I filled my gas tank two weeks ago and it showed 10 bars on the screen. Today I still have the same full tank showing 10 bars.. Anybody know what this means? I just go on several errands each day. My car is new 2007 and I filled the tank once before but the bars at that time did go down. Mary
The bars are not linear. Depending on weather, my first bar disappears between 85 to 125 miles. Others have had the first bar last even longer. After that, it drops pretty quickly.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Masnyd @ Feb 6 2007, 06:57 PM) [snapback]386396[/snapback]</div> IMO it means you don't drive enough. B) How many miles do you have on the tank and what is the mpg on the display? In theory each pip should represent 1 gallon but it doesn't work that way. Some pips last a long time. Others go very quickly. I've lost 2 pips in less than 35 miles and my mpg isn't that crappy. I know it's a long time between trips to the gas station but this sounds like you just need time to become familiar with the car's behavoir.
Basically, the level which the "guess" gauge regards as "full" is well below the level at which the pump shuts off. Thus the first gallon or two is not registered by the gauge. This is normal for the Prius. On this otherwise wonderfully-engineered car, they never figured out how to make the gas gauge work cooperatively with the gas-tank bladder (which prevents the evaporation of gas vapor into the air - and thus reduces pollution). If you got fewer miles on the first pip last time, you probably had not filled your tank as full. Soon you will learn how many miles you can drive before the first pip disappears. BTW, some folks have reported other non-linearity in the gauge. On mine, once the first pip disappears, the gauge continues linearly. On this point, too, you will soon learn how yours responds. Might be a good idea to note the mileage at which each pip disappears, so that in future you'll know what to expect from your car.
