don't let your Focus run out of gas

L

LouCypher

Veteran X
My car was hit by another driver on St. Patrick's Day. Got a rental, a 2015 Ford Focus SE, from Hertz.

I hate this thing. They gave me the "My Key" instead of the admin key so the speed is limited to 80MPH and the radio won't go louder than 14 (so can't hear it with the windows down on the interstate).

Drive into town, the fuel light is already on, but the estimated "distance to empty" thing on the dash says I can go 30+ miles. It's 16 miles into town, and I planned on filling up on the way home.

Sitting in the parking lot, engine running, it dies. Closest gas station is 6 blocks away, but I have no can. Shell sells me a 1 gallon can (the last one they had) for $10. Another $2 to fill it, walk back to the car, pour it in.

Car tries to start 3 times. After the third attempt it won't even try to start. Turns out it forces you to wait 15 minutes after a failed 3rd attempt.

I check the manual, and it says you should add at least 1.3 gallons, maybe more if it's on a "steep slope" (it's not steep, but I'm not parked on level ground).

I walk back to the gas station, get another gallon, put it in. Tried three times, won't start.

Hertz would be glad to send out one of their Emergency Roadside Assistance vehicles to bring me some gas, for the low cost of $79. They tell me their drivers only carry 2 gallons. I tell them I already put in 2 gallons. Agent says "well maybe it needs a little more".

Third trip to gas station, third gallon added, damn thing finally starts.

If I hadn't been that close to a gas station that was open I'd have been calling Emergency Roadside Assistance to bring me an insufficient amount of gas to get the car started.

Thanks, Hertz. :mad:
 
I had a big ass focus estate ("station wagon") for a while, I think it was a diesel though

that thing was awesome

I heart diesels
 
u ppl baffle me

so passive about everything

document everything, hire attorney, and demand shit from these companies w/ threats of legal action. calculate and document costs of everything including time of inconvenience which has an actual price.

its like ppl who get in car accidents and refuse 2 call the police cuz its only a minor fender bender. then find out 3 months later that the minor fender bender fucked up something far more serious and they're paying out of pocket for something they weren't at fault for.
 
hey lets make computers run everything in our cars what could go wrong with that

computers are super reliable and we should stake our lives on them
 
naptown said:
u ppl baffle me

so passive about everything

document everything, hire attorney, and demand shit from these companies w/ threats of legal action. calculate and document costs of everything including time of inconvenience which has an actual price.

its like ppl who get in car accidents and refuse 2 call the police cuz its only a minor fender bender. then find out 3 months later that the minor fender bender fucked up something far more serious and they're paying out of pocket for something they weren't at fault for.
Click to expand...

This a million times. I got tboned by a red light running suburban recently.

Everytime I felt like I was getting hosed on something (via insurance or rental company), I merely said, "That doesn't seem right or fair to me at all, I'm going to have to get in touch with my attorney."

And so far it has been the proper verbiage to grease the wheels a bit and get things going more so my way.
 
Groove said:
hey lets make computers run everything in our cars what could go wrong with that

computers are super reliable and we should stake our lives on them
Click to expand...
Yup, you can thank the government for that. Traction control, and stability control mean computer controls on steering, braking, and throttle. I've seen more than a few cars that simply won't stop because the computer thinks it's sliding on ice and reduces braking to avoid skidding. A bad wheel bearing or even a low tire can throw some systems into antilock mode. Even my Expedition doesn't stop under 5mph because a wheel bearing is flakey. Had to pull the abs module plug so I can stop the damn thing. On earlier GM models they seemed to be more fault tolerant, but I've ran into a few newer models that are downright scary. A friends 2006 equinox wouldn't stop sporadically, and she coasted through more than a few stoplights before I pulled the abs fuse. All sensors tested fine, but one connection was bad. :stab:
buize said:
don't drive a ford next time
Click to expand...
This. I buy and sell cars, and I won't even touch a ford on purpose. The Expedition was $200 and a quick fix to get it driving again - the shift bracket pulled off the transmission, needed a new transmission case to fix it (new transmission), but I engineered a bracket to locate it in a day.
 
201406_1213_bichb.jpg


sent from *magic device* using Frank ZappaTalk
 
In 20+ years of driving I've never seen the low fuel light turn on. You know they put the gauge right on the dash, right?
 
Yep, Ford Focus sucks. The 2012-13-14 models are especially bad, and I'm stuck with a '13.
This problem happens to me and every Focus owner I've talked to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnJ03nHvoFg

Ford claims that the noise and shuddering is perfectly normal, and that we simply don't understand cars enough. It's only a matter of time before the problem kills someone.
 
you shouldn't be running the car so close to empty in the first place so it's your own damn fault

the car shuts down to prevent damage to the fuel pump when you run it like that
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top