Ran out of gas, I want the tank/bladder replaced. HOW?

Sorry, but I too have trouble understanding why you would want a mechanical fix for something that is easily physically taken care of. I put about 8,500 miles on my '06 between about Halloween and mid-December. I've had it since May '06. The odo now reads close to 15k. I have found that my tank bladder does indeed hold pretty darn close to 11.9 gallons--but that if I want to get it REALLY full, I have to pump and top (and re-)top off, and take the pump out of the tank and keep peeking, and waiting for gurgles so it doesn't overflow. With this kind of obsessive dementia (as my husband seems to believe me afflicted with), I have discovered that at just about the very instant my gauge is at one BLINKING pip, I have almost exactly one gallon of gas left.

Why is it too difficult for your partner to look at the gauge, see it's down to 1 or 2 pips and just put as much gas in as he can? Yeah, with the auto pump shutoff, I usually still have the capacity to put in AT LEAST two more gallons, but I have to beg and plead with the pump. If you or your partner isn't willing to make the effort to learn how to deal with it, you're right--you shouldn't bother.

There are more than a few of us running around here who are at least somewhat obsessive about our Prii...it isn't required, but we mostly seem to enjoy it.

Other question crops up though--you keep insisting it is your partner's car--why isn't your partner doing the research?

 

the thing is, there *is* no mechanical fix because this is just the way it works. the 11.9 number is bull, the real world number is 10, and personally i usually get about 8 gallons in at a time.

the fix you may be thinking of, scoot, is a filler pipe tsb for some of the 04 models- but that's a far cry from replacing the gas tank. as i said before, the dealer will tell you it's normal and send you on your way.

 

The nut behind the wheel is the most important part of the car. No sympathy here. Just deal with it. Do you try to stretch your fillups in other cars you drive? I only ran out of gas once 25 years ago. One time is all it should take to learn the lesson, and fill up BEFORE the car stops, not after.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(scoot @ Feb 23 2007, 10:52 AM) [snapback]395318[/snapback]</div>

Having had a Prius fuel tank swapped out due to reasons other than tank capacity/bladder, the answer is:

“No, a new tank or bladder will not fix the capacity problem.â€

Armed with this new knowledge, hopefully you won't spin your wheels trying to get something repaired which can't be repaired. . . . and, armed with this new knowledge regarding tank capacity and the experience of running out of gas in a Prius, hopefully your partner has been fixed too.


. . . once a year? The boy likes to push the limits, doesn't he.

 

You and the partner have been blasted pretty well by now. Let me add something more constructive. Most modern cars, including the Prius, my Subarus, my previous Taurus, have the fuel pump in the gas tank. The fuel pump is lubricated, and needs to live in a completely liquid environment, i.e., mustn't be run "dry", so 1-3 gallons are in "reserve" in most cars, and are not accessible for normal driving. Granted, the maker should state the useable capacity, not the full size if the tank, to be really useful. I think you will find out the truly useable capacity, apparantly thru trial and error, but I wanted to give you some explanation as to not believe every spec you read, as being absolute truth. Also gas mileage changes constantly, and there are production tolerances in instruments, fuel calculations, etc. Like the ad says, "Your mileage may vary." If you check this out, I think it may help you to understand, that "fixing" the tank is not an option. In over 25,000 miles I have never put more than 8.5 gallons in my car, even with the last pip blinking. I fill up now around 400 miles, every 4 days or so, and never give the gage a thought. If I wanted I could probably stretch it to fill up only once a week, but who needs the extra worry and hassle of running dry?

 

One other thought: when I was learning to fly, one of the things stressed in flying lessons is fuel management. And one of the things you learn is that there are 1-2 gallons of "unusable fuel" in every tank of an airplane (most planes have more than one tank, by the way...). The reason for this is that the fuel tube sticks up from the bottom of the tank a little way in order to prevent sediment in the bottom of the tank from getting sucked into the fuel pump and the engine.

All calculations about fuel use and endurance had to account for the unusable fuel.

It's the same for cars, I'm pretty sure. It's not emphasized in the same way (I suppose due to marketing considerations and the fact that the consequences of running out are less dire in a car than in an airplane).

I cannot think of any car I've ever owned where I was ever able to use ALL the fuel in the tank. Even one time when I ran out of gas, I don't think the subsequent fillup matched the stated capacity in the manual.

