Author Topic: Short measure at the pump?  (Read 4009 times)

Jocko

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Short measure at the pump?
« on: May 17, 2018, 03:16:54 PM »
I filled up with petrol, this morning, and I believe I got short measure at the pump. I went into my local Morrisons, but was unable to use my usual pump. I filled up as usual, noted my mileage and the reading on the Fibometer and my ScanGauge, and thought nothing more of it.
When I returned home, and did the calculations on the spreadsheet, I was very surprised to see I had achieved 46 mpg. This is my worst ever figure, even worse than driving in snow during the "Beast from the East". I double checked all my numbers, and even went back to the car to check I had recorded the correct mileage.
As you all know, I am rather OCD when it comes to mpg figures. 46 mpg could be the real number, except I had easy journeys, the Fibometer was reading 55.8 and the ScanGauge 55.4 mpg. As I have reported elsewhere, both these are usually within 1 or 2%. I have never seen a 20% error.
This afternoon I have been for a gentle 85 mile trip, the Fibometer (reset at top up) says 68 mpg and a check on my return found all wheels cold and all tyre pressures showing 36 psig. If the petrol had been leaking out I would have surely smelt something, especially as the car is kept in a garage with carpeting under the car. For the same reason I do not suspect that petrol has been siphoned off.
The other pump on the island I used was out of order, not suspicious at the time but ringing alarm bells now. I have contacted the store, making my concerns known, and also contacted Trading Standards. I will keep you informed.

jazzway

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Re: Short measure at the pump?
« Reply #1 on: May 17, 2018, 07:55:44 PM »
Weird... And was it about same amount of petrol you usually fill?

Jocko

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Re: Short measure at the pump?
« Reply #2 on: May 17, 2018, 08:07:14 PM »
I normally wait until the warning light comes on, but I had a trip into Edinburgh, with a crawl home in rush hour traffic, so I filled up early. The price was up since last fill up, but I was still surprised at how much it cost for the fill up. I kept waiting on the pump shutting off and it kept going!

jazzway

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Re: Short measure at the pump?
« Reply #3 on: May 17, 2018, 08:49:02 PM »
Could it have something to do with the tyre issue you posted about earlier this month?

… I kept waiting on the pump shutting off and it kept going!
Sounds like you got the liters you payed for.

sparky Paul

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Re: Short measure at the pump?
« Reply #4 on: May 17, 2018, 11:56:09 PM »
We usually use Morrison's, I had an unusual incident there a few months ago, but this could happen anywhere.

The petrol station was reasonably busy, and there was a chap working on one of the pumps with cones around it, so I was waiting for a free pump. Anyway, he beckoned me towards the pump with a thumbs up and started moving the cones, so I drove up to the pump.

I punched the button to pay at pump, as usual, put the card in and did the business, then checked that the pump showed zero, as I always do. I lifted the nozzle, went towards the car, the pump started up and the meter immediately clocked up an amount of fuel, before I even got the nozzle into the car. I put the nozzle back, and went into the kiosk to let them know.

After a few minutes trying to make them understand what I had seen, and them telling me it wasn't possible, I insisted they came out to look, and the repair man appeared too. I'd been charged for the fuel I hadn't had, and after much head scratching, they suggested I tried it again - and all seemed okay. They took my word for it and gave me the money back for the petrol I hadn't had.

I believe that the man working on the pump hadn't bled the air from the filler pipe before leaving, and certainly hadn't done a test pump.  As soon as the pump started, the fluid compressed the air in the pipework and spun the meter. The bottom line here is - always check it says zero before you squeeze the trigger!

Jocko

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Re: Short measure at the pump?
« Reply #5 on: May 18, 2018, 07:17:34 AM »
Could it have something to do with the tyre issue you posted about earlier this month?

… I kept waiting on the pump shutting off and it kept going!
Sounds like you got the liters you payed for.
Tyre pressure was never really low, just lower than I like. That was why I check them so often.
What I didn't say was, a full top up for me is normally 7.5 gallons from the light coming on. I once got 7.9 gallons in after running for a couple of days with the light on. Yesterday the gauge had just passed the half way mark and I got 6.5 gallons in! I know petrol gauges are not accurate, but you learn the foibles of your own car, and I know my gauge doesn't drop from there to zero in 50 miles. Nearer 150 miles, in fact.

