Had this '22 ES350 for about 10-months. Specs say the car has a 15.9 gallon gas tank but I can never get more than 13 gallons in the car.

Just this morning, the 'range' estimate said I had 8-miles of range. I stopped to fill up and it would only take 12.9 gallons before the handle clicked off. I tried to squeeze in a bit more just to make sure and it got to 13.1 and the handle just kept clicking off so I stopped rather than spill gas all over myself.

What is going on here? Is my gauge wrong, or does my car have a 3-gallon reserve which seems ludicrous. I'm stopping every 14 days when I should be able to go 3-4 more days (work is only 9-miles from the house).

Yes, first world problem.

Get a gas can, run the car out of gas, and find out?

A 3 gallon reserve wouldn't surprise me at all. I have 3 cars that have similar reserves (old domestic and 2 europeans) Also, stop filling it to the brim. That's terrible for the car's evap systems. Fill it until it clicks and put the handle away.

txyaloo said:

---

Get a gas can, run the car out of gas, and find out?

A 3 gallon reserve wouldn't surprise me at all. I have 3 cars that have similar reserves (old domestic and 2 europeans) Also, stop filling it to the brim. That's terrible for the car's evap systems. Fill it until it clicks and put the handle away.

---

that's what I normally do. This morning I was just checking to see if the fill valve was somehow clicking off early.

The problem with the 'run it out' test is I'll have no idea in the future how much I really have left in the tank since the gauge is on "E" for 60-70 miles.

I would take it in for a warranty check if you are that concerned. No idea what would be causing it though.

Most cars have a 2ish gallon reserve. 3 is also reasonable. If you want to have a better idea, start tracking your mileage and the number of gallons you buy to travel that mileage. (my Car's MPG calculator is almost 10% off, so calculate it by hand) Understand that it has a range depending on how much weight you're carrying, ambient temp. city/hwy driving etc. Then calculate you short, average, and long ranges your car can travel. Keep track of mileage and drive based on your calculated range. Gas gauge is kind of just a suggestion to help you not run out of gas.

I have a good idea of the mileage for the car as I check it every time I fill up. It's a habit I got from my dad a long time ago. One, because I'm an engineer and a dork like that, also, a sudden change in gas mileage can indicate another problem with the car that may not be obvious.

agracer said:

---

Had this '22 ES350 for about 10-months. Specs say the car has a 15.9 gallon gas tank but I can never get more than 13 gallons in the car.

Just this morning, the 'range' estimate said I had 8-miles of range. I stopped to fill up and it would only take 12.9 gallons before the handle clicked off. I tried to squeeze in a bit more just to make sure and it got to 13.1 and the handle just kept clicking off so I stopped rather than spill gas all over myself.

What is going on here? Is my gauge wrong, or does my car have a 3-gallon reserve which seems ludicrous. I'm stopping every 14 days when I should be able to go 3-4 more days (work is only 9-miles from the house).

Yes, first world problem.

---

The range estimate is not until empty, but until the gas light comes on. At that point you have anywhere from 3-5 gallons.

One time on a road trip the light came on, but the next stop I wanted wasn't for another 100 miles. We made it. Tank was 20 gallons and took 21 gallons at fill up.

Y'all need to drive out in west Texas. That's where I learned to do the west Texas shake when the truck was sputtering for lack of gas. You can go another 10 miles just shaking it down the road.

Here's the deal. Lexus knows that your wife will run this car until the absolute last possible moment before putting more gas in it.

Running your fuel pump dry or low on gas is really really bad for it since the fuel pump is cooled by the gas.

Therefor Lexus does not want your wife to run the gas down to negative integers before pulling in for fuel on a regular basis, shortening the life of the fuel pump and increasing warranty claims.

Therefor Lexus squirrels away a couple extra gallons in order to keep the fuel pump immersed in gas and doesn't tell you about it. Its normal, and it works well. Just accept that your xx gallon tank is actually, probably, an xxx gallon tank in reality.

Martin Q. Blank said:

---

agracer said:

---

Had this '22 ES350 for about 10-months. Specs say the car has a 15.9 gallon gas tank but I can never get more than 13 gallons in the car.

Just this morning, the 'range' estimate said I had 8-miles of range. I stopped to fill up and it would only take 12.9 gallons before the handle clicked off. I tried to squeeze in a bit more just to make sure and it got to 13.1 and the handle just kept clicking off so I stopped rather than spill gas all over myself.

What is going on here? Is my gauge wrong, or does my car have a 3-gallon reserve which seems ludicrous. I'm stopping every 14 days when I should be able to go 3-4 more days (work is only 9-miles from the house).

Yes, first world problem.

---

The range estimate is not until empty, but until the gas light comes on. At that point you have anywhere from 3-5 gallons.

One time on a road trip the light came on, but the next stop I wanted wasn't for another 100 miles. We made it. Tank was 20 gallons and took 21 gallons at fill up.

---

The red light was on when the range estimate said 30-miles.

agracer said:

---

Martin Q. Blank said:

---

agracer said:

---

Had this '22 ES350 for about 10-months. Specs say the car has a 15.9 gallon gas tank but I can never get more than 13 gallons in the car.

Just this morning, the 'range' estimate said I had 8-miles of range. I stopped to fill up and it would only take 12.9 gallons before the handle clicked off. I tried to squeeze in a bit more just to make sure and it got to 13.1 and the handle just kept clicking off so I stopped rather than spill gas all over myself.

What is going on here? Is my gauge wrong, or does my car have a 3-gallon reserve which seems ludicrous. I'm stopping every 14 days when I should be able to go 3-4 more days (work is only 9-miles from the house).

Yes, first world problem.

---

The range estimate is not until empty, but until the gas light comes on. At that point you have anywhere from 3-5 gallons.

One time on a road trip the light came on, but the next stop I wanted wasn't for another 100 miles. We made it. Tank was 20 gallons and took 21 gallons at fill up.

---

The red light was on when the range estimate said 30-miles.

---

On my Tacoma, the light comes on when the estimate is less than 25 miles remaining. Based on the reported tank volume, I have ~2 gallons left when it hits zero on the estimated miles left to empty.

My tundra has a 38 gallon tank. The light comes on at 30 gallons, so I have about 100 miles more before empty.

I thought the earth stopped spinning the first time I filled up. I shaved right before and it was time again before the pump finished.

Tim Weaver said:

---

Here's the deal. Lexus knows that your wife will run this car until the absolute last possible moment before putting more gas in it.

Running your fuel pump dry or low on gas is really really bad for it since the fuel pump is cooled by the gas.

Therefor Lexus does not want your wife to run the gas down to negative integers before pulling in for fuel on a regular basis, shortening the life of the fuel pump and increasing warranty claims.

Therefor Lexus squirrels away a couple extra gallons in order to keep the fuel pump immersed in gas and doesn't tell you about it. Its normal, and it works well. Just accept that your xx gallon tank is actually, probably, an xxx gallon tank in reality.

---

This. All modern autos have in-tank fuel pumps. The fuel load lubes and cools the pump. The manufacturer doesnt want you to make a habit of drying out the pump, so they inflate the margin below "E" on the gauge.