My TSX is only about a month old and this is the first time I have topped off the tank. The info was saying my range was 13 miles, but when I filled up the tank, it only took 14 gallons. In the owner's manual it says that the car has a 17 gallon tank. I called up Acura and they told me that the last 3 gallons are a reserve. How can I tell when I really need gas then? Is what they told me true?

 

How many miles did you get out of the previous tank? The range predictor does not read how much gas you have left in the tank...it just takes into account how you've been driving to determine how much gas you have left.

I usually just fill it up each time, and I know how many miles my car can go before I need to get more gas.

 

The range predictor should estimate how you are driving then multiply it by how many gallons you have left to determine the range. So lets say you are driving at 20 mpg and have 4 gallons left. The range should say 80 miles. That is the whole purpose of a range predictor. Why have something that tells you you have 13 miles to empty when you really have 60?

 

the gas light usually come on when there's still ~2gallons of gas in the tank, this is for safety reason, and that's not bad at all. and also the gas guage work with the range indicator, so when the light is on, the range will show like around 10ish miles left....... nothing wrong with the program!

 

my light comes on with the range @ ~ 29, then i fill up about 13.4 gallons. I remember when i first got my tsx i got around 18mpg, now with 2.2k miles on the clock im averaging 26mpg :-)

 

in my 04 the gas light comes on when Navi says I have 80 miles to empty and I always have 3ish gal left. I always put in 14 to 14.5 gal.

 

tsx and a lot of cars now have a reserve fuel...Its for people that decide to fill gas last minute and end up being stranded on the highway. No car company wants people to see their cars on the side of the highway because most ppl will think it broke down, therefore, we have about 3 gallons on our reserve fuel, enought to get u 50 miles.

 

It's an attempt to idiot-proof the car. When a car runs out of fuel it not only leaves you stranded...it damages the engine. So it was done to prevent those who have the bad habit of waiting til the last drop drop from doing so.

Thank you Honda for protecting me against my own stupidity.

 

Please search for "fuel gauge" or "fuel light" or any combination of those words and I'll bed you find the several threads about this where it has already been discussed.