Tesco, Sainsbury's and Morrison's drivers who fill up with petrol sent huge warning
Whilst many drivers like to brim their tank when filling their car up, a motoring expert has warned a common practice may see motorists waste fuel.
Motorists have been warned to avoid making a common mistake at supermarket petrol stations that could lead to expensive repair bills.
When filling up at the pumps at supermarkets like Tesco and Sainsbury's, many motorists like to round up the amount of fuel they put into their vehicle to the nearest pound, sometimes continuing after the pump starts to click.
However, Graham Conway, Managing Director of the vehicle financing firm Select Car Leasing, suggested that many vehicles will start to throw away fuel after the pump clicks for the first time.
He advised: "Squeezing the fuel pump after the first click, also known as 'topping off', might seem like the right thing to do so you can make it up to the nearest pound, but it's really not.
"That's because it's likely to still dispense some fuel that won't end up in your tank. If you ignore that first click, you could be filling up past the top of the fuel tank port, and that extra fuel will end up running into the small drain under the entry and onto the ground beneath your vehicle."
When filling up a modern vehicle, a clicking trigger on a fuel pump lets the driver know that the tank is full of petrol or diesel in a bid to prevent overflowing.
As a result, if a driver continues to fill up after the first click, they risk the fuel immediately exiting the vehicle and running onto the ground of the forecourt.
The company noted that, in some cases, fuel pumps will suck up any excess, effectively charging customers to take back any petrol or diesel they cannot fit in their vehicle.
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However, in more serious cases, Graham noted that the additional fuel could evaporate over time, worsening emissions and creating warning lights.
He added: "A more serious issue, one that could damage your car and cost you serious cash, is connected to the vapour recovery system. That means you will soon see warning lights on your dashboard and run the risk of failing emissions tests.
"This prevents evaporated petrol or diesel escaping when you release the petrol cap to fill up, capturing it in a charcoal canister instead. But if you are forcing surplus petrol or diesel into the tank, this can propel liquid fuel into the pipes and damage the vapour recovery system."
