I Ran Out of Patience, and Gas

Have you ever horribly misjudged a road trip? No? Well, I have. Like, I’m not talking about I ran out of snacks or the drive was kinda long. I violently underestimated how far my car could go on 1 tank of gas and didn’t take the time to plot out where the rest stops with gas stations were. So here I sit, on the side of the road. No cell service and no idea where the nearest gas station is. My only hope was to wait for some kind person to stop and take pity on my stupid self.

My situation was not looking super promising. I was running low on snacks and it was starting to get dark. I had basically given up hope that anyone would drive by when, like a beacon in the night, a police car showed up on the road. They pulled up behind me and asked me if there was a problem. No officer, I just like to chill out in the middle of nowhere on the side of the road in my Camry. Please feel free to go on ahead. Obviously, I didn’t say that, BUT I was feeling sassy so I definitely thought it. He was kind enough to get me some gas so I could carry on my way. I was very lucky this time, but I could have been out there for quite a while if he hadn’t come by.

Other than the obvious concern of running out of gas on the side of the road there are quite a few reasons you should never let your gas go below ¼ of a tank.

You can’t always count on your fuel gauge to give you an exact measurement of how much gas is left in your tank, so keeping the gas level above ¼ tank removes the concern of ending up stranded like I did. Additionally, allowing the level of gas in the tank to run low can damage your car. If you run completely out of gas it could cause damage to your catalytic converter which could be an expensive job if it needs to be replaced or repaired.

The gas in your car also helps to keep the temperature of the electric fuel-pump motor regulated, much like coolant, so when your gas is running low, the pump sucks in air creating heat and resulting in the fuel pump to wear down earlier and potentially fail. That repair could cost a couple hundred dollars — which I’m guessing is significantly more than what you would have had to play to fill your tank.

If saving money is your reason for holding off on buying gas, just know that this effort to save a few dollars could end up costing you hundreds. If you are really concerned, you can stop by Fiore Toyota and find a vehicle with incredible mileage and save yourself some money that way!

So to recap, here are some tips to avoid running out of gas:

• Keep your gas tank no less than ¼ full.

• Fill up before heading out on a long trip or to work…

• Don’t rely on your car to tell you exactly how much gas is in your tank.