Help - fuel gauge issue

[Newds3owner]

Hi. I purchased a 1.6 diesel ds3 2 week’s ago. I filled the car with diesel until pump clicked. Gauge showed full. All ok. I then drove 100 miles to work and back. Filled again to first click. All ok. Then did the same following day but when I filled it and the pump clicked I got in car and gauge hadn’t moved. So I drove again for 100 miles and filled until clicked and again gauge didn’t move. I am now driving it and hoping that gauge bounces back as I read that somebody else had this problem once and it disappeared. But I’m now on half full on gauge and no sign of any ‘bouncing back’. Does anybody have any advice on what to do or history on this at all? Thanks indeed.....

[cyclone]

The Gauge will not register until you put about 5 liters in. How much did you add? Not quite sure what you mean by bouncing back. Would suggest just using most of the tank up before filling it and see what happens.

[Newds3owner]

Hi. It’s the opposite. The car has been filled to the top twice and for first two times gauge was ok. Then when I have subsequently filled tank back to the top the gauge hasn’t moved. It’s now on half tank and in another post a few years ago on here somebody said they had the same problem and then the gauge corrected itself and went back up to where it should have been - ie bouncing back. Any ideas? Do I let it go to low and then fill back to top to see if that works? Thx Simon

[BenS]

It's quite possible that the diesel could do 100 miles on less than 5 litres of fuel, in which case it won't have recognised the added fuel. As Cyclone said, just run it to the last 2 or 3 bars and then fill to the top, you should definitely see it change then.

[Newds3owner]

Thanks! My feeling is that when I do fill it back up, the gauge will increase.....but it will only show 3/4 when tank is actually full. This is my problem - I put about 20 litres in to fill it back to the top. The fuel nozzle clicked so the tank was full....and the gauge didn’t move at all.....this has happened twice.....

[cyclone]

I would let it go a while longer filling when almost empty and see what happens. Could be the in tank sending unit. Not hard to get to it. Access it is from under back seat bottom, just stinky.

[BenS]

The manual also says you can do up to 3 clicks of the pump, so you can keep going after the first click.

[Funky]

I've done 100 miles in my diesel without the gauge dropping a notch many times. So I have never felt the need to fill up again after so few miles. I regularly get 550-600 miles to a tank, but usually fill back up when I'm down to a quarter tank. Give that a whirl few times, see what happens. It may well right itself.

[BeefMasta]

As said, do 200-300 miles before filling up next. You’ll definitely fill up more than 5L and it should reset the gauge. You know you’ve already filled up so don’t worry about what the fuel gauge says until you’ve done the extra miles.