Little light, big panic
Today I did something I've never done before.
I ran my gas tank so low that the little warning light came on. That has never happened to me before.
After a traumatic incident when I was home from college on winter break where I ran out of gas on the side of an extremely busy road because the gas gauge broke and read half a tank when it was really empty, I have been overly cautious to make sure I fill up in time.
I've been so careful in my car that I wondered if the caution light actually worked. My gas gauge is a little funky and will read really low when I go up a hill and then creep back up as I go down it, but never has that little light come on.
But today it did and boy did I pay for it at the gas pump. I put close to $50 bucks into my car, which I haven't spent on a tank of gas since prices were much closer to $4 per gallon.
I think the moral of the story here is that if I don't let my gas tank get so low, I will a) spend less money at the pump and b) avoid a panic attack.
Doug Walters · September 11, 2008 9:55 AM
I can't remember the last time that I filled up without that light being on. Actually, in my car I have a display that actually says Low Fuel, but the fact remains - I have been waaaaaaaay to close no so many occasions.
John · September 11, 2008 12:01 PM
It is good knowledge to know how much gas is left in your tank when that light does come on.
My car holds an eighth of a tank when that light comes on - which is probably once a week for me - since I drive a long commute daily.
An eighth of a tank initially seems like a small amount - until you
realize that that is 2 1/2 gallons on a 13.7 gas tank.
I have a minimum of thirty miles to go before the car is really dead on the road.
Panic is for those who are uninformed or unprepared.