Only getting 20-23 mph Is this normal??

[Red Bug 99]

Hey all,

I just got a 99 2.0 automatic beetle and it seems I am constantly filling her up!! We did the math and it came to 21 mpg!! I just could not believe that this could be right! When I filled her up the 2nd time it took $42.00 and I put 13.12 gal in. In less than 4 days I was on empty again! I mostly only drive to and from work which is about 30 miles one way. I had a saturn before I got this bug and I could go a full week on a full tank. My hubby thought at first it was because the gas tank could be smaller, but I am putting in the same amount of gas. We don't know exactly how much gas my tank holds as the owners manuel was not in the car. We bought an owners manuel book and it didn't have it either. So we are guessing around 13.5?? Anyway, I was just wondering if this mpg is normal or could it be something that just needs to be done with a tune-up?? I do know that I need to get my transmission filter & fluid changed. Once I do that, will my mpg get better?? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks

[MyOtherRidesAVette]

The gas tank holds 14.5 gal. Many things can be robbing you of fuel economy. Old oil, dirty air filter, spark plugs fouled or worn. There can also be other direct causes of reduced MPG but they should show up as DTCs. Have you checked for any stored DTCs (Diagnostic Trouble Codes)? 10% Etnaol gas will steal 10% MPG (Fact). Your MPG seems a little low, but I don't know the driving conditions or your driving habits. I get 21-23 City, 27-29 Hwy with my '05 2.0L and the car is significantly heaveier than yours as it is a Convertible. For the time these were relatively fuel efficient vehicles, by today's standards, not so much.

MORAV

Here's what current user's input to www.fuelecomony.gov are reporting -

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[Red Bug 99]

In my 35-45 minute commute to work is @ 10-12 minutes hwy (middle of no where), @ 8-12 minutes city (6 red lights bumper to bumper), then the rest is all interstate for @ 15 minutes. I use my cruise except when going through town. I go between 55-60 mph on hwy & interstate. We only have used the 100% ethanol free gas since we got this about 2 weeks ago. We did a check engine light & went & got the codes read. P0171 I think??? I have it in another thread. The guy at autozobe said it could have been bad gas that the previous owner had in it and it's still a little bit in the tank. We are going to get the transmission filter changed & the fluid changed. We checked the air filter yesterday & it looked pretty good. Just got the oil changed today.


Sent from my Autoguide iPhone app

[MyOtherRidesAVette]

Sounds like the very BtB town driving is going to offset the hwy driving, so your probably looking at the equivalent of "city" driving. I'd be surprised if you got ethanol free gas. Where do you live? It may be a state where posting is not mandated, but as the oil companies reap big kick backs from the Gov't if they sell it...

If the car had been sitting for sometime when you got it, the fuel line, fuel filter, and fuel injectors could have "varnished" (this is what happens with old gas). 8 or 10 tankfuls should clean it out, althhough if this is the case you may want to change the oil filter, it won't clean up. Do not use a fuel injector additive, if you want, check with VW and only use one sold by VW. Also don't worry about what brand of gas you buy, they all buy from each other so you never know what you are buying, and any cleaners and such are government mandated, and while called by different names are all the same.

Keep track of every fill-up and the odometer reading. Do a simple spread sheet on Excel or something to record and track your mpg. A five fill-up mpg will be a far better indicator of your true mpg. This is also a way to see when something does happen. Or when you have had service and it improves.

Edit: Yes now that you mention it, you do have a thread running in that regard. Resolutuon of that should see an improvement in your MPG. But where you're at, horrible!, I don't think so.

M.

[Red Bug 99]

Originally Posted by MyOtherRidesAVette

Sounds like the very BtB town driving is going to offset the hwy driving, so your probably looking at the equivalent of "city" driving. I'd be surprised if you got ethanol free gas. Where do you live? It may be a state where posting is not mandated, but as the oil companies reap big kick backs from the Gov't if they sell it...

If the car had been sitting for sometime when you got it, the fuel line, fuel filter, and fuel injectors could have "varnished" (this is what happens with old gas). 8 or 10 tankfuls should clean it out, althhough if this is the case you may want to change the oil filter, it won't clean up. Do not use a fuel injector additive, if you want, check with VW and only use one sold by VW. Also don't worry about what brand of gas you buy, they all buy from each other so you never know what you are buying, and any cleaners and such are government mandated, and while called by different names are all the same.

Keep track of every fill-up and the odometer reading. Do a simple spread sheet on Excel or something to record and track your mpg. A five fill-up mpg will be a far better indicator of your true mpg. This is also a way to see when something does happen. Or when you have had service and it improves.

Edit: Yes now that you mention it, you do have a thread running in that regard. Resolutuon of that should see an improvement in your MPG. But where you're at, horrible!, I don't think so.

M.

I'm in southwest Louisiana. There are a few gas stations that post on their marquees that they carry 100% ethanol free gas. It's even posted on the pumps. When I had my saturn, which had a smaller gas tank, I could go longer on a full tank than I am now in my NB. Maybe once I get all the much needed maintenance done it will get better.

