My previous car Audi A4 had a really bad fuel pump/filter issues.
They recommend to change the filter every year.
So many people had a problem fuel pump whining which eventually died middle of the highway. Mine did as well. (died on I95)

one of the reason was leaving my gas tank running low many times. which leads to clog the filter/pump.

I am curious if anyone with 3G TL had an isssue with their fuel pump and want to know if we need to change our fuel filters frequently...

 

......I do it very frequently........ Okay, I'm scared now.

 

The manual says you do not have to change your fuel filter unless you have a problem caused by reduced fuel flow.

Another reason it is bad to run low is that the fuel pump uses the fuel to keep itself cool and lubricated and if the fuel moves to another area during a turn or when stopping or starting, it could be momentarily deprived of lubrication and cooling.

I can't remember anyone having a problem with a failed fuel pump or clogged filter that was reported here.

If you fill your tank when the MID says 0 miles to empty, or range 0 miles, you still have over 2 gallons left, which should be enough, but I wouldn't like to go any lower than that.

Check this thread for more info on how much fuel you might have left at any given time. https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=122231

 

The lubricaitno cooling argument may be true, but there's always a "safe" amount of fuel left in the tank, unless you run the tank really really low even after the low fuel light comes on.

As for the filter/pump clogging argument, that doesn't make much sense. I think the reason you had fuel filter/pump problems is because of filter and/or pump problems, nothing to do with running the tank too low. If the filter is clogged, then it may mean you have crap in your tank, no matter how full or empty it is. But the fuel will always be drawn at the bottom of the tank, otherwise you'll run out of fuel even with 3/4 full tank of gas. So whether the tank is full or not, if there's sediment in the tank it will get trapped in the filter.

 

Letting yourself always run low on gas before filling up? Do yourself a favor and do what I do.

Fill up as soon as the guage goes below a half. You never know what set of circumstances you might find yourself faced with. If there's another blackout this summer, the gas station pumps can't run and you'll be S.O.L if you've let the tank go almost empty.

 

with a fuel injected car the danger of running too low is that the tolerances of the injectors are much small than say a carberator. It will pull up all the gunk in the gas tank.

 

I have heard this talk for years! I have ALWAYS used the gas down to when the car tells me its time for a drink. When the light comes on, answer the call! That's all.....

People here in Minn. say not to drive in winter with less than 1/2 tank. They scared it Will cause freezing problems. It's never happened to me. But I always burn good gas. Like BP or something like it. You get what you pay for, my friend.....

 

That is an insane recommendation on the Audi dealer's part! I've got almost 50k miles on my TL and the fuel filter appears to be in good working order. I drive until the low-fuel light comes on, then (as stated above) "answer the call"!

 

Yeah, drive until the fuel light comes on. You get better gas mileage as your tank starts to empty. Gas weighs quite a bit. It won't make an incredible difference, but every bit counts and it all adds up with gas approaching $4 a gallon.

 

Wont the fuel filter take care of all that?

 

No, no, no.. The reason you don't want to run with a low fuel level is the reduced net positive suction head will result in pump cavitation.

 

If you routinely drive around with less than half a tank (that is, you never put more than a few bucks in it), then over time you will get condensation in the tank, water and rust.

This is a bad thing.

 

I heard that the moment you get below one gallon of gas, all the fuel will spontaneously combust and make your car run hot.

 

I thought we had a plastic fuel tank? Rust?
Like I said before I've been doing this for like over 35 years! Even back when the tanks were metal.

When the light comes on, answer the call!!
Thats all.

 

Ummm.....our tank is plastic. Dude, do you drive a mid-70's American behemoth or something?

 

I had the 1.8T in a Passat. The manual stressed not to run-it down below the zero-miles as damage could be done.

The Acura manual stated that damage could be done by running out of gas.

Usually, at zero-miles I refill. I don't believe in lugging-around the extra weight of 8-gallons.

 

When a car is run low on gas meaning below 1/4, Clogging is NOT the issue. The issue is over heating the fuel pump. The fuel acts as a cooler for the fuel pump. A problem will only surface if the driver always drives around with low fuel. The people that don't EVER fill up their tanks, they just put in a couple of bucks at a time.

I went to a Napa seminar about fuel systems and the speaker spoke of a study that was performed by one of the big fuel pump manufactures. They discoverd that the largest amount of fuel pump failures were in college towns in warmer climates.