That's just the way it is.

So as I said before: Toyota won't fix this, unless you have a leak and THAT's why you ran out.

 

I think the solution is quite simple. Don't ignore the warning lights. In fact, get gas as soon as it goes below 1/3 of a tank and make sure your partner agrees to this procedure. Don't blame it on the car.

 

Let's start a pool, no, two pools:

1. how many more times will the partner run out of gas in the Prius? I bet three.

2. how will the situation be resolved? I'm less confident about this one, but I'd bet that they eventually learn to buy gas when they get to the last pip (as opposed to, say, selling the Prius, or spending a couple thousand dollars removing the bladder).

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(scoot @ Feb 23 2007, 01:19 PM) [snapback]395348[/snapback]</div>

:lol:
What people are telling you, if you listen, is that this is normal behavior for a Prius (and probably most cars), and going thru all the trouble of convincing the dealer and replacing the gas tank/bladder will most likely get you a vehicle with exactly the same behavior. You can't really fix the car, it's operating as designed, but Toyota's documentation is perhaps misleading (they have warnings to that effect in the user manual). Doubt any of us or the dealers can fix that. It's like advertised square footage for an apartment includes the balcony. I'm sure ConsumerAffairs would like to hear your story to sue Toyota, but good luck getting money after paying their lawyer fees.

You can complain to your dealer and to Toyota, but in the end you and your partner will need to buck under and accept the fact that the tank has about 10 usable gallons. You can accept it now, or you can accept it later. The choice is yours.

Edit: Ah, I see you did accept that. I guess we came to the same conclusion at the same time.

 

Question for those who has experience on this:
How many times does the "Add Fuel" indicator beep before actually running out of gas. The most I ever had was 2x, but it was not out of gas yet.

 

I fill up when the last dash starts blinking, I know I still have about 2 gallons left at that point so I am in no big rush. I usually take between 9.5 to 10.5 gallons. I have no problem with the gas capacity and fillups.

 

If the car is advertised in a brochure or operators manual as having an 11.9 gallon tank it should be able to hold 11.9 gallons. If it doesn't, Toyota could be accused of false advertising.
Next time the tank is nearing empty, take the car to a Toyota agency and tell them your story. Then get them to prove that the car can indeed hold 11.9 gallons. All they have to do is drain the tank and then fill it up with you watching. If they cannot get 11.9 gallons in, you have a case against Toyota. Also, you will learn how much gas the tank can hold.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(siliconhybrid @ Feb 23 2007, 01:53 PM) [snapback]395475[/snapback]</div>

Once the "add fuel" indicator beeps, it does not beep again while you are driving. If you don't fill up, each time thereafter that you start the car, you'll get the beep and the "add fuel" sign again just after it goes into "ready" mode (and if you start out in reverse immediately, then you'll get the beep and the message when you put it in "D").

 

Wow. Is this really an issue for SOME people? It doesnt bother me that the actual capacity of the tank is lower than what it should be. When i put gas its usually 8.7 gallons, thats cool with me not like gas stations are scarce anywhere anymore. Right?

 

What I don't understand is what the difference is between carrying 10 or 11 gallons. It only means you get gas a little sooner. The gas gauge was blinking, the audible prompt most likely warned you and this actually means you need to get gas. You can leave your brain at home with the calculator. When the gas gauge blinks, get gas. Whether this is after 10, 11 or 20 gallons used is really not important. When it blinks get gas.
I did the same thing as you on my first tank. I used my brain and it told me it shouldn't be empty. I ran it out of gas and AAA had to bring me gas. Instead of trying to "fix" the car, I now get gas when the gauge starts blinking. The morale of the story is, I haven't run out of gas since.

 

I tend to agree with those who suggest that this is a new car thing. Mine is an '07, a couple of months old, and I tend not to get more than about 6 gallons in the tank when I fill at 2 or 3 pips...whichever is convenient. It has been freezing cold here, too, which compounds the bladder stiffness issue. I figure, what, maximum of 8 or 9 useable gallons in my case? I would prefer a 500-600 mile cruising range like the Accord had but I think it is reasonable to wait and see what happens after 6 months of so of use. Going into the dealer is going to result in a big shrug and the comment that "we can't find anything wrong with it." Not worth your time.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(brick @ Feb 23 2007, 10:20 PM) [snapback]395596[/snapback]</div>

In the summer, you should get this.