Clearing an easy 40 mpg means you don't have to fill up our long-term Volkswagen Jetta TDI very often. But when you do fill it up, it still doesn't read "full." I filled it up three times over the past week, and never was I allowed to bask in that satisfying sense of having a completely full tank. The tank probably was full, but like my old Mopars, the gauge refused to reflect that (the photo above was taken just after my last fill up).
The wife wasn't too sure of the "clickety-clak" sound it made when started, but then I showed her the fuel log book and all noise issues were forgotten...
Karl Brauer, Editor in Chief, Edmunds.com @ 54,603 miles
firstwagon says:
05:02 PM, 03/31/08
My Legacy does the same thing. It never quite goes to full and when it's on empty I still have 20 litres left.
Should wish it got 40 mpg though.
jdub53084 says:
07:17 PM, 03/31/08
Whats a tankful cost with this car? My friends here in Michigan are not really happy with the 4.00-425 a gallon diesel in their trucks, which ends up costing upwards of a 100-150 bucks. Ouch.
firstwagon says:
07:27 PM, 03/31/08
Those prices sound great. In Vancouver, BC we're paying 1.239 per litre or about 5 bucks gallon for regular.
No wonder the top ten selling cars in Canada are all 4 cylinders.
dougtheeng says:
08:42 PM, 03/31/08
Does this model jetta have the fuel tank air release? Thats the only way to fill my VW Golf TDI up all the way. its a little button you press on the inside of the tank with the fueling nozzle...
firstwagon says:
08:14 AM, 04/ 1/08
I didn't think to ask. When you fill up, how much gas does it take?
Is it the guage or as dougtheeng mentioned, is the tank not full?
warren_w says:
11:03 AM, 04/ 1/08
Well reading low is better than reading high. Less chance of running out of fuel. It's probably a simple fix of bending the fuel tank float, accessible through the floor of the trunk.
If you want to get more fuel into the car, try googling on TDI and ventectomy. That would allow you to get an extra 2 gallons in per fill up.
editor_karl says:
07:48 AM, 04/ 2/08
I've been told by our vehicle fleet manager that you can, indeed, get the gauge to read full. All you have to do is let it click off at "high" pressure fill. Then wait about a minute for the diesel fuel foam to condense, then put the nozzle back in on "low" pressure fill and wait till it clicks off again. Then do that entire process one more time.
Considering this car's range on even a "mostly" full tank, I think I'll just deal with not seeing the gauge on "1/1"
kevlang says:
10:31 AM, 04/ 2/08
the "1/1" reading rather than "F" is interesting - is that common on german cars?
jr1m90 says:
01:31 PM, 04/ 2/08
Kevlang,
I know BMW used to do it all the time (not sure if they still do), and it seems like a common VW Audi trait as well.
I was about to suggest that the elephant in the room was VW electronics, but the foam in the tank makes more sense.
playdrv4me says:
01:13 PM, 04/ 4/08
Yes, the "0, 1/2, 1/1" indication is common German cars. My BMWs are setup the same way.
Colorado_Al says:
08:48 PM, 01/13/09
Ventectomy. Check it out on tdiclub.com.
There is a vent switch just inside of the fuel filler neck. You can remove it, or you can just push it with the filler nozzle. This will keep you from having to wait for the foam to subside.