Fuel Up! It'll save you.

I know you're out there. I see you. I cringe when I get in your car and see it - the nearly-to-E gas gauge. It seems nearly daily customers bring their vehicles in with little to no fuel. In fact, on occasion, fueling up your car is what ends up fixing the issue! Today, I'm making the plea - please keep your car filled up!

Keeping your car above a quarter of a

tank can save you in the long run. Inside your tank (on most vehicles), sending fuel through the lines and to the engine, is your electronic fuel pump. Most of the time, the pump is submerged - at least partially - in fuel, helping to keep it cooler. This pump is what works to suction every last bit of fuel out of your tank and into your motor to keep it running.

However, like most electronics, this little motor can run hot. When you dry out your tank, you put extra strain and heat on the pump. Causing repeated overheating and strain to an electronic element tends to shorten it's lifespan, and the fuel pump is no different. The more times you let the car run until the gas light is on, the more you increase your odds of having to prematurely change your fuel pump.

Speaking of picking up every last bit of fuel, when you run your car to fumes, your pump does it's job and picks up everything it can. This can also include dirt that has fallen in, any sediment built up from bad gas, condensation that has collected, rust that is forming in the tank, etc. All of that bad stuff works it's way up the line, clogging the lines, fuel filter, and (if your filter fails) even your injectors. Cleaning these elements can be costly enough, but if cleaning doesn't work, replacement can take even more.

If your vehicle does arrive at the shop with no fuel in it, likely you will be charged for us to put fuel in to test drive the vehicle. Often times we need to drive your vehicle to feel running issues, get readings, listen for parts failures, etc. With no fuel in the vehicle, we are not able to safely take your vehicle on the required test drives or even allow it to idle to get the readings necessary. We want to ensure your vehicle is ready to hit the road, but we can't do that if we can't hit the road ourselves.

Please, please, please, please, PLEASE remember to keep fuel in your vehicle. Hitting the gas station and adding in $10-20 when you're hovering above a quarter tank can save you exponentially and keep your car running better. We promise, we're not trying to get you, we want to save you money in the long run.

If you ever have questions about your vehicle's performance, please don't hesitate to call us at 618-998-9010 to talk to someone about scheduling an appointment.