Do you sometimes tank even after clicking? Our expert tells you why you shouldn’t do it | Brecht Vanelliuen

The petrol or diesel pump turns off automatically when the fuel tank is about to be full. This is the case if the pump is set correctly and you correctly insert the fuel nozzle into the filler cap. Then refueling is not a good idea. But why exactly?

There are many reasons why it is not advisable to fill in even the brim. It is claimed, for example, that it is less efficient because with each “click” a (small) portion of the fuel is charged and is absorbed back into the intestine. I couldn’t verify it. What is certain is that you risk storing fuel in places not intended for it if you continue to refuel after the first “click”. After all, then you can fill not only the tank, but also the filling channel. With more fuel in your car than is actually intended, the risks of costs increase.

After all, the tank of a modern car is part of a hermetically sealed whole. Once the filling cap is closed, the system is completely closed. It must be. After all, harmful gasoline fumes may not end up in the air. The pressure differentials are absorbed by the expansion tank and the fumes that want to escape pass through a carbon filter and eventually end up in the engine, where they are burned.

The entire system is designed to consume gasoline and fuel – like all fluids – shrink and expand based on temperature. This is called a sensitive EVAP system. This is necessary, as it relates to emissions. Your car will sound the alarm as soon as a hole appears somewhere in the entire system and hardly a hole or the efficiency of one of the components drops (the filter is the most obvious reason). More important than the orange warning light on the dashboard and the effect on performance – sometimes the car doesn’t start – are the consequences for your wallet. The recovery cost of an EVAP system (which represents evaporation emissions) can be high. I found estimates from 175 to 1000 euros and more.

Pumping more gasoline or diesel into the tank than usual is certainly not the only cause of problems with the gasoline tank and related systems. But the risk increases. And since it doesn’t really pay off anyway, why are you still doing it?

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