missing fuel where did it go?

[jriff]

I have a 95 540i AT 193k. I put twenty dollars of 93 octane gas in my car yesterday which was on E. Almost 7 gallons or a half tank. I was on the way back from a friends house which was about 20miles there 20 back 40 alltogether. When i noticed my gas hand was already back on E. I pressed range on the gas computer which said 64miles I watched as it continued to count down very quick. a mile every 5 to 10 seconds. shortly afteri pulled in my drive way with 39miles left. Popped the hood, no trace of any gas, looked under the car for leaks and did not find one drop. I usually average 16-20 miles a gallon with the a/c running. Did my car consume that much fuel?

[GoldenOne]

i dont know the technical answer to this but it very well happens to me all the time, I have no clue where my e34 puts the gas...in your case, maybe someone siphoned it out? who knows...

[JerseySi]

Mine's the same - seems to have a drink problem :D
£20 will buy me around 25 litres, from empty (really empty - range = 10miles) it will give me around 55-60 miles (or so it tells me)
Usually works out at around 40-45odd miles, so it's only a little optomistic
My average fuel consumption is between 14.5-16.5mpg, depends if i can get out of town for a drive or not
(on an island 9x5miles with a 40mph speed limit, it never really gets a chance to cruise properly :( )

[DaveVoorhis]

Whilst on that forty mile journey, was the velocity pedal maintained in a significantly downward position, say near the floor? Were the needles on the large indicators in front of you listing toward the right, like a ship threatening to capsize? Was the scenery unusually blurry, and did cornering have a tendency to hurl you hither and yon within the confines of the cabin and cause loose articles to embed themselves in the door liners? Was the motivator curiously insistent in tone, like a giant angry mosquito?

If the answer to most or all of these questions is "Yes," then I think we may have an answer.

Either that, or maybe the tank level sensor is having issues.

[Gabe]

The lock on your gas lid is broken, I'd recommend checking it out. This bit of information is my thank you for the gas. As to where it went, I believe whatever was left of it after I was done disappated into the ozone layer, if you find it let me know.

[Airborne001]

7 gallons is a bit short of half too, best way to keep track of your consumption is to fill it to the top and record total gallons each time. Even my E30 would drive for about 3 days on 1/4 tank, then you stop for a burger, turn the car on, and it is screaming ass empty.