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Keeping spare petrol in the boot of my car?

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  • MrSmartprice
    MrSmartprice Posts: 17,625 Forumite
    I used to drive a huge Volvo with a dodgy fuel gauge. I always had a can of petrol in one of the 'secret' compartments that these cars had. Never had a problem with leakage, though it was a proper metal petrol can.

    As for petrol 'going off', I was told that the reason old petrol could cause poor running is that it is hygroscopic, so it would absorb moisture from the air. This shouldn't be a problem in a full sealed can, and nor should evaporation.
  • anewman
    anewman Posts: 9,200 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    It would probably be easy to spot when you filled up to the brim and have done 300 miles and the gauge hasn't moved :)
  • Wig
    Wig Posts: 14,139 Forumite
    moonrakerz wrote: »
    There is NO reason to run out of petrol !!!

    * You are deliberately not filling up for any number of reasons, but don't want to be stuck if it runs out.

    * Money is tight this week, so you'd rather not fill it. <<< as it happens this is the same as my reason above, so it just serves as an example for the above.
  • moonrakerz
    moonrakerz Posts: 8,650 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    1. If your fuel gauge works - no reason to run out.
    2. If your fuel gauge is u/s - fill up every x hundred miles.
    3. If fuel gauge goes wrong you will notice it - revert to plan 2.(unless you are on your mobile for miles and miles)

    If you don't notice any of these or are "deliberately not filling up" -it's your own stupid fault !

    A surprising fact is that it costs no more to run a car with a full tank than it does an empty one (ignore the very slight difference in fuel consumption with less weight of petrol on the car).
    As I said - there is no reason to run out of petrol !
  • Wig
    Wig Posts: 14,139 Forumite
    moonrakerz wrote: »
    If you don't notice any of these or are "deliberately not filling up" -it's your own stupid fault !
    It won't be your stupid fault if you have a 5litre can of petrol onboard that's called planning ahead.
    A surprising fact is that it costs no more to run a car with a full tank than it does an empty one (ignore the very slight difference in fuel consumption with less weight of petrol on the car).
    As I said - there is no reason to run out of petrol !

    You might be waiting for a cheque to clear
    You might be intending on scrapping or selling the vehicle or returning it to it's owner.
    You might be doing an experiment to see how many miles you get after the "fuel low" warning lamp comes on.
  • anewman
    anewman Posts: 9,200 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Wig wrote: »
    You might be doing an experiment to see how many miles you get after the "fuel low" warning lamp comes on.

    You could get a goodish estimate by waiting till the light comes on, then immediately going to fill up to the brim. Find out the full size of the fuel tank (owners manual, haynes manual etc), and take away the amount of fuel you put in to give you the number of litres likely to be left in the tank when the light comes on. It is probably best to reduce this number a little to account for variations and any gun that may have built up in the tank.

    I think most car manufacturers advise against running out of fuel with the car running.
  • nearlyrich
    nearlyrich Posts: 13,698 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Combo Breaker Hung up my suit!
    I remember a crash a few years ago round here where 4 teenagers were killed, the petrol guage was faulty and they had a can of petrol in the boot just in case. I know it's just one incident but I have never forgotton it and I would never carry petrol in my car (no point to be honest my car is diesel)
    Free impartial debt advice from: National Debtline or Stepchange[/CENTER]
  • vikingaero
    vikingaero Posts: 10,920 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Have you lot never played Service Station Lottery on the motorway?:beer:

    Your low fuel light has just illuminated. The sign says Services 1 mile, 16 miles, 32 miles. You ignore the 1 mile services, at the 16 mile services your gauge hasn't moved much, so you carry on to the 32 mile services. Do ya feel lucky punk? At the 32 mile services you decide to carry on............... :rotfl:
    The man without a signature.
  • mrbadexample
    mrbadexample Posts: 10,805 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Combo Breaker Photogenic
    Wig wrote: »
    Mrbadexample's experience of a fatigue failure of a petrol can has to be a rare event and may have been caused by the container not being a modern type.

    Nah, it was a modern plastic container. It had been in the boot a while - in the summer the heat made the can expand and contract quite a lot. I got back to my car one day and nearly choked on the fumes. It wasn't pleasant. :(

    IIRC though, the parcel shelf was missing, so the container got exposed to direct sunlight. I reckon it would be pretty unlikely to happen in a closed boot. I'm in agreement with those saying that the danger is pretty insignificant.
    If you lend someone a tenner and never see them again, it was probably worth it.
  • moonrakerz
    moonrakerz Posts: 8,650 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Wig wrote: »
    It won't be your stupid fault if you have a 5litre can of petrol onboard that's called planning ahead.



    You might be waiting for a cheque to clear
    You might be intending on scrapping or selling the vehicle or returning it to it's owner.
    You might be doing an experiment to see how many miles you get after the "fuel low" warning lamp comes on.


    One more:- You might be running out of silly excuses to explain why your general driving skills are so bad that you ran out of fuel !
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