[USA1fan]

I'm not sure why your Beetle would be that much worse than the Saturn, unless the Saturn was maybe rated higher (probably- according to that chart above, the 2.0l / 4A was rated 20/26, 22 combined) than the Beetle for fuel economy anyway. But your lower numbers make sense when you consider that you're spending 1/3 or so of your 45 minutes in bumper-to-bumper 6 stoplight traffic, very much in line with the 22 mpg combined rating by the EPA. You get zero mpg if you're burning gas sitting still, and most all cars get very low mpg at low speeds (between lights) and even lower when accelerating between lights.

If you want to see if that's the problem, try to find an excuse to run a complete tank of highway-only cruising at ~65 mph, no city involved. If you don't get something on the upper end of the 20's or low 30's, then you might have something more to worry about.

[MyOtherRidesAVette]

Like, Lake Charles? I'm in Houston, we're neighbors! Why not complete your User CP information so your location, car and specifics show up to the right in the header of your post?

Indeed LA does require E10 labeling, however, they also require that the amount of gas charged for is the amount pumped. Consider who owns most of the gas station franchises and figure it out for yourself. People are not going to buy E10 if they can keep from it, but they aren't especially going to care if they are E10 buyers and it's not. I looked at the list of stations selling non ethanol (well below 1%) in Louisiana, and like Houston, a lot of national brands who only manufacture and/or distribute E10. Look more closelyy and all around on the pump, apparently there isn't a law that says how large, or where the E10 label has to be or placed. I was certain I was buying non-E10 here, and hunted around on the pump one day until I found it! Here's two sites with lists for LA (buyer reported, so take it with a grain) of non-ethanol stations -
http://pure-gas.org/

http://www.buyrealgas.com/

I don't know what kind of mileage you are expecting, but I don't think you are far off EPA target now. According to my information, the car originally was rated for EPA purposes as:

2.0L, A/T - City 22 mpg, Highway 28 mpg
2.0L, M/T - City 24 mpg, Highway 31 mpg

M.

[Red Bug 99]

Originally Posted by MyOtherRidesAVette

Like, Lake Charles? I'm in Houston, we're neighbors! Why not complete your User CP information so your location, car and specifics show up to the right in the header of your post?

Indeed LA does require E10 labeling, however, they also require that the amount of gas charged for is the amount pumped. Consider who owns most of the gas station franchises and figure it out for yourself. People are not going to buy E10 if they can keep from it, but they aren't especially going to care if they are E10 buyers and it's not. I looked at the list of stations selling non ethanol (well below 1%) in Louisiana, and like Houston, a lot of national brands who only manufacture and/or distribute E10. Look more closelyy and all around on the pump, apparently there isn't a law that says how large, or where the E10 label has to be or placed. I was certain I was buying non-E10 here, and hunted around on the pump one day until I found it! Here's two sites with lists for LA (buyer reported, so take it with a grain) of non-ethanol stations -
http://pure-gas.org/

http://www.buyrealgas.com/

I don't know what kind of mileage you are expecting, but I don't think you are far off EPA target now. According to my information, the car originally was rated for EPA purposes as:

2.0L, A/T - City 22 mpg, Highway 28 mpg
2.0L, M/T - City 24 mpg, Highway 31 mpg

M.

Yep!! I work in Lake Charles, but actually live in Ragely which is @ 35 miles north. I guess I need to finish adding all my info......
I guess I was expecting about the same mpg as I was getting before. I had a 2001 NB years ago & traded it in for the Saturn.... BIG mistake!!! I loved that bug, but it was a 5 speed & I had never driven one before. I learned it pretty good, but it just made me so nervous to drive it. I hated inclines with a passion as I was so scared of rolling back & hitting the person behind me I never had any problems with it other than shifting lol. I knew standards got better gas milage but I didnt think it was that big of a difference, and my other NB was a turbo loved that "kick"!! LOL

[MyOtherRidesAVette]

Hi, I'm assuming your the Mrs. (lol). Been "talking" with you both! Just should have given yourself more time to get comfortable with the stick, everyone has the rolling back problem when they first learn. You just learn to be "quick-footed"! But a couple miles to the gallon is not the end of the world, and I think when you get the CEL issue taken care of it will improve a little bit. Do go for the non-E10 gas, but don't believe everything you don't read. You might even try med-grade. After all VW says regular is okay, but premium is the better choice for the 2.0L.

Saw your pics! The hood tat's not that bad! LMAO!

M.

[Red Bug 99]

Originally Posted by MyOtherRidesAVette

Hi, I'm assuming your the Mrs. (lol). Been "talking" with you both! Just should have given yourself more time to get comfortable with the stick, everyone has the rolling back problem when they first learn. You just learn to be "quick-footed"! But a couple miles to the gallon is not the end of the world, and I think when you get the CEL issue taken care of it will improve a little bit. Do go for the non-E10 gas, but don't believe everything you don't read. You might even try med-grade. After all VW says regular is okay, but premium is the better choice for the 2.0L.

