I have a 2011 A4 Avant and the manual says it has a 65L tank. However when I drain it (with 20 Kms left) I can only fill it with 55L of gas at the pump? My old 2005 A4 Avant filled with 65L consistently. My friend with a 2011 A4 can also only fill his with 55L? Is the tank smaller than stated or is the fuel gauge extra conservative?

 

so no one has noticed that their tank only takes 55 Litres?

 

The most I've put in mine so far is 59.4 liters.

Last weekend I put in 58 liters and still had 20kms showing on the DTE display, which I know I can run beyond "0", so this probably means I could have run it down an extra 3-4 liters. I believe my sedan has a 64l tank.

 

Hi Gilbert, so have you run it below "0"? and does it go to "-10" So it seems that the gauge that shows the remaining distance is very conservative? My manual says it has a 65L tank so I'm leaving 10L in there every time?

 

I think the low fuel warning comes on when there's about 8l left, and at that time the DTE shows "80 kms". Since my fuel consumption is around 8l/100kms I have in theory 100 kms left to go, which means when the DTE displays "0" there's really around 20 kms left to go to empty.

I haven't actually pushed it that far yet... but I have driven a few kms past 0 DTE a few times. Since I have never put in more than 60l so far, with a 64l tank there's a good chance the DTE is a little bit conservative as with 4l left I should be able to drive an extra 32kms past 0 DTE...

 

That's a very logical and reasonable deduction Gilbert. I wish they weren't so conservative, if it says 20 kms left I want it to REALLY be 20 kms so I know to get to a gas station pronto. It's similar to guys who set their clock 10 mins fast so that they're not late, I will mentally deduct the 10 mins so who are we kidding? Thanks!

 

I think they may be conservative to;

1) help you decide to go get some gas and
2) avoid resuscitation and repair issues with pump and FI system running dry. I have read that damage can result from overheating the fuel-cooled fuel pump, at the least.

Having said this, I would love to know how many KM are left when it says 0.

 

You may be right, my 2005 A4 was much less conservative and I think 0 kms really meant 0 Kms since I could get 65 L in it. I had my 2011 A4 down to 10 kms, but decided to play it safe and refueled.

 

I had my gauge cluster replaced a while ago and the new gas gauge had to be calibrated. This involved draining and filling my gas tank. The tech screwed up the first time he did it and my gas gauge was all wonky so when I took the car back in I stood there and watched him to make sure he did it properly. I can say with great certainty that my 2006 A4 quattro will take 65L max.

According to the tech, the FWD models had a slightly larger fuel capacity because the tank doesn't have to be cut away to fit over the rear differential.

 

so the other day after the indicator showed "0" kms remaining I continued to drive it for another 15 kms (so technically "-15") to the gas station. I then filled it up but was only able to put in 58 L. So this gauge is very conservative.