[JpMcC]

I am increasingly worried about the about of petrol my MINI One is eating, i half filled the car on Thursday last and have driven about 70 miles and it is now flashing empty, my driving style is calm and I dont over rev the car and I try and change up the gears as soon as possible

Also is it normal to get a high smell of fuel when the car is sitting idle

Is this normal, or could there be something seriously wrong?, I have spoken to a girl in my area who has a Cooper and she gets about 120-130 miles from 1/2 a tank


any help would be greatly appriciated Jp

[andyupnorth]

The best way to check is to not mess about with half tanks but to fill up your car completely until the pump clicks off. Make a note of your mileage or reset your trip counter. Then drive your car until the red light comes on and fill again until the pump clicks off. Check your mileage again. This will give you the number of miles you have travelled over a set amont of fuel. Divide the mileage by the number of litres you put to top your tank up again and you have the number of miles driven per litre. Multiply this figure by 4.56 and you will have your mpg. I would have thought on a sensibly driven MINI One you would get 35-40mpg with a range on a full tank of 350-400 miles.

[NightFox]

er… I wouldn’t smoke if I were you…

[JpMcC]

Quote:

The best way to check is to not mess about with half tanks but to fill up your car completely until the pump clicks off. Make a note of your mileage or reset your trip counter

I have done this and got 270-280 miles from a full tank but i forgot to get the amount of litres it took to fill the car up, lol so coundnt work out the MPG

It's worrying because my dads 4x4 gets better fuel consumption

Jp

[KenL]

Take your car to a dealer asap.

Sounds like you have a fuel leak to me.

I got 300-320 miles from a tank before the red light came on in my ONE.

[Intrepid]

hole in your petrol tank????? My ONE used to get me from London to Plymouth on 2/3 tank...(200 odd miles..)

[JpMcC]

it has been booked in for next week, but I thought I would get the opinions of the good folk of MINI2

[BENJ]

I would take it down the dealer as you shouldn't be smelling petrol unless you have a leak. On my cooper I am getting approximately 10 miles to every £1 of petrol I put in it .

[JpMcC]

if there was a hole in my petrol tank would there not be a petrol stain in my driveway from the leaking

[chilime]

Good move - there's definitely something wrong. You should not be smelling petrol!

[JpMcC]

if it is a fuel leak, will this be under warrenty, or will I have to pay the bill??

[Rob.]

It will all be done under warranty
Doesn't sound right though. I get about 140 miles out of half a tank of fuel in my cooper
Have you had any work done recently that might have damaged something?

[N31L]

I've got a MCS and roughly get 230-240 miles out of a full tank ....sounds like somthings seriously wrong .....you should be getting an average of 300....
This is unless you wear lead boots and only use 1st gear?

[vcullen]

Quote: Originally Posted by jpsmini

if there was a hole in my petrol tank would there not be a petrol stain in my driveway from the leaking

Sometime the leak is only when running ( Engine side of fuel pump ).
Take that puppy in NOW !

[steviemurf]

Hiya JP

I agree, it sounds like a leak in the engine compartment. Pop your bonnet with your engine running and check for any leaks. You'll should/could see it if it's smelling that much. I've experienced this in the past (not with the super Mini of course !) and saw it straight away... if you do, take is straight to the dealer and get them to attend to it right away. A leak of petrol can VERY EASILY lead to an engine fire, I wouldn't be waiting until next week.

Hope that helps

Best wishes

Steve (new kid on the block)

[JpMcC]

It is difficult getting a full day off work to take the car to dealers as it is almost 70 miles away

I just hope to get it sorted ASAP

Quote:

Have you had any work done recently that might have damaged something?

My front drivers side wheel arch is cracked and the front bumper is loose, It was at the dealers about two weeks ago and they told me the portective sills under the car had got damaged, either due to a crash or getting hit by a stone.

The car has not been crahsed so I suspect it might have gotten damaged from getting hit by a stone, could this have caused the problem???? or knocked someting out of place??

[Iwan]

As has been said before, it sounds like your fuel system is leaking under pressure when the engine is running. The smell of fuel is a dead giveaway.

Get it looked at asap, and if it was me i wouldn't be driving it unless absolutely necessary. I had a fuel injection hose split on a 2.0L Vauxhall Cavalier once, i drove it around for 2 days with the smell of fuel getting stronger and stronger. When i opened the bonnet (with the engine running) i spotted the split hose immediately, there was a fine mist of fuel (liquid/vapour) spraying everywhere. The entire engine compartment was wet and glistening, with fuel evaporating in clouds off the hot engine/manifold!

How it never went up i don't know.

[scooperman_uk]

sounds like a leak to me! i would suggest not even driving it to your dealer. i think your would be better off asking them to come and recover you by tow truck. call your MINI assist number

[northandy]

Quote: Originally Posted by scooperman_uk

sounds like a leak to me! i would suggest not even driving it to your dealer. i think your would be better off asking them to come and recover you by tow truck. call your MINI assist number

Yep, its too risky..... worth using the free recovery service just in case !

[SoggyCornFlakes]

Welcome to MINI2 Steve

And I agree entirely with your post - it sounds like a leak, you should take it straight in and not wait for it to catch fire