Saw your pics! The hood tat's not that bad! LMAO!

M.

Yep, I'm the Mrs LOL. Hubby is probably better at describing the technical stuff than I am! I have been using the regular gas, I might try the mid-grade on my next fill-up. There are only a few gas stations that I will go to now because they offer the ethanol free gas.
I need to post the other pics of my car. The back has a butterfly & a mushroom, and on each side wheel wll is a peace sign lol. It's cute, guess its growing on me. It has too as I wont be getting a new paint job anytime soon!! LOL

[Opelmania]

Here's my $.02, the Saturn would be much better just because of the weight difference. Also, I would be surprised to see you get anything over 23 combined with an auto. I average 30+ MPG with my 5 speed and fill up every three days. I commute almost 120 miles a day.

[D2Beetle]

Originally Posted by Opelmania

Here's my $.02, the Saturn would be much better just because of the weight difference. Also, I would be surprised to see you get anything over 23 combined with an auto. I average 30+ MPG with my 5 speed and fill up every three days. I commute almost 120 miles a day.

My '98 averages 25-28 in mixed driving and it is 28 miles one way to work for me; However I do not drive on the interstate. I stick to the back roads, the commute time is the same as I have timed it both ways. So unless I pass someone, my top end is 55 MPH and I buy the 93 Octane with 10% ethanol.

[cjohnsontech]

I only get about 23mpg on average too. And I drive anywhere from 5 to 300 miles a day on highway and street (usually closer to the 30-85 range)... My biggest problem is that I have a heavy foot and I tend to downshift more than brake. I run 5w30 Pennzoil (sp?) on 87 Octane purely cuz almost all of my gas is paid by my work as well as my Fleet Card to Jiffy Lube. I noticed better gas mileage with Synthetic Oil (with Lucas stabalizer), 91 Octane (Shell), and intake cone sitting in the stock air box without the top half on. Take from that whatever you would like, but that's just what I happened to notice.

[Jeff2]

The biggest variable which impacts MPG is the driver's right foot. I've noticed my daughter's '05 Convertible, 2.0 with 6 speed automatic, is quick to rev high (4k to 5k rpm) if your foot is just a wee bit too heavy. Keeping maximum revs to 3k to 4k rpm is one relatively easy way to boost MPG.

No, it's not as fun to drive this way. Also, you may find yourself lagging a bit behind the car in front of you. But, you're going to be stopping at the next red light right behind that very same car anyway, so you're really not going to get to your destination any slower than if you floor it at ever green light.

My daily commuter vehicle is a '91 Ford Crown Victoria LX with the 5.0l V-8. If I'm easy on the gas pedal, I can get 21 mpg in mixed city/highway driving. But if I'm driving aggressively on the same commute, I'll only get 17 mpg. In other words, I'm getting about a 20% to 25% increase in my mileage just by slowly accelerating.

If Red Bug 99 could gain 25% on 21 mpg, that would be 26 mpg.

[Smileybug]

Being able to judge lights is another thing you can do. If you drive the same drag every day, you probably know the lights well enough that you can coast up to lights and not actually stop before the light turns red. This lets you keep rolling and its a little easier on the gas that way. I try to do this as much as possible...I love being able to just keep rolling in 2nd gear

Controlling your driving is the biggest thing you can do for MPGs. I never got much more than 24-25mpg in my 2.0L commuting to work and back. It was a 5-speed. Now, in my GTI I'm getting 23-24mpg, and its got 65 more hp! My eventual goal is 25mpg city, but I'm still having too much fun for the moment

[walnut]

Many of you probably know this already, but concerning the postings on Ethanol-free gas stations in the U.S. and Canada, as MORAV said don't necessarily trust the posting of an ethanol-free station if it's over six months old or so. They do change their minds, different management, etc. Whether a station sells E-10 or ethanol-free is up to the station manager, the alcohol is added at the distribution point, not the refinery. You can buy a tester for $39 incl shipping from Fuel Testers-Ethanol Fuel Test Kits-Protect your engines from E10 alcohol blend gasolines. I use the tester, not for the bug or my truck, but it matters when it comes to my boat, when I'm putting 60 gallons in that are likely to stay there for several months in a tank that is vented to the atmosphere. I can't afford the possibility of water absorption and phase separation. I think a lot of the posters on the pure-gas website do sample the fuel and keep the postings up to date. I do, and so far the staions listed in west TX and Corpus Christi are accurate, but they DO change on occasion. When it comes to my boat, I test EVERY time before fueling.

[JP]

i run about the same as well but it's a lot better than my Yukon it get's 11-13 mpg that's crazy so it sits at home hanging out until the weekend

[MyOtherRidesAVette]

Originally Posted by JP

i run about the same as well but it's a lot better than my Yukon it get's 11-13 mpg that's crazy so it sits at home hanging out until the weekend

You just need a bigger motor in the Yukon, my 3/4 ton Burb, 454 BB, 8500# load behind, highway, 80- 85 mph, 14 mpg, about the same as around town, with no load.

M.