Regular Car Reviews (@regularcars665) posted a viral clip warning against over-filling one’s gas tank. According to the car enthusiast, doing so could cause significant problems.
“If you fill your car this way, you’re an idiot,” the TikToker bluntly states at the top of his video. He explains what this gas-filling methodology is. Next, his video cuts to him standing in front of the SUV, now with its gas cap popped open.
“Don’t ever do this,” he warns while walking to the open gas cover as he removes the cap. “People who fill their car and they’re there.” He then repeats the word “fill” over and over again. He stands at the gas cover, pantomiming holding a fuel pump handle, dispensing gas into the vehicle.
Next, he loudly pronounces the word “click.”
“Stop,” he urges viewers, telling them not to pump anymore after that click.
Quit at the click
“Don’t go, oh, I’m gonna add a little bit more gas,” he says mockingly. “And then you pull it again. What you’re doing is you’re now putting gas inside your filler neck. No good. Do not do that.”
The TikToker explains why putting gas into a car’s filler neck is ultimately a bad idea. Then the clip cuts to him holding the car’s gas cap in his hand.
“This is your fuel cap. It’s vented,” he says. Following this, he shines the flashlight down into the gas tank. He highlights how one of the holes leads to the car’s fuel tank. Additionally, there’s a tiny hole etched into the rim of the filler neck’s entrance. “This is a little vent hole and down here is a little drain hole,” he says.
He puts a light on another portion of the car. “There’s also a vent line that runs next to your filler neck,” he says. “The little tube that your fuel goes down.”
Ventilation situation
“You do that, you’re messing up the ventilation of your fuel tank,” he explains. “Air has to go back in there to replace the void that’s created as you consume your fuel. So your ECU may start freaking out. You may start throwing a check engine light. Plus, it’s plain old not safe to have fuel inside your filler neck as well.”
Furthermore, the TikToker argues that obsessing over putting in extra gas won’t provide you with significantly more mileage. Ultimately, he argues that it’s better to err on the side of caution. Rather than hoping you can get an extra 2,640 feet of commuting.
Others caution against overfilling
A Toyota dealership blog echoes concerns made by several others online who’ve warned against topping off excessively. Firstly, the outlet, like @regularcars665, states you should stop at the “click” of a gas pump that initiates while pouring.
The piece writes that there are numerous reasons why this is a bad idea. Such as a “decrease in your car’s performance.” An over-abundance of gasoline may cause interference “with the vehicle’s fuel injection system.” Consequently, “a decrease in power and acceleration” can occur. Another ironic result in this case is that your vehicle’s fuel economy can suffer. So, while you thought you were squeezing out a bit more mileage, the opposite may occur.
Secondly, there are environmental concerns to worry about. If your car is overfilled, this can cause gas to leak from the vehicle’s fuel tank, as the TikToker states. Gasoline seeping into the surrounding environment causes unnecessary pollution. Potentially to soil and the air it’s evaporating into.
Also, you’re increasing the risk of a fire hazard. Random small pools of gasoline around a fuel pump or in a gas station’s parking lot can come into contact with a spark. Or a lit cigarette butt someone tosses out. This could cause the leaked fuel to become inflamed and could lead to a major issue. Especially if it works its way back to a gas station pump.
@regularcars665 You’re filling your fuel tank wrong. Do not put any more fuel into your gas tank after the nozzle clicks off. Filling up your filler neck is bad. #carsofinstagram #cars #advice #toyota #4runner #toyota4runner #baddrivers ♬ original sound – regularcars665
Commenters react
One user who replied to the TikToker’s post was stunned that folks overfill their tanks. “People do that? Once I t clicks off I put the thing back. Because tank’s full,” one said.
Others said they have their own over-filling prevention method. And it’s to never fill it up to its maximum amount. “I don’t fill my car,” one wrote.
“Fill it up to the next quarter amount. What I’ve lived by,” another replied.
But others said they routinely overfill their vehicles.
“If it doesn’t end in .00 I’m going to the next dollar,” one user penned.
“Been overfilled since 1988. All good here,” another remarked.
“I’ve never had any issues in all 5 cars I’ve owned,” one person said.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Regular Car Reviews via Instagram direct message for further comment.
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