Jocko

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Re: Short measure at the pump?
« Reply #6 on: May 22, 2018, 10:35:51 AM »
Just received an email from Trading Standards. They are going to test the pump I suspect was faulty.

sparky Paul

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Re: Short measure at the pump?
« Reply #7 on: May 22, 2018, 05:55:20 PM »
Just received an email from Trading Standards. They are going to test the pump I suspect was faulty.

Hopefully, they will let you know the result. It certainly sounds fishy, I reckon the gauge on our Jazz is reasonably linear.

Jocko

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Re: Short measure at the pump?
« Reply #8 on: May 25, 2018, 07:15:11 AM »
Filled up this morning and figure worked out at 63.4 mpg, only marginally better than the on board display. That is the sort of figure I was expecting last time, as I had sympathetic journeys, warm weather and reasonable traffic.
I still think I got short measure last fill up.

guest5079

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Re: Short measure at the pump?
« Reply #9 on: May 25, 2018, 10:01:26 AM »
I do not check the mileage/consumption very scientifically, usually just fill up as far as I can and look at the mileage from the last fill.
I am not claiming any naughties but on two different occasions I have filled up at Morrisons in Tavistock and not got as good a mileage as when I fill at a BP garage that I normally use locally. I put it down to different sensitivities of the cut out on the nozzle.         Coincidence? that it is Morrisons

culzean

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Re: Short measure at the pump?
« Reply #10 on: May 25, 2018, 10:10:27 AM »
I do not check the mileage/consumption very scientifically, usually just fill up as far as I can and look at the mileage from the last fill.
I am not claiming any naughties but on two different occasions I have filled up at Morrisons in Tavistock and not got as good a mileage as when I fill at a BP garage that I normally use locally. I put it down to different sensitivities of the cut out on the nozzle.         Coincidence? that it is Morrisons

Could be the difference in quality / additives between supermarket fuel and BP ?  (duck)
Some people will only consider you an expert if they agree with your point of view or advice,  when you give them advice they don't like they consider you an idiot

Jocko

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Re: Short measure at the pump?
« Reply #11 on: May 25, 2018, 11:31:46 AM »
You can put auntyneddy's down to fuel quality, but I always fill up at Morrisons, just last time was a different pump.
If it had been the other way round, and better mpg last time, you could say the pump cut out early, but it put too much fuel in! I believe there was no way I could have squeezed the amount of fuel in, that the pump said, even if I had dribbled it in until it overflowed.

peteo48

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Re: Short measure at the pump?
« Reply #12 on: May 25, 2018, 02:30:24 PM »
I do not check the mileage/consumption very scientifically, usually just fill up as far as I can and look at the mileage from the last fill.
I am not claiming any naughties but on two different occasions I have filled up at Morrisons in Tavistock and not got as good a mileage as when I fill at a BP garage that I normally use locally. I put it down to different sensitivities of the cut out on the nozzle.         Coincidence? that it is Morrisons

Could be the difference in quality / additives between supermarket fuel and BP ?  (duck)

I'll just open this can of worms lol.

guest5079

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Re: Short measure at the pump?
« Reply #13 on: May 27, 2018, 03:18:15 PM »
I cannot comment on quality as I only usually use branded fuel, not for any reason just convenience. The last time I tried Tesco was a fiasco.
Normally one usually goes to the pump that is either available or has the shortest queue, I did this in our local Tesco's and a woman complained I had  jumped the queue. Manager had  a go at my Wife and all in all not very pleasant. So we went to the 'desk' and complained only to be told by the Lady customer helper? I don't get fuel here for the same reason.
It seems you had to queue in a line and the front of the queue went to the next available pump. The next in line had to wait in the single line queue until a pump became available and so on. This is the  only FILLING station that I have ever patronised in nearly 60 yrs of motoring that I have come across the cock a maney idea.

John Ratsey

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Re: Short measure at the pump?
« Reply #14 on: May 27, 2018, 09:24:04 PM »
I do not check the mileage/consumption very scientifically, usually just fill up as far as I can and look at the mileage from the last fill.
I am not claiming any naughties but on two different occasions I have filled up at Morrisons in Tavistock and not got as good a mileage as when I fill at a BP garage that I normally use locally. I put it down to different sensitivities of the cut out on the nozzle.         Coincidence? that it is Morrisons

Could be the difference in quality / additives between supermarket fuel and BP ?  (duck)

I'll just open this can of worms lol.
Maybe a tot of Redex will rectify any deficiencies of supermarket petrol. At the moment Wilko is selling 250 ml of Redex for £2 (normally £4).
2022 HR-V Elegance, previously 2020 Jazz Crosstar

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