Gas prices fluctuate like crazy, and there’s no way around it unless you own a battery-electric vehicle and never go back to gasoline. Like any average driver, we want to save money on fuel, as well as time going back to the pump, so we may top off the tank now and then, and it’s not like it’s an unwritten rule of gas station etiquette not to.
Pumping gas is an easy chore, and most fuel pumps come with automatic shutoffs to allow drivers to pump in a lazy-like fashion. However, the automatic shutoff is there to tell drivers when their tank is full, while also serving as a warning. A fuel tank has a lot more parts to it than the average driver would think. In fact, topping off is just another common mistake car drivers can make that can destroy their engines. There are actually components that, if damaged, can lead to easily avoidable yet costly repairs.
Topping off your car’s gas tank can damage your engine
The onboard refueling vapor recovery (ORVR) system and the Evaporative Emission Control (EVAP) system are two components that, if affected, can have consequences. The ORVR is a charcoal-lined canister that helps reduce the amount of fuel vapor that could escape into the air while pumping gas. In tandem, the EVAP keeps gas vapors in.
By overfilling your tank, these systems can become saturated in gasoline, causing them to malfunction. Faulty ORVR and EVAP systems can cause the check engine light to come on, and once that happens, there’s a possibility of a costly repair to the car that was completely avoidable. Not only that, but saturated filters can also impair vehicle performance and lower its fuel efficiency, and all because we wanted a little more gas.
Worst of all, most gas stations come equipped with vapor recovery systems. This system is designed to stop dispensing gas once the automatic shutoff activates. That means, even if you paid for that gas you think you’re getting while topping off, you’re actually not. For safety reasons, it goes back into the gas station tank instead. In other words, topping off is just money down the drain.
