In that case, the penalty is even higher.
An empty tank should therefore be avoided. The ADAC recommends refueling, “preferably when the tank is about a quarter full.”
Sources: Welt, T-Online, HNA
Also read:
Even after the end of the tank discount: why diesel is more expensive than petrol
Gasoline and diesel prices are increasing – can I store fuel?
Earn money with the Wallbox: New source of income for electric